A weekend to remember!

Thank you to everyone who joined us for the launch of our new padel and pickleball courts. What a fantastic day it turned out to be.

The club was full of familiar faces, plenty of new ones too, and there was a real buzz from start to finish. Whether you came to play, support, collect an award, enjoy a burger from the BBQ or simply see what all the excitement was about, it was lovely to see so many people enjoying the club together.

The fun padel tournament was a huge hit, with players of all ages and abilities getting involved. There were some surprisingly competitive moments, lots of laughter and plenty of people discovering just how addictive padel can be. Congratulations to Phil Shaw and Mike Norton, who took home the winners’ title.

Of course, the weather wasn’t going to let us have things entirely our own way. A few particularly enthusiastic gusts of wind saw our inflatables develop a little more “drift” than planned! We took the sensible decision to deflate them, but with the new padel and pickleball courts in full swing, the fun carried on without missing a beat.

The complimentary BBQ went down a storm, giving everyone chance to grab a bite, catch up with friends and enjoy the atmosphere before we rounded off the day with our Mini and Junior Awards.

As always, those awards reminded us what the club is all about. Seeing our young players recognised and celebrated, surrounded by proud families, coaches and friends, was a brilliant way to end the day.

New courts are exciting, but the best part of the weekend was seeing the club doing what it does best: bringing people together. Members, non-members, juniors, parents, grandparents and friends all sharing the day, enjoying the facilities and making memories together.

Of course, weekends like this don’t happen by accident. We’d like to say a huge thank you to Schneider FM, whose sponsorship has helped bring this exciting project to life, and to Nick Beresford for officially cutting the ribbon and helping us mark the occasion in style.

A special mention must also go to Paul Archbell, who has been instrumental in the development of the padel courts from the very beginning. Paul’s passion, commitment and hard work have helped turn an idea into a fantastic facility for members to enjoy, and his warm welcome and speech on the day perfectly captured what this project means for the club.

We’re also grateful to the team at Huddle Radio, who came along to capture the day and help share the excitement around the launch with a wider audience.

Finally, thank you to everyone who attended, helped organise the day, volunteered behind the scenes, coached, cooked, played and supported. We couldn’t have asked for a better way to celebrate this exciting new chapter for the club.