There has been a Lawn Tennis Club in Whitehaven for well over 100 years but the present club was founded in 1941 – and is looking to build a bright future.
It has slowly declined in numbers but after linking up with Whitehaven Academy since 2021, the club feels it has opportunities to make progress in the years ahead.
The club has appointed a new coach Jacob Rankin which officials believe will be an important acquisition in driving it forward while the academy’s own development plans should dovetail with the way the tennis enthusiasts want to progress.
In the early years the club was located near the Whitehaven Rugby Union ground in Whitehaven town centre on grass courts and the club house was an old garage.
Due to regular vandalism on the grass courts, which eventually saw the club house burnt down, the club was forced to relocate to St Benedict’s School in 1993. The club was well established then but has declined since then.
St Benedict’s School was their home until 2017 before spending a couple of years at St Bees School ahead of the switch to Whitehaven Academy from 2021.
Treasurer Sybil Worsley said: “This is where we continue to play to this day where we are the only tennis club in or around Whitehaven.
“We have had a few difficult years as many organisations have, but we feel we now have lots of opportunities going forward and look to build on these into the future.
“The academy has received funding to develop their outdoor sports facilities and in time will have some all-weather outdoor tennis courts which will be floodlit. This will give us an opportunity to play tennis all year round and not just in the summer months.
“Once this is developed, we will have more use of the current hard courts which will allow play during the day in term time which will be a huge development for our club.”
Secretary Heidi Hardy said: “For the club to thrive again we need to have an active coach again and that’s what we have been able to do, so that is a positive start this season.
“We need to get the word out there that there’s a tennis club in Whitehaven and people are welcome to come give it a go. We have open days – currently being organised – each year for people to come along and give it a go.
“We need to be able to play all year round and hopefully in the coming years we can do this with new courts at Whitehaven Academy once built.
“We have started to advertise a lot more, through our website and new Facebook page, and also by posting posters on other Facebook sites. We need to try and get information into the local schools and hopefully organise some fun events/tournaments something which we are actively doing at the moment.”
So what have been the reasons for the decline in tennis in the Whitehaven area?
Chair Barbara Smith said: “There is definitely less interest in tennis probably because it is rarely offered in schools, which is why we try to offer coaching each year. Coaching is offered for junior and senior members and I would encourage anyone interested to contact the club for more information.”
Sybil added: “The decline in tennis in our area has got worse over the years. Schools don’t seem to offer it much. However it is taught at Whitehaven Academy so we hope to encourage some pupils to join the club and take part in the Junior coaching on offer.
“A few years ago, we actively recruited junior members from primary schools and hope to offer some holiday events this year which will be aimed at attracting new young people into the sport and help us grow as a club into the future.
Heidi said: “Numbers have been declining for many years. After the COVID era we had a really successful season and numbers were up for both juniors and seniors but last year was low.
“We were unable to secure a coach due to the availability of coaches in the area so that had an impact on the number of members we had, something which we hope will improve this year now we have a new coach for the club.
“We want to welcome new players both as members and we are also offering a ‘pay and play’ facility via our website which we hope will be something that will meet the needs of everyone. Cumbria LTA have recently appointed a sports development officer who we hope will prioritise tennis on the west coast as there is a need for development in all areas.”
Whitehaven’s courts are available after 4pm, Monday to Friday, and all day on weekends, starting on Monday April 17 until August 31.
The courts are available all day during school holidays too. Some evenings the courts are used for coaching and the club also offer league matches on Tuesdays or Thursdays for those looking for competitive play, men’s, ladies and mixed doubles, but there is one court available for people to play on during these nights.
Coaching will be available for juniors and seniors on a Friday evening and club nights will be held on Mondays (6pm onwards) and Saturdays (10am onwards).
Throughout the summer the club will hold in-house mini tournaments and plan to publish the dates on our website and Facebook pages very soon. There are other tournaments that people can join in and are welcomed at other clubs in West and north Cumbria.
Finally the Whitehaven officials are hoping that former players will be tempted to give the sport another try.
Sybil added: “Many older people decide to take up tennis again after many years out and so offering senior coaching is a way of encouraging people to take up the sport again and also help incorporate them into the club by being around other new and current members.
“Some of these people often haven’t played since leaving school and therefore can be quite nervous. We encourage new people to try tennis and by them joining coaching sessions they have nothing to worry about as everyone is there for the same reason.
“The club members are very friendly and welcome new faces, they are happy to give tips, help and encourage people.”
Club information
Location: Whitehaven Academy
Club nights: Mondays, 6pm onwards, Saturdays, 10am onwards
Match nights: Tuesdays and Thursdays, 6:30pm onwards
Coaching: Friday evenings, Juniors 5pm-6pm and 6pm-7pm, Seniors 7pm-8pm and 8pm-9pm
More information:
Website: www.whitehavencommunitytennisclub.co.uk
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/WhitehavenCTC
Email: [email protected]