Lawn tennis is one of the UK’s oldest and most popular sports, with the first Lawn Tennis Club being founded in Leamington Spa in 1875. Today, the game is more popular than ever, and there are plenty of lawn tennis clubs in the UK that maintain a proud heritage, whilst also delivering 21st century tennis facilities. One such example is the Muswell Hill Methodist Lawn Tennis Club – founded in 1920 by local benefactor, Guy Chester OBE, and enjoying status today as one of the most successful London tennis clubs of the last decade.
Of course, thanks to advances in artificial grass technology, clubs like this can now offer tennis players all the pleasure of playing on a natural feeling grass surface, but without any of the drawbacks – such as slippage or flooding in wet weather and difficulties in maintaining the court’s condition when it is in constant use. This court resurfacing project is a great example of how a modern artificial tennis court can revitalise a facility whilst maintaining the spirit and heritage of lawn tennis.
Muswell Hill Methodist Lawn Tennis club’s original shale courts were first replaced with synthetic options in the 1980s. Today, the club provides four artificial grass courts, available for play until 21.30 pm all year round. Recently, the club’s voluntary committee contracted a SAPCA accredited company, ETC Sports Surfaces, to undertake a major renovation project on Court 4 by completely resurfacing it with a new Advantage Pro Surface, manufactured and supplied by Tiger Turf UK.
The new surface, which replaces the old rubber filled court, is sand-filled and offers numerous benefits, including durability, full water permeability, minimal maintenance requirements and an anti-shine finish, preventing glare in wet, full sun or floodlit conditions.
Laying the new surface involved stringent health and safety procedures, given that the club’s other three courts remained in use for the duration of the project. ETC Sports completed the entire project in three weeks, says Ian Jeffries, the club’s Facilities Secretary. Ian adds: “Muswell Hill Methodist Lawn Tennis Club is very pleased with its new Tiger Turf Advantage Pro surface. Dealing with ETC Sports Surfaces was a very good experience. Their advice all the along the way made the process of procurement and installation very easy. They helped us to choose the new surface and members are very happy with the result.”
For more information on ETC Sports Surfaces Ltd, please click [here]