Roundwood Lawn Tennis Club in Ipswich, Sussex, has a distinguished history of more than a century. But, in recent years, their three full-sized asphalt tennis courts have suffered from severe waterlogging. The club prides itself on offering amateur and professional tennis 365 days a year – so providing safe, dry, high performing courts is a must to enhance the playing experience.
On seeking a quote to resurface the courts, Roundwood engaged with ETC Sports Surfaces, who designed a bespoke solution that would deliver the right result whilst saving significant time and money. By drilling down into the existing asphalt instead of digging it up, they created additional drainage to resolve the waterlogging, before reskimming the existing surface with new asphalt to create hardwearing, tennis-ready surfaces that will preserve the performance of all three courts for at least 12 years.
Martyn Ward, Club Secretary at Roundwood, confirms the benefits of this bespoke approach to the project. “ETC’s proposal of drilling and skimming the courts was one that I hadn’t considered, but it resulted in a quote that was considerably cheaper than the other two quotes I obtained,” he says.
“The new courts were left over the winter months to allow the tarmac to settle, before re-spraying. Over these months we had absolutely no problems with any waterlogging – which was a great relief to our members, who historically have had to sponge and mop up water before playing whenever it rains.”
The drilling and skimming approach also improved delivery times for the project, with practical works being completed in less than a month. Martyn’s experience of ETC Sports Surfaces’ on-site practices was also a positive one, as he explains. “ETC’s team were always on time, and always working hard whenever I popped up to see them,” he says. “They consistently kept the site clean and tidy. When an incorrect batch of asphalt was delivered, they were quick to notice the problem where I couldn’t spot any difference! What’s more, although it took them an extra day to resolve that problem, they made no additional charge for remedying the situation. From my personal experience and on behalf of Roundwood, I can thoroughly recommend ETC for a fantastic professional job in resurfacing our courts.”
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