Fun tennis nights in Midhirst | Taranaki Sport | Surfing, Rugby, Soccer, Football, Cricket in Taranaki

THE Midhirst Tennis Club has been going from strength to strength in the past few years so is looking forward to an even more successful season of night tennis this summer.

With around 13 tennis teams playing in the night tennis competition, Midhirst Tennis Club secretary, Marianne Drummond, has been kept busy co-ordinating draws and events.

"Most of our teams are from around Stratford and Midhirst," said Marianne, "but we do have a few teams coming from as far away as Eltham and Douglas."

With younger players also forming teams and joining while they're at high school, the club is alive, well and full of energy and Marianne couldn't be happier with the way things are going.

"With recent funding from the Taranaki Electricity Trust, the court lights are going really well and have given us a good, long season from the middle of October right through to April."

"We're having night tennis four nights a week, Monday to Thursday, as well as primary school tennis on Saturday mornings. We even have a midweek ladies' competition, which means we're attracting people of all ages and from all walks of life."

The recent success of the club has been as a result of the club's focus on organising flexible competitions and running most of their competitions at night.

"Night tennis is particularly good for farmers. Having to travel to a competition during the day often means valuable farming and business time gets lost and many farmers can't afford to lose a day's productivity like that."

"Some farmer's might not see another person during their working day, so night tennis gives them a chance to be sociable, as well as compete."

The social benefits of being involved in the club are something that Marianne particularly endorses, and she has enjoyed watching different kinds of people get to know each other through the matches she has organised.

"Teams will usually play three matches a night. With breaks in-between, people get a chance to talk, have a drink and get to know each other."

"We organise matches where skill levels are similar, as well as strong teams playing weaker teams. Usually, this means that the weaker teams get a chance to learn and the stronger teams get to relax and just have fun."

Although Marianne has plenty of talented teams for her draws, she is more than happy to take more on.

Whether a team is made up of beginners or experts, the club takes all-comers and if you are interested in playing, get a few friends together and get in touch with Marianne at 762 8757 or club president, Liz O'Sullivan at 764 7030.