Leap Around The Boskruin Tennis Courts On Your Way To Good Health And Social Competition
Founded in 1992, the Boskruin Tennis Club (www.boskruintennis.co.za) has gone from strength to strength ever since. “We built the club and maintain it ourselves, we lease the land here on the municipal grounds and have so far built up six courts, all flood lit.” says Maggie Anderson, Club Chairman. “We have social and league play, around 230 members and we are one of the biggest clubs in Gauteng. We have had wonderful success with our teams: the men’s A-team have managed to reach the top Gauteng league and last year our ladies’ team often had to play against the men’s teams due to lack of suitable opponents in the night league.”
“The club is growing and there is a great demand for additional courts to be built. However, we are not sure of our existence after 2009, as our lease may not be extended. We currently pay R500 a year for the courts, but the council wishes to convert it to market rates, being about R12,000 a month. A lot of clubs will be facing the same dilemma, so we hope some sort of arrangement can be made to ensure our future.” In the meantime, the club is doing everything possible to develop and promote tennis in the area.
“One of our attained goals for this year was the launching of a Development Programme with Kingsway School, providing coaching to the school that caters for children from disadvantaged backgrounds. Financially assisted by Jody’s Tyres Hi Q, the programme is known as the Jody’s Tyres Hi Q Boskruin Tennis Club Development Programme. We raised funds for shoes and rackets for the disadvantaged kids who play here, and want to continue this. Not every club is in this position, so we would like to help those who have not had as many opportunities in the past.”
The Boskruin Tennis Club is situated just off Kelly Road, next to the Boskruin Library and is open to all ages. There are social games on a Tuesday and a Saturday and coaching throughout the week for all levels of play. “We are looking into hosting an invitational tournament each year with strong competitive tennis.” says Mel Pereira, BTC Committee Member. “There are ten committee members that allocate sets for the social players so that things are structured and everyone gets to enjoy the game. Often, people have the misconception that tennis is a sport for an exclusive few, but it only takes seven or eight sessions to build your muscle memory and you can play.” says Maggie. “Maggie’s husband Neil just started recently and he plays a decent game already, after such a short time. Really, anyone can play!” continues Mel.
Tennis is a wonderful way to exercise in the fresh air, incorporating most of the body’s muscles and is a great way to socialize and have fun. Go down to the Boskruin Tennis Club and find out just how beneficial tennis can be.
For additional information on this exciting and social tennis club, please contact Mel Pereira on 083-457-3387 or melp@lithotech.co.za.
