Newport’s Boughey Gardens Tennis Club's light is shining bright
The last few weeks have seen enormous successes for some of Boughey Gardens’ senior and junior members. Players competed in both Shropshire and further afield at the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club’s SW19 / Wimbledon and Raynes Park venues and also at Eastbourne.
Firstly, the club is very proud of sisters, Lily and Maisie Evans, who have enjoyed a very busy week playing in the annual Shropshire County Closed Tournament at the Shrewsbury Club. Lily, aged 15, played her way to become the overall Champion in the 2024 Ladies’ Singles Tournament. She and her partner also went on to become the overall Champions in the Ladies’ Doubles event, beating the more seasoned Number 1 seeds. Lily also played her way into the Under 18 Ladies’ Doubles final with her sister, Maisie, aged 17, winning the Runners-Up trophy. Lily said she really enjoyed the event and is already looking forward to her next tournament. Maisie loved the high standard of competitive play and is keen to ensure that her University choices all have excellent tennis programmes.
Louise Smith, one of the club’s newer members who has recently returned to tennis after a 10 year break, also played her way on to the tennis awards platform and was crowned Champion in the Over 45 Ladies’ Doubles event. She laughed about a minor incident which occurred during the final when the emergency fire door was inadvertently opened, setting off fire alarms and cutting off the power which is used to keep the Cathie Sabin Tennis Dome inflated! Fortunately, the mishap was short-lived and play resumed in a fully inflated dome. Keith Smith, MBE, the club’s former coach, is currently Tennis Shropshire’s President and he was delighted to be able to present three club members with their awards.
Outside of the county, club members Ollie Smith, Andy Tellwright and Carol Spraggett all enjoyed participating in an International Tennis Federation event hosted by the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club. Between them they enjoyed singles and doubles matches, playing against international opponents. The following week, they were joined by Steve Round at the British Open Masters Grass Court Championships at Eastbourne.
Boughey Gardens’ own Championships are also under way for those who prefer to play closer to home and will conclude with a grand Presentation Evening at the end of the season. As well as competitive play through internal tournaments and inter-club league matches, the club hosts four social play sessions a week on a year-round basis. The club is open to new members and membership details are on the club’s website.
By Abigail Hind - Contributor
