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Some of the committee members of Mitchelstown Tennis Club pictured at club ahead of their 24-hour tennis marathon this weekend. Photo: Sandra Quinn

This weekend brings with it a first for Mitchelstown Tennis Club, as they will be holding their first ever 24-hour tennis marathon to raise money for their club redevelopment fund.

Starting at 8pm on Friday night, members will be playing one-hour slots each to bring them through 24 constant hours of tennis, playing in order to raise money for lighting in the third court.

For this momentous occasion, the club members are calling on the public to come along and show their support for the players, who have been raising sponsorship for their marathon, so that the cheers and encouragement might help spur them on through their challenge. 

Michael Rea explained that they need €10,000 for the lights and they have been highlighting this issue for some time. Thanks to the existing support from members, they are now very near their quota, so they are hoping that this marathon will push them over the line and make the lights a reality for the club's existing and incoming members.

Michael also reminds members to bring back their sponsorship cards on Friday and he thanked them all for their hard work and dedication in raising money for the club, but added that it would be greatly appreciated if members and their families could also pitch in with a bit of baking for the cake sale on Saturday.

BUSY WEEKEND

Over the weekend, there will also be an open day on Saturday so that members of the public can explore the club and avail of heavily discounted membership deals for new members. There will also be lots of family fun on the Saturday between 2pm and 5pm, with a gala day where there will be everything from fun outdoor games, a bouncy castle and face painting, to sweets and treats, spot prizes, raffles and entertainment, as well as a barbecue with freshly prepared hot dogs and burgers.

Many players start out in tennis when they are young and there is a camp for juniors, which started on Wednesday and runs until Friday where up to 100 young budding players aged between four and a half and 14 will be hitting the courts.

Catherine O'Keeffe thanked Simon Maher of Lidl who will provide water and fruit and also Tesco, who will provide gifts for the children.

She also congratulated the young junior players, Mikey Keating and Stephen Dalton, who won out the open in Hillview, Clonmel in the boys doubles for Under 14s.

Catherine explained that Saturday is a great chance for young people to try out tennis and see if they like the sport, as the younger players can develop their skills quickly, the younger they start. And for those who wish to start playing tennis, coaching from a Munster coach will start on September 12 at just €40 for eight weeks, working out at €5 a week.

Catherine added that with a maximum of ten children per session, there is a lot of one-to-one attention and personal mentoring and names will be taken for the coaching on Saturday.

APRES PARTY

To mark the end of the marathon, there will also be an apres marathon party in the club at 8pm on Saturday where friends and family members can celebrate the achievements of the members over the 24 hours and also look back on the events of the past year.

The club would also like to thank those living near the club for their support in facilitating the continued use of the lights throughout the night for the tennis marathon. All are welcome to what promises to be a very memorable weekend for the club and the town.

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