New surface for Mercury Bay Tennis Club’s courts

Many Mercury Bay Tennis Club members turned up for club night on Thursday last week to try out the new Tiger Turf surface of the courts.

“When I was a school student in Whitianga quite a few decades ago, the courts had an asphalt surface,” says Jason McCloughlin, one of the club captains. “In 2,000 an artificial grass surface was laid, but it became really worn out over the years. It’s great to have this new surface, it most certainly makes for a more enjoyable playing experience.”

The bulk of the funding for the new surface came through Thames-Coromandel District Council’s Community Facilities Asset Renewals Programme. More than 20 tons of sand was applied to help with the firming up of the new surface.

Steven Bale, the other club captain, says he hopes the new surface will help to attract more club members. “The social atmosphere at the club on Thursday evenings is always great, also in winter when we play under lights,” he says. “It will be awesome to have more people joining in. We also hope the new surface will help us to grow our summer business house competition, which has been going strong for more than 35 years. And we’re talking about an open doubles tournament over Labour or Easter Weekend, which will be a nice addition to the club’s activities.”

Pictured: Steven (left) and Jason on the new surface of the courts.