Tennis club unveils refurbished courts to encourage new members

The Oxhey Hall Tennis Club has unveiled its new and improved courts as it tries to attract more members - days before Wimbledon starts.

Based at the Oxhey Hall Community Association in Hampermill Lane, the club offers social tennis sessions throughout the week as well as club matches for players of different abilities.

Chairman Simon Balaam wanted Oxhey Hall to compete with larger tennis clubs locally amid its "static" membership in recent years, but was concerned about the condition of their three courts.

Chairman Simon Balaam and club member Kevin Murphy after the courts were completed last Friday. (Image: Simon Balaam)

“As a Lawn Tennis Association-affiliated club you have to make sure there’s a relatively good standard,” he explained. “I could see the courts were starting to break and you don’t want people falling over and hurting yourself.

“We were struggling to attract more members but we thought we were in a no-win situation here.

“If we don't do something about the courts, then they are just going to be ruined and they'll be a bit of an eyesore.”

How the Oxhey Hall tennis courts used to look. (Image: Simon Balaam) After unsuccessfully approaching the LTA and Sports England for funding, the Oxhey Hall Community Association agreed to step in and invest in the works.

After being quoted up to £60,000 for the refurbishments, the club eventually went with St Albans-based firm Sports Courts who did a “fantastic job” for around £25,000.

The refurbished courts at the Oxhey Hall Tennis Club. (Image: Simon Balaam) The works to repair the bottom court and resurface the other two areas began in January,  but the final step of applying a protective spray was delayed until last week due to bad weather.

Simon said it was “touch and go” as they had to wait 24 hours for the coating to dry, but managed to get it ready in time for their Watford and District League match on Friday evening, June 21.

Oxhey Hall coach Farid Beig on the new court. (Image: Simon Balaam) “We play in the West Herts League so we have people coming from all over, big clubs and small clubs,” he added. “So now we feel a bit proud that when they come to us we can look as good as some of the big clubs.”

With Wimbledon just around the corner, Simon believes joining a club is a good way to get into the sport despite the availability of free pitches elsewhere.

He explained: “The beauty is you’ve got a pool of players to play against and you can get started straight away rather than having the frustration of trying to find someone to play with."