It's tennis - but not as we know it

Chichester Racquets & Fitness Club hosted their first LTA padel event following the recent opening of two padel tennis courts.
Padel tennis is being played at ChichesterPadel tennis is being played at Chichester
Padel tennis is being played at Chichester

The tournament itself was sponsored by JB Corrie Padel who provided the prize money and welcome bags for all competitors.

Unfortunately, due to Covid restrictions the event had to be played behind closed doors but this did not seem to hamper the event which was played in great spirit and with much excitement.

The courts had been installed JB Corrie Padel.

The Chichester men's tournament finalistsThe Chichester men's tournament finalists
The Chichester men's tournament finalists
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A total of 32 male and eight female competitors took part in their chosen event. The men’s event took place over the whole weekend with the semis and finals taking place on the Sunday.

The early rounds proved to be a great experience for all, with many pairing entering an LTA padel event for the very first time.

The men’s final saw the No1 seeds Jose Gaspar and Miquel Mas play No2 seeds Julio Alvaro and Anton Savolainen.

The match was a delight and would have had crowds on their feet throughout had they been able to watch.

The Crafty Pint tournament winners at Midhurst TCThe Crafty Pint tournament winners at Midhurst TC
The Crafty Pint tournament winners at Midhurst TC
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The minority who had the privilege to watch from the club’s outdoor seated hospitality area were fortunate to see such high class padel being played on the new courts.

The ladies’ event took place on the Sunday with four pairings playing in a round robin event.

The ladies event had three pairs competing in their very first padel event. Overall winners were Michelle Collins and Stephanie Trill, who swapped their tennis rackets for padel for the day.

Club manager Jack Lerwill said: “What a fantastic weekend!

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“The club is extremely proud to have two high quality padel tennis courts provided by JB Corrie Padel and to host an LTA graded event in its first couple of months of play is icing on the cake.

“ Thank you to all the participants who took part.

“We very much hope this will be the first of many events taking place at the club throughout this year.’

The padel tennis courts at Chichester R&FC are open to non-members?

If you are interested in giving a padel tennis a try, please contact the club reception on 01243 785664 and staff will be delighted to assist.

MIDHURST

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The inaugural Crafty Pint tennis tournament was held at Midhurst Tennis Club and was well attended.

The club is grateful to The Crafty Pint, who sell floodlight tokens for the club to members during shop hours.

Players arrived ready to play at 2pm and a draw was made from a total of 16 players using all four courts at the club.

Four rounds of fantastic, socially distanced tennis were competitively played and those with most points then played in a closely fought final.

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Vanessa Busek and Adrian Walkling were the eventual winners and Dan Bush and Rangesh Nallan runners-up.

The finalists all received a box of locally sourced craft beer donated by The Crafty Pint, West Street, Midhurst. Thanks went to Andy.

A fun day was had at the tennis club with sunny weather but that cold wind was biting. It is a joy to be back on court and the club continues to comply with the government & LTA Covid guidelines.

The club welcome new members – if you’d like to return to tennis or learn to play, look at their website or contact [email protected] for more information.