Men's team shine for Bognor - so do new floodlights

In a nail-biting conclusion to the season, Middleton seconds lost their final match and slipped below Bognor thirds in the league on percentage of rubbers won. Bognor won three and drew two matches out of the six played.

The team have five regular players – Steve Pollard (captain), Neil O’Boyle, Simon Peers, Gary Leadston and Rick West. Other players who have contributed to the team’s success this season are Cyril Penn and Stephen Porter.

Bognor Tennis Club now have floodlights on all five courts and the car park - with an improved entrance - is opening this month.

By last year it was becoming apparent the club’s two existing floodlit courts would not have the capacity to cater for the number of adults and children who wanted to play tennis in the dark evenings.

Adult members were keen to continue their weekly match team rotas and singles ladders and the club’s junior and mini coaching programmes were growing in number and becoming more popular.

The committee decided the club required more floodlit courts and committee member Neil O’Boyle took on the task of securing funding. The Lawn Tennis Association kindly agreed a loan of £30,000 would be offered to the club towards the expenditure of new floodlights on the remaining three tennis hard courts.

Installation began in autumn 2015 and they were completed and ready for play by October. Eight floodlight columns eight metres high were put up around the circumference of the three courts and 12 asymmetric floodlights were attached, each of thousand-watt power.

The lamps create a controlled downlight spread of luminosity but did not allow an upward spill of light over the local neighbourhood.

Members are thrilled to have the lights and the club expect to increase opportunities for local players and new members.

The club have an open day for anyone interested in joining on Saturday, April 30, from 1.30pm to 4pm. Please see www.bognortennisclub.co.uk for further details.

Don’t miss out on all the latest breaking sports news where you live.

Here are four ways you can be sure you’ll be among the first to know what’s going on.

1 Make this website your homepage

2 Like our Facebook page at facebook.com/pages/Sport-Sussex

3 Follow us on Twitter @SportSussex

4 Register with us by clicking on ‘sign in’ (top right corner). You can then receive our daily newsletter AND add your point of view to stories that you read here.

Share with your family and friends - so they don’t miss out!