RED Cliffs Lawn Tennis Club has opened its arms to its Mildura counterparts, as floodwaters are set to cover the city courts.
As reported by Sunraysia Daily last week, the playing surfaces of Mildura Lawn Tennis Club are set to go under water in the coming weeks with the banks of the Murray River set to spill further.
It is likely to put the Hugh King Drive facility out of action for the coming months, leaving Red Cliffs and Ouyen as the closest options should players opt to remain on grass courts.
RCLTC president Gavin Lynch said his club would welcome Mildura members during that time.
“Our club committee met and we sent the Mildura Lawn Tennis Club a letter offering their members access to our club for just ball fees,” he said.
“Normally anyone outside of the club would also pay court hire fees but we’ll waive them for Mildura members.
“Every sporting club has been through the COVID challenge of the last few years, so obviously flooding issues are the last thing anyone wants.
“They (Mildura) are very supportive of us every year for our annual tournament and really, the more players the better. We’ll have no issues with the courts bringing them in.”
Red Cliffs has 100 adult and just over 60 junior members, a number which Lynch said was down on pre-COVID times.
“We’ve had numbers drop off,” he said.
“We thought after the last couple of years people might be itching to get back out and play but that hasn’t necessarily been the case. I think multiple sports have felt that.
“Our Thursday night twilight event has really been our main day now with 18 teams across the courts. People seem to have steered away from the traditional Saturday slot a bit more.”
Lynch said preparations have started for the RCLTC’s annual tennis tournament in 2023, with juniors playing the weekend of February 11 and 12, and seniors on February 18 and 19.
