Mount Maunganui Tennis Club gains national recognition

The Mount Maunganui Tennis Club is a well-oiled machine.

This week's Bayleys Peter Clarke Mount Maunganui Beach Open Tennis Tournament will be a good example of that, just over a week after the club received national recognition at the Tennis New Zealand Awards.

READ MORE:
• Mount Maunganui climb and lakes walks among the best in New Zealand
• Body on a boat in Mt Maunganui: Member of public tried to perform CPR
• Warning after major chemical spill at Mount Maunganui
• Airshed over the Mount Maunganui industrial area comes into effect

Head coach Paul Arnott was rewarded for his passion and drive to get people active and playing tennis when he was named the Tennis NZ Club Coach of the Year. The club was also a finalist in the Club of the Year award and had Lynne Hansen a finalist in Volunteer of the Year.

Arnott said the fact that he had won the award was "still sinking in".

"To even be nominated is quite a big thing. I've won the Western Bay Coach of the year twice in the last three years and this year I got put through to the Waikato Bay of Plenty Awards and won that as well which puts you through to the national one.

"It was amazing, an awesome feeling and it was a cracking night as well. For the club to be up for three awards is basically unheard of."

Arnott joined the Mount Maunganui Tennis Club three years ago and said it was the best club he had worked at. The work he has put in to increase participation numbers is evident with junior membership numbers going from 50 to 170 in that time.

"The committee puts in so much work and they are so supportive of everything that I do as well as giving me the freedom of doing new stuff and coming up with new ideas. The club is very proactive.

"I've been going into local schools and giving them free coaching and then I invite them to the club on a Friday night where we do a massive club night. They get to experience that and it's $100 for the kids to join the club for a whole year."

The overall membership at the club has also increased.

"I've brought in a huge amount of adults aged from about 25-45 which is a really hard age group to get to join the club. The biggest thing for them is probably the Wednesday night club night which has been a big seller over the last few years.

"We do 45 minutes of drills and 45 minutes of match play. That's a good way to induct new members into the club by actually bringing them for a free opportunity that night. It's a great opportunity to meet people straight away without the pressure."

Meanwhile, Bayleys Peter Clarke Mount Maunganui Beach Open Tennis Tournament convenor Sylvia Wilmhurst said this week's tournament, which was revived in 2017 after a 10-year break, will be held from December 27-29 at the Mount Maunganui Tennis Club.

"The event is still building on participation and continues to attract top players from the upper North Island.

"This year, Andrew Lobb, from Auckland, is entered in the singles - he holds the New Zealand Senior Men's 50+ Singles title. His competition may be last year's finalist Nick Hammond, also from Auckland.

"The women's doubles draw on Saturday is developing into a very competitive competition with local Mount top player Debbie Garea competing this year, with a Rotorua local, up against last year's finalists Helen Litt and Delwyn Guilford from Hamilton."

Wilmhurst said spectators were welcome to head along and enjoy the high standard of tennis that will be on display.