Tennis club one of the oldest in the region

HISTORY

The tennis club may very well be one of the region’s oldest sport clubs. In May 1926, the town council gave permission to the Zoutpansberg Tennis Club to utilize two sites for the establishment of tennis courts. The sites, 655 and 666, were on the corner of Rissik and Kort Street, roughly where Du Toit’s Engineering is currently situated.

The first tennis courts in the Soutpansberg were probably built in the mid-1880s on the farm Lovedale Park, not far from Elim. This is where John and Mary Cooksley’s well-known farm was situated. In its heyday, the farm boasted Victorian style gardens and even had tennis and croquet courts.

Builing of the club house at the current premises probably happened in the early 1950s. In 1956 the club was already established in Anderson Street.

The old club house was demolished in the early 1980s.

When exactly the courts in Louis Trichardt moved to a new location in Anderson Street is uncertain. In the 1940s, the town’s tennis players were still using the clay courts on the corner of Rissik and Kort Street. In 1956, the club was already established at its current address, so the move took place somewhere in between. Initially, four clay courts were used at the new premises.

During the 1980s, the old clubhouse was demolished, and a new clubhouse and pavilion were built. A fifth and a sixth court were built at a later stage and by then the clay courts had all been replaced with asphalt surfaces.

Over the years the club maintained and upgraded the facilities, ensuring that it remained one of the best tennis clubs in the province. In 2018, the club collected funds and started with the project to resurface all the courts. This project was finished early in 2019.

ACTIVITIES

Throughout the decades, the club produced many champions and the teams have won numerous competitions. The most recent achievement of the club was when four of the members represented Louis Trichardt Tennis Club in the Top Guns league held in Polokwane last year. The four members, JG van den Berg, Craig Viljoen, Jo-anne Beukes and Lana Hoffmann, won the B-league of the Top Guns tournament, thereby winning a cash prize of R4 000 for the club.
 

Four club members won the B-league of the Top Guns league in 2018. From left are Craig Viljoen, JG van den Berg, Lana Hoffmann and Jo-anne Beukes.

The club itself is in the process of installing additional lights on more courts. The club has seen good membership growth over the past two years, and it has become necessary for more courts to have lights. The club also recently re-started the Louis Trichardt Day, a popular annual event that was attended by clubs from all over Limpopo.

The tennis club puts a lot of emphasis on development and no fewer than three coaches are available to help members and non-members develop their tennis skills. The coaches charge a fee per hour for tennis lessons and can be contacted by any prospective tennis player on the following numbers:

Mr. Craig Viljoen – Cell nr: 063 779 5002
Mr. Tobie Lochner – Cell nr: 083 708 9292
Ms. Lindsay Viljoen – Cell nr: 072 220 5709

MANAGEMENT

The club committee consist of:

* Henk Beukes (Chairperson)
* Jo-anne Beukes (Secretary/Treasurer)
* Jimmy Scheepers (Acting vice-chairperson)
* J.G. van den Berg (Additional member)
* Andy Leach (Additional member)
* Candice Terrink (Additional member)
* Sunita Pretorius (Additional member)

Henk Beukes (Chairperson)	Jo-anne Beukes (Secretary)	Jimmy Scheepers (Vice-chairperson)
Sunita Pretorius	Andy Leach	J.G. van den Berg

Most of the committee members have a tennis history that started in primary school. Some of them are children of people who played a huge role in the running of the club decades ago. Most of the management committee members bring various skills to the management committee that help in the management and running of the club.

MEMBERSHIP REQUIREMENTS:

People who want to become members should contact the club secretary, Ms Jo-anne Beukes, and an application form will be sent to the applicant. The management committee will then peruse the application. Once approved, the new member will be provided with a key that will give him/her access to the courts.

Membership fees for 2019 are as follows (per year):

Joining fee - R150
Adults - R750
High school children - R400
Primary school children - R250
Schools - R3 000
Coaches - R1 500

(Half-year fee is levied when a prospective member applies after June.)

For more information, Henk Beukes (082 894 3796) or Jo-anne Beukes (084 511 7204) can be contacted.

Sport Clubs - Date: 17 July 2019

Anton van Zyl

Anton van Zyl has been with the Zoutpansberger and Limpopo Mirror since 1990. He graduated from the Rand Afrikaans University (now University of Johannesburg) and obtained a BA Communications degree. He is a founder member of the Association of Independent Publishers.

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