TENNIS


Ilkley Lawn Tennis and Squash Club


Lording it over Ilkley!


Head Groundsman, Richard Lord has served Ilkley Lawn Tennis and Squash Club for many years. He is not only responsible for making sure the various playing surfaces are in tip-top condition throughout the year, but he also doubles up as the maintenance man. Lee Williams met up with him to have a socially distanced chat about the challenges he faces


I


lkley Lawn Tennis & Squash Club is a member-run club based in Ilkley, West Yorkshire. With a long history stretching back to 1880, the club enjoys a fantastic position next to the River Wharfe with panoramic views across Ilkley’s famous moor. Over the years, the club has grown into a dynamic multi-sports community, focused on their primary sports of tennis, squash and racket ball.


Being next to the River Wharfe, and with the amount of rain the area has experienced in recent years, the club is now, unfortunately, more prone to fl ooding than in previous years. Richard tells me how they


84 PC December/January 2021


have had to adapt and what they do once the water has subsided. “When we know it is going to fl ood, we have to evacuate the site as the water can get up to four feet high on the grass courts. The water cannot get into the main clubhouse as this has been built on stilts, but it will get onto the indoor courts - the most we have had so far this winter is seven inches! It has also started to reach our Astroturf courts and, although they are built on a raised platform, the water level still reached two to three inches. This has caused some rippling on parts of the Astroturf carpet which we will have to assess once it dries out.”


“Once the water has subsided, we ask members to come down and volunteer to help us with the clean-up. We normally get an excellent response. It is often the same people each time, so we get them to concentrate on clearing the hard courts and paths. The debris and sludge are put into piles, and we then collect it with the tractor and trailer and give it back to the river! For the indoor courts, the tennis coaches come down and, between us, we push the water out of the building with the Dewmaster brushes, power wash the surface and get them back into play, which can be done in a day if we work hard. On the grass courts, we


Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16  |  Page 17  |  Page 18  |  Page 19  |  Page 20  |  Page 21  |  Page 22  |  Page 23  |  Page 24  |  Page 25  |  Page 26  |  Page 27  |  Page 28  |  Page 29  |  Page 30  |  Page 31  |  Page 32  |  Page 33  |  Page 34  |  Page 35  |  Page 36  |  Page 37  |  Page 38  |  Page 39  |  Page 40  |  Page 41  |  Page 42  |  Page 43  |  Page 44  |  Page 45  |  Page 46  |  Page 47  |  Page 48  |  Page 49  |  Page 50  |  Page 51  |  Page 52  |  Page 53  |  Page 54  |  Page 55  |  Page 56  |  Page 57  |  Page 58  |  Page 59  |  Page 60  |  Page 61  |  Page 62  |  Page 63  |  Page 64  |  Page 65  |  Page 66  |  Page 67  |  Page 68  |  Page 69  |  Page 70  |  Page 71  |  Page 72  |  Page 73  |  Page 74  |  Page 75  |  Page 76  |  Page 77  |  Page 78  |  Page 79  |  Page 80  |  Page 81  |  Page 82  |  Page 83  |  Page 84  |  Page 85  |  Page 86  |  Page 87  |  Page 88  |  Page 89  |  Page 90  |  Page 91  |  Page 92  |  Page 93  |  Page 94  |  Page 95  |  Page 96  |  Page 97  |  Page 98  |  Page 99  |  Page 100  |  Page 101  |  Page 102  |  Page 103  |  Page 104  |  Page 105  |  Page 106  |  Page 107  |  Page 108  |  Page 109  |  Page 110  |  Page 111  |  Page 112  |  Page 113  |  Page 114  |  Page 115  |  Page 116