The Bandeja Magazine Issue 2

news
Somborne
Padel Club
By Katie Weiner
Chris Herridge (joint owner of
Somborne Padel Tennis Club) invited
members plus friends and family for
an open afternoon earlier in the year.
There were free flowing drinks, a hog
roast, ice creams and a show match.
The weather was kind and saw around
60 people come to not only socialise
and meet prospective new opponents,
but for some to try out padel for the
first time. On a straw poll of two lovely
ladies I chatted to, they both said they
would definitely be giving it a try.
Chris set up The Padel Court Company
three years ago and has installed
more than 20 courts in the last two
years. Having more than 30 years
of experience as an architect and
technical director of The World Squash
Federation, he turned his hand, along
with his brother John, to building
padel courts.
The Somborne Padel Tennis courts
also showcase the game to people
who have never seen it before (yes
there are lot of people, unbelievably!).
Chris told me he has a desk full
of requests for quotations for
installations. Hurrah for that.
The coaching team at Padel United,
Maldon, are proving that the game can
be played by anyone of any age after
adding regular sessions for its local
University of the Third Age (U3A).
Rawdon
club news
Padel is going great guns at Rawdon Golf and Lawn
Tennis Club in West Yorkshire. The club was the first in
the Leeds/Bradford area to install a padel court (in May
2021) and, less than a year later, added a second.
Membership continues to grow, with more than 124 new members,
box and mini leagues plus matches against ‘local’ clubs including
Harrogate Squash and Fitness; Surge, Harrogate, and Tennis World
in Middlesbrough. It also hosted West of Scotland Padel on its
summer road trip.
Events such as ‘padel and prosecco’ have proved popular and the
club championships saw 16 pairs competing in men’s and mixed and
14 in the ladies contest. Competitions have also been held for those
just starting to play.
Leeds University has formed a padel club that trains at Rawdon
(see page 44), and the University of the Third Age (U3A) brings a
group of players aged 70yrs+ for regular sessions.
Primaries have a ball
What to do with used balls is a
question asked by many padel
facilities - and West of Scotland
Padel has come up with a
perfect solution, donating them
to local schools.
“We are delighted to be
working with our primaries
in the local area to donate
padel balls,” said a spokesman
for the club, which has three
indoor courts in Stevenston,
North Ayrshire, and is run by
members as a not-for-profit
charitable organisation.
74 thebandeja.com