Member for Cootamundra Steph Cooke visited Cowra Tennis Club on Saturday to officially open their newly resurfaced courts.
The club received $89,838 from Round 2 of the Stronger Country Communities Fund and now has three courts with perfect playing surfaces.
Ms Cooke said the club has a total of 10 courts which have been upgraded in stages as the need arises.
“The synthetic grass on these three courts was getting old and had become dangerous, so it was their turn for resurfacing,” Ms Cooke said.
“The club carries out this work on a rotational basis and these three courts were worn through, which had created a trip hazard.
“Now that the nine weeks of work is complete, the courts are as good as new and ready to help the club meet the considerable demand from tennis players far and wide.
“Visitors have travelled from as far as Canberra, Dubbo, Parkes and West Wyalong to play here, which highlights what a fantastic club this is and what a wonderful asset it is for the wider Cowra community.”
Ken Harris, President of Cowra Tennis Club, explained how the newly resurfaced courts were bringing benefits not just to the club, but to the entire town.
“Having these courts upgraded means a huge amount to the club as they enable us to conduct our normal competitions: the A grade competition in June, the over 35s competition in July which we’ve just finished, and our summer and winter comps which are held at night.
“We have held the A grade competition and we had to knock some of the teams back because we didn’t have enough courts – everybody wanted to play on the new courts.
“We had a record amount of entries – the A grade comp and the over 35s were both chockablock.
“When we have these facilities, it’s so good for the community. It’s a ripple effect – you get farmers and people who are suffering from the drought who come away for the weekend and they forget all their problems because they enjoy their weekend playing sport.
“It’s also a huge boost for the Cowra economy because when you get 150 people all looking for accommodation and food during our weekend tournaments, that’s a big boost.
“We are so appreciative of the support we have received from Steph and the NSW Government, and Cowra Shire Council has also been strongly supportive.”
