Severe weather destroys courts

LEONGATHA tennis courts copped strong, ferocious winds last Wednesday, causing substantial damage.
The sand on the court surface was blown off all eight courts.
Volunteers spent around eight hours repairing the courts on Thursday with spare sand the club had.
Glen Kleeven, president of the Leongatha Tennis Association, said South Gippsland Shire Council commissioned a report into tennis facilities but it has not been released.
“I think it is concerned it may be a bit provocative,” he said.
“Our courts cannot withstand high winds prior to rain. We have entecas courts and it is not a viable surface for us to have here.
“We do not know yet how much value the damage is. We had a similar problem with wind damage about 18 months ago and it ended up being over $15,000 in damages.”
Mr Kleeven said the courts need to be watered regularly in order for the entecas to stay, otherwise it can blow away.
“South Gippsland Water currently has water restrictions for sports clubs. If we had water on the court this would not have happened, however keeping the courts wet is very expensive,” he said.
“It has been an ongoing battle. This is not a viable material to have on our courts and we really need some other kind of surface.”
Club secretary Frank Dekker gave full credit to John Bolge and Warren Littlejohn, who did the bulk of reinstating the courts on Wednesday.
He would also like to thank Mary MacKillop College Leongatha, Korumburra Secondary College and the players who assisted.

Hard work: Leongatha Tennis Club member Alan McEachern, secretary Frank Dekker and other volunteers spent a day repairing the courts after strong winds destroyed the surface on Wednesday.

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Posted by Tayla Kershaw on Mar 6 2018. Filed under News. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can leave a response or trackback to this entry