The PBTC Open Day was held on Sunday 22nd June and was a great success.

The day started with Ian and Annie Brewster (Recent High Sheriff of Hertfordshire) cutting a ribbon to formally open our new refurbished courts 4-6.  Annie congratulated us on our facilities and she stressed the important role sport plays in maintaining our mental and physical health. Also supporting our day were Bridie Amos (Herts LTA President) and Carole Draper (Herts LTA Community and Office Manager) who were both equally impressed with our facilities and organisation.

Attendance at the event was excellent with many club members and members of the public attending throughout the day (over 150 attendees). The marketing campaign, including social media, the two Tesco stands, leaflet drops to houses, banners, and other activities all helped to publicise the event and bring new people to the club.

“Bright Ideas for Tennis” ran coaching sessions for children, beginners and experienced players throughout the day.  Danny Sapsford and Luke Milligan, ex British Davis Cup players, ran the sessions which were a great success and raised funds for the club.

Karl also rans several ‘free’ coaching sessions, including cardio tennis, which were very well attended and enjoyed by the participants.

A Pickleball court was set up on court 2 and for two hours members and guests were invited to play. There was a constant queue of people to play, and Dave Richards will shortly be offering an afternoon Pickleball session during times of low court utilisation.

There were plenty of activities for kids with a bouncy castle and various games available on court 1.

Food was plentiful with tea, coffee, strawberries & cream, cakes and more available from the kitchen as well as a BBQ which was in such demand that we had to rush out for more supplies of burgers.   The bar was very popular from early to late and did great business – so much so that Jack couldn’t get away to take up his coaching session.

The fastest serve competition was won by Aidan with a service speed of 105mph - he has taken the crown from Matt C, who held our previous fastest serve record at PB Club with 98mph.

After the coaching there were some exhibition tennis matches with Aidan and Paul H playing a game of doubles with Luke and Danny. Danny played with Aidan and Luke with Paul H, although in the tie-break Paul and Luke decided to take on the two ex-British Davis Cup players – albeit they came a valiant second.

Luke and Danny then took on our ladies in an exhibition match in the form of Rhian and Milly. Sadly the ex-professionals again prevailed despite the best efforts of our ladies.

The raffle was very successful, helped by our top prize of x2 Centre Court tickets at Wimbledon - Chris Dixon was the lucky winner on the day.

Thanks must go to the four companies who sponsored the event – Southgate Physio, Buckenham Locksmiths, My Muki Sushi Deli, and Signage Studio. Thanks to Jignesh, Jack, Hideki and Alan for sponsoring the Open day.

The event has generated significant income for the club making a profit of almost £5,000 with 42 new members joining PBTC, which will help ensure the future success of the club.

Thank you to everyone who played a part in making the event such a success. The event would not have been possible without the support of all the volunteers who did great work both in the planning and marketing of the event, as well as all those people who helped on the day.   We also wish to thank our members for kindly donating so many items to the Zimbabwe Academy.

If anyone wants to look at photos from the day (thanks Rhian, Chris E and Hilde) they can be found here: Open Day Photos June 2025