Presidents and Chairmen – Past & Present
In February 1949 that the then Vicar of Prestbury called a public meeting to explore the possibility of introducing some social and sports activities into the Parish.
Of the activities discussed, a tennis club seemed to be the most promising, a small committee was elected and land leased from the Parish Council. Exactly a year later in February 1950, and as a result of much hard work by a very dedicated band of villagers, the opening ceremony of the two-court club on the banks of the River Bollin was performed by the Vicar.
PVLTC was up and running with 102 members, half of whom were juniors. A year later, a small pavilion was erected for changing purposes quickly followed by a kitchen and toilet extension. This “temporary structure” served for 16 years until the present pavilion was built.
By 1954, the membership had doubled to 200, with a 40 strong waiting list, so more land was leased and two more macadam courts laid to meet the demand for court time.
Thirteen years later, in 1967, the “temporary” pavilion was finally replaced by a much larger building to be followed in 1968 by three shale courts which replaced the original 2 macadam courts.
1974 saw an extension to the pavilion to provide extra kitchen and bar facilities and the replacement of the remaining two macadam courts by three En-tous-cas Tennis Quik courts. With six excellent courts, a well-appointed pavilion and many dedicated voluntary officials, the tennis club continued to prosper and increase membership – there were 300 senior playing members and 250 junior players together with many social members on the books in 1978.
So the club progressed for the following 20 years or so, membership numbers fluctuated year by year but there was much success for club teams with the Mens 1st team twice winning division 1 of the North East Cheshire League and the Under 18 Junior 1st team twice winning division 1 of the Junior North East Cheshire League during this period. In 1979 the Junior girls won the Cheshire LTA Monkhouse Shield and the Junior Boys won the Monkhouse Shield in 1991, the JNECLTL Youatt Cup also being won by our Boys and Girls team in 1991.
There was much discussion in the mid 90’s as to the future direction of the club. Membership was falling – we were not immune to the national trends of that period – and it was imperative that facilities be enhanced and new tennis development programmes introduced. The result of much technical and financial planning plus a major lottery grant was the opening in July 1998 of our enhanced facilities – the three Tennisquik courts resurfaced with artificial grass and floodlit, together with two new artificial grass courts on adjacent land acquired from the Parish Council. New coaching programmes were introduced, winter floodlit league teams formed and winter clubnights plus box leagues started. In September 2000, a full-time professional LTA tennis coach was appointed to replace most of the previously part-time staff. The floodlit courts have proved so popular that the two most recent courts have now been floodlit also.
A major project was undertaken in 2010 to replace the well loved shale courts with artificial clay. The LTA assisted with funding because they have a policy of providing a diversity of playing surfaces, and historically British players have been weak on clay because of a national shortage of clay courts or courts with the playing characteristics of clay.
Today, our membership is back over the 600 level. Members enjoy 8 courts, all of which are all-weather and 5 floodlit and a well-kept centrally heated pavilion much used for social activities and in great demand locally for hire. An experienced groundsman and full-time professional coach also contribute to a club which is in excellent shape to meet 21st century demands.
