Coach introduces Australian style
Bourne tennis coach Matilda Clark
WHEN the Australian open begins in less than two weeks time, Matilda Clark can be forgiven for having one eye on events Down Under.
Matilda, who began coaching at Bourne Tennis Club in the autumn, was previously a coach at the home of Aussie tennis at Melbourne Park with the First Victorian Tennis Academy.
Matilda, who qualified for national school finals as a junior, said: “I have been playing since I was nine.
“When I was 18 I went to Australia and applied to the sports academy in Melbourne who got me a job. I was very lucky.”
Putting aside early hopes of joining the very highest ranks of players she trained as a coach in one of the most competitive sporting nations on Earth.
“I got my coaching qualifications with Tennis Australia and played in some good tournaments but very few make the circuit.
“It’s almost impossible to play and coach at the same time. Now I just want to enjoy my tennis.”
And that is exactly what she has been doing since her arrival at the Abbey Lawn.
Matilda, who lives in Horncastle, said: “I coach around 30 children in Bourne and at Witham School.
“The kids are lovely. It’s great to see them improve, especially when you see they’ve picked up something which you showed them.”
Bourne Tennis Club already fields a number of teams but Matilda believes this can grow.
“I want to get teams in leagues and playing other clubs but we need more girls. There are hardly any girls playing tennis in Bourne.
“The club has room to develop and also to grow in terms of the level people are playing at.”
“I am quite competitive but I want to make it fun.”
She adds: “We also have quite a few mums who play cardio-tennis which is a fitness regime based around tennis. It’s not so much about the points.”
The main adult coaching takes place in the summer when evenings stay light longer and until now Matilda has been focusing on junior coaching. Monday evenings are for squad training and on Thursdays she coaches at Witham Hall. On Fridays she takes a series of classes for different ages in Bourne and she plans to extend adult coaching in the summer.
Before that she plans to bring tennis sessions to Bourne’s schools this year.
Almost no child is too young with seven to eight an ideal age but some children play as young as four or five.
“You can do stuff that does not involve a racket but works on coordination through games,” she explains. “We did this in Australia and added ball skills later.”
So whatever your level, there’s no reason not to pick up a racket this winter.
l COACHING for juniors at Bourne takes place at the following times on Fridays: 9 to 12-year-olds (orange and green) from 4pm to 4.55pm at the Abbey Lawn, 4 to 8-year-olds (mini reds) from 5.10pm to 5.55pm indoors at Bourne Leisure Centre, 13 and older (yellows) at the tennis club from 6.15pm to 7.15pm.
For more details call 07902 125627 or e-mail matilda@r2rtennis.co.uk.
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Weather for Bourne
Saturday 26 May 2012
Today
Sunny
Temperature: 11 C to 23 C
Wind Speed: 18 mph
Wind direction: East
Tomorrow
Sunny
Temperature: 11 C to 23 C
Wind Speed: 16 mph
Wind direction: East
