Out to enjoy ‘Wimbowlden’ on the lawn
Tennis players came from all over Joburg to experience playing on grass at the social event and mingled with bowls players
Strawberries, cream and great tennis were enjoyed at Wimbowlden.
What is Wimbowlden, you may ask? It was a tennis festival played on a bowling green at Randburg Bowls Club’s bowling green, to be precise.
The club joined with the Boskruin Tennis Club next door, to provide a unique experience to tennis players on 3 and 4 September. Tennis nets were installed and water-based paint marked the lines of two courts, fitting perfectly inside one bowling green.
Tennis players came from all over Joburg to experience playing on grass at the social event and mingled with bowls players over a delicious braai along with the sweet, traditional Wimbledon cuisine.
“The event was well-received. People who hadn’t played on grass for about 40 years came from as far as Kensington,” said the tennis club’s head coach, Wayne Kets.
The four youngsters who played first had never played on grass before. Choë Still (13) played against her brother, Colby (14). “The grass is slower than a normal court and you slip easier,” she said, adding that it was fun and a good experience. Moaho Chauke (13) then took on her friend Reece Mansfield (12).
“The ball bounces lower so it is good for drop-shots, I will definitely do this again. In fact, I wish I could make my backyard a grass court,” she joked.
Kets and Randburg Bowls Club president Laurie Stafford said they planned to make the event an annual one. “We are very glad to have hosted Wimbowlden, next year it will be even bigger,” Stafford concluded.
Details: Boskruin Tennis Club 083 703 1434; Randburg Bowls Club 082 308 8471.
