A TENNIS-mad couple from Temple Grafton are pedalling to the French Open the hard way – by bike, to raise funds for Alcester Tennis Club.
Tina and Duncan Robinson, both Directors in the NHS, will be covering 275-mile trip from Alcester to Roland Garros, aiming to raise the first £20,000 of the £100,000 needed to replace their “wooden shed” with a brick-built clubhouse and upgrade the facilities.
Scores of club members plus youngsters from the club’s thriving junior programme and the Mayor of Alcester, Councillor Andrew Foster waved them off on Wednesday when they began their five-day journey, covering up to 70 miles a day.
Tina, aged 45, a former England junior sprinter only took up tennis 10 years ago but thanks to regular coaching at the club, rose rapidly through the ranks and now plays in Alcester’s first team. She is also membership secretary, while Duncan, 52, is Chairman.
“A whole group of us at the club do some mad fund-raising challenges.” said Tina.
“For some reason the ideas generally came up when we were sitting in the pub and we said ‘Let’s give it a try.’
A few years ago, for example, we went off and climbed Kilimanjaro.
“I’m new to cycling and this certainly doesn’t come easily. The worst part of it is actually fairly predictable, as the saddle is pretty unforgiving! It will also be tough getting back on the bike each day and facing yet another 70 miles when everything is really aching.”
Alcester Tennis Club was founded in 1900 and more than half its 250 players are juniors, among them several of Warwickshire’s top young players.
Alcester runs daily coaching sessions on its five courts which are usually packed with members playing everything from ‘Cardio Tennis’ and hard-fought senior league matches to mini-tennis groups for children as young as four.
For more details or to donate to the Roland Garros Challenge, visit: https://www.justgiving.com/crowdfunding/alcestertorolandgarros
You can follow the couple on social media at: https://www.facebook.com/alcestertorolandgarros
