'Whitby needs its tennis court back on the West Cliff', says Town Mayor
Linda Wild wants Scarborough Borough Council to address the issue.
Last updated 8th Oct 2021
Whitby Town Mayor, Cllr Linda Wild, has called on Scarborough Borough Council to put tennis back where it belongs on the West Cliff as a celebration of Emma Raducanu’s success at the US Open Tennis last month.
Just this week, Andy Murray has stressed the importance of grass-root facilities following the announcement of a £22m government investment in public tennis courts.
Speaking at the BNP Paribas Open, in Indian Wells, he said:
“It’s very positive. I have spoken about the importance of capitalising on the success of what Emma has done and will likely do in the future.”
But, as Cllr Wild points out, there are no public courts in Whitby:
“We need to think about the young people and for that matter anyone who wishes to play outdoor tennis. We want to give the youngsters of Whitby every chance to play tennis and aspire to be champions in that sport in the future.
“You have to go to Danby to find Whitby Tennis Club! Scarborough promised us development under its ‘Tennis Strategy’ in 2019. As we all know, a lot of things changed because of the pandemic, but we are very keen now to have the tennis court back in use in the near future".
"Whitby’s public courts have been used by motorists parking around the leisure centre for some time. We are asking Scarborough Borough Council to reinstate the tennis court before it disappears forever."
Cllr Wild said:
“I’m waiting for Scarborough Borough Council to step up to the baseline and provide an ace response! This will be an excellent sports asset and will give young people in Whitby an opportunity to expand their sporting choices. As Andy Murray has said, ‘Clearly it is something that needs to be done and courts need to be invested in to make tennis more accessible for people to play’”.
A Scarborough Borough Council spokesperson said:
“We are due to meet with the LTA very soon to discuss the possibilities for tennis court provision in the borough, including the reinstatement of the courts on Whitby West Cliff.
“We would be happy to keep the town council updated on our discussions and future progress.”
The authority says Whitby Tennis Club is actually on the Caedmon College (sixth form) site in Whitby itself, not in Danby. There are also accessible courts at Lythe (the next village west after Sandsend).