Tennis: Intercounties Hardcourt Singles Championships

Anglia TV: Interview with tennis players regarding the Intercounties Hardcourt Singles Championships in Norwich in 1977.

Close up of the tennis doubles match followed by close ups of the players in action. Tennis players Martin Smith, Paul Sussons, Eddie Fox, Robin Lincoln, Don Lillinston and Tony Spurgeon are shown. Presenter Gerry Harrison interviews the captain Tony Spurgeon, asking him about the rise of good quality tennis in Norfolk. Spurgeon claims that it started ten years ago when Norfolk LTA, The Lawn Tennis Association, set up its own coaching scheme. He mentions that Martin Smith is a product of this scheme and that a lot of talented girls have come out of the junior coaching scheme. The scheme is for all levels, as they have nationally ranked players under the age of 14 and under 12. He feels that in ten years Norfolk will be a tennis party to be reckoned with. Tennis player Paul Sussons is then interviewed where he says that he is still involved in football as he plays semi-professional. He has seen a change in attitude towards tennis over the years as the county sides have become much more professional. He says that they play much more during the winter now whereas they used to play much more concentrated games in the summer. This means that the players' fitness levels are increased as they also play a lot of squash. They discuss the Yorkshire side who Sussons claims are strong all the way through. However, he says that their top players may not be playing against Norfolk as they are all professional tennis players who make a living out of the sport and so can only play in matches where they make money. This gives Norfolk a chance as Yorkshire would be too strong with those professional players. However, even without these players it will still be very hard for Norfolk.

Keywords

Coaching; LTA; Lawn Tennis Association; Norfolk; Singles Championships; Sport; Team; Tennis; Tennis Competitions

Background Information

LTA stands for Lawn Tennis Association. The winter tennis tournament in 1977 has reached the quarter final stages and Norfolk is in the top group.