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If you happened to turn up at Hills Road Sports and Tennis Centre at the start of this month, you would be forgiven for thinking the whole place had turned into something of a building site! The reason? The installation of two Conipur Pro Clay tennis courts. These courts are only the second of their type to be built in the UK (the other being at Easton College in Norwich) and the same material is also used at the Porsche Grand Prix tournament in Stuttgart.
James Yates, the Manager of Hills Road High Performance Centre, said, "Having spent over 15 weeks training in La Manga, Spain with the high performance tennis players, it has been an absolute joy having the new clay courts at Hills Road Sports and Tennis Centre.”
“With courts that play the same as European clay we will now be in the perfect position to continue to develop great talented juniors. Clay is a must-have surface for all developing tennis players and the High Performance Centre would like to thank Hills Road Sixth Form College for having the foresight to have these courts installed.”
Roger Draper, Chief Executive of the Lawn Tennis Association says, "The team at Hills Road should take huge credit for building a thriving programme of fun activities, and investing in quality courts. They deserve every success in their work to get more people playing tennis more often in Cambridge."
The driving force behind the build was the promise of a weather-resistant, low-maintenance, all-year-round playing surface, something which the original American green clay courts could not provide.
Natalie Moss, the Centre Manager of Hills Road Sports and Tennis Centre is delighted with the installation of the courts and says, “The whole ethos of the Centre is to provide high quality facilities that are open and accessible to everyone. Four people could book a Pro Clay court and pay just £2.50 each to play for one hour. Players do not need to be a ‘Murray’ or ‘Sharapova’ to play tennis at Hills Road, if that were the case I would not be allowed on the courts!”
A bonus has been the visual appeal of the courts, which is apparent as soon as you turn into the car park. Their striking brick-red colour is similar in appearance to that of the courts at the French Open, and the new facility has already proved to be a great draw for the Centre’s customers since it was opened earlier this month.
Hills Road Sports and Tennis Centre is open to everyone so contact the Centre on 01223 500009 for more details about all the facilities.
Sports and Tennis Centre
Matthew Hancock MP, the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Further Education, Skills and Lifelong Learning visited Hills Road Sixth Form College today. He met with the Principal, Linda Sinclair, Chris Morse, Chair of Governors and Dave Jones, Assistant Principal – Planning and Quality to discuss the impact of the Governments funding reduction for the College.
Mr Hancock also met with students Helena Jackson and Issac Turner, followed by a tour of the College which included a visit to a Year 13 Government and Politics A level class where he took part in a lively question and answer session with students.
Photograph shows from left to right: Tom Peake, Lucas Wood, Rupert Dodson.
The schools championship returned to the calendar after a six year absence and was keenly contested at Bourn golf club on 24th April. Hills Road Sixth Form College won the team handicap prize with team member Lucas Wood taking runner-up spot behind the individual handicap winner Ashley Sizer (Soham). Comberton Village College won the scratch competition. Both teams will now go through to the England Schools National Championships at Woodhall Spa Golf Club, Lincolnshire in July.
Ann Hemming, Head of Sport at Hills Road said, “It was fantastic to see this competition running again and our thanks go to Marcella Tuttle and Bourn Golf Club for organising an excellent competition.” The team are very excited about playing at the ‘home of English golf’ - Woodhall Spa.”
The British Colleges Sport (BCS) have recognised the great achievements of the sport department at Hills Road Sixth Form College and have awarded the College ‘Regional College of the Year’. In addition, BCS have also announced two Hills Road students, Becca Knowles as regional winner in the Women’s Leadership and Volunteering category and Chris Darling, regional winner in the Men’s Leadership and Volunteering category.
Becca was nominated onto the BCS National Student’s Youth Council (Nov 2011) in itself an outstanding achievement for a Year 12 student. Currently, Becca is vice-chair of two national student groups: the National Youth Council, and TEAM19 National Student Management Team. Becca’s growing confidence as a speaker has resulted in her being invited by the Association of Colleges (AoC) to speak at the ‘Why Sport Matters’ conference this summer.
Chris was selected as the East captain for the recent British Colleges National Championships, an honour that recognised his contribution to BSC sport. Every Wednesday Chris voluntarily referees in the BCS men’s and women’s football matches, something he has been doing for the past two seasons. In addition, Chris officiates the matches in Copa del Hills five-a-side football competition TEAM19 and he has just started a mentoring scheme to introduce Year 12 students into officiating. Chris also organises the Hills Road cross-country team, as well as, trials, weekly training, Hills Road Freshers’ and selection for the British Colleges Regional Competition.
Hills Road has an ethos where elite and participation sport is equally valued. This ethos results in significant opportunities given to the students, resulting in a major contribution to BCS. The College has a strong enrichment programme catering equally for the elite and casual performer. Over 400 students are involved in inter-competitive sport, 66 of those students competing at the 2013 British Colleges National Championships.
Ann Hemming, head of sport at the College said, “This recognition is a wonderful achievement by the College and in particular Chris and Becca. Student leadership and volunteering underpins many of the fantastic sporting opportunities that are available at the College.”
“Last year, student George Kohler received the national award for leadership and volunteering so our fingers are crossed that Chris and Becca will be equally successful at the national awards.”
The College's sixth annual charity run took place on Wednesday 17th April 2013 in sunshine and good spirits, this year aiming to raise £15,000 for East Anglia's Children's Hospices (EACH). An Enrichment group of 13 students were responsible for organising the event, and have worked incredibly hard over the year to make it as successful as possible. They held a logo competition and 3 cake sales over the year to advertise the run and the good work of the charity, but the main event was definitely the run, which attracted over 450 entrants this year.
The afternoon kicked off with a student warm-up, and we were pleased that our guest, Kirsty Bentley, Miss Cambridgeshire 2013, joined us not only for this but also for the run itself. This year's warm-up was the first that featured a Mexican wave going around the quad - quite a sight with everyone wearing their blue, limited edition t-shirts, designed by student Annabel Lake and generously donated by our sponsors, Cambridge Airport. There were some interesting costumes, including a fake beard, a sheikh, a Russian general, a cow and two men in drag. One student ran the whole route barefoot, and there was a new record set by Kieran Wood: 14 mins 17 seconds for an approximately 4.5km course. Fastest female student was Zoe Macdonald (18:33), and Simon Valentine was the fastest member of staff, clocking a very respectable 19 mins 8 seconds. We were pleased to have 6 representatives from Cambridge Airport enter as well, with their fastest runner, Ian Rogers finishing in 19 mins 42 seconds.
So far we have raised about £4,000 for EACH. We're aiming to 'pay for a day', which means raising £15,000 - their daily expense. This is a fantastic charity, providing care and support for children with life-threatening conditions and diseases, as well as for their families. We're relying on sponsorship and the generosity of the public to help us reach this total. The College do not receive anything from this fund-raising, it all goes to EACH, and will make a difference to children at the hospice.You can still donate by going to www.justgiving.com/HillsRoadCharityRun2013
Special thanks to our sponsors, Cambridge Airport, our guest, Kirsty Bentley, Debbie Fairhurst at EACH, and to local businesses that contributed prizes: Frankie and Benny's, Chiquitos, Nandos, and Savills for their generous donation.
This was a fabulous afternoon that brought together hundreds of staff and students in a celebration of charity, running and fun. Roll on HR4.5 2014!
Photograph shows: Left to right (front row): Stephen Carville (Vice-Principal, Peter Symonds), Tracey Cockerton (Deputy Dean, Middlesex University), Jill Aberdour (Assistant Principal, Hills Road), Linda Sinclair (Principal, Hills Road), Michael Driscoll (Vice-Chancellor, Middlesex University), Sharon Phillips (Principal, King Edward VI), Rosie Shale (Director of Curriculum and Facilities, King Edward VI), Janet Rix (Head of Academic Partnerships, Middlesex University).
Link to the press release on the Cambridge News website...