A SUPERB display of skill and speed was staged by two top coaches during an exhibition singles match to mark the completion of Winscombe Tennis Club’s new �17,000 floodlighting system.

A SUPERB display of skill and speed was staged by two top coaches during an exhibition singles match to mark the completion of Winscombe Tennis Club’s new �17,000 floodlighting system.

Facing each other across the net were Dean Cornish, director of Somerset-based DC Tennis, and John Cooksley, a leading member of his team of professional coaches, whose play thoroughly entertained the large crowd of club members and visitors attending the event.

At the end John narrowly defeated his boss, who to add to the fun at one stage abandoned his modern racket for a 1960s-vintage wooden-framed one and then to everyone’s amusement, a frying pan which he demonstrated could also be utilised to good effect.

They were thanked by club president Clive Wheller, who also praised membership secretary Suzie Stockwell and social committee member Denise Landau for organising the occasion and providing refreshments.

During his international playing career, Dean partnered former British No 1 Andrew Castle, while John is a former captain of the Devon junior county cup squad and the first team at Cardiff University, where he studied. DC Tennis provides coaching for a number of clubs and schools in the county.

Despite the threat of bad weather, the winter is set to be busy for Winscombe, with club and league play as well as regular coaching sessions. Thursday evenings see mini-coaching for youngsters aged four to 10 moving to St James’s Hall to beat the cold and damp, but those for 11 and over and ‘rusty racket’ players continue until just before Christmas under the new lights, which cover four of the six courts.

The programme of Sunday morning coaching for four to 10-year-olds ends at the same time, but they all resume in the New Year.