WHEELCHAIR TENNIS CLUB

TRAINING AT THE OZONE INDOOR TENNIS ARENA

ORMEAU EMBANKMENT, BELFAST

MONDAYS 6:00PM – 7:30PM

TENNIS is one of many sports in which being a wheelchair-user doesn’t pose a problem as anyone who watched the BBC’s coverage of the Wimbledon side-show will have witnessed.

TENNIS is one of many sports in which being a wheelchair-user doesn’t pose a problem as anyone who watched the BBC’s coverage of the Wimbledon side-show will have witnessed.

It’s a version of the sport which is open to all and what many people would perceive as a handicap is far from it as far as our local heroes are concerned.

Have racket, will travel. would appear to be the motto of the wheelchair guys who are equally adept at basketball as well as tennis in most cases and get the chance to travel the world in pursuit of their sporting goals.

Hard-working Ulster Branch Development Officer Jim Watt, who is also the team’s non-playing captain, today extolled the players’ virtues and urged other wheelchair-users to get involved.

“In Ireland we’ve been playing at an international level over the last four years now,” he explained.

“The team really came about when some of the wheelchair basketballers got together and decided they wanted to play tennis as well.”

“So they formed a club called the ‘Spokes In Motion Wheelchair Tennis Club’ and in has around fifteen members.”

The team train in the indoor centre in Belfast having two elite sessions a week and a slot for their recreational players.

Playing tennis in a wheelchair may look an easy task watching from the sideline but Jim Watt is quick to correct that idea.

“I’ve played in a chair a few times and I can tell you it’s very difficult!” he exclaimed.

“Hitting the ball is quite easy but unfortunately they never hit the ball to you!”

“The guys really do make it look easy but when you actually get in the chair it’s a whole different ball game!”