Page 9 - Go lifestyle and leisure Doncaster Free Press 20170713

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DoncasterFreePress
www.doncasterfreepress.co.uk Thursday,July13,2017
Fitness
By Grace Newton
Anyone for tnennis? There’s Ao be er me
sakeen improved immensely in tennis fan, recent years, and the LTA I’m all too are pioneering an online aware that reservation system that Wimbledon they hope to roll out
fortnight represents nationwide.
Curly Athletes running events
Doncaster-based events company Curly’s Athletes holding two running events later this year.
The rst, a 10k run, will be held on Sunday September 24. Called the Doncaster Trail 10k, the event will start at
The Northern Racing College, Rossington Hall at 10am. There is space for 400 runners to take part.
Just over a month later,
on Sunday November 26, another 10k event will take place in the borough. Simply called the Doncaster 10K,
there is space for 200 racers to take part in this run - which will leave Doncaster Racecourse, Leger Way, at 9am.
Visit www.curlysathletes. co.uk site for more information and to book your place on either of the races.
my best chance to convert casual fans to my favourite sport.
I’m always delighted to see how many supporters will scramble to get tickets to SW19 or watch the tournament on TV
- yet once the grass is retired for another year, their interest evaporates.
This is a huge shame, because the British tennis season is about far more than a brief window in June and July when grass courts are in peak condition. Modern tennis is very much an all-year- round sport.
There are a lot of myths surrounding tennis, and an inaccurate perception
thatit’s expensive and elitist. As an individual and technical sport,
it perhaps
compares only to
golf for the investment required, both nancially and athletically, but it’s extremely rewarding and far more accessible that many people think.
Clubs o en have generous incentives
to get kids from all backgrounds playing
- adult membership fees will subsidise group sessions for young children. British Tennis has placed a huge emphasis on inspiring the next generation, and many club coaches now run outreach programmes with schools to generate interest. Although talented juniors
may face prohibitive individual coaching and competition costs, for most kids it’s an a ordable hobby.
The standard of public courts in parks and recreation grounds has
For adults, learning
a new sport can be daunting, but larger clubs run LTA-funded sessions for novices and those returning to the game, which are o en single- sex. Coaches are great at facilitating social tennis among beginners, and will try their hardest to match people up so they can play together beyond structured classes.
Membership costs are also very much proportionate to the facilities available at
a club. I have paid £75 per year to play at a small village club with
three courts and no oodlights, to
over £30 per month at
my current club, which has indoor courts,
lighting and a bar. If you
don’t need or want a high
standard of competitive team tennis, a small club could be a bargain.
My fellow tennis players come from all sorts of backgrounds, and the membership includes several di erent nationalities - tennis being a global sport. There is a ‘core’ of retired people with ample disposable income at
all clubs, and those in rural areas struggle to nd younger players
to eld in competitive matches. But the sport
is a lot more diverse
than most people think, and very welcoming. Good etique e is very important, and there’s a sense of camaraderie and fair play.
So if you’ve been inspired to pick up a racket a er Wimbledon, make sure you go down to your local courts, get a game going and nd out more.
OBE Honour for surgeon
Mr Muhammad Shahed Quraishi, who set up an international training programme has had the honour of been appointed an O cer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in the Queen’s Birthday Honours List this year.
Mr Quraishi, a Consultant Ear, Nose and Throat (ENT) Surgeon at Doncaster
and Bassetlaw Teaching Hospitals (DBTH), has
received the prestigious accolade for the care and treatment he has provided to the many patients he has seen in the 30 years he has spent working in the NHS, 16 of which have been at DBTH. A ectionately known
as ‘Q’ by colleagues, Mr Quraishi has also helped to treat thousands of patients indirectly through the expert training that he has provided to hundreds of trainee surgeons across the world.
Doncaster Big Latch On
Calling all mum’, babies, older siblings, dads, grandparents, friends and relatives, Doncaster Health visitors and South Yorkshire blogger Mum worthy
are joining a nationwide movement to celebrate breastfeeding mums - and they want you to join too. Last year, there were 165 a endees and 60 mums breastfeeding at once
at the Doncaster event.
A endees will be joining in in the Global Big Latch On at 10.30am, and doing a count of breastfeeding babies and mums feeding expressed milk, to be included in the global event, happening all over the world. The event will take place on Friday August
4 between 10am and 12pm at Sandall Park.
There will also be some special visitors and activities, as well as goody bags for mums and ra e prizes.
healthy living