ALDERLEY Edge Tennis Club are ‘setting up their future’ with award-winning coaching and new facilities.

The club head into 2019 on the back of winning Club of the Year at the Cheshire Lawn Tennis Association awards ceremony for the first time.

A number of individual honours also cap a great 2018 for the Moss Lane set-up.

Edge, one of five nominees for the club award, were chosen by the Cheshire committee.

“The award was presented by Paul Bennett, LTA Head of Northern Region,” said Ruth Samuels, who is chairman of the junior section as well as being the lead officer for the ongoing courts project.

“The award recognises the excellent coaching programme run by the coaching team as well as the fact that the club is installing five new artificial clay courts and an additional five sets of floodlights, setting up the club for the future.

“Construction is now well under way and the courts are due to be completed by spring.”

Other Cheshire LTA honours won by club members included the ‘Tennis for Life’ Award received by Jan Slack, recognising 35 years of fund raising for Cheshire LTA.

David Patterson was named LTA National Team Organiser of the Year for running the Cheshire team leagues with the highest percentage of completed matches.

Stuart Murray was a finalist in Team of the Year as the coach/captain of the under 14s Cheshire boys team who reached the national finals. Mason Dace was a member of the team.

Also, Ruth Samuels was a finalist in the Volunteer of the Year category.

Recognised in the ‘Salute to the Champions’ were Dace, winner of the Cheshire under 14s boys’ doubles; Seb Jackson, as winner of the Cheshire over 35s mixed doubles and also as skipper of the 45 and over men’s team who finished fourth in the World Championship; James Stokes, winner of the Cheshire over 55s singles.