Published On:Wednesday, September 01, 2010

IN January, eight international tennis teams from the US, Britain, Germany, Austria, Belgium, Mexico, Barbados and the Bahamas are all set to take part in the Bahamas International Tennis Club Doubles Week competition for the SG Private Banking Trophy.

The competition is being put on by the International Tennis Club (IC) of the Bahamas which is part of an international network of clubs around the world.

Most International Club members are excellent tennis players who have generally represented their country, won national titles or given outstanding service to the game of tennis.

Among its members are Roger Federer, Virginia Wade, VJ Armitraj, Michael Stich and our own tennis ace Mark Knowles. The motto of the club is: "Hands across the net, friendship across the ocean."

This attitude and a high degree of sportsmanship, for which the clubs are known, are expected to be evident when the event is held at Superclubs Breezes January 9-15, 2011.

The competition will be a doubles event for a team made up of four men aged 50+, 55+, 60+ and 65+ together with two women aged 40+ and 60+.

Although the make up of teams is not yet known it will be of a very high veteran standard. The British team is already known to have several high world ranked players, including former top 20 player Mark Cox and at least three other men and women in the world top 50 in their age categories.

Kit Spencer, president of the IC, thanked SG Private Banking and its president Dominique Lefevre for its sponsorship of the event.

"With the teams we have coming this is a truly international event for the Bahamas and I think it is very appropriate for a respected international company such as SG Private Banking to be associated with this event. I thank them for their support in enabling us to bring this event to The Bahamas," said Spencer.

Lefevre responded: "The International Tennis club represents a high degree of sportsmanship and its ideals of 'hands across the net, friendship across the ocean' is one we are pleased to be associated with and is something our company also identifies with.

"It is not often that so many international teams from major nations come to the Bahamas for a sporting event so we are pleased to be able to help in bringing this level of international competition and to the Bahamas."