This Is Guernsey

By Aaron Scoones

Retiring junior coach Geoff Martel at Mini Wimbledon. (Picture by Daniel Guerin, 0602283)

Retiring junior coach Geoff Martel at Mini Wimbledon. (Picture by Daniel Guerin, 0602283)

GEOFF MARTEL has taken a parting shot at the Channel Islands Lawn Tennis Association as he steps down from coaching.
The well-liked 63-year-old has been teaching tennis to the island’s budding young players for more than 40 years and for the last 20 he has organised the highly popular Mini Wimbledon competition.

But this year’s event, which had its finals day at St Martin’s Tennis Club on Saturday, was the last that Martel will run. He will not organise another Mini Wimbledon and has decided to quit as St Martin’s junior coach, a post that he held for the last two years, because he has had enough of the Channel Islands LTA.

His main concern is that there are no indoor facilities for juniors to train in. The Guernsey Tennis Club at Longs Camps has indoor courts but is a private club.

‘There’s no opportunities for youngsters to play indoors on a play and pay basis,’ said Martel. ‘That’s an inhibiting factor. I’ve got no opportunity to help youngsters in the winter. e’d be up here [at St Martin’s] whatever the weather but it doesn’t help their games.’

Martel claims that during the 1990s the Channel Islands LTA had £250,000 from the British LTA to spend on indoor facilities on the island. However, no land could be found and the money went towards Jersey’s Les Ormes centre.

Yet, land was found for Longs Camps, which was constructed soon afterwards.

Martel also says that he had also secured funding for a ‘bubble’ construction that would house courts at the Grammar School, but received no support from the local LTA and the planning authority to go ahead and get it built.

He does not feel that enough is done to help juniors here.

He named a number of talented sportsmen and women such as Elena Johnson, Alice Loveridge and Simon Tostevin, who all started playing tennis only to move on and excel in other sports.

And he points to the fact that the island’s tennis players who are making names for themselves – Heather Watson, Dom McLuskey and Rob West – have all left Guernsey to continue their progress.

‘We’ve got some cracking kids, otherwise where would Heather, Dom and Rob have come from?’ asked Martel.

‘It’s always going to be a struggle for a player to develop their game here.’

Martel also pointed out that Guernsey is behind Jersey in terms of facilities.

The Bailiwick has one full-time tennis coach, whereas our neighbours have more than 10. Guernsey has four indoor courts at Longs Camps, while Jersey’s total is in double figures.

It also pains Martel to see how much tennis has fallen behind other sports such as cricket and table tennis, which have development officers, whereas the sport he loves does not.

It all adds up and Martel feels he cannot carry on.

‘I’m exhausted having to help the average person get most out of their tennis and I don’t think they are getting it,’ he said.

Martel has decided to continue to coach a number of younger players to see them progress out of the junior ranks.

One of these is Jo Dyer, who represented Guernsey in tennis at last year’s Island Games in Rhodes.

The 16-year-old echoed the sentiments of many of the juniors who have been taught by Martel over the years.

‘He’s the best coach ever for Guernsey tennis,’ she said.

‘Without him we wouldn’t have half the players. He’s the coach that’s kept me going.

‘Without him I would have given up.’

Article posted on 7th July, 2008 - 2.30pm