Thongsbridge Tennis Club have been boosted as they held a champagne launch for their brand new nine-seater mini-bus.

The purchase of the minibus has been a long term ambition for head coach Nick Fitzpatrick and junior committee member Tim Horsfall.

After months of planning and canvasing for sponsors, they have managed to get the support they needed to fund the project.

The minibus will be used primarily for transporting Thongsbridge’s junior competitors to and from tournaments and training weekends.

Horsfall said: “Tennis can be a very lonely and individual sport and Nick and I felt that the purchase of the minibus would create more of a team atmosphere for the players when travelling to and playing in tournaments.

“And even though they are competing on an individual basis, we felt that a team spirit could be developed and the minibus would play a major part in making this happen.

“The minibus couldn’t have happened without the support of the many local businesses, the board of TTC and club president Graham Cooksey.”

The bus will also be used by the tennis club for some senior events in the Yorkshire and National League.

The Junior Committee would like to thank Home Instead Senior Care, Elect Property, the Bengal Spice at the Clothiers Arms, Huddersfield Chiropractic Clinic, the NFU at Honley, Scharp Wealth Management, Wilson Sporting Goods, the Yorkshire Lawn Tennis Association, Looby Loos Day Nursery and Soft Surfaces Ltd, for committing to support the vehicle for the next three years.

The minibus has already proved it’s worth having already travelled to Bath, the National Tour Finals at Roehampton, Hull and Liverpool, where the club was represented by the club’s juniors.