The Tribune

INTERNATIONAL tennis teams from USA, Barbados and Canada will be joining The Bahamas team for the sixth bi-annual International Tennis Clubs (IC) Caribbean Doubles Week Championship from Monday, January 16 to Friday, January 20.

This week-long event features top older players from these countries playing men’s, ladies and mixed doubles in combined age pair categories from 105 to 125 years.

The Bahamas team is captained by Neil Mactaggart. Among his players will be former top Caribbean, Davis Cup Captain and player John Antonas.

Also on that team will be the No.1 ITF ranked lady in the world in the 75+ age category. This is Sue Kimball who for many years was a teacher here and has kept up strong contact with The Bahamas and its International Tennis Club (IC) ever since those days.

The event is being hosted at Nassau Lawn Tennis Club on Market Street.

The Nassau Lawn Club was established in 1880 and is one of the very oldest clubs in the whole Americas region. It is almost exactly the same age as Wimbledon.

There will be two inter country matches each day starting at 9.30am and 1.30pm with all teams playing every other team over the five days to decide the eventual champion team.

The USA are the current holders of this title.

Each inter country match consists of two men’s doubles, one ladies’ double and two mixed doubles matches.

The International Tennis Clubs (IC) are made up of 40 countries around the world. They consist of top international players and national title holders in their country who respect the IC Tradition of “Hands across the net, friendship across the ocean”.

As well as organising many international tennis events around the world for member countries, they sponsor The IC Rod Laver Junior Challenge.

This is held bi-annually on every continent with the winning teams going to the World-wide Finals which recently has been held in Wimbledon, Monte Carlo and Japan.

This is fully sponsored by the IC organisation at no cost to the juniors.

The IC also has a philanthropic section that runs and sponsors many projects around the world for juniors in poor areas.

This is part of the IC tradition of top players who are invited to join and give back to the world of tennis. For more information on IC activities, go to www. ictennis.net

The Council of

International Lawn

Tennis Clubs

In 2009, IC Philanthropy was established by the IC Council to teach tennis to disadvantaged children.

In some communities, the sport provides an alternative path from life on the streets and the dangers of drugs and crime.

Bahamas IC President, Kit Spencer, who will be playing in the event, thanked sponsor Winterbotham Trust for not only helping with staging this international event but also for their great help in sponsoring The Winterbotham IC Junior Series over recent years.

This has enabled many young Bahamians to get in to tennis competition in an enjoyable way and help the BLTA develop junior tennis.

So from this junior activity to this Caribbean event for older players, tennis is “a game for life.”

For more information, contact Kit Spencer @

363-2930 and 395-8258.