James and Chris from Buckingham Tennis Club set off early on Friday 25 April, travelling via the Eurotunnel to Neukirchen-Vluyn to maintain the strong links with our German tennis friends. Apart from heavy traffic around Antwerp, the journey went smoothly and we received a warm welcome from Werner and Jing, joined later by Peter and Christian from the Twinning Committee. A Bavarian-style meal, a few pilsners and a visit to the local Irish pub set the tone for the weekend.
Glorious sunshine greeted us throughout the trip. Saturday began with a gourmet breakfast before joining the men’s team practice, on-court competition and post-match beers. In the evening, we attended a traditional Easter bonfire at the local castle, even finding ourselves included in a photo call alongside local dignitaries.
Sunday marked the opening of the clay-court season, with the whole club turning out for friendly mixed-doubles tennis and an all-day buffet. James and Chris were honoured to play on the club’s show court in the first match of the season. As the day drew to a close, presentations, prosecco and one final match rounded things off.
We are hugely grateful for the friendship and hospitality shown, especially to Werner and Jing for their generous hosting, and to Christian for making us feel so welcome. We hope to return the favour in Buckingham next year. Next stop for the club is Valmadrera in September – perhaps we’ll see you there!
