BY LAURELLE WALSH
Pickleball may soon be the latest game to hit the local courts, now that sport aficionado John Northcott has received the go-ahead from Winthrop Town Council to convert the old tennis court behind the Winthrop ball field to pickleball specifications.
Northcott – distant cousin to council member Rick Northcott – was on the council’s agenda last Wednesday (May 15), to propose adding markings to an existing tennis court to allow play of his favorite game. He explained how tennis courts across the United States and Canada are commonly striped in red to accommodate pickleball’s smaller playing area – one-fourth the size of a standard tennis court – and nets are lowered 2 inches in the center to 34 inches high.
Northcott initially suggested that one of the town’s two courts in Mack Lloyd Park could be converted, and offered to pay for the paint and do the striping himself.
That proposal was met with strong opposition from Winthrop resident Brian Drye, one of the organizers of a local 36-member tennis group that regularly fills the two town courts as well as the four Liberty Bell High School courts for Thursday-night matches, as well as occasional tournaments.
Drye maintained that frequent readjustment of the net would be inconvenient and also put wear and tear on the adjustment cables, resulting in a “saggy net” over time.
Northcott said he had considered the abandoned court behind the baseball field, although the rough surface, cracked concrete, and lack of net would require extra work. He stated he was willing to buy the net, but would need some help from Public Works to repair the concrete.
The location had been used by local teens as a skateboard park prior to 2011. Due to lack of use and safety issues, the ramps, jumps and other skateboard accoutrements were removed from the former tennis court by Kiwanis members later that year.
Council member Rick Northcott proposed and council approved of starting with that location to “see how it goes, and if it attracts some interest.”
