Sheryl Carpenter, pictured after a game of morning tennis at Cambridge Racquets Club.
At 9am on Friday outside Cambridge Racquets Club’s main doors, Sheryl Carpenter reaches into a green plastic crate with both hands and pulls out two neon yellow tennis balls.
She gives each a firm squeeze, noting the give of rubber beneath her thumbs.
“If they yield too much they’re no good,” she says, dropping the balls, scrutinising their bounce and scooping them up again.
“These ones will be going to the pound for dogs to play with.”
Sorting used tennis balls is one of the many and varied tasks Sheryl carries out regularly as a volunteer for Cambridge Racquets Club.
She has never calculated how much time she puts in.
“I don’t know; I’ve never estimated it,” she said. “Probably most days I do something in one way or another, but it might not be very big. Maybe 10 hours a week of volunteer time? It’s hard to say.”
Sheryl was recently voted Volunteer of the Year at the Waikato and Thames Valley 2022-2023 Tennis Awards.
“I’m shocked and honoured, very honoured,” she said. “It’s encouraging. It makes you think people do notice the one or two things that you do. I’ve been a bit taken aback when people have said, ‘well done’, or given me a hug.”
Sheryl’s association with Cambridge Racquets Club stretches back to the 1960s, when her parents were members and she began playing junior squash and tennis.
“I remember playing in squash tournaments and people from everywhere came here,” she said. “Our open tournament was heaving with people and we always had a do on Saturday night with a band, dancing and music.”
She continued playing at the club until 1975, when she moved to Wellingon to work as a librarian. About 30 years later, she moved back to Cambridge and joined the club again in 2010.
“When I returned, I noticed the club honours board had not been updated for around seven years,” she said.
Sheryl Carpenter, pictured after a game of morning tennis at Cambridge Racquets Club.
“So, along with fellow committee member Anne Spelchan, I enjoyed searching through old written club minutes and abandoned old trophies and digging deep into members’ memories to retrospectively complete and continue the honours board, which recalls many past members, players and volunteers – really the history of the club.”
She’s been maintaining the board ever since and her own name features on it as chair of the tennis committee in 2014 and 2015.
Sheryl has served on various club committees for the past nine years and chipped in with numerous other jobs, from helping with fundraising and finding spot prizes for tournaments to volunteering at club events and having a hit around with new members.
“I like to be busy and I enjoy doing it,” she said.
“I guess it’s the satisfaction of seeing the club thrive and do well. It gives me pleasure to see the little kids doing their squash and tennis and the schools coming in and joining.”
Cambridge Racquets Club manager Suzie Halliday said Sheryl was always willing to lend a hand.
“She’ll come and tell me she’s just put some new posters up, or cleaned out the gutters, or tidied the kitchen,” she said.
“She’s a great ambassador for the club and she likes to see the kids here and the growing of the sport and the club.”
Sheryl still enjoys playing social tennis on Wednesday and Friday mornings and Tuesday afternoons. She said she loved that the club provided a “really great, safe environment for families and kids and older people”.
“I like to see this building being used and people saying ‘hi’ in the corridor and it being a home away from home,” she said.
