After school programs are jam packed full of fun and learning with last week’s focus on palm guidance and direction and this week coaches will encourage players with depth perception.

The girls and boys enjoy games-based learning style with a lot of fun activities developing their skills.

Simply dropping a ball and hitting it can be quite a difficult task for a five-year-old let alone having to aim for a target.

Great to see a lot of the Orange ball players in Years 3 and 4 representing their schools and participating in the Todd Woodbridge Cup today.

Parkes will host the inaugural Todd Woodbridge Cup on Tuesday.

Some 50 players from throughout the area will be in action, from Parkes East, Parkes Public, Middleton, Holy Family, Parkes Christian, St Josephs Peak Hill, St Patricks Trundle and Bogan Gate.

The statewide tournament is an initiative of Tennis Australia and Tennis NSW and is run through the auspices of the PSSA sports system for kids in Years 3 and 4.

It’s based on the ANZHot Shots form of the game. It is a modified version, with smaller courts, a lower net and low compression balls which move slower through the air and don’t bounce as high.

The players form teams and play boys’ singles, girls’ singles and then mixed doubles, with the winning teams from the various zone days progressing through to the play-offs in Sydney in November.

Round three of junior comp will be in action this afternoon and the Orange ball divisions are making super improvements each week.

A reminder to arrive early otherwise every 5 minutes you are late, your opponent receives two games and in half an hour of play, that’s a lot.

A good weekend of tennis was had by Jake Magill and Abbey Kennedy along with ex-Parkes champ Emily Thomson.

Jake made the quarters of the AMT adult event and agonisingly let a set point slide in his match against the 3rd seed. Jake, 14, made the final of the 18s and was to play number 1 seed before a deluge of rain hit.

Players had to toss a coin to determine winners with Jake taking home the bigger trophy. Ranking points were split which meant the tournament was a good all round result for Jake.

Abbey played really well winning the first round in her 12s singles before coming up against the number 1 seed. Abbey also played in the B grade ladies singles and gained a lot of experience.

Emily made the singles semis and won the toss for the doubles final playing with Grace Schumacher from Bathurst.