Southdown will begin re-surfacing work on their flood-hit tennis courts on Monday week.

The Lewes club's 16 courts were left under water by the deluge of October 12 last year. But Southdown are confident they will be up and running in time to stage Sussex League matches, the Sussex Junior Closed Championships and charity events this summer.

The club are having more than £500,000 worth of repairs done to their facilities, which also includes a hockey pitch, squash courts, gymnasium and a clubhouse.

An estimated £40,000 of that sum will cover the cost of re-laying four hard and three astroturf-style courts plus the re-painting of a further three courts.

Managing secretary Maija Hilton said: "The works should take about three weeks and we will be ready for the summer season by May.

"We've been able to use some of the courts for a while by cleaning them up, but just for low-key purposes through the winter. With putting on county events we need to bring the courts up to standard."

Hilton reckons the club's six grasscourts have benefitted because of the flooding.

She said: "They are looking better. It must have been some of the fertile soil that got pushed into it by the flood water."

Southdown will now be able to bid for the National League play-offs again.

The men and ladies both compete in Sussex division one.

The men's team went through last season but lost their play-off 4-2 to Globe in Hampstead with Mark Sand-Smith, Francis Mackie, David Travis and Graham Alston in the team.

The Sussex Junior Closed Championship is scheduled for August.

Hilton said: "None of the events we had planned to stage this summer will be affected.

"It was awful when the floods came, so unexpectedly, but we are recovering."

Southdown's hockey team were due to play Chelmsford today in their first match on the club's astroturf pitch since last October, while the squash courts have been re-opened.

Hilton said: "We will have to wait for the clubhouse to be sorted out, although we have made provision for that so nobody will be inconvenienced."