Sidmouth Tennis Club coaches Sue Wiltshire and Daryl Bass have been selected as two of 1,000 coaches across the UK to deliver a special Davis Cup Legacy Programme this spring.

As a result, 10 Sidmouth youngsters aged between five years and eight years, and new to tennis will have the opportunity to sign up for a free coaching course and receive a free tennis racket.

The LTA initiative follows GB’s Davis Cup success last year and aims to introduce 10,000 new children to tennis nationwide, creating a legacy for generations to come. Sidmouth Tennis Club’s legacy programme will commence on Sunday, April 17, and comprise of six one-hour weekly consecutive sessions.

The course is limited to 10 places allocated on a first come first serve basis; interested parties will need to apply through the LTA’s national website.

At the end of the course, participating children will receive a free tennis racket and be invited to attend the next half term block of mini-tennis coaching at the club at a 25 per cent discounted rate.

Sue and Daryl are approaching local primary schools to offer some free taster sessions in the lead up to the legacy programme and expect the 10 places to fill up quickly. They are, however, planning to offer a further programme in the summer for those local children next on the waiting list. In the meantime, the two coaches have just received their special training from the LTA coaching team, including Davis Cup captain Leon Smith.

Sidmouth coach Daryl said: “We’re delighted to have been chosen to be a part of this fantastic initiative and looking forward to introducing even more people in Sidmouth to the social, health and family benefits offered by tennis. The training day we received from the LTA was truly inspiring and it was a privilege to have Leon helping out on court and giving us an insight into the strong GB team bond and his special relationship with Andy Murray.”