Sidmouth Tennis Club held its annual Senior/Junior tournament on Sunday afternoon, giving junior players of all ages and abilities the opportunity to pair up with an adult and enjoy some all-important matchplay experience in a friendly and encouraging club environment, writes Kate Truman.

Nine juniors, ranging from 11 years to 17 years were teamed up with a motley selection of adult members, the eldest of whom is in her 80s and still capable of a mean forehand drive!

The competition was played in good spirit with plenty of fun had by all.

Qualification to the prestigious final was decided by means of a round-robin style tournament with teams playing to the best of 10 games against other pairings in their group.

The finalists were 13-year-old Hannah Rudgard partnered with Grant Whillance and Harry Ensall, also 13-years-old, partnered with Vici Topping.

Both Hannah and Harry are talented juniors who take part in the club’s weekly coaching programme and are developing into strong competitive players.

It was no surprise then that the final was a keenly contested affair with some exciting rallies, the youngsters’ precision topspin complemented nicely by the experienced volleying finesse of Whillance and Topping.

Ultimately, it was Topping and Ensall who triumphed, with a 6-1 win, and their names will now go down in history as the 2015 Senior/Junior champions. Congratulations!

If your child is interested in learning to play tennis, newly appointed LTA Level 3 accredited club coaches, Sue Wiltshire and Daryl Bass, run a comprehensive weekly programme of coaching for junior players from the age of four years.

Membership of the club is not required to take part. For more information or to book your child on a course, please contact Sue on 07402 047011 or email her at: sue.wiltshire@talk21.com. A list of coaching days and times can be found on the ‘coaching’ page of the club website at www.sidmouthtennisclub.co.uk.