Holyport Real Tennis Club celebrates 125 years in the village

The real tennis club is celebrating its 125th season in the village.

Holyport Real Tennis Club, in Holyport Street, now has two new professionals looking after the day-to-day running of the club, Claire Fahey and John Evans.

There has been a club in Holyport Street since 1889 and it was refurbished in the 1980s.

In 2012 concerns grew that it could be sold to property developers, but it was saved by a consortium of players.

After its brush with extinction, John says the club, which has 169 members, is looking ahead and hoping to attract more players.

"The general message is the club's growing. We have got a lot more members than we had a year ago and we will continue to try and add more members as we go," said John who is originally from Hayling Island, near Portsmouth.

"We're looking for more members. We'd like to grow our juniors section and have more female members as well."

John's colleague Claire is a 23-year-old who turned professional at 18, and won a world title a year later.

September marked the start of the real tennis season.

This season is the club's 125th and it marked the milestone with a nine day celebration from September 1, which included tournaments and a black tie ball.

John, 32, first took up the sport, which is played indoors and with wooden racquets and heavier balls than lawn tennis, after trying it aged 13. He says a racquet sports background is not essential.

He said:"Obviously you tend to have people who play squash or lawn tennis, but we you can come in and just give it a go. Myself and Claire will help anybody who would like to give it a go. Have a free lesson, see if they like it. We're not fussy."