CHILDREN were served up two days of exciting tennis action as part of a summer camp.

The courts at Ulverston Tennis Centre brought professional coach Gary Weatherburn together with a host of eager young players – most of whom had worked with him previously, either in school or at the centre’s evening sessions.

Across two days, more than 30 children took part – as many as the indoor courts could comfortably take in the time-frame – with Weatherburn and helpers from the leisure centre splitting the five to 11-year-olds into two groups.

It was a roaring success, and Weatherburn said: “I had a really pleasant surprise that probably 90 per cent of the children who have been here are here as a result of the outreach tennis training I have done in the schools.

“They’ve come along as a direct result of the training we do when I go into the schools. There were kids from Barrow, Ulverston, even Windermere who have come along because they have enjoyed what we have done in the schools.

“The way we’ve come into it is that they have been involved with a whole-class activity either in the schools or here at the centre. You go through the basics, the ABCs – agility, balance, coordination – all those racket and ball skills, and you build those skills up in games.

“That means we have been lucky to build on that in these sessions now – I wouldn’t have classed any of them as beginners, because they all have that background from the summer term. It has been really good, because sometimes you have to gear it towards absolute beginners, but not this time.

“It has been a fantastic two days, and I have really enjoyed it.”

Ulverston Leisure Centre’s Hannah Paling was pleased to see the success of the new system, and said: “It’s the first time we have run it as these sessions.

“Most of the kids have either been here before, or have worked with Gary in the schools, and they all enjoyed it. We’ve made it into a more in-depth sessions across the two hours.

“We’re looking to see if we can run it again in October in the half-term.”

After-school sessions will start again at Ulverston Tennis Centre in September on Mondays, Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays.

Weatherburn and fellow coach George Spry will provide the tuition for anyone from the age of three and up with any level of experience.