Andy Davies on an old sport’s bid to attract new players in Oxford

I first started playing real tennis 35 years ago. I grew up in a village in Warwickshire called Moreton Morrell where there happens to be a real tennis court, one of only 27 in the country.

I was a keen player of both regular tennis and squash but was immediately captivated by the intricacies of the ancient game of real tennis, which is like a cross between the two.

For those of you who do not know real tennis, it is the forerunner of all racket sports, played on an indoor court with handmade wooden rackets and balls made on the premises.

Real tennis dates back to the 14th century (the court in Merton College, Oxford, was built in 1798 making it the second oldest court in the world, after Hampton Court), and is played on an indoor court.

The courts tend to be dark. Merton’s is almost black, the net is bowed, the galleries netted and the roofs sloping. The scoring system is the same as regular tennis but there is a different system for changing ends. This involves the laying of a chase, which your opponent then has to try to beat from the other end. A little complicated to start with but it soon begins to make sense.

The ball has to be hit over the net (ideally with a slice or ‘cut’ as we call it, to produce a low bounce), but you can also hit the ball off the walls meaning that unlike regular tennis, the ball is more likely to stay in play if hit well.

It is a fast, exciting game and there are various targets on the court which, if hit, win you the point.

After playing for a short while I was able to watch the world’s best players compete in an invitational tournament at my home club. That was it, I was hooked! So when an assistant’s job came up at the club in nearby Leamington Spa, it was an opportunity I couldn’t pass up, even aged 16. It was young to be a pro.

After three years there, I travelled around the world for a year visiting real tennis clubs in the US and Australia, where I was able to get some part-time work, before returning to England and becoming the head pro at Moreton Morrell.

After five enjoyable years I decided to try to ‘better myself’ by going to university in London for two years to study sports management. I was also able to work part-time at real tennis courts in London (including the world famous Queen’s Club) which helped with my rather dire student finances!

A year or so after the course finished I came to Oxford to work as a joint head pro with former Oxfordshire number one lawn tennis player Alan Oliver. Twenty-one years on and I am still here!

You could not meet a more interesting crowd of people than the membership of Oxford University Tennis Club, where it is still a huge pleasure to work.

Although we do have young members at this thriving club, they are mainly students. Hence the junior initiative. The idea is to start a junior programme for children between the ages of eight and 18 starting with a junior open day in Merton College on Sunday from 10.30am to 2.30pm.

Parents are welcome to come along to this event to hit a few balls. Coaching will then be available for all age groups from seven to 18 years at 4.30-6.30pm on Wednesday afternoons from October 28.

The children who get involved will be fascinated by the game. It offers so much and I believe that if you get the opportunity to play it at a young age it is a chance to develop your ball skills, co-ordination and athleticism whilst learning to play the ‘ultimate racket sport’.

Ring 01865 244212, email pros@outc.org.uk, or go to outc.org.uk