Tennis ball.

Newton Poppleford and Harpford Tennis Club have secured the services of an LTA - qualified tennis coach for the summer.

Club chairman Chris Burhop said: "It's a major step forward for the club. We've been on the lookout for a coach for a year or more and they're a bit like hen’s teeth! There's plenty of demand in the area and we're very pleased to have finally got a coach in place for the summer - if indeed summer ever arrives! We've set up some group sessions for 9 -11-year-olds and 12-14-year-olds on Saturday mornings.

For more information about tennis coaching at the club, Chris can be contacted on 01395 568766.

The club's courts were flooded after the River Otter broke its banks on July 7. Unlike in 2008 however, it doesn't look like they've been badly damaged.

"It was heart-breaking to see them flooded again", said Chris, "especially after the 2008 floods left them in such a poor state. But I think that a combination of good luck and the fact that they had a new surface laid on them last year seems to have helped us to get away relatively lightly this time.”

The club played their penultimate league game of the season last week, away to Exmouth in the mixed doubles, finally going down 7-4 in an exciting, if marathon match.

Club captain Steve Filer said: "The games were all very close, with three out of four matches going to championship tie-breaks. Unfortunately, we didn't quite make it this time, but team spirits remain high and we're looking forward to the last game of the season at home to Teign Valley next Wednesday, July 25, if it ever stops raining!"