A tour of Canterbury Tennis Club

We want to hear about your tennis club.

No matter your age or ability tell us why it's worth playing tennis all year round, not just for the two weeks of Wimbledon!

Here Jason Bubb offers a warm welcome to Canterbury Lawn Tennis Club where you can visit and play for as little as two or three pounds.

Jason Bubb Your guide

Polo Farm Sports Club is one of England's up and coming tennis clubs set on the outskirts of the beautiful and historically blessed city of Canterbury.

The club is progressive and forward thinking and enjoys facilities that include six outdoor astro courts, several grass courts and, just completed, a three-court Indoor Tennis Centre which officially opened on 14th July 2006.

Address: Polo Farm Sports Club, Littlebourne Road, Canterbury, Kent CT3 4AF Contact: Judith Trafford 01227 451831

The Indoor Centre is great news, and not just for the Tennis Club, because players from across the region can register to play here and, of course, young children from far and wide will, unlike me, be able to begin their tennis careers on real tennis courts.

Our beautiful acres

On entering the club through a grand, stone pillared entrance, you arrive at the 47-acre site.

Polo Farm is home not only to the Tennis Club and the Indoor Tennis Centre but also to one of the country's most successful hockey clubs, a flourishing cricket club and a croquet club.

We believe we get the balance right - at Polo Farm it is sport for all, but we also have the facilities, coaching and ethos to promote excellence and develop performance players.

About the Club

It's the people that make Canterbury the great club that it is today.

The youngsters at the club will able to enjoy the indoor courts

There is a full range of ages, and ability, but the outstanding qualities of the members are that we are a fervently sociable crowd with a rich mix of personalities which help embrace the 'family atmosphere' that is promoted here.

And this will be felt by every new member who graces our courts. They will be taken under our wing and made to feel welcome from the off and encouraged to take full part in our club.

My brilliant career!

I have been playing tennis since I was a little lad. I originally picked up a racquet and played in the road, and then, as dodging cars wasn't the ideal way to harness my skills, decided to join Canterbury Lawn Tennis Club.

I find tennis to be socially rewarding and a great way to exercise - nothing beats the thrill of playing that magical forehand topspin pass down the line to win the game.

The club is home to a sociable crowd and family atmosphere

With the way our club works, we all get to play with a wide cross section of the members due to our five-a-week 'mix in' sessions where all members can come and play on a social level and interact with a lot of people.

We have more than 20 teams - men's, women's, mixed, vets, juniors - so you don't have to be the best player in the club to represent it in match play.

The club is graced by a plethora of characters.

There's Isobel a founder member in 1948 and secretary for 25 years, there's Stephen, the current chairman who has worked tirelessly to make the Indoor Centre a reality and there's John, the club coach who can work his magic on every player, but especially on our minis and juniors.

Why tennis?

The one sporting constant in my life has been tennis and this reflects the enjoyment I get out of playing and the flexibility of the game that allows you to play potentially right through your lifetime.

Then the artistry that can be applied to make it visually a dazzling, exciting or indeed spectacular game to watch.

We know how a great sporting achievement can lift a nation's spirits: England's World Cup winning rugby team; the recent England Ashes victory in cricket; Liverpool winning the Champions league (come on the reds!).

Hopefully when a British player lifts the ultimate tennis accolade at Wimbledon it will do the same!