Burnley and District Tennis League celebrates 50 years

The chairman of the Burnley and District Tennis League has put out a call for new teams as the league celebrates its 50th year - and to help celebrate the milestone, all entries into the league this season will be free of charge.
Don Tattersall (left) and Barry MitchellDon Tattersall (left) and Barry Mitchell
Don Tattersall (left) and Barry Mitchell

Dave Sudall, the league’s chairman, said: “In recent years there has been a decline in the numbers of teams playing, so we’d love to revive the league during this forthcoming anniversary season.

“We thought that some people might think tennis was a bit stuffy, or expensive - nothing could be further from the truth.

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“So, this season team’s can enter for free and we want to let everyone know that we welcome people from all backgrounds and all abilities.” He added: “We’ve had families enter teams - with parents and teenage children playing in the same team. On the other hand, we have two original members Don Tattersall (72) and Barry Mitchell (72) who are going into their 50th

season.”

The league started in 1969 as the Burnley Evening Tennis League and grew out of the old Parks League which involved teams from the Burnley Corporation parks playing against each other at weekends and evenings.

By 1995 there were 17 divisions comprising 153 teams, but unfortunately since then there has been a steady decline and last year there were just 63 teams.

Dave continued: “If you’re interested in playing, please get in touch - if needs be, we can always pair people up if they don’t have partners for a team.”

Anyone interested in entering the league or joining a team can call Dave on 07703 106976.

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