1:20pm Tuesday 30th June 2009
By Neil Skinner
Members of Chorleywood Tennis Club have turned to the power of song as they try to tempt new players on to court.
The club, in Lady Ela Drive, hopes the tongue-in-cheek sporting ditty will help stem a troubling decline in its junior and female membership.
With its irreverent verses and rousing chorus Tennis Star urges young players to “practice hard, live the dream, and one day (maybe) aim to play at Wimbledon.
Penned and performed by Chorleywood charity campaigner Bob Arthy and New Seekers member Mick Flinn, the song can be heard by using our music player at the bottom of the page.
Ladies' Captain Michele Castelete explained how the song represents a light-hearted approach to a potentially serious problem She said: “We are having real problems attracting young girls and women the club and then keeping them here.
“Traditionally we have done very well in the Watford Ladies’ League but in recent years we’ve started to struggle for numbers.
“We’ve got a lovely club and a great atmosphere that want more people to come and enjoy it.”
Junior Secretary Steve Hull added: “Obviously we would good competitive players but above we just want people to come down and enjoy the game.
“We’ve had a lot of success with our juniors over the years and want others to follow. We want people to keep their interest in the tennis throughout the year – long after Wimbledon has finished.
Mr Arthy, a keen amateur musician who last year wrote a song to raise awareness of prostate cancer, said the idea making a racquet for a worthy cause was simply too good to turn down.
He added: “I was talking to our coach about raising the profile of the club and we came up with this. In five hours the song was written. We hope people enjoy it.”
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