Tewkesbury Tennis Club have come ‘home’.

In fact it could be said that they have gone ‘back to school’ because they now play at Tewkesbury School which is just a fierce Roger Federer backhand drive away from the very heart of the town.

And the club’s chairman Steve Pugh is pleased that the club are now right back in the thick of Tewkesbury life because he is very keen to see the club move forward and expand.

The club have been at their present base since February last year – they play all year round – after spending the majority of their 30-year existence at Tewkesbury Park Golf Club.

They had a year at Dowty Sports and Social Club on the edge of Gloucester before moving to Tewkesbury School and Pugh sees their new location as a big opportunity to grow the 30-member club.

As with a good many moves, there have been some hiccups along the way but Pugh said: “What’s great about where we play is that it’s in Tewkesbury, there are four brand new tarmac courts, there are floodlights and it’s good tennis.

“There are 2,000 pupils at the school some of whom may want to play and we want to hook up with junior and primary schools in the area. We are the only place that you can play tennis in Tewkesbury.”

The club run Thursday and Saturday coaching sessions and are hoping to run more – they also run a social evening on Wednesdays at which anyone is welcome – with Pugh adding: “We are a small club but we think we have massive potential.”

They currently have three teams competing in the Gloucestershire Summer League – two men’s teams and one women’s team – but want more as well as increasing the number of social players and juniors at the club.

Pugh, who has been chairman of the club for the past three years, has captained teams for the past 20 years and the ladies, who were coached by top player Lucy Howitt, who also played, enjoyed great success over the years.

They won the Gloucestershire League for several seasons,” said Pugh, who is 58.

These days the ladies play below the top level while the top men’s team play in Division Four but Pugh insisted: “It’s a decent standard.”

Anyone wanting further information about Tewkesbury Tennis Club should call Steve Pugh on 07920 757701.