A special day, a special guest and a special moment… it’s fair to say that members of Gotherington Tennis Club are counting down the days to Sunday 16^th July.

It’s men’s final day at Wimbledon but that showpiece occasion won’t be the main focus at Gotherington, the delightful village club which can be found tucked away in the bottom left-hand corner of Freemans Field.

That’s because the club, who have been going for more than 50 years, will be hosting the Big Tennis Weekend – the Lawn Tennis Association-sponsored event aimed at encouraging more people to take up the sport – before officially opening their two new courts.

Edward Gillespie, the former managing director of Cheltenham Racecourse and all-round very nice man, will be doing the official honours, with Gotherington club secretary Ian Donnelly saying: “It should be a great morning.

“The Big Tennis Weekend will run from 9am to 12.30pm and then Edward Gillespie has very kindly said he will open the courts. It will be a very nice occasion, we thought we should have an official opening.”

The club’s two hardcourts have been renovated and new surround netting put up with Donnelly adding: “The courts were rebuilt by the end of October and the project was finished at the end of April.

“The courts look amazing and they play amazing, they are lovely courts. We’re very, very pleased. They really do complement the rest of the area.”