A FORM of tennis introduced to attract children to the game is proving to be a smash hit with the adults.

In fact, East Lancashire is the only area in the country where adults regularly play short tennis -- and have been doing so for the past 10 years!

Short tennis, played with foam tennis balls and smaller rackets, hit the headlines during the early 1980s and was a regularly feature at Wimbledon where young stars of tomorrow showed off their skills.

The Blackburn and Darwen Short Tennis Club, based in Darwen and Clitheroe, was first formed to help GP referred patients ease their way back to health with some gentle exercise. Since then, the club has grown in popularity and have held mini leagues and championships for the past decade. The club held its latest competition at Darwen Leisure Centre which attracted eight pairs of doubles from across East Lancashire.

Played on badminton courts with 23 inch rackets, short tennis is played on a league basis with each match lasting 13 minutes.

Scoring in a similar way to table tennis, points accumulated from each match are added up and the pair with the best aggregate score are the winners.

And it was Sybil Butterworth and Peter Hudson who finished top of the table with an overall score of 136.

The pair, both members of Simonstone Tennis Club, finished 13 points clear of their nearest rivals Gwyneth Dearden and David Green who picked up 120 points.

However, it was a lot closer from there on with with just five points separating third to fifth place.

Alan Brocklebank and Mike Adamson took third place with 101 points with Ann Adamson and Paul Schofield fourth with 99 points.

Ron Sagar and Tony Seaford was fifth with 96 ahead of Dennis Walsh and Jean Cook with 92.

Joan Smith with David Rutland and Don Lane with Bill Taylor shared seventh spot with 87 points.

Christine Bartrop, who helps run the club, said: "Short Tennis is a great game for everyone of all ages and all abilities.

"As far as I know we are the only club in the country that plays adult short tennis which is a shame because it is a very exciting game.

"And because we play with a sponge ball it is down to skill rather than power which means men and ladies, both young and old, can compete on an equal level."

Blackburn and Darwen Short Tennis Club resumed this week both in Darwen and Clitheroe and if anyone is interested in joining the club they should contact Christine Bartrop on 01282 773202.