ORGANISER Rhose Lawes is disappointed to see the annual Weymouth Town Tennis Tournament postponed this year but insists that the competition is sure to return next summer and, hopefully, to its traditional home of Greenhill Gardens.

Asked why plans for the premier tennis event in South Dorset, which began in 1936, had to be shelved, Lawes said: “Really we were afforded no time to manoeuvre.

“We had been expecting the proposed new development of the gardens to begin in June – with the courts deemed out of bounds – but then, with insufficient funds available to begin the work, the council informed me very late in June that their plans were to be put on hold.

“Sadly, I realised then that this news had come too late for me to go ahead with a tournament and it was best to plan ahead for next summer.

“Another obstacle we have faced is the fact that the courts at Greenhill have been franchised out by the council.

“Traditionally the council has let us conduct our tourney over a fortnight free of charge but it would now appear that the franchise-holder will need some form of re-imbursement for loss of court hire time.

“I hope that next year I will know what’s going on at the site and still have the event at Greenhill even if it’s to be more expensive for us.”

Lawes, event co-ordinator since 2007, believes that Greenhill is by far the best site for the event in the short term as, traditionally, it has always held an aura as the perfect venue on the seafront where supporters have come out in vast numbers, particularly over finals weekend, to enjoy the tennis.

Sponsorship would be vital to meet the increased costs but, longer term, Lawes concedes that a new venue will need to be sought if the redevelopment work gets the go-ahead, and one place she has considered is the Wey Valley School – as the event there would not impinge on club members’ court usage as it would elsewhere. Tom Legg, the 2003 men’s singles champion, has been playing in the tournament since he was nine-years-old and he is hoping the event can return next summer.

He said: “Maybe, if necessary, the tournament can be repackaged and played at Wey Valley next year if we lose Greenhill to the developers.

“It would be very sad for me personally if the event was to come to a sudden end due to a lack of interest – it’s certainly a sad year for local tennis that it won’t happen this summer though.”

Local coach and 2007 singles champion Julien Lawes added: “I would be gutted if this was it for the tourney. As a junior it was always my favourite competition.

“It was by the beach with big crowds during the finals – there was nothing like it.

“I would be most disappointed for my own juniors who may not get to experience it.”