Learning the game is part of an Outreach project by The Queen's Club, with the pupils from the two schools having the use of the club's famous indoor court twice every week.

To learn to play the game, the children aged ten to 12 have had to learn a long list of new words, from dedans (a spectator window) to tambour (a buttress which deflects tennis balls).

This rare opportunity to experience the unusual sport has also fuelled studies of the Tudors in the students’ history lessons.

The scheme is backed by the Queen’s Club Foundation and The Dedanists Foundation, which is dedicated to promoting Real Tennis, jointly funding the initiative with the Queen’s Club.

Initially the pilot project covered squash but now there is no stopping the juniors from learning the finer points of a game which initially gained popularity in England in the early 1400s.

"The positive on-court experiences are having a hugely beneficial impact when the children settle down to their lessons on returning to school," said Victoria Kovacs, PE teacher at Normand Croft.

Matt Treweeke from Sir John Lillie agreed. "They are gaining confidence which transmits to many different areas of their school day. Being able to use the facilities at Queen’s Club to teach our students is a valuable experience."

The project proved so successful in introducing the young pupils to sport that plans are already being made to extend it beyond the summer.

Real Tennis is the original racquet game from which today's game of tennis is derived. The name is thought to come from the French word tenez which means "take heed" and the game evolved, over three centuries, from an earlier ball game played around the 12th century in France.

In Britain, the game became known as 'The Sport of Kings'. Royal interest in England began with Henry V, who reigned from 1413–22) but it was Henry VIII, who reigned from 1509–47) who was Real Tennis' biggest champion, the playing at Hampton Court on a court he had built in 1530 and on several other courts in his palaces. His second wife Ann Boleyn  was watching a game of real tennis when she was arrested and it is believed that Henry was playing tennis when news was brought to him of her execution.

April 21, 2017