Serving up another great week of tennis

Hunstanton Lawn Tennis Tournament has more than a thousand competitors.

It’s been dubbed the ‘Glastonbury of Tennis’ - and like the famous musical festival it takes year-round planning. On the final day, with the last matches being played on the permanent courts, Alan and Jacob are beginning to take nets down and are rolling them up to store.

“The better job we make of rolling them up,” Jacob says, “The easier it is to get them out next year.” It took the team 10 hours to set up the 28 extra courts. “The ground is so hard you have to drill down, and it was hot the day we did it. But it’s satisfying you know.”

They tell me I should chat to Jonny, the groundsman, who’s been here all week at 5 in the morning to check the courts are up to scratch (38 in total). After asking around I’m finally led to a shed around the back (he doesn’t like the limelight apparently). But he does agree to a quick chat.

“Yep, there’re two of us that start a 5 am, we mow the courts if we can, we re-paint lines if they need doing and get it all ready for when they start - get it as pristine as it can be.” Throughout the day he’s also redoing lines, working well into the evening. He’s done it for more than 20 years.

And that hard work hasn’t gone unnoticed. Liz Cubitt-Wright, who’s just won the over 60 category, says, “The grass courts are just fantastic. It’s a brilliant tournament - there’re all age groups around, there’s lots going on, everyone’s really friendly and it’s just in a lovely location.”

I then spot who many have described to me as a ‘legend’ - organiser Chris Holt. This is his 50th and final year being involved. He also compliments Jonny, “The groundsman’s superb - the best. Can’t want a better man.”

Chris Holt

“I’ll be sad when it’s all cleared away and I’ll think that’s been my last tournament. I played tennis here as a young man when I came back to teach in Hunstanton, and when I first came to the tournament there were just the 10 courts and it’s just grown and grown and grown - and we can’t get any bigger than this to be honest.” (Jonny’s probably relieved to hear this).

He ends by telling me, “I’m incredibly proud of what it’s become, over the years I’ve made lots and lots of friends from all over the country - it’s been brilliant.”

Over 7 days there have been more than a thousand players taking part, aged 8 to 80. As spectators watch the last games, applaud trophies being handed out, enjoy the food and refreshment vans, I chat to Sue from Cambridge. "It’s fabulous - the standard is incredible - it’s very well organised and I’ll come back again next year.”

As Hunstanton's recreation ground returns to normal and thoughts turn to 2026, I'm sure it'll continue to be just as brilliant.  And if they do need Chris' decades of knowledge he'll be close to hand - as it's his son, Stephen, who's taking over.