WHEN the Jakeway family opened their first tennis courts in Kingsley, villagers called them “a blot on the landscape” which was spoiling the rural scene because they were housed in “a tarpaulin balloon” built on a strawberry field that had once been part of a farm.

Thirty years on, the Kingsley Tennis Centre - the only family-run tennis business in the country - has gone from strength to strength, having taught tennis to more than 10,000 players and introduced 7,000 children to the sport through its school-funded programme.

Also the “blot” - the tarpaulin balloon - was replaced in 2007 by a modern building which houses four indoor courts, changing rooms, a large seating area, a bar and a small cafe. There are also two open clay courts.

The Jakeways rented the land from the Doggrell family until last year when they took ownership.

It was Gillian Jakeway and her son Colin who set up the centre helped by husband and father David, then an electrical engineer at Aldershot Power Station, and they opened for business on August 31, 1986.

Gillian set her son on the path to tennis success because, as a qualified tennis coach, she began teaching Colin when he was eight and the family were living in Four Marks, near Alton.

Before her marriage Gillian had played for the Southern Electricity Board.

On leaving school, Colin qualified as a tennis coach and he and Gillian decided to open their own tennis centre and found a site in Kingsley, where they built their centre.

Soon the courts were in action and four of them being undercover meant they could be played on all year round.

Later the family moved from Four Marks to Kingsley.

Gillian ran the centre for five years while Colin moved to Southampton as Hampshire County Council’s tennis performance officer. Colin also qualified as a master performance coach.

During the centre’s 30-year history one of its programmes has funded age-15-plus national-level juniors; it has had more than 40 junior county champions in various age groups, and it has produced county ladies-doubles team champions with six promotions on the way.

It has also produced county male champions three times and competed in the national club league for three seasons, coming third in the South division twice.

The centre has won more than 15 promotions in local leagues, winning division one in the ladies, men and mixed categories on more than one occasion each, as well as developing and training more than 10 full-time coaches through the Lawn Tennis Association coaching system.

The centre has now just embarked on a new programme with Alton Convent to bring tennis to the school’s 400 girls with a weekly academy after school, as well as a more intensive early start programme for the best players in each age group with a view to starting a scholarship programme in September 2017 - the first of its kind in Hampshire.

Colin told the Herald: “We have also just recruited the Davis Cup coach of Bahrain, Robert Clarke, to come on board as our head professional coach, along with Mr Petr Kucera, ex-training and practice partner of Thomas Berdych who is number six in the world, Will Wheeler and Simon Janes, all of whom are Lawn Tennis Association qualified coaches and are looking to expand and develop our weekly coaching program to new levels.

“I myself have just taken our first trip abroad with three junior players to their first men’s professional level tournaments (men’s 10K ITF events) in Eupen and Kokslijck in Belgium to gain experience at that level.

“They all made first round proper in doubles and gained their first prize money of $30 each and are planning our next trip as we speak,” he said.

The family have just invested another £50,000 in upgrading the indoor centre ready for the next generation of young and older tennis players and are also looking for primary schools which are keen to connect with the centre to receive £10,000 per school for tennis tuition over three years starting Easter 2017.

The £10,000 is funded by the Oak Foundation which, after finding a school interested in having tennis tuition, then nominates the Kingsley Centre to give the three years of coaching.

The centre’s 30th anniversary coincided with its own annual Davis Cup tournament at the centre, which took up most of the weekend.

“We did have a cake and a barbecue as part of a small celebration as we were rather busy,” said Gillian.

Later the family paid a visit to see the real Davis Cup on display in Winchester. The family now include Colin’s wife Heather and son, 20-month-old Elliot, who already likes to play with a tiny tennis racket, although according to Gillian: “He keeps wanting to play with his dad’s one.”