For the past 10 years, Moray Council has worked hard at developing the grass roots of tennis. Its sports development officers took the leading role in co-ordinating with the Moray Tennis Action Group, made up of representatives from local clubs and coaches. Now, in recognition, the council has been presented with Tennis Scotland’s Local Authority of the Year award.

An after-school mini tennis programme operates in seven centres (Elgin, Lossiemouth, Keith, Aberlour, Dufftown, Fochabers and Buckie), offering indoor games for six-year-olds at first and progressing to outdoor courts in spring and summer. There are development squads at under-10, under-12, under-14 and under-16 level and the coaching programme is delivered by the council’s education services.

“Moray Council does a lot of work,” says Lesley McConnell, secretary of the Highland Lawn Tennis Association. “The scheme has been running since 1992 under the Activ8 sports development programme in Grampian and a lot of young players have come through it.

“Tennis is very healthy at grass-roots level in Moray but the problem is taking it on from there. What we need is an indoor centre so that we can boost performance.

“A lot of young players are playing tennis in the summer but when it comes to the winter months they are taking up other sports. It is impossible to play tennis in snow and wind and what we find is that youngsters try other sports by the time they are 12 or 13 as they cannot continue playing mini tennis.

“Clubs such as Forres and Nairn also run their own mini tennis programmes and we will build on that in the next few years.”

It is against this backdrop that one of Scotland’s best young players has emerged. Keith Meisner, a fourth year pupil at Elgin Academy, ranked in the top 20 in the under-16 British grand prix in spite of the lack of local facilities.

“He has done really well,” says Scottish national tennis coach Judy Murray. “He played in an under-16 grand prix event in England recently against boys who are practising for 14 to 16 hours a week. He has to be content with playing against his dad in a public park in Elgin and yet he is holding his own against these players.

“He told me that when he towels himself down after some practices in the winter that he has to remove the ice from his towel as he has been playing in minus temperatures. Just think what players like him could do with proper facilities.”

Mrs McConnell also acknowledges the progress made by the Elgin youngster. “Keith has done incredibly well. He has to travel many miles to get the competition and I think he’s played at almost every club in the area just to have the opportunity to play.

“He won the Scottish indoor title at under-16 level, which is a tremendous achievement, but it is difficult for him, given the travelling and the lack of indoor facilities here.”

While sports facilities in Scotland have improved dramatically in recent years with many more indoor leisure centres opening, Tennis Scotland still does not have a place to call its own which it can use when it desires.

Plans for a specialist indoor centre at Heriot Watt University which could also have been used for tournament play fell through due to a shortfall in funding. Stirling University offers a national centre but it is not on the scale of the one proposed for Edinburgh.

Matthew Hulbert, director of Tennis Scotland, regrets the loss of the Heriot Watt facility. “It’s a crying shame that it never went ahead. It would have been a focal point for tennis in this country,” he bemoans.

“In general, the future is looking very rosy as we have some good young players coming through. There is a lot of talent in Scotland but it needs to be developed.

“One of the difficulties is explaining to parents when a hobby becomes a professional outlet, when players have to have two training sessions a week and play in competitions at weekends. It is quite a commitment.

“At this stage, our best young players are still having to go south for suitable competition.”

Scotland is attracting some top-level tournaments. In July, the European Tennis Association’s under-14 event will be held at Craiglockhart in Edinburgh. Already there are entries from Australia, Russia and Denmark, among others.

It is one of four international events at that age-group in Britain this summer. There will also be an International Tennis Federation under-18 tournament at the same venue.

Tennis Scotland is falling into line with the Lawn Tennis Association’s new policy of reviving the club structure as it sees this as vital for the future of the game. Through the Club Vision scheme, clubs can apply for loans and grants from the LTA for developing facilities. Clubs throughout Scotland are seeking to take advantage. There are also grants for young players.

The school-club link is important to the future of the game. There are now 101 schools affiliated to Tennis Scotland and many have strengthened their links with local clubs.