A member of Cheddar Tennis Club and Somerset under-14s received a surprise invitation to attend a coaching session with Tim Henman at Wimbledon in the summer.

Ben’s invitation resulted from his entry into ‘Play your way to Wimbledon’, a national grassroots competition providing young players with the opportunity to compete at the All-England Lawn Tennis Club

As runner-up in the Somerset heats he was one of 30 other juniors coached on a hot sunny day in August by Henman.

Dressed in traditional Wimbledon whites, Ben took part in various exercises with emphasis on fun, along with some solid advice aiming at focussing the mind on key aspects of the game to take away and practise.

His Mum and Dad and younger brother Joe cheered him on throughout the day and all felt very privileged to be involved in an opportunity of a lifetime event.

Ben said he enjoyed the experience immensely and is now even more motivated to improve and perfect his tennis skills by training harder and entering more competitions.

Ben participates in the junior programme at Cheddar, coached by Stephen Pearce. For information on junior and adult coaching at the club visit www.cheddartennisclub.co.uk or contact Pearce on 07904061301.