NEW "LED" lighting is allowing Skipton Tennis Centre, at Sandylands, to continue its winning ways following an "astonishingly" successful season in the Bradford district tennis league and the Wharfedale tennis league.

Chief coach, Adam Cox said: "It has been an awesome season of tennis with four league titles. Bring on 2018.

"What's so obvious is the players' enthusiasm. I've never experienced anything like it. People are so highly motivated to do well and make the club a success.

"The league performances have demonstrated how much our players have improved over the past two or three seasons and how hard they have worked to improve.

"We're aiming for more success next year now that we can have more night time playing under the massively improved lighting.

"It means we have 60 hours more playing time in a week. Three of the five courts can be illuminated throughout the winter months. That's a big opportunity for more tennis to be played.

"We'll be entering a new team into the Bradford Friendly league on a Monday evenings. It'll give players more opportunity to play and get involved and a great starting point to get involved in friendly competitive tennis against other clubs."

He stressed that the club's success was also down to the generosity of its Skipton-based sponsors - RKB electrical, Keelham Farm Shop, Walker Foster solicitors and Prosperity Financial Planning. They had helped finance the new lighting to the tune of about £9000.

People interested in getting involved can try social tennis on Tuesday and Thursday evenings or Sunday mornings. New players are welcome. Various winter practice session are already in the process of being organised.