BATCHWOOD High Performance Centre have strengthened their team with two impressive additions to the coaching staff. Ex-professional and former top-ranked Great Britain junior player Jamie Fallis has joined to work full time at the centre coaching juniors.

BATCHWOOD High Performance Centre have strengthened their team with two impressive additions to the coaching staff.

Ex-professional and former top-ranked Great Britain junior player Jamie Fallis has joined to work full time at the centre coaching juniors.

Former Great Britain number one Lucie Ahl has also joined to work with key performance juniors from Batchwood from September and working on the centre's 'Winning Ways' programme. Tennis Director Mandy Franks said: "We have added international quality to the team and can't wait for the term to start. We always offer the best players highly specialised individual programmes and fund excellence as much as we can."

Elsewhere Batchwood players have had a great deal of success in events so far this summer. Lucy Booth won the Under 10s girls singles at both St Albans and Moor Park. Josh Rose won the Bucks Champion of Champions event, Harvey Shackleton won the Under 12s event at Welwyn and Tom Hewitt took the Under 10s boys, beating fellow Batchwood player Harry Knill Jones also at Welwyn.

Georgie Walker represented Britain in France where she reached two semi finals against strong French opposition and then went on to win the Under 10s girls in Hull. Chris Ruis won the Moor Park Under 16s boys event.

Next up is the Herts championships where Batchwood look forward to more success and the National Club finals where the Under 16s boys and Under 10s girls teams are in the national finals.

In community news, Batchwood have thanked the Tennis Foundation for funding the Community tennis project which has enabled over 2,000 children to be introduced to tennis.

All of these children were invited to Festival open days at Batchwood and provided with Exit Routes into different tennis sites and programmes in the Community.

The Schools Red county team finals will take place at Batchwood next year and a community coach will be visiting schools in the district to carry out a free block of taster sessions and repeat visits to schools.

The community team work on a philosophy of providing more support for the most enthusiastic schools and want to bring tennis to everyone regardless of age or ability.