A new challenge event, devised by Judy Murray, has proved an instant success with three girls from Harpenden Lawn Tennis Club.

Mimi Bland, Rosie carr and Katie Birt, accompanied by coach Bridie Amos and parent-coach, Hilary Birt, were crowned winners of the Teen Girls Challenge.

The event has the aim of engaging girls in tennis in a fun competitive environment, focusing on team performance.

The girls play a mixture of singles and doubles matches, but with a twist.

Joker cards allow them to instantly replay a point while they receive bonus points for a particular play and can even substitute a team mate or a coach for a point.

The modifications not only liven up play but also made the girls think more tactically.

The Harpenden team topped their group, defeating Halton, Swansea and an All-Star team, before coming through in the semi-final against Cardiff to set up the closely fought final against Kent.

A spokeswoman for the club said: “Although the girls were delighted by their win, they found the real value to the weekend initiative was the ability to play at high level in such a vibrant atmosphere.

“For girls playing regular competitive tennis, it provided a refreshing injection of light-heartedness to the game.”