In the first rubbers, Derek Parrott and Phil Mileham took on newcomer Bill Smith and Steve Higson, and initially struggled to slip into gear as their opponents started brightly.

The wind made serving difficult for all the players, but eventually the A team began to click and took the match 6-3, 6-3.

On the other court, Steve Pym and Tony Bush took on Andy Rose and Peter Bell, and they too found their unfancied opponents difficult to breakdown.

However, Steve and Tony play well as a unit, and proved too strong, finishing 6-3, 6-0 at exactly the same time as the other match.

In the return matches, Derek and Phil again started slowly against Andy and Peter and trailed 2-0, before using their heavier ground shots to good effect and closed out 6-3, 6-2.

One moment of inspired comedy came from Peter, who tried an extravagant retrieval shot between his legs, but merely succeeded in giving himself an injury.

The final match was more one-sided, with Steve and Tony proving too consistent for Bill and Steve, who had played their best tennis in their first match, and finished the game 6-1, 6-0 to give the A team a much-needed 4-0 result in their quest to gain promotion.

The following day, despite the cold weather, members turned out in force to witness the official opening of the club's three resurfaced tennis courts.

Champagne and canapés were the order of the day as John Schofield, founder of the indoor tennis centre in Clitheroe, was invited to cut the ribbon before members braved the elements to play a light-hearted American tournament.

The courts are used extensively throughout the year for football and hockey, as well as tennis, and the resurfacing was made possible after a successful grant application from SITA Trust, which makes awards through the Landfill Communities Fund.

The SITA Trust provides funding to improve community life around landfill sites owned by the waste management company SITA UK.

Club Chairman Steve Higson appealed for more people in the local community to consider becoming members at the club, which is located within the Clitheroe Cricket Club site on Chatburn Road.

He said: "The completion of the new courts, together with a new clubhouse which was built last year, has meant that we now have facilities to rival any club in the local area. Adult membership is just £80 a year, while junior membership is as little as £10 which represents fantastic value."

Anyone interested in joining the club can come along to club nights on Mondays and Thursdays from 6-30 p.m., or contact Steve (01200 427503).

Clitheroe members are pictured toasting the opening of their new facilities.