KEEN tennis players have raised more than £2,000 for charity by completing a huge marathon session in honour of their club's centenary.

Hartford Tennis Club has been part of village life for 100 years and, this summer, the Chester Road club has been celebrating the milestone.

To mark the occasion, senior coach John Walsh, who has been at Hartford for more than 20 years, and assistant coach Jarrod Wood, who joined the club as a junior, organised a full 24-hour event on court.

Starting at 9am on Saturday, July 22, the pair were joined by various members throughout the morning before an open session took place in the afternoon for parents and children, as well as a tournament.

After the coaching sessions and tournament were completed, John, Jarrod and further members continued playing through the night before finishing at 9am on Sunday, July 23 - the official date of the club's centenary.

Northwich Guardian: Club coaches Jarrod Wood and John WalshClub coaches Jarrod Wood and John Walsh (Image: Hartford Tennis Club)

Jane Turley, club chairman, said: "It was a massive achievement. John and Jarrod have done something like this before in March and it snowed.

"They thought holding it in July would be a safe bet, weather-wise, but they were wrong.

"But it was a real club effort, people went down to cheer them on."

The chosen charity for the event was Cancer Research UK and the amount raised so far is £2,429.

The club is still accepting donations through its JustGiving page here.

Members supported the fundraising event, with Coral Houston helping to organise food for an afternoon tea on the Saturday.

The club is continuing to celebrate its centenary year and is holding its junior and senior tournaments next month, with a finals day planned for Saturday, October 14.