THE All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club got their world -famous annual championship underway last week.

Better known as Wimbledon, its that time of the year when the nation makes a racket in front of the TV, with shouts of ‘Come on, Andy!’ ringing from living room windows up and down the land.

It’s also a time when when amateur enthusiasts are encouraged outside - weather permitting - to emulate their centre court heroes.

We took a look through our picture archive to serve up some smashing old snaps of bygone tennis fun.

Whether a causal knockabout between pals or as part of a tennis club, these pictures show the popularity of the sport in the borough - not least one image from 1970 that shows dozens of players and spectators huddled beneath a clubhouse waiting for rain to abate.

The covers are certainly off in another picture, which shows the net-jumping warm-up routine of Hawkshaw Tennis Club in 1967.

One of the more head-scratching images is that of Bolton Cricket Club, which also had a tennis team in 1989.

Other pictures show sporty types across the borough enjoying one of the nation’s favourite summer sports.

Game, set and match!

What are your memories of playing tennis in Bolton?

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