AGE is merely a number when it comes to tennis, and Highworth’s Sheila Trewhella proved there is nothing stopping anyone from competing in the Jaguar Championships.

The 65-year-old joined David Lloyd Swindon teammates Chinmoy Basu, Ricardo Du Bignon and Nicola Turner in their bid to be crowned national champions in the ever-growing competition.

More than 1,600 players from 417 teams took part in this, the second year of the Jaguar Championships, a mixed-doubles event for adults in both improver and advanced categories.

Trewhella and her David Lloyd Swindon teammates missed out on the top advanced category prizes, but that didn’t stop the retired teacher from having a fantastic time.

“It’s scary – at my age, you never expect to be in something like this unless you are a professional player. I just turn out for my club so to be involved in this is very special,” she said.

“When I was young there wasn’t a club around where I used to live, I just went and played on a court, but when I was at school I used to play for hours and hours against a wall before taking it a bit more seriously at college.

“I’ve spent the last 50 years trying to perfect my technique, but I love the camaraderie of the sport, it’s excellent fun.”

Teams had to battle through club competitions and regional finals just to reach the national showcase, leaving the best of the best to show what they could do at Raynes Park.

Visit jaguar.co.uk/jaguar-range/f-pace/index.html to find out more about the F-PACE, the Official Car of The Championships, Wimbledon