Grotto Bay will host the first of a three Racket Blazers Junior Tournament series on Saturday, involving players between the ages of 5 and 12.

The tournament is aimed at encouraging all standards of players and is sponsored by Executive Jet and cargo services provider, Cedar Aviation Services.

Anthony Richardson, the managing director of Cedar Aviation, said: “We believe sports in general, and tennis in particular, help to develop discipline, stamina, confidence, fair play and friendships that have lifelong benefits. This is why we are sponsoring series 1 of the Racket Blazers Tournament.

“Our sponsorship goal is to encourage as many of our young players as possible to participate in tennis in a family friendly environment. Regular participation will also help them to take their game to the next level and maintain healthy lifestyles.”

Romar Douglas, organiser of the tournament and club owner, said: “The club would like to thank Anthony Richardson and Cedar Aviation for their valued sponsorship of this event. Their support allows us to continue to provide opportunities for our younger players to practice their skills and develop their competitive game.”

The competition will use the quick-start tennis format, which utilises shorter, narrower courts and three different balls that have varying levels of compression.

The first tournament will be held on Saturday at 9am for 8 and under and 1pm for 12 and under.

There will be three tournaments in the series, with Series 2 held in June and Series 3 in November.

Anyone interested should contact Douglas at 293-3420 or 335-7000 or Tracy Astwood at 703-7935.