Bermuda Lawn Tennis Association president David Lambert yesterday paid tribute to one of the associaton's founders, Bill Way, who died this week after a battle with cancer.

Lambert described Way as a 'visionary', crediting him with putting programmes in place which still exist today.

"Mr. Way, who was a founding member of the BLTA and a former president, was a person who offered a tremendous amount of time and energy to the game," said Lambert.

"He was a visionary who had the ability to identify programmes that could benefit the sport and help it grow.

"I have been receiving calls from Bermuda's top players who have played in the Over-35s (tournament), something that Mr. Way started.

"He was an architect of many of the leagues we have now, including the winter league.

"He also sought out several sponsors, so he offered quite a bit.

"All of the Ways played tennis. Kelly Holland was part of the first Fed Cup team, while Michael and Billy Way were members of the first ever Davis Cup team to represent Bermuda. So the family was every much entrenched in the game.

"He had been there from the beginning so when anyone asked him for help, he had absolute facts that went a long way to guiding many people, including myself to where we are now."