The junior under 18 county tennis team taking part in the inter-county championship in Hull April 1976 (Image: The Cumberland News Photographic)

As lawn tennis spread across Britain during the late Victorian and Edwardian periods, clubs were established throughout the county, providing opportunities for women to compete at a time when many other sports remained largely male dominated.

The Cumbrian Ladies tennis team, 1979 (Image: The Cumberland News Photographic)

Traditional clubs such as Kendal Lawn Tennis Club, Silloth-on-Solway Lawn Tennis Club, Eden Lawn Tennis Club in Carlisle and Keswick and Braithwaite Lawn Tennis Club helped foster women’s participation in the sport.

Throughout the 20th century, ladies’ teams became a fixture of club life, competing in county competitions, local leagues and friendly matches.

The 1975 Morton School tennis team (Image: The Cumberland News Photographic)

Tennis clubs were often important social centres as well as sporting venues, with women’s teams playing a key role in sustaining membership and organising club championships, tournaments and fundraising events.