ILKLEY Lawn Tennis & Squash Club are looking for up to 160 volunteers to help them run the biggest tennis tournament in the North of England.

The Stourton Road club are hosting a $125,000 ATP Challenger and a $100,000 Women’s World Tour event two weeks before the start of Wimbledon.

The Ilkley Trophy tournament, from June 12-19, is the fifth biggest in the country behind Wimbledon, Queen’s, Eastbourne, Birmingham and Nottingham, and gives players vital grass-court preparation.

Anita Perry, in charge of player accommodation during the Trophy, said: “In the past (the tournament has been held from 2015-19 before the pandemic ruled it out for two years) we have needed anything from 140 to 160 volunteers.

“Some are here every day, while others are maybe here for only a couple of days or a couple of shifts.”

Perry added: “There are many areas that we need volunteers for, right from the basics of looking after the car park and manning the ticket entrance gate; the cleaning of the club, and helping the LTA out with things like ball control, runners looking after towels, and even getting bananas and water.

“We need volunteers for the front of office, while on the player side of things, we offer a laundry service and there is also player transport – anything that they need.

“We need volunteers right around the club and to do different shifts – for example on player transport we have an early shift, as some players eat breakfast at the club, a middle shift and a late shift, with players needing to get back to their hotels or wherever they are staying.

“Then if you are not on shift you can get to watch the superb tennis for free and be part of the whole festival of tennis.”

Perry admitted: “A lot of the past volunteers have been champing at the bit, saying ‘When is it going to happen? When is it going to happen?’

“It is great that people come back, and they will probably be our core, but new ones who maybe have previously come down to watch may have decided that they want to be part of the whole atmosphere.

“It is a great feeling to be part of it, and it has been frustrating that it has not been here in 2020 and 2021, and hopefully we will get some players who have been before, such as former winner Evgeniya Rodina, who has been in touch.”

The ball boys and ball girls, who are generally picked from pupils at Ilkley Grammar School, have already started their training under ILTSC head coach Simon Ickringill.

Perry said: “You will get some ball kids who have done it before, but missed out on a couple of years because of the pandemic, while we will also have newbies, and they will all undergo some training at practice matches involving ILTSC members.”

Anyone wishing to volunteer can contact the club on 01943 607182 or at info@iltsc.co.uk.