BOLTON tennis coach Richard Crabtree’s first memories of the sport were “just hitting a ball against a wall – and trying to persuade anyone who would to play with me.”

This love of tennis not only eventually took him to represent his country but also earned him a tennis scholarship in America, and a career.

Richard, now 35, is responsible for the squad programme for performance players at the USN Bolton Arena. He travels each day from his Halifax home, and his life is a far cry from those early times as a keen six year-old on a small court in Cragg Vale where both his parents enjoyed the game.

“They were happy for me just to play and have fun,” recalls Richard. He was, however, spotted at 10 by a tennis coach who suggested lessons at a bigger club. This started young Richard on early tennis success, playing for his county and winning competitions around the country.

By the time he was 18, however, Richard was unsure about tennis as a career and felt a degree was also important. The ideal solution was offered by a tennis scholarship at Texas Tech, so the talented teen moved to America and three years of playing inter-collegiate tennis across the States.

“We flew everywhere and were treated really well, particularly in our own college,” states Richard. “It was an absolutely brilliant time.”

Unsurprisingly, his tennis improved and by the time he returned to the UK he was a great prospect. He came to the Bolton Arena and its well-respected tennis performance centre, and played for almost two years, gaining ATP ranking points in both singles and doubles and being chosen to represent England in the Senior Four Nations Competition.

“My best world ranking, though, was 1,000th and you really need to be in the top 200 to make a real living at tennis,” he says. So, being a sensible Northerner, he decided to move into coaching.

He returned to Yorkshire, and the original coach who had spotted his potential as a 10 year-old, to gain his coaching qualifications.

A tennis centre in Pershore near Worcester followed then Richard returned to Yorkshire and the then new Nuffield Tennis Academy in Hull, ultimately helping it gain High Performance status.

When a post came up at Bolton Arena two years ago, working with its high performance youngsters, Richard applied, got the job and admits that he has “thoroughly enjoyed it ever since”.

He looks after six young players aged 10 to 15 who are already ranked among the best for their age in the country. As well as the actual coaching, Richard states: “I want to teach the players the important lessons that tennis gives you about yourself. Parents also need to understand what is really involved.”

So, has he got any potential Wimbledon stars here? “There are one or two,” he admits. “There’s something about the look in their eye, their hunger for the game that sets them apart.”

n For more details about tennis coaching at Bolton Arena call 01204 488100.