BALLS were flying in every direction as a horde of children assembled on the Warwick Tennis Association courts for its come and try day on Saturday to promote the sport among local youngsters.

Bill McDonald and fellow coaches and Australian top-100 players Alex Fielding, Chris Letcher and Matt Klein made the trip to Warwick to coach the players.

President Nathan Costello said there were about 50 children taking part in the day and 10 of those were new players.

“We're hopeful we will get some new enrolments from the day,” Costello said.

“All the kids seemed to enjoy it and the coaches were very enthusiastic and professional.”

Costello said it was great to see older club members bring their own children to get involved in the sport.

The coaching sessions will become a regular occurrence at the club, with two or three coaches scheduled to travel to Warwick for sessions each week.

Children can join in group lessons or private lessons and the Hot Shots group will cater for the beginner class with modified drills and games for the smaller children.

Community tennis co-ordinator Travis Dragojlo travelled from Toowoomba to attend the event and said it was great to see so many children attend.

“This is a great turnout,” he said.

“When I was around these kinds of programs weren't around so it's great the kids can use them.”

His role as co-ordinator will bring him to Warwick frequently and he has made three trips to the area in the past couple of months.

He said tennis was a great way for kids to get active and was a sport you could play forever.

“When you get to your '60s and '70s it's hard to get a group together for a game of basketball but for tennis you can just grab a mate and come down and play.

“It's a sport for everyone.”

As part of the day, the visiting players, all ranked in the top 100 in Australia, played a set of singles and one set of doubles in front of an enthusiastic crowd of 100.

Association vice-president Cliff Pickering said the exhibition of tennis on Saturday was up with the best he had seen in 27 years in Warwick.

“They all had big serves and strong volleys,” Pickering said.

“There was plenty of clapping as the crowd was impressed by the standard of play.

“The courts played well thanks to the bandaid repair work of Tennis Queensland soon after the flood.”

Anyone interested in one-on-one or group coaching sessions for their children can contact Nathan Costello on 0403630510.