Jesmond Dene Real Tennis Club

NORTHERN OPEN HANDICAP DOUBLES – JESMOND DENE
Entries are now open for 2nd–4th October 2026.
Players of all standards and from all clubs are very welcome. Enter as a pair, or we can help find you a partner of a similar handicap.
To enter or for full details, please contact Jesmond Dene Real Tennis Club at:
[email protected]
We look forward to welcoming you to Jesmond.

The Tennis & Rackets Association
Ladies Real Tennis Association
Chasing the Hazard
The Dedanists' Foundation
Holyport Real Tennis Club Moreton Morrell Tennis Court
Grays Real Tennis

WORLD RECORD BROKEN AT JESMOND!
What an extraordinary afternoon at Jesmond Dene Real Tennis Club.
Chris Pearson has broken the world record for the most Real Tennis serves in one hour.
The previous record stood at 1,385 serves. We are still checking the video footage to confirm the exact final number, but our count has Chris at over 1,418 — so the world record has been well and truly beaten.
In my over 40 years around Real Tennis, I genuinely don't think I have ever seen anything quite as impressive on a court.
Chris found his rhythm within the first couple of minutes and simply never let up. The tempo at the start was the tempo at the finish. No noticeable drop-off, incredible concentration and, remarkably, only around five faults in the entire hour.
It was also very much a Pearson family effort. Everyone played their part, including young Edward tirelessly collecting the balls and keeping everything moving. A fantastic team performance.
A huge thank you to Andrew Shepherd for helping me with the counting, Phil Anderton for being there and helping throughout, and Simon, as always, for everything he does behind the scenes.
For the combination of speed, accuracy, concentration and endurance required, I honestly struggle to see this record being beaten.
Congratulations Chris and the whole Pearson family. A phenomenal achievement — and a world record made at Jesmond Dene Real Tennis Club.
Official final number to follow once the video footage has been checked.

The Tennis & Rackets Association
Chris Pearson
Chasing the Hazard
Grays Real Tennis
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Amazing

ONE WEEK TODAY – CHRIS PEARSON’S REAL TENNIS WORLD RECORD ATTEMPT

One week today, Sunday 9 August, Jesmond Dene Real Tennis Club member Chris Pearson will attempt to break the world record for the most Real Tennis serves completed in one hour.

Chris has put an incredible amount of time, practice and energy into preparing for this challenge – and he’s doing it while raising money for two fantastic causes with strong connections to our club here in Newcastle upon Tyne.

75% of everything raised will go to Smile For Life Children’s Charity, a wonderful North East charity that Jesmond Dene Real Tennis Club has supported over the last few years. They do amazing work supporting children and young people in our region, and we are incredibly proud to continue that connection.

25% will go to the Jesmond Dene Real Tennis Club Heritage Fund.

The Heritage Fund has been established to help protect the future of our historic Real Tennis court and building. All money raised for the fund is ring-fenced specifically for the upkeep and preservation of the building, helping ensure this very special place can continue to be enjoyed by future generations.

So we’d love the whole Real Tennis community to get behind Chris.

If you play Real Tennis, have played at Jesmond Dene, love the history of our game, or simply want to support two great North East causes, please donate whatever you can and SHARE this post.

DONATE & SUPPORT CHRIS HERE:

https://gvwhl.com/OY6B2

And if you’re in Newcastle next Sunday, come along to Jesmond Dene and support Chris in person. It’s going to be a tough hour and we’d love to have a great crowd behind him.

One week to go, Chris. Let’s see what we can raise – and let’s see that world record come to Newcastle!

Please share and help us spread the word.

Jesmond Dene Real Tennis Club
Grays Real Tennis
Ladies Real Tennis Association
Moreton Morrell Tennis Court Club
The Tennis & Rackets Association
Bristol Real Tennis Club
Chasing the Hazard
Chris Pearson
Jeu de Paume Bordeaux
Grays Rackets
Nederlandse Real Tennis Bond / Dutch Real Tennis Association
Tambour
The Dedanists' Foundation

Chris Pearson world record - most real tennis serves in 1 hour 🎾 HELP CHRIS PEARSON BREAK A GUINNESS WORLD RECORD AND RAISE MONEY FOR TWO GREAT CAUSES! 🎾On Sunday 9th August, Chris Pearson, will be attempting …

🎾 HELP CHRIS PEARSON BREAK A GUINNESS WORLD RECORD AND RAISE MONEY FOR TWO GREAT CAUSES! 🎾

On Sunday 9th August, Chris Pearson, will be attempting to break the Guinness World Record for the most real tennis serves in one hour.

The current record stands at 1,385 serves — so he will need to serve at an average of over 23 serves every minute for a full hour to beat it!

Alongside the record attempt, he's hoping to raise as much money as possible for two fantastic causes:

❤️ 75% – North East Children's Charity Smile for Life. Supporting disabled and disadvantaged young people across the North East, helping them overcome barriers and achieve their potential.

🏛️ 25% – Jesmond Dene Real Tennis Club Heritage Fund.
Helping support the upkeep and preservation of our Grade II listed real tennis court and building, ensuring this unique piece of sporting heritage can be enjoyed for generations to come.

Please donate whatever you can — every donation, big or small, will make a difference.

Donate here: https://gvwhl.com/OY6B2

Thank you for your support! ❤️🎾

https://gvwhl.com/OY6B2

Chris Pearson world record - most real tennis serves in 1 hour 🎾 HELP CHRIS PEARSON BREAK A GUINNESS WORLD RECORD AND RAISE MONEY FOR TWO GREAT CAUSES! 🎾On Sunday 9th August, Chris Pearson, will be attempting …

Mark's been printing again! 😄
After the last batch of Jesmond Dene T-shirts went down so well, I've printed some more and added a few new colours and styles for the summer.
To make the first Jesmond Dene Leagues even more interesting, there's now an extra prize up for grabs...
The player with the best overall average across all seven leagues will win a Jesmond Dene T-shirt of their choice.
So if you've still got league matches to play, this is a good reminder to get them arranged. The leagues are due to finish in early August, so don't leave it too late.
Good luck everyone, and hopefully you'll like the new colours! 👕🎾

What a fantastic morning at Jesmond Dene Parkrun! ☀️

A beautiful morning with over 300 runners taking part, and it was great to chat to so many people and spread the word about Real Tennis. It was also lovely to catch up with a few familiar faces and some former members I haven't seen for a while.

A massive thank you to Chris Pearson and especially young Edward Pearson. Edward was absolutely brilliant all morning – handing out flyers, chatting to runners and helping promote the club. At just 7 years old, he was an absolute star. If anyone's looking for a future salesperson, this is the boy to employ!

Thanks also to Paul Averley for coming along and lending a hand. Your support was very much appreciated.

A really enjoyable morning and a great opportunity to introduce more people to Jesmond Dene Real Tennis Club. Here's hoping we see plenty of new faces at the club over the coming weeks!