Shropshire business leaders have welcomed this month’s return of the World Tennis Tour to Shrewsbury.

The Budgen Motors W100 tournament - the biggest indoor women’s tennis event in the UK this year - will be held at The Shrewsbury Club between October 30 and November 6.

The International Tennis Federation event is expected to include players ranked in the world’s top 100.

British stars Heather Watson, Harriet Dart and Katie Boulter are already confirmed to be playing in the tournament at the Sundorne Road venue.

Tickets are now on sale for the high-profile event, while people are also invited to take part in a fun family tennis ball trail around the town centre as the countdown continues.

The trail - officially launched at Shrewsbury’s Prince Rupert Hotel - features a dozen caricatures of colourful four-foot high tennis balls placed at different locations.

Matthew Potts, business growth and investment services manager for Shropshire Council, believes the W100 tournament - and the Shrewsbury Tennis Ball Trail - will attract visitors to Shrewsbury.  
 
He said: “The tennis ball trail will add some real dynamics to tourism as it will really drive people into the town, as well as giving them them an opportunity to find out more about the tournament.

"It’s fantastic for the town to host a tennis tournament that’s going to be one of the biggest in the UK this year. It really puts Shropshire, and Shrewsbury in particular, on the map.”

Seb Slater, executive director of Shrewsbury Business Improvement District, added: "Having top tennis players playing in Shrewsbury is really exciting. The town can be really proud to be hosting international events, so congratulations to Dave Courteen and the team at The Shrewsbury Club for bringing events like this to Shrewsbury.” 

On the Shrewsbury Tennis Ball Trail, he added: "All the tennis balls around the town look brilliant and well done to everyone that’s been involved in making them. It’s great for the town to have something like this for people to come and do."  

Darwin Composites, a local company, has made the 12 tennis balls for the trail. They have been painted by Shrewsbury College students.

Once people have found the dozen tennis balls and noted the keyword on the back of them, entries can be submitted by October 28 to have a chance of winning three prizes.

Two tickets to enjoy a day at the Cinch Championships at Queen's Club in London next June, a three-month family membership to The Shrewsbury Club, and four tickets for next month's W100 VIP Finals Day lunch await the winners.

Dave Courteen, The Shrewsbury Club’s managing director, said: “The tennis ball trail is just one way of involving as many people as possible with the tournament, with some great prizes to be won. We hope lots of people enter the competition.

"We have 12 local sponsors for the tennis ball trail and 30 sponsors for the actual tournament itself, so it just demonstrates how many businesses are involved in making this great event happen. It’s only possible because of the support we get from the town.”  

Visit https://worldtennistourshrewsbury.com/tennis-ball-trail/ to download a map of the Tennis Ball Trail.