A tennis club under threat from plans for a multi-million pound rival nearby has launched an offensive to recruit new members.

West Worthing Tennis Club, in Titnore Way, Worthing, held an open day on Sunday to capitalise on the post-Wimbledon popularity of tennis and to snap up youngsters who might otherwise join the new complex. The day attracted record crowds.

Club manager Chris Archer said: "It was superb. We had Splash FM doing the Bruch Bunch live, we had the Road to Wimbledon Sussex finals and we had our best results.

"We are up to 75 new members over the last couple of days. This is something we do every year but this is the best response we have had."

Whitbread has unveiled plans to build an £8 million pound tennis complex on the doorstep of the club, in Romany Road.

The David Lloyd leisure, tennis, health and fitness club, which awaits planning permission, would create 130 jobs and would include five indoor and two outdoor tennis courts, a sports hall, indoor and outdoor swimming pools, a gym and a creche.

West Worthing, home to the Sussex Open Tennis Championships, is objecting to the new centre. The club already provides eight hard tennis courts, 11 grass courts, six squash courts, two full-size snooker tables, a bridge room and a table-tennis room.

Mr Archer said: "We are running to about 60 per cent capacity, so there is no need for five new courts at the end of the day."

David Lloyd has already invested millions of pounds in a club in Brighton and its Eastbourne branch has played host to some of the biggest names in world tennis as a practice venue for the Hastings Direct International Championships.