ALL eight of the tennis courts in Tavistock's Meadows will be out of use for the public at the end of July, to allow a national event to be held in the town.
The National Junior Tennis Tournament has been hosted by the tennis club for several years and with the provision of two extra courts this year, the council was asked to make all eight available for the event.
Cllr Judith Williams felt uneasy about making all the courts unavailable for five days.
She said: 'I got a lot of brickbats when I was canvassing about the fact that there are periods when the public can't use the courts.
'I do feel that perhaps we should keep one court for those people who wish to play.'
But Tavistock's mayor Cllr Norma Woodcock said the tournament was 'a very prestigious event' which brought a lot of people to Tavistock.
'They spend a fair amount of money within the town when they are here and I do wish to give them support over these five days,' she said.
And Cllr John Wright said the benefits the tournament brought to the town in the eyes of people from further afield were 'enormous'.
The committee agreed all eight tennis courts in the Meadows could be used exclusively by the tournament between July 23 and 27.
Any members of the public wishing to play tennis during these five days will be able to use the courts at Tavistock College.
The grand opening of the new courts and clubhouse is on Saturday July 14 at 2pm when the mayor will perform the official opening ceremony.