LIKE every father, Peter Makin is happy to see his son do well at sport.

And when Gary receives a memento for his part in Hartford Tennis Club’s latest success, he has extra reason to be.

They have been doubles partners in a title-winning side.

“I suppose it is quite unusual,” said Peter, who is also the team’s captain.

“For us, it works, because if things aren’t going well on court or we need to figure something out, then we can talk about it. There’s no falling out!

“That has got us through some difficult situations.”

Andrew Moores and James Barlow are the other regular members of a Hartford A quartet that has completed a double since last September.

After finishing first in the South and Mid Cheshire League’s top-flight during the winter season, they repeated the trick in the spring campaign.

They won nine of their 11 games in that time, pipping Congleton A – the 2016 champions – and Tarporley A respectively.

Makin said: “Congleton are a very strong side, but this time they slipped a bit.

“And we took advantage.”

Hartford A ended as runners-up to their old foes in both the winter and spring competitions last time around.

Indeed, gradual progress has been a feature of their development over the past few years.

Makin first accepted an offer to skipper the side when it was playing in Division Four.

He said: “We’ve worked our way up from there.

“Along the way, other people have come into the team and made it better.

“I’m looking forward to bringing back the trophy from the league’s presentation to show that we made it all the way to the top of the league.”

The Guardian has written previously about members at Hartford practising together during the winter.

Those weekly sessions are not new, but they have grown in popularity since a small group of friends decided they wanted to hone their skills by playing against each other outside of the traditional summer season.

Makin has been among them.

He said: “I’ve always been somebody who wants to do more than just have a hit.

“I prefer to compete, and have never been one to rummage around for my racket in April after putting it in a cupboard in September.

“There are plenty of others at Hartford who feel the same, and it’s raised the standard of my game.

“As a captain, that’s great.

“We can’t rely on the same four people to play every game, particularly during the winter when they often have other things to do.

“I have a list of names I can call up if I need help, and our level doesn’t drop.”