When the park opened in 1931, there were eight hard tennis courts where the Life Centre Field is today.
The courts were removed to make way for the Mayflower Leisure Centre in 1970 and its subsequent extensions. From 1978 until July 2019, when four new courts were opened, no tennis could be played in Central Park.
The new courts and a junior football pitch were situated behind the bowling pavilion where some of the spoil from building the Life Centre had been deposited.
The courts were instantly popular with a ‘pay and play’ system in place so that people could book their playing times online.
