It was a unique doubles tournament at the Mount Maunganui Tennis Club today, with the inaugural Parent & Child Tennis Challenge taking place.

Sponsored by New World Mount Maunganui, the tournament pitted parent-child pairs against one another.

Mount Maunganui Tennis Club vice-president Ingrid Fleming says the event has proven popular, with a full draw of participants.

'It's a really cool concept – it's all about families participating in the sport together. It's the ethos behind this tournament.”

Parent-child pairings aren't just confined to young families, either, with Ingrid joining up with her 85-year-old father, Hank Kleyn – the oldest competitor in the tournament – to make a combined age of 145 years.

They're playing in the open grade. For the competitive and social grades, one half of the pair needs to be a child under 18, although the adult can be a grandparent or other legal guardian.

'We've got players of all skill levels, from beginner to national level players, such as 15-year-old Kalais Going, who is ranked fifteenth in New Zealand.”

Her brother Niko is also the youngest player in the tournament.

The day began at 10am, and finished with a barbecue lunch after the last finals were played.

'For a lot of players, coming and spending time with their family is the main thing,” says Ingrid.

'But we do have a real competitive lot here as well.”

Competitive grade winners Bevan and Carrigan Hartley.

Open grade winners Ross and Gordon Patterson.

Social grade winners Leanne and Ross Blow.

Youngest player Niko Going.