Grandmother Marcia Ackers is living proof that age is just a number.

In fact, she has played it to her advantage.

The 75-year-old from Hartley won a silver medal in the International Tennis Federation Super-Seniors World Team Championships in Austria last month.

The Great Britain team of four beat Australia, France, Canada and Germany before losing to USA in the final of the championships, the highest ranking team event on the ITF seniors circuit for men and women aged 60 to 80.

Teams are divided into five-year age groups and play both singles and doubles matches.

It was the seventh time Mrs Ackers, who lives in Springcroft with her husband John, had been selected for the super-seniors GB team, and her international tennis ‘career’ has taken her to Australia, Philadelphia and Turkey.

As her team consisted of players from across the country there was little chance for pre-tournament training, but she said: “We were a brilliant team and had a wonderful time.”

The grandmother of two also won her age group in the singles and doubles British Seniors Grass Court Championships at Wimbledon in August.

Mrs Ackers, who used to teach PE at Dartford Grammar School for Girls, the former Northfleet Grammar School and Cobham Hall, also plays tennis for Kent, as well as the David Lloyd tennis club at Dartford.

She first started playing at the age of 11, and also played netball and squash for the county.

Her 82-year-old husband is a keen player and former coach and Mrs Ackers believes exercise is important in ageing.

She said: “Perhaps it’s easy for me to say because fortunately I have never been unfit and have always been active. But I cannot bear to sit still and hope to play as long as I can.”