VIDALIA — With 12 tennis fields at the new Concordia Parish Recreation District 3 complex, a local tennis group is looking to promote the sport in the parish.

The newly formed LaMiss Tennis Association is set to host a round robin tournament at 2 p.m. Sunday at the complex. Group representative Lynette Tanner said there are currently 22 women and six to eight men signed up, and the round robin is not a formal tournament, but simply a just-for-fun tennis event.

“Anyone who can play tennis is welcome,” Tanner said. “We’re going to divide by skill level.”

The round robin will include mens, womens and mixed doubles, Tanner said she’s hoping the round robin will be the start of regular tennis events at the complex.

“We want to have round robins fairly often,” Tanner said. “It’s nice to be able to know that on the first and third Sunday of each month, you have a round robin and you can just show up. It makes it easy.”

Tanner said the LaMiss Tennis Association is Concordia Parish’s Community Tennis Association with the United State Tennis Association. The USTA website defines a Community Tennis Association as “any incorporated, geographically defined, not-for-profit, volunteer-based organization that supports or provides programs which promote and develop the growth of tennis.”

In addition to submitting bids for tournaments, the 14-member association also plans to bring tennis to area schools, Tanner said.

“We look to promote tennis as a lifetimes sport and to better allow us to host tournaments on both sides of the river,” she said.

Duncan Park Tennis Director Henry Harris is also involved in the group, and he said the plan is to promote the sport on both sides of the river.

“We want to make it to where everyone has tennis, instead of people saying that Natchez has tennis but Vidalia doesn’t,” Harris said. “It will also add a few more tennis players and give Vidalia (High School) a tennis program.”

Though he’s over tennis in Natchez, Harris said he’s willing to do anything to promote the sport, even if it’s not in the city for which he works.

“I promote tennis wherever it’s at,” Harris said. “I do whatever it takes to make it work out. Without tennis, there’s no telling where I’d be.”