But now that ladies have the vote and Britain has had a female Prime Minister, the worm is turning at Leamington Real Tennis Club.

Its 300 members have voted to accept the fairer sex for the first time, breaking with a 162-year tradition.

Increasing membership and income were the prime motives - but a shift in attitude was also a factor.

Club chairman Olaf Dixon said: "We are trying to to send out a more positive signal of friendship and welcome to the ladies. We want to create a different atmosphere – which we hope over time will be reflected in a wider membership."

Yet this radical change has not been unanimously welcomed.

Long-standing member George Hayward resigned from the committee over the speed with which the measure was introduced.

He said: "If it ain't broke, don't fix it. I see absolutely no need to take on women after 160 years.

"All that will happen is that we'll spend £15,000 on a locker room and get maybe three ladies to come and play."

The club's former captain of tennis, Norman Hyde, has found himself caught between innovation and conservation.

He said: "I wasn't originally in favour as I took the view that having ladies around was lovely but should not be compulsory. Once a vote's been taken, though, you've got make sure that the decision works.

"One of our members said that his wife wouldn't be too thrilled if she thought he was playing alone in the club against a lady at 9pm, and certainly at the moment our wives feel we are safe because there are no ladies around.

"Other members have said that occasions like our Grand National Dinner would be spoiled with ladies present as the men wouldn't dare to bet half as much as they do usually. But golf clubs are far worse offenders than we are, treating their lady members as second-class citizens."

The change leaves New York Racquet Club as the world's only all-male real tennis club.

* Real tennis predates lawn tennis and is played on an enclosed court divided into equal but differing halves. The laws of the game state that players must "accept success, failure, victory or defeat with good grace and without excessive display of emotion". There are currently 26 courts in Britain and around 7,000 regular players.