Amid the ancient cobbles of Merton Street comes the unmistakable sound of balls against racquets.

For a moment, if you ignore the cars, you can almost imagine you are back in 16th century Oxford, listening to the sound of the 'first beautiful game' - Real Tennis, precursor to the tennis we know today and the game which had Henry VIII enraptured.

Known as jeu de paume in France, court tennis in the United States and royal tennis in Australia, to its followers here in Oxfordshire it is simply tennis and all other racquet sports are poor relations.

Simon Stubbings, 63, is a member of the 250-strong Oxford University Real Tennis Club based at the ancient Real Tennis court of Merton College.

Until recently, this was one of the county's only Real Tennis courts.

But Radley College has recently unveiled its own court.

Costing more than £150,000, it is the first Real Tennis Court to be built in the county for 150 years.

Over at Merton, our photographer is capturing a game of doubles in full swing, and although there are similarities to the tennis of Wimbledon and even a hint of squash, this is also like nothing we have seen before.

Mr Stubbings explains: "Tennis is a game of challenges but also a perpetual delight to all who play it. In my view it is the only racquet game worth playing."

Mr Stubbings, a retired solicitor from Oxford, discovered Real Tennis after injury put paid to his squash playing.

He said: "I found it difficult at first. The ball is heavier than a squash or lawn tennis ball and doesn't bounce so much - and it also comes at you faster than you would imagine.

"The court is also unique in that it is indoor and incorporates walls and roofs we call 'penthouses' into the game."

A real tennis court is larger than a lawn tennis court - 110 by 39 feet - with walls and a ceiling to contain the highest lob shots.

There is a net, but there is much more to this game than just hitting a ball back and forth.

It is believed the game was originally played by monks using gloves instead of racquets in monastery cloisters, hence the roofs and buttresses.

But it was the interest of the Royals - possibly where the term 'real' originated - that really gave the game credence in England.

Henry VIII played the game at Hampton Court on a court he had built in 1530.

It is believed he was even enjoying a game when news was brought to him of his second wife Anne Boleyn's execution.

Mr Stubbings said: "As far as we can gather, the game has been played here in Oxford since 1595 and although Radley College's new court is only the second court within the county after Merton, there are courts just over the borders of Berkshire and Warwickshire. The game is still alive and well, and even enjoying somewhat of a revival."

The rules and scoring in Real Tennis are similar to those of lawn tennis, but in Real Tennis, if you win six games you win a set, even if your opponent has five games.

A match is typically best of five sets.

The service happens from only one end of the court and the ball must touch the penthouse above and to the left of the server once before touching the floor in the 'hazard' (receiving) end of the court.

There are many styles of service with intriguing names like railroad, bobble, poop, pique, boomerang and giraffe, and so many complexities it can seem baffling.

For instance, when the ball bounces twice at the serving end the serving player does not generally lose the point outright. Instead, a 'chase' is called and the server gets the chance, later in the game, to replay the point from the other end - he or she must, however, ensure their shot has a second bounce further back from the net than the shot they failed to reach.

Mr Stubbings said: "The rules seem fiendishly complicated at first and as a beginner you almost feel the game has a conspiracy against you.

"But it is very exciting and it is nice to know you are playing a game that was played by Henry VIII."

Stephen Hilton, 61, has been playing Real Tennis for 15 years.

He said: "We have players from the age of 14 through to their 80s and that is largely due to the handicap system. You are assigned a handicap by the professionals in the club according to your ability and this can then go up and down according to your performance.

"Your handicap also means you are assigned points during a match, as is your opponent.

"Real Tennis is a great leveller and also very sociable. I suppose you could say it is quirky, but it's also captivating and you only have to play once to get bitten by the bug."