it would recover, but finally it was removed and Mr JP Wilson, an enthusiastic Burns fan, along with a few helpers, decided to nurture the shoots which began to grow up on the spot where the old thorn had grown. The shoots sprouted from haws which had fallen from the parent tree, and the strongest of these was chosen. This shoot flourished, but because it was so near the roadway, many people, instead of cutting sprigs from it, broke pieces off. This was gradually killing the tree and Coylton Burns Club finally decided that if the thorn was to be preserved it would require to be moved farther from the roadway and ring-fenced. This work was carried out by members of the club. After the move was completed, a verse from "The Soldier's Return" was inscribed inside the railing. The ballad itself was written by Burns long after he left Ayrshire. His reference to the Trysting Thorn which occurs in the third verse is as follows: Coylton Tennis Club A tennis club was started at Coylton in 1927-1928 by the young people of Coylton and play was suspended during the war years. In 1946-1947 the club was reactivated with one blaes court and the later addition of a clubhouse. Alex Murray (one of the four brothers who owned the local garage), an existing tennis club member, recalls playing tennis in the 1950s on this surface. At this time there was a fairly strong membership with roughly equal numbers of male and female members. National Service however meant that many young men were called up and limited information exists about the fate of tennis in Coylton which appears to have been suspended again in the 1960s. The present-day club was founded by the then local postmistress, Mrs Traynor, in 1979 after a lapse of many years. There was one all weather court and a few dedicated adults who negotiated with the local council to arrange playing times on the village court. Junior membership was built up with weekly coaching from Frank Paul and tournaments every Sunday, open to all the juniors in the village and run by Mrs E Ross. Gradually membership and enthusiasm increased and several members became coaches, enabling the club to offer their own junior and senior coaching sessions. In 1982 two new courts were added in Coylton by Kyle and Carrick District Council, replacing the older court.