FITZWILLIAM Lawn Tennis Club does not expect a lengthy queue of women seeking full membership of the 119-year-old club following Monday night's vote to admit them.
The secretary manager, Mr Jonathan Murphy, said the experience of other clubs which had changed their rules was that there was not a rush of applications from women, with most happy to remain as associate members.
Members voted 429 to 159 in favour of the rule change after only an hour of debate at the extraordinary general meeting, the fourth time in five years the motion has been put to a vote.
All previous votes recorded a majority in favour of the change, but failed to reach the two-thirds majority required to bring it about.
The proposer of the motion, Mr Kevin Feeney SC, said the large turnout for the meeting had ensured a more representative view was expressed. The vote was by secret ballot.
The 588 members who voted represented about one-third of the total membership of 1,800.
Fitzwilliam will open its membership list again in January and applicants will need to be proposed and seconded and have letters of support from two members.
Mr Murphy said the exact number of places to be filled would not be announced. But the club tended to replace members who had died or resigned.
Members pay an annual subscription of £710 and there is an entry fee of £1,200.
Ms Kathleen Lynch of Democratic Left said the vote had to be welcomed. "But it is amazing that such news jumps off the page in 1996, almost 1997.
"Very little can be done about private clubs which wish to remain single-sex except ensure they cannot get state funding.
"Clubs now are run as businesses, and the bottom line for them is money. Those who wanted to be in a position to apply for funding were quick to change their rules," she said.