THE Scottish Lawn Tennis Association is in a race against time to save part of the country's sporting heritage being sold off at auction by a member of the Queen Mother's family.

Tennis chiefs have just 10 days to find backers for their attempts to secure for the nation two Scottish championship doubles trophies which were first played for in the 1880s and which have been put up for sale at Christie's in London by a member of the Bowes-Lyon family.

The SLTA's director of tennis, Mr Matthew Hulbert, last night launched the appeal for donors to help raise more than #5000, which is likely to be needed to ensure that the trophies are returned to Scotland, and not lost to a private collector at a pre-Wimbledon auction on June 23.

The association also hopes to raise an additional #2500 for the Whitehouse Challenge Cup singles trophy, donated by the Edinburgh-based Whitehouse Tennis Club - which was founded in 1881.

Mr Hulbert believes the trophies are a vital part of the history of Scottish tennis and is hoping that within the next ten days private donors or public money can be released to ensure they return north of the Border.

The issue is also being championed by the SNP Shadow Deputy Minister for Sport, Ms Fiona McLeod, who will raise the matter today at a meeting of the Scottish Parliament's education, culture and sports committee, in Edinburgh.

The West of Scotland MSP said she had great sympathy with any attempts to bring the trophies back to Scotland, but realised a quick solution was needed.

The SLTA had no idea the doubles trophies were being put up for auction by the Bowes-Lyons, or indeed that the family had possession of what is believed to be original prizes of the Scottish tennis championships - those currently being played for are replicas.

After research, the association discovered the pair of trophies, made by Crichton and Co of Edinburgh in 1883, were given to brothers, Patrick and Harry Bowes-Lyon after they won the Scottish doubles championships three years in a row from 1886, and were being put up for auction by Patrick's grandson.

The trophies are entwined in the history of the game in general, with the Scottish Lawn Tennis Championships being one of the oldest tournaments in the world. It had its beginnings in the 1870s, when the game of real tennis was played regularly in Grindlay Street Drill Hall, Edinburgh, by a small number of players, mostly advocates.

In 1874, keen player Sir James Patten MacDougall decided to play a version of the game which was known then as ''sphairistike'', from the Greek for ''skill in playing ball'', outdoors on Edinburgh's Grange Cricket Field.

However, the indoor game remained more popular and the Grindlay Street centre, which became known as the ''Tin Temple'', was the venue for the first Scottish championships, in 1878, which was won by Sir James.

For the first seventeen years, the tournament was confined to the clubs interested enough to put up cups for competition, with the early gentlemen's singles cup belonged to the St Andrews Club, and the ladies singles cup being donated by the Dyvours Club - which also donated one of the doubles trophies which the Bowes-Lyon brothers won. The other was gifted by Edinburgh University.

Mr Hulbert said last night the trophies were the centrepiece of the Scottish Tennis Championships in the nineteenth century, and retaining them north of the Border was very important.

He said: ''These trophies allow us to take the history of Scottish tennis back a stage further.

''We know the Bowes-Lyon brothers won the trophies, and to find they are still in existence and we could have a chance of buying them would help us paint a fuller picture.

''If someone bought the trophies on the SLTA's behalf or allowed us to be caretakers of them it would be great,'' said Mr Hulbert, who added that any potential donors could call him at the SLTA on 0131 444 1984.