WEST Tamworth Tennis Club celebrates its 80th year by adding a new tournament to its schedule.
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First formed in February 1936, the West Tamworth Tennis Club has weathered well, its 1957-erected clubhouse now home to some 200 members, reported club president John Ball.
“We’re going well,” Ball said.
“We spent in the vicinity of $200,000 over the past 10 years resurfacing all the courts and turned one from synthetic grass into a hard court as well.”
That was to enable the young juniors playing at WTTC to perform better at all the major tournaments around the state and nation.
“Ciaran Lavers first brought it to my attention,” Ball said.
“It was taking him half a set to get used to the bounce at the tournaments he was going to, coming off the synthetic grass to the hard courts they played on.”
While the hard court is tougher on the knees and hips of the seniors and has limited the annual seniors tournament (not far away in May) it has been part of a complex that will have a new tournament in October.
“We’re running a money tournament,” Ball said.
“For seniors and juniors alike. They run a few of them around the state and we’ll be part of them now too.”
It means next month’s seniors tournament and the JBS junior development series tournament will be the three main events at the WTTC.
While Ball has been president of the WTTC for the past 14 years he has been a member for 55.
“I’ve been in various positions and capacities for 55,” he said.
Keith Dietrich shades him.
He’s been a member since the age of 12, Keith confirmed.
Now 83, he’s been playing at West all that time bar a dozen years where he had a property at Rowena.
After returning to Tamworth from out west he worked for 22 years at the Tamworth Council.
“It’s always been my main sport,” he said of tennis.
“Too slow to play football.”
He’s loved the genial social side of tennis and helped build the clubhouse.
He actually carted the wood that is now the floor from Doyle’s River (on the way to Port Macquarie) all those years ago and still laughs about the two flat tyres he copped while ferrying the wood back on his overloaded truck.
Dietrich’s name is one of 16 that appears in a little plaque on the side of the club
“The West Tamworth Tennis Club was formed in 1936,” it reads.
“This plaque is dedicated to those recorded members who built the club at a cost of £ 3558 . The clubhouse was opened on May 4, 1957. Bruce Falkenmire, Merv Meadows, Jim Meadows, Harold Carter, Aub Lye, Jack McDermott, Rodney Horneman, Noel Quinn, Harold Jeffrey, Fred Smith, Alan Boyd, Alex Griffiths, Aub Scott, Keith Dietrich, Ron Moroney, Joe Falkenmire.”
Not far away is another plaque.
It commemorates the memory of former president John Parsons.
They named the complex after Parsons.
“The John Parsons Memorial Tennis Centre,” it reads.
“Dedicated to his 36 years as president of the WTTC, 1959-1995.”
“He used to joke about that,” Ball said.
“He reckoned he was president for that long because he was stuck with it and no one else wanted it.”
It was an outstanding presidency that has been continued by Ball.
“We’ve done pretty well. It was begun by 14 people,” he said of the 1936 start.
“They set membership at men for 30 bob or £1 10 pence. Women were 15 bob and if they used new balls it cost sixpence for ground fees.”
The current 200 members is probably the most the club has had, Ball said.
“We’re playing comps every night of the week. In the old days they used to finish some of those night comps at midnight. We’ve changed that and now we start a little earlier and everyone can be home by 9pm.
“We also have plenty of social comps and groups through the day.
“The JBS junior tournament attracts in excess of 100 kids every year and the seniors usually about 60 to 65. They’ve both been successful and the seniors will be another good tournament in May 15. It’s going to be our 15th.”