After rugby league had its Australian origins in Sydney in 1908, it was only three years before North Tamworth became the first club north of Newcastle and Maitland.

Breaking away from the local union code, they were named "The Rebels". Becoming professional, each player was paid a shilling to sign on. The players wore maroon jerseys with a white letter "R" and a white collar.

Their first match was played on No.1 Oval in 1911. (Note the plaque on the wall at No.1 Oval erected to commemorate the centenary of rugby league in Australia that gives details of this match).

Most of their games were played on Victoria Park, up in the current Oxley High School area. The club built their "League Headquarters" at what is now 13 Dowell Avenue. Their first match against visiting opposition was against Newcastle, the locals winning 16-13.

By 1912, East Tamworth, West Tamworth and Werris Creek had also adopted the rugby league code.

West Tamworth first won the competition in 1914. Competition was suspended for much of World War I. North Tamworth's Cliff Pearce was our first Australian representative, playing against England in 1928.

Junior rugby league got a kickalong with the iconic Peel Schools Carnival in 1949, which subsequently laid a platform for a number of state and Australian players, continuing for 67 years before its recent sad demise.

Tamworth Minor League got underway in 1963, Nev Smith being the original driving force.

Rugby union in Tamworth was underway for over three decades before the breakaway rugby league code formed.

Within only six years of the union code being properly established in England, the Tamworth Grammar School issued a challenge to the Armidale Grammar School in 1877 for a 12-a-side match.

The Tamworth Grammar School, renamed Tamworth College, continued to be a strong nursery of rugby union well into the 1900s.

Two years later this had motivated the formation of both the senior Arlington Club and Tamworth Club, with goalposts being erected on The Oval (now Bicentennial Park).

By 1893 there were club competitions involving Tamworth, Gunnedah, Quirindi, Werris Creek, Boggabri and Narrabri.

In 1912, the year following the birth of rugby league in Tamworth, the West Tamworth Rugby Union team played Walcha for the Danahey Cup and, at about the same time, a Maori team played in Tamworth.

In outlying villages Dungowan, Nemingha and Woolomin were union rivals, before changing to rugby league. The East Tamworth Rugby Union Football Club was very successful in the local Tamworth "Observer Cup" competition, winning the cup in 1909, 1910 and 1912.

In more recent years several international teams visited Tamworth, the matches being played on No.1 Oval - 1954 - Fiji ; 1956 - South Africa ; 1959 - British Isles ; 1969 - Fiji.

Tennis came to Tamworth in October,1887, 13 years after it had its beginnings in England.

One or more courts were laid out in the "western corner" of The Oval (now Bicentennial Park), near today's No.1 Oval.

No local tennis club existed, but a group of players were charged an annual fee of "eight guineas" for court use. A Tamworth team of five was formed in 1888 to play an away-contest against Armidale, comprising George Newman, Jack Johnston, Robert Piggott, Gerald McDouall and Alfred Lewis.

Armidale won the match and repeated their win playing in Tamworth a fortnight later.

The Tamworth Lawn Tennis Club was formed in 1890, paying an annual court rental of "twelve guineas", a four guinea rental increase! (Council at it again?).

The courts were of white gravel, despite the name "Lawn Tennis Club".

By 1892 the club had a membership of 70, but five years later the membership was down to 41 (23 men and 18 women).

In 1893 three men from the club played in a Sydney tournament, reportedly "defeated but not disgraced".

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In 1909 the Tamworth Lawn Tennis Club relocated to new courts on the corner of Brisbane and Upper streets at what is now the N/W corner of Anzac Park.

This move was necessitated by the 1908 flood damage at The Oval courts near the river.

Court lighting for night tennis didn't occur until 1925.

It was not until 1957 that the Club relocated to courts at the northern corner of Treloar Park, where they are today.

The Tamworth & District Tennis Association was formed at the end of World War I. It erected and fenced eight courts in the vicinity of today's Regional Playground at the far end of Bicentennial Park. In the end, the spread of nut grass led to the courts' demise.

Continuing our sporting theme, in next week's Episode 21 of "Stepping Back in Times" we look at the early history of golf, athletics and swimming in Tamworth.

Correction: The caption for the second photo in last week's Stepping Back in Times should have read: Members of Tamworth's Endeavour Cricket Club in 1884-85.