Newspaper Article 2017 – Tennis club copped tough serves

Tennis club copped tough serves

Michael Fowler
Historic Hawke’s Bay

Havelock North Tennis Club celebrates the 100th anniversary of its formation in July, and while today thriving, it’s had a few hard serves to return over the years – if you pardon the pun.

An attempt to form a Havelock North tennis club began on May 24, 1916, after the establishment of the Havelock North Bowling and Croquet Club. This group had asked permission earlier in May from the Havelock North Domain Board to use an acre (0.4 hectare) of its land for bowling and croquet greens, but this appears to have been denied or not pursued further.

However, John Joll (1870-1950), who owned land in Joll Rd (where the Havelock North Bowling Club is now in Porter Drive), was prepared to sell one and a third acres of his orchard at an 8 per cent interest rate to the club. This was accepted.

In July 1916, the club believed younger people should be catered for through a tennis club (implying only older people played bowls or croquet). Those interested in tennis were asked to write to the secretary, Thomas Cottle (1845-1923). The response must have been enough as it was planned to create tennis courts at the Joll Rd site in autumn 1917. But no courts had been formed by July 1917.

A meeting was held later in July to form the Havelock North Tennis and Croquet Club. A central Committee of the bowling, croquet and tennis clubs was formed to manage the interests of all the clubs sharing the land.

The September 1917 minutes of this group indicate the tennis club had trouble forming a court and the bowling club was asked to lend it their man to “put some time on the ground and charge them with the time”. The bowling club agreed to do so.

The first mention of any play on the tennis courts was in February 1918, when the Hastings Standard reported “Ladies on the croquet lawn, gentleman at bowls, and the young people at tennis all contributed to making a bright and animated scene.”

Fundraising took place at shop days in 1919 at the Red Cross in Hastings to pay for tennis court-related expenses.

In 1920, the Havelock North Lawn Tennis Club was incorporated without the croquet club. A legendary part of the tennis club’s early activities was the sumptuous afternoon teas the ladies put on. However, in 1920, the ladies wanted some reprieve from this as they had to leave the courts to prepare it. The solution wasn’t recorded – if one was reached at all.

Money the tennis club owed the bowling club would be an ongoing issue in the 1920s and early 1930s. This wasn’t helped by fluctuating tennis-club membership numbers.

When land owned by the Havelock North Town Board was made available (where the St John Ambulance Hall is now) the tennis club decided to move there in 1938. The tennis courts were sold for £60 ($6500 in 2017 terms) to the bowling club.

Six grass courts were created at the new site. The nearby pavilion was shared with the cricket, rugby and swimming clubs (now shifted to its new position in the Domain).

During World War II, the club had only 10 active members, with the war effort taking many people’s time and energy. This reached a crisis point in 1943 when the club could no longer pay rent and court maintenance to the town board.

A proposal appears to have been accepted by the board that they pay all the expenses and that all club subscriptions be paid direct to them. Ten members had to guarantee £10 ($729) each in 1948 to finance a club overdraft to carry out urgent maintenance on the courts. The club was relieved when the Department of Internal Affairs gave a £90 subsidy towards the work done on the courts. The town board also provided assistance and gave it a low rental for the 1948 season.

The now-Havelock North Borough Council wanted the tennis club to shift to Anderson Park No 2 (No 1 is where rugby and cricket is now played) when the creation of the Karanema Drive ring road would impact on the tennis courts. Despite attempts by club members to have the courts moved to the Domain, the Anderson Park No 2 move occurred in 1966. Unhappy, some members resigned over it.

The club has remained there since. Grass courts were originally laid, but now it has eight artificial grass courts and one plexipav hardcourt. The club, which now has a membership of about 220, is raising funds to resurface and provide lighting on four of the courts.

“Ladies on the croquet lawn, gentleman at bowls, and the young people at tennis all contributed to making a bright and animated scene.”

The Havelock North Tennis Club celebrates its centennial from July 28-30 this year. Events such as exhibition matches at the club in Anderson Park and a dinner/dancing function on Saturday, July 30, at the Havelock North Function Centre, are planned.

For more information, email [email protected] or go to its website for registration: [havelocknorth].tennisclub.co.nz/centenary/

Michael Fowler ([email protected]) is a past club captain of the Havelock North Tennis Club, a chartered accountant and Art Deco Trust heritage officer.

Photo caption – GAME ON: When the Havelock North Tennis Club began in the 1917/18 season it shared premises with bowls and croquet players. At the front of the photo taken in the early 1920s is the bowling and croquet courts, while the “young people” play tennis behind them. This location is now the Havelock North Bowling Club in Porter Drive.   CREDIT/DON CLAPPERTON