The Walmer Lawn Tennis Club celebrated its 125th anniversary at a special dinner held on Friday, 5 December. The PE Express caught up with Club President Andrew Meldrum, who shared some insight into the club that was established in 1900.
Could you give readers the history of the Walmer Lawn Tennis Club? Where and when was the facility initially built and launched and by whom?
The Walmer Lawn Tennis Club was initially established in 1900 and is now 125 years old. This is called a quasquicentennial anniversary.
Is the club still situated at the same premises?
The club moved around for a bit initially, and the first tennis matches were played on a sort of rough gravel surface. The club eventually made its home on the spot where we are currently located, on the corner of 10th Avenue and Villiers Road, back in 1916 and has been there ever since.
Were there any other lawn tennis clubs in Gqeberha at the time?
Only PELTC, which is still based at St George’s Park, is older than the Walmer Lawn Tennis Club.
Regarding the word ‘lawn’, our courts are hard courts and not grass, but the sport itself is technically called ‘lawn tennis’. Lawn tennis is the sport that most people know simply as tennis, whether it is played on grass or any other surface.
This is to distinguish it from real tennis, which is a much older form of tennis played indoors. According to Wikipedia, the term ‘real’ was first used by journalists in the early 20th century as a retronym to distinguish the ancient game from modern lawn tennis (even though, at present, the latter sport is seldom contested on lawns outside the few social-club-managed estates such as Wimbledon).
How many members did the club initially start with and was lawn tennis popular when it first started?
We think the club started with just four players back in 1900. Since then, membership has grown quite a bit!
Currently, the club has around 80 members, with ages ranging from school children and teenagers playing alongside their families right up to members in their 70s and 80s.
What are the highlights of the Walmer Lawn Tennis Club throughout the years?
The club has become well known for its annual Mixed Doubles Tournament, usually held around June. It has always been a very social club, but we also have a lot of very strong players who compete at league level and even on a national level, of whom we are very proud.
The lockdown during COVID ended up boosting club membership, as it was one of the few sports that could still be played during lockdown. With the help of sponsors and members’ contributions, we have managed to resurface all five of our courts over the last three years and have made quite a few improvements to the clubhouse and the garden area around the clubhouse.
How is the anniversary being celebrated this year?
We made quite a big thing of the anniversary at this year’s mixed doubles tournament. We also produced some commemorative items like pens and bags. The main event, however, was the 125th anniversary dinner held on Friday last week for club members and invited guests from other tennis clubs in the Bay Area.
Is there any message to the club members?
Thank you for being part of our loyal tennis community.
Why would you say lawn tennis is still popular and enjoyed today amongst young and old alike, across all generations?
It is a very social sport, with a lot of players focusing on doubles play as they get older, and it is a sport that you can play virtually your whole life. Although make no mistake, it is a hard sport to learn initially and can take years just to get the basics right. Added to that, it is a great exercise and lots of fun!
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