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March 2011

This month we have been focussing on the very early days in the 1880’s when tennis between the states (or colonies then) began to send teams interstate for the Intercolonial matches.

Francis Highett was one of those players. His family contacted us recently to show us one of his 1880 trophies won at Geelong which is the earliest one found so far. He went onto win the Victorian Singles championship that year as well.

A recent journey to the state library uncovered some amazing gems. The original letter proposing the intercolonial competitions commence with Vic playing NSW and even the thought of an All Comers Open Championship to be played alternately between Sydney and Melbourne. Also programmes from this first and subsequent contests.

See EARLY TOURNAMENTS PAGE for pics.

Other recent updates have included a wonderful Hedley diagonal strung racquet, some new tennis press pics, some new memorabilia photos includiing a very nice antique tennis plate, some rare Ken Rosewall (USA) tennis shoes and some early pre WW1 Wimbledon Umpiring awards. See memorabilia section. LINK

* See what happens when you collect 4600+ racquets or the Sweetest Racquet ever made and more!!! Check out THE BLOG

* HIRE A GRASS COURT at historic mansion Rippon Lea (Melbourne) bookings click here

* Two Australian Royal Tennis trophy racquets awarded in 1876 & 1877 in Hobart, Tasmania, home of the first Royal / Real Tennis court in Australia. Courtesy Newport International Hall of Fame & Museum. LINK

* Very early 1926 Alexander Fleet Model racquet with wood grip & excellent graphics

* Early mid 1920’s Australian made by Spalding; wood grip racquet with the model name “SUNSHINE” in reference to the plant location in Melbourne. This was the one of the few locally branded models at this time with others being copies from the USA.

* Extremely rare Slazenger Hardcourt Allan Kendall signature model. When we spoke to Allan he wasn’t aware the racquet existed with his name on it. See the story under Slazenger. Also get a copy of his book see book section.

See all under company sections.

Late 2010 Updates included:

* Great example of Pro Kennex Micro stringing (under stringing section)

* Very rare Wimbledon cigarette lighter from 1957 under memorabilia section.

* EDWARD DEWHURST Trophy from 1904 found on ebay. Permission to use photos granted and displayed under his section.

* ROBERT BALDOCK SCOTT 1890’s Australian tennis player went back to the UK and while at Cambridge steered the Doherty brothers into competition tennis and appeared at Wimbledon at around the same time as W.V.Eaves. Read this article under BLOG section or W.V. Eaves section. Kindly researched by Keith Jenkins.

* NANCYE WYNNE BOLTON BOOK famous 1940’s player won a string of Australian singles and doubles championships plus went on a few overseas tours. Her daughter Pam has written a book about her exploits and has made the read more interesting with the inclusion of Nancye’s day by day diary. A wonderful way to be taken back to the glory days of post-war tennis. BUY IT DIRECT from Pam…

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Thanks from the team……..

Introduction

There have been many books written about the history of tennis with a focus on the UK and the USA. In Australia, unlike other local sports like Football, Rugby and Cricket, Tennis has suffered from a void where much of the history has simply vanished or focused only on the leading players of the time. Australia, does have a significant place in the annals of tennis and it a pleasure to present, in the one location, some interesting historical aspects of the game as it developed here and spawned a sporting industry which catered to the demand.

Various racquet sports have been tried over the centuries and although the modern game has its direct roots back in 1874 thanks to Major Walter Wingfield and his game “Sphairistike”, however outdoor racquet games had well and truly been played prior to 1974. Below is a very rare picture from 1837, which shows an illustration of an outdoor game using the descriptive name “LONG or OPEN TENNIS”. Not only do you witness a doubles style event, but within the text is reference to scoring in 15/30/45, advantage & deuce, rough or smooth to determine serving and even mentions volleying. So while not “invented”, credit is due to the genius of Major Wingfield to create sets of equipment, standardise rules for the game and cleverly promote the product into the stately homes of England and then abroad.

Thanks to Sebastiaan Van Hoorn for the photo and information from the book titled “Games and Sports” by Donald Walker, Published by Thomas Hurst, St Pauls Church Yard 1837.

The ability of the game to be marketed was also enhanced by a couple of other technological developments. First, the rubber ball was invented and then some years later cloth covered balls were developed. Second, lawn mowers now enabled the grass courts to be prepared with less effort.

Tennis created a social revolution appealing at first to women but then men as well. Courts were prepared for home entertainment, cities converted public gardens into tennis courts, and courts were constructed within cricket clubs, croquet clubs and within the grounds of churches. Wooden boxed sets of equipment were loaded on ships and transported to all corners of the world, including Australia, at a truly rapid pace. Tennis here spread quickly also, from homes to clubs, to far off country towns and although “Lawn tennis” was the name, Australian courts made from asphalt, sand, clay or plain dirt appeared everywhere.

A myriad of sporting goods manufacturers already producing cricket, royal tennis (UK) and in the USA baseball equipment, began designing and experimenting with new racquet designs, stringing techniques and tennis balls. Tennis fashion for the ladies and men was dashing and many clubs and local club competitions evolved. Tournaments like Wimbledon were created, The Davis Cup began in 1900, champions were held in high esteem and spectators were keen to see the best players in action.

The evolution of tennis, the playing techniques, the equipment, the stories and the memorabilia surrounding the game is remarkable. In Australia, tennis competitions evolved from club versus club to Intercolonial matches, to state championships and eventually the Australian Championships. While much of the equipment was imported at first, the Australian Tennis racquet and ball industry developed with many brands and models that no longer exist today. Occasionally you will find an item in a cupboard and wonder where this came from and who made it.

On this site you will learn about how tennis came to Australia. what companies made tennis equipment, how Australian players forged their reputations both here and abroad and be amazed at the memorabilia, such as vintage tennis racquets (or rackets) that collectors around the world simply adore.

The site will continue to evolve over time and we trust you will enjoy learning about new aspects of Australian tennis you didn’t know about before and encourage family members of former players and those still with us today to make contact and submit some photos or information that will help add some new pieces into this fascinating Australian story.

For inspiration, we thank existing collectors and publishers Jeanne Cherry (Tennis Antiques & Collectibles), Siegfried Kuebler (A Book of Tennis Racquets), our tennis researcher Clive Oliver, National and State libraries and individual contributors which have included clubs, players (relatives) and relatives of families involved in the local tennis industry. A special note of thanks also to USA collector Rolf Jaeger for supplying photos of some of his rare items in his second collection. His first collection was sold to Tennis Australia and is now in storage awaiting the construction of a permanent tennis museum at Melbourne Park.

Punch Magazine ( black & white Oct.10th 1874) but these hand coloured finishes of the original prints are very attractive.