A BRIEF HISTORY OF TIME
1955 Bardsey Tennis Club is founded by a gentleman by the name of Mr T Dickenson
1957 The first ever American Tournament is held and the victorious couple win a prize of six tennis balls
The lines need repainting (but back then there are no machines to do it), so at the AGM members volunteer to come down to paint the lines (by hand) themselves.
1958 The youth club makes an application to use the tennis courts as a coconut shy
The prize for the runners-
1959 The tennis club diversifies and sets up a table tennis section for the winter months.
The club turns down the offer of entering a team into the Barkston Ash League.
The first ladder tournament is organised and it s won by John Dunkenley who is awarded a boots gift voucher
1960 Bardsey take up the offer of entering a team into the Barkston Ash Tennis League (there is only one division) and the match secretary reports that all matches were enjoyed and that one match had even been won!
As well as having Tuesday as a club night the club decides also to make Friday a club night. A night was also allocated for the juniors.
1961 Two members on the committee are Mary Marwick and Ann Gilpin (Club Secretary) (who are still playing at Bardsey in 1993)
A weekend clubtime is proposed by Ken Flockton to be held on a Sunday at 2:00pm onwards
The idea of a winter dress show is rejected but a bingo session is considered but is later ruled out because the club might get themselves on the wrong side of the law!
A raffle is held with the first prize of a Ford Anglia!
1962 The club resurfaces its courts for the first time
1963 The ideas of tupperware parties, a junior dance and a treasure hunt were brought up in order to help pay for the resurfacing
1964 The mixed doubles team plays 16 league games, winning 7, losing 9. Thus attaining 4th place in the league. The main problem is the lack of men.
The Chairman suggests that if funds permit it -
1965 It' s proposed that whites should be worn from 1st May to 30th Sept
1966 Due to more teams wanting to join the Barkston Ash Tennis League an extra division will be created this year. Last year, Bardsey s mixed doubles team finished 7th out of 9 teams and thus get relegated to the new 2nd Division.
The Barkston Ash mens doubles tournament is held at Bardsey (the only time Bardsey have ever hosted a regional competition)
The mixed doubles team wins the cup. The mixed doubles team also achieves promotion to the 1st Division
1967 Colton and Collingham drop out of the league so Bardsey are invited to enter a B team. They accept
Both Bardsey teams finish second from bottom in their respective divisions. The B team is scrapped
1968 The mixed doubles first team finish bottom of the 1st Div. Mrs Rogers proposes and Mrs Marwick seconds that the first team be scrapped. It is.
1970 On the junior front, Weherby High School s team consists of almost all Bardsey players and at Ilkley Lawn Tennis Club one girl reached the final. A lot of this was due to Mary Marwick and Jean Child. The first official club tournament took place on Sunday April 25th
A whist drive is held before Christmas and results in considerable profits (!)
1971 At the August tournament only 4 people turn up. Bardsey join the LTA
1972 With regard to the juniors, three girls had been in the Yorkshire county Ladies 8
1973 It is suggested that before the next AGM an advert for new members should be put in the Parish news. Four enquiries resulted.
1974 Visitors fees for juniors are set at 5p. Insurance is taken out for the 1st time with Phoenix Assurance Company Ltd at an annual fee of £10.
1975 Some (pre-
1976 The first membership cards are issued
1977 Monday night becomes a club night due to the large numbers of members. A Bardsey v Collingham local derby attracts 21 Bardsey supporters
Whist drives are scrapped after 7 years. A fire extinguisher is installed in the club hut. The club buys a new net, however a full refund is needed when they get it back to Bardsey only to find that it isn t a tennis net!
1978 Club balls are provided for the first time. Membership passes the 200 mark for the first time ever.
1979 Yellow balls are provided at club times and white balls for matches. An American tournament in 1978 is cancelled because everyone stayed at home to watch the cup final. The club switches its current account to the Midland Bank from the Yorkshire Bank. Films are shown on Thursday nights for the young juniors, Wimbledon '78 , Better Tennis and Road Safety. It is agreed that there would be a second showing of the Wimbledon film for any senior members interested. No one turned up.
1980 It was suggested in 1979 that orange tennis balls should be tried. The idea of a junior committee comes up at the AGM but nothing is decided. The ladies were asked to consider whether they would be prepared to provide coffee or drinks on a rota basis. Due to vandalism the chairman of the hall management committee arranges with the police for occasional visits of a panda car. A waiting list for juniors was introduced, it s the clubs aim to reduce the current junior membership from 142 to 120. Up until 1980 members had only to wear whites between 1st May and 30th September but from 1980 whites must be worn all year round. Malcolm Lobley suggests to the committee that there should be a club badge but the club doesn t agree. The design rather than the idea is what the committee doesn' t like. A competition is organised therefore between junior members to design a badge and Mr Lobley will judge.
1982 A junior committee is proposed. Resurfacing is done costing over £3000. Vandalism so common at this time has eased since a space invaders machine has been installed at the sports club
1984 A junior team is entered into the Barkston Ash Junior League for the first time.
The season consists of 3 home an 3 away matches. The usual disco supper is abandoned
and the proposal of an outing to a local hotel holding a dinner dance is made it
is to be published to see members reactions. After accepting the job of buying padlocks
for the gates, Mr Lobley doesn t purchase them due to his fear of the phantom glue
sniffers filling them with glue. Mr McGregor suggests we look into the question
of sprung netcord retaining locks for the coming 85 season. Peter Ball organises
the soon-
2009 The club apply for and receive £20,000 in grants. The courts are resurfaced and a ball machine purchased. On the team front the club win 6 out of 8 competitions they enter and come runner up in the other 2. Adrian Lobley achieves the grand slam of local doubles tennis tournaments by winning 3 Barkston Ash Mixed and Mens tournaments at Chapel A, Whitkirk and Bardsey and also the Terrace tournament at Boston Spa
Adrian Lobley 1993