History
The Clyde Tennis Club is one of the oldest tennis clubs in New Zealand, having been established in 1877. The Otago Witness newspaper in May 1880 commented that “the fashionable amusement in Cromwell and Clyde at present is lawn tennis”. The Cromwell Tennis Club was established in 1880 and the Alexandra Tennis Club in 1883. Te Ara the Encyclopedia of New Zealand cites the first tennis club in New Zealand as the Parnell Lawn Tennis Club founded as the Parnell Croquet Club in 1872. Although tennis was also first played at this club in 1877. A clutch of clubs followed including Thorndon (Wellington 1879), Napier (around 1879), Whanganui (1880), Masterton (1881), Canterbury (1881), Hawkes Bay (around 1881), Taieri (1884) and Green Island, Dunedin (1885).
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The Cromwell Argus newspaper on 12th April 1881 reported “A very interesting lawn tennis match was played here on Saturday between members representing the Clyde and Cromwell Clubs. Each club was represented by six players and played the game off in pairs. – pairs on one side being met by pairs from the other – and the result was determined by the greater number of sets won. A number of spectators including many of the fair sex, were present during the play and convinced great interest in the match”. A trip to Cromwell by horse and cart, or on foot through the Cromwell Gorge at this time would not have been easy.
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The Clyde Tennis Club had a court in the campgrounds in the 1880-1890s and over time the surface was changed from a lawn grass court to a fast chipped court. In Oct 1899 the club applied to the Clyde Domain Board and was granted a piece of ground inside the domain fence for a tennis court. The terms being for 10 years at a rental 5 shillings per annum. A third asphalt court was put down in 1926 to help with matches and larger tournaments.
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Over many years players from the Clyde club played home and away matches against teams from all over Central Otago. Teams from the Vincent Tennis Association came together regularly to play tournaments against Maniototo and Otago. In the early 1990s, the club was transformed when 3 artificial grass courts were laid down. Regular matches around Central Otago ceased, and the club focused on acting as a tennis hub for the region. In 2019 the courts were further upgraded with new Tiger Turf Tournament 1000 courts and Lumosa LED lighting to enable tennis to be played at all times of the year especially in the evening for people who cannot play during the day or at weekends. After 144 years the future of the club continues to look bright.
