A tennis history lesson at Downs (From Surrey Comet)

A tennis history lesson at Downs

1:05pm Wednesday 4th May 2011 in Tennis News

Downs Lawn Tennis Club has received a welcome surprise with the return of a trophy used by the club in the 1920s and 1930s.

The Belmont club was contacted by Guernsey-based Jill Bishop, whose dad Thomas Todd, a tennis historian and author, had assembled a collection of tennis memorabilia which is now the core of the Wimbledon Tennis Museum.

Mrs Bishop had found a tennis trophy engraved with Downs Lawn Tennis Club gentlemen’s doubles winners, presented by RJ Biddolph, listings names of winners from 1928 to 1938.

The trophy has now been returned to its former home and is taking pride of place behind the club’s bar.

Mrs Bishop is planning to pay a visit to Downs LTC during this year’s Wimbledon Championships, hopefully on the middle Sunday, when the club hosts a junior tournament for local clubs with MDL coaches.

The club would like to trace anyone who remembers those early days of the club and any of the trophy winners – J Hutt, D Wilson, GV Constant, JL Maconnel, AF Angus Thomas, TH and JW Hodgson, FC Friend, AG Gates, DG Hollis, F Grover, WG Fox and EE Hockley.

It is possible that Jill’s father, who lived near Cheam from 1929, may have won the cup in 1939 just before WWII started and that it has stayed in their family’s safe keeping ever since.

The club now plans to add a new plinth to the base and give it a new lease of life, presenting it again after a gap of 73 years.

If you would like to see the cup and hear its continuing story go along to Downs LTC’s open day at 50 Holland Avenue, Belmont, on Saturday, May 7.

For details and more information about the club, call 020 8642 3019 or visit downsltc.co.uk