The History of Ryde Lawn Tennis & Croquet Club
Centenary Celebrations, Sunday 1st July 2007
ONE HUNDRED YEARS AGO
Ryde Lawn Tennis & Croquet Club was wound up and gave six months' notice of intention to give up possession of the Terrace Garden in a ‘mead' in central Ryde. The Club had only two tennis courts and one small croquet lawn there; the committee wanted to lease a larger area in Ryde so that croquet players could have a full-sized lawn and tennis players could have courts running north/south to avoid 'sun in their eyes'. . .
1906 A site of 'three acres two roods and thirty five perches' was found in Pell lane, next to Play Street Farm, and, on 21st October 1906, the Lord of the Manor of Ashey and Ryde, William Player Brigstocke, granted the Club a lease on the land for twenty one years at a yearly rent of £21 1s 5d.
1907 There must have been a lot of work done quite swiftly, because there was a grand opening of the NEW Ryde Lawn Tennis & Croquet Club in July 1907. A photograph of this event is in the Clubhouse, which itself can be clearly seen, looking much as it does today.
1960s The Club managed to purchase the land that it had leased since 1906, mainly by issuing debentures. In March 1961, work was completed to convert grass courts 1 & 2 to all-weather courts of asphalt and clinker, at a cost of £1,100.
1970s Courts 1 & 2 were temporarily resurfaced in 1972 and professionally redone five years later.
1980s In 1986 court 3 was converted from grass to porous macadam with brick surround. The following year courts 1 & 2 were again resurfaced for £6,302. Times were hard for the Club and membership decreased towards the end of the decade.
1990s In 1992/93 there was extensive refurbishment of the Clubhouse, financed by a Debenture issue and a Council grant. This helped the Club retain its bar licence and host the tennis events of the Island Games in 1993 - played on the croquet lawns as the grass tennis courts were not good enough!
With the advent of the National Lottery the Club made plans to resurface the existing three hard courts and create three more, provide disabled facilities for wheelchair tennis, and additional car parking. Estimated cost - £100,000. Inevitable hidden costs, including subsidence on court 3, previously the site of a farm duck pond, raised the final cost to £153,930 (met by various grants, Lottery money and a substantial sum raised by the Club itself. Work began in August 1997; by October play restarted on black macadam.
In May 1998 all six courts were painted two-tone green. A new toilet/shower block for the disabled was added to the Clubhouse. The car park was rebuilt and enlarged.
2000 onwards
The croquet lawns received the care needed to bring them up to the standard required by the Croquet Association for tournaments and a new sprinkler system was purchased.
In 2004 a tennis practice wall was built and in March 2005 the Club started playing under newly-installed floodlights on three of the hard courts to give members extended playing time in winter. In June 2006 the three floodlit courts were converted to Astroturf.
In 2007 the Club celebrated its Centenary with a weekend of celebrations for members of all ages.
The Club continues with its aim to develop and improve facilities for members.