Tennis History

The Buckhurst Hill Bowling and Lawn Tennis Club marked its centenary in 2010. However the tennis section of the club has its own separate history predating 1910. Originally what was once known as Buckhurst Hill Lawn Tennis Club was on a separate site on the south side of Gladstone Road near the High Road.

It seems likely that the club was formed in around 1896. It had three grass courts and membership was approximately 50 members from 1906 onwards.

Meanwhile, what was originally called the Buckhurst Hill Men’s Bowling Club was formed in 1910, renting the site which is now the main bowling green. In 1921 the Bowling Club took the initiative and approached the Tennis Club to establish in 1922 the Buckhurst Hill Bowling and Lawn Tennis Club. In the same year the entire site was bought outright and six grass tennis courts were laid out. In 2022 the Tennis Club has been celebrating its centenary on the current site.

Membership averaged 115 between 1922 and 1938. In the 1960s and 1970s membership gradually declined but in the 1990s mergers were agreed with three local clubs which resulted in adult membership increasing from about 20-25 at the end of 1992 to 122 by 1997. Since that time adult membership has fluctuated between 100 and 120. However in the last couple of years, since 2020, membership has increased to around 180 adult members and the membership has become increasingly diverse.

Between 1931 and 1933 the grass courts were replaced by shale courts. Between 1993 and 1995 what had become four courts were converted to artificial grass. Floodlights were installed in 2009.

With the hiring of professional tennis coaches from the early 2000s junior membership also began to grow. Under our current coach, Adam Webb, junior membership is now at an all time high of around 140.

Tournament Winners

The club has been running internal tournaments since 1922. The winners of the major events in the last few years are given below

YearMens SinglesLadies SinglesMens DoublesLadies DoublesMixed Doubles
2009C HintonMs A NichollsC Hinton & N ThompsonMrs S Dargon & Ms A NichollsMs B Leworthy & F Harding
2010N OlivierMs A NichollsC Hinton & N ThompsonMrs J Cox & Mrs M DavisMs B Leworthy & F Harding
2011S AlabasterMs A NichollsB Smith & D TomlinsonMs B Leworthy & Ms G WilliamsMs B Leworthy & A Berry
2012S AlabasterMs A NichollsC Hinton & N ThompsonMrs S Gambell & Ms A Nicholls
Mrs C Pike & M Avent
2013S AlabasterMs A NichollsC Hinton & N ThompsonMrs C Jones & Mrs C PikeMrs J Cox & B Berry
2014S AlabasterMs A NichollsC Hinton & N ThompsonMrs C Jones & Mrs C PikeMrs C Pike & M Avent
2015D TaylorMs A NichollsD Taylor & M HicksMrs C Jones & Mrs C PikeMs B Leworthy & C Hinton
2016M LeongMrs C Pike D Taylor & M HicksMrs J Cox & Mrs C Pike
Ms J Blades & M Hicks
2017L PikeMs J BladesL Pike & M LeongMrs J Cox & Miss J Blades
Mrs C Pike & M Avent
2018D TaylorMrs C PikeD Taylor & M HicksMrs S Gambell & Ms A Nicholls
n
Not completed
2019D TaylorMs G WilliamsD Taylor & M HicksMrs C Jones & Mrs C PikeMs B Leworthy & C Hinton
2020No tournamentNo tournamentNo tournamentNo tournamentNo tournament
2021T ReeveMrs S HunterL Pike & M LeongMrs S Hunter and Mrs L CohenMs B Leworthy & C Hinton
2022L PikeMrs S HunterL Pike & T ReeveMrs S Hunter and Mrs L Cohen

A History of Buckhurst Hill Tennis

The club has recently produced a more detailed history of the Tennis Club, which covers all the highs and lows of the last 100 years. This contains a full list of all our winners of all our competitions since 1922. We have had a small number of these books printed and they are available for a small donation to cover our costs. If you would like a copy please contact Francis Harding via email on general@bhbltc.co.uk

An expanded list of the winners of your tournaments is attached in the file below