Events mark 'first lawn tennis-only club' milestone

Leamington Lawn Tennis and Squash Club said this photo showing Leamington Spa in 1874 was one of the earliest known photos of lawn tennis

Events have been held to mark the 150th anniversary of the first lawn tennis-only club.

Leamington Lawn Tennis and Squash Club said Harry Gem and friends created their own rules for the sport in the town, at a time when lawn tennis was becoming increasingly popular.

It contended their version of the sport at the original Leamington Lawn Tennis Club in 1874 was close to "what you would recognise as tennis today".

A family fun day and a special doubles tournament have already taken place this summer.

On Sunday, the modern-day club was due to hold a "Whites & Wood" tournament, with people dressing in their own whites and using wooden rackets.

Treasurer Dan Cale said people had looked in garages, sheds, "tips and recycling centres", leading to the organisation acquiring dozens of the rackets and getting a "club coach to restring them" for use.

These players were all smiles in the 1960s - the decade when land that the current club uses was acquired

The treasurer stated "essentially we can reliably claim that Leamington tennis club was the first sole lawn tennis club in the world".

"People were playing around with rackets in their gardens. There was a need to codify and draw up rules.

"[Harry] Gem and his friends in Leamington created their own rules [for tennis], which was played at the Manor House hotel in Leamington."

Although the treasurer said the current club was not the same as the original, with those now involved being "inheritors" of it, he spoke about the town's history and stated "we believe we had a big influence on what we see now as the rules of tennis".

He said Henry 'Cavendish' Jones, who wrote down the rules at the All England club in 1877, had "visited Leamington at least twice in 1874 and stayed at the Manor House hotel".

The current organisation said this image from 1953 seemed to show Leamington players on an exchange trip with a club based in the Netherlands

There were "bigger rectangles" in 1874, with the entire court comprising four of them, whereas the All England club's 1877 model included tramlines for doubles and areas to serve into, as today, Mr Cale said.

Leamington's court was 90ft x 36ft, compared to 78ft x 36ft.

This drawing, created by pioneer Harry Gem, depicts himself, Augurio Perera, Arthur Tomkins and Fred Haynes playing at the Manor House hotel in Leamington in the early 1870s

Mr Cale said: "We're very proud we have a part to play in the history of the development of this great sport.

"We would extend a vote of thanks to people who helped build the club into what it is today."