Tathra Beach Tennis Club

October Tournament History

1964 -Tathra Tennis Club (Now Tathra Beach Country Club – Tennis Club) was given credit for organising their first Open Tennis Tournament over the Labour Day long weekend, which proved to be a great success.  Cobargo Tennis Club used to run this tournament, when they stopped, Tathra took up the challenge.  Chief organisers were Vernon McNeil (who had been running the Bega Easter Tournament for 5 years), Aub Smith, Maureen Smith, and Monica Davidson. These people were the major organisers for over 20 years, and in Maureen Smith’s case for many years after that.

The first Tournament was played on the three courts near the Tathra Beach Bowling Club, Tathra Primary School, Staffords Hardware at Kalaru, Vic Clegg’s at Mogareeka and many private courts in Tathra.  The format of our early Tournaments involved the Singles and Doubles being played in the one day. Sometimes, due to rain, the matches were not finished, so players went to the Bowling Club and tossed a coin for the result.

1964 – Cooma Player, Mrs Boate won all her events – the Ladies Open Singles, Ladies Open Doubles with Mrs W Fraser (Cooma) and Mixed Open Doubles with Vic Fraser from Cooma.  Mrs Boate defeated Denise Griffin (Glover), from Tathra  in the Ladies Open Singles.  Tathra pair, Vern McNeil and Laurie Glover won the Mens Open Doubles from local Robert Rheinberger and Vic Fraser from Cooma.  The Mens Open Singles was not decided, and as finalists were locals (Eddie Rheinberger and son Robert) the so Committee elected to finalise events involving visiting players.

Rain was an ever present worry – a storm on the Monday afternoon of the first Tournament delayed play, but the great condition of the courts made it possible to continue after and hour’s delay.

Local players Pat Ubrihien, Col and Edna Veness, Max and June Sawers, George and Enid Love were joined by players from Canberra, Cooma, Batemans Bay and Kiama and many other local players. Vic and Daphne Fraser, Cooma, played in our first Tournament and for many years afterwards with his family. Their grandchildren now play in our Tournament.

Aub Smith was the curator of courts and had the court surfaces in prime condition, as they were throughout the tennis year. The Tathra courts were without doubt the best in the District. During the Tournamanent, he was assistaed by Laurie Glover, Manning Lemon, Ernie Dowton and other ex-players such as Alec Broad.

One year the Monday play was washed out and the players decided to come back in two weeks time and finish – and just about everyone did return!!!

The original format was matches in all events played every day with all finals on the Monday. It was mentioned that the Tumbarumbra Tournament was run on one day – one event … say singles all one day etc. This proved very successful and we settled on Mixed Doubles on Saturday, Singles on Sunday and Doubles on Monday. This format has lasted until present day.

Many ladies assisted in catering, salad rolls, tea and coffee – Doreen Newton, Mollie O’Shea, Anne Donnelly and many others.

1973 – 10 Year Anniversary  Tournament Director was Vern McNeil and assisted by Monica Davidson and Maureen Smith

 

1983 – 20 Year Anniversary Tournament Director was Vern McNeil and assisted by Monica Davidson and Maureen Smith.

 

1993 – 30 Year Anniversary Tournament Director was ………….

2001 – Tennis Club President, Dr Tony Brown, was the main driver to get the all weather courts.  With the assistance of the Country Club they were installed 2 at a time from September 2001 to April 2003.  The running of the October Tournament was greatly facilitated as it wasn’t necessary to have a team of volunteers to bag, water and line the courts over the 3 days of the long weekend.

2003 – 40 Year Anniversary  was celebrated with a band and small function at the Country Club.  The celebration cake was cut by John Rheinberger and Denise Glover as they had won the Special Mixed Doubles on this day and they also played in the Special Mixed Doubles in the first tournament in 1964.  Tournament Director was Denise Glover and was our Tournament Director for 12 years. Denise remembers one tournament as having 213 players entered.

2006  –  Denise Glover was hoping to step down as Tournament Director so Natalie Galvin was in training on Tournament Director tasks..

2007 – Tournament Director was Natalie Galvin and management was fully computerised, which made it easier to make the draws and to manage the players.

2008 – The computerised tennis program enabled greater opportunity to publise our Tournament and hence a record number of entry.

2009 -Tennis Australia granted us Australian Money Tournament (AMT) status which meant $1500 prizemoney on offer for the Open Singles and Doubles Events.   Guidelines for this tournament level was that we had use the Tournament Planner (TP) computer program and offer players online registration.  Tennis NSW prepared the shell for the Tathra Beach Country Club – Tennis Club website.  Natalie then completed the necessary procedures to enable the entry form to be publised along rules and regulations, and our sponsors details.  This Tathra Open was one of only 14 NSW Clubs with AMT status and the only quality open tennis tournament on the Far South Coast.  We attracted an increase in the number of players into the Mens Open Singles event. Consequently, due to the numbers of players, the event had to be played over the three days.  Troy Smith, Bega and Jack Swindells, Inverlock – finalist in Mens Open Singles – shared the prizemoney and Australian Ranking points as the event was abandoned on Monday due to rain.

The 206 tennis players travelled from Sydney, Melbourne, Wollongong, Canberra, Cooma, Batemans Bay along with many local players. Over 60 tennis players had not played in Tathra Tournament before. The 16 events over the three days was for all levels of tennis and, of the 243 matches scheduled, 232 were completed before play was abandoned by the much welcomed rain.  The Tennis NSW appointed Official Referee was Allan Douglas from Tamworth who had not been to Tathra before, was very impressed with the tennis facilites and overall sportsmanship of the players.

2010 – Tennis NSW again granted us a Australian Money Tournament (AMT) this time with White Series status.   With 120 players contested in 18 events, we had 28 players in the Mens Open Singles, which was the biggest field for some time, we had to play this event over the three days.  The Mens Open Singles players who were eliminated in the first two rounds, were given the opportunity to play in Mens Open Singles Consolidation Event.  Bega Valley Tennis Academy was our major sponsor of the Open Singles Event.  Unseeded Todd Holcombe from Canberra upset highly ranked players to win Open Singles in straight sets 6-4, 6-4 over the No 5 seed Jarrod Liston of Albury. Holcombe’s strong defensive display of slice defence and flat hits proved too consistent for Liston.  The Mens’ Open event was punctuated with the wins of unseeded players over there more highly fancied players with the No1 and 2 seeds falling in the early rounds.

2011 –  The 48th Australian Money Tournament (White Series) – Australian Ranking was held on 2nd, 3rd & 4th October 2011

We had 126 players entered into the 17 events over the three days – 21 of these had never participated in our Tournament before.

The Mens Open Singles had 28 players entered and was played over the three days with the first round commencing at 9.00 am on Saturday and the final on Monday at 1.00 pm.

For the first time, we had a consoliation event for players eliminated after the first two rounds of the Mens Open Singles. This event proved popular with 16 players entering and players also obtained ranking points for this event.

The Womens Open Singles was a Round Robin with the Final on Sunday.

The Bega Valley Tennis Academy (BVTA) was our major sponsor and provided the prizemoney for the Men’s and Women’s Open Singles Events.

The Tathra Beach Tournament is one of only 14 AMT-White Series Tournaments in NSW this year.

Players travelled from Sydney, Melbourne, Canberra, Albury, Shellhabour, Wollongong, Batemans Bay and Cooma, boosting our local entries and spreading the word of the beauty of the south coast, and the Bega Valley.

 2012 – Over the Labour Day long weekend the Tathra Beach Country Club-Tennis Club held the 49th Annual Tournament.   Many players travelled from Sydney, Melbourne, Wollongong, Canberra and place in between, along with Jay who travelled from Adelaide.

 On Saturday the players enjoyed a pleasent sunny day considering the blustery wind conditions but thankfully no rain.   Then with Sunday and Monday we were blessed with lovely spring days, pleasant partly cloudy conditions and thankfully the breeze had died down. Thankfully the weather gods were kind to us this year with not a super soaker in sight.
 With tennis being played at both Bega and Tathra courts it made for a very busy days for the Tathra Beach Tennis Committee.  Doubles were played on Saturday, Singles on Sunday and Mixed Doubles on Monday. 
 This year the Mens Open Singles a qualifying round was undertaken on Saturday morning with winners joining other players in round one of the Mens Open Singles Main Draw.  Round two and semi finals on Sunday, along with two rounds of the consolation event for players who were eliminated in the first two round of the Mens Open Singles main draw. 
 On Monday we had the semi final and final of Mens Open Singles Main Draw with Jay LaGinestra from Adelaide defeating Kevin Kelly from Canberra in two sets,  6-3, 6-1.  The Mens Open Singles Consolation Event was also finalized on Monday afternoon with Justin Chan, Sydney defeating Daniel Green, Canberra 6-4; 6-2.
 
Saturday results –
Mens Open Doubles – Jay LaGinestra, Adelaide and Phillip McDonald, Nimmitabel defeated Denis Love, Bega and Robert Warren, Bega 6-1; 6-2.
 
Womens Open Doubles was played as a round robin with 33 games to Sandra Bunce and Sharni Smith, Bega defeated Leonie Ainsworth and Helen Holcombe with 30 games.
 
Mens Special Doubles -John Gardiner, Merimbula and Charlie Young, Narooma defeated Greg Holcombe, Canberra and David Ridley, Canberra 4-6; 6-2; 7-5
 
Mens B Doubles – Zac Burhop, Bega and Paul Warren, Bega defeated Nicholas Keighley, Cooma and Matthew Moxon, Cooma 6-1; 1-6; 6-4.
 
Womens B Doubles was played as a round robin with a tied result of 18 games each to Samantha Briggs, and Helen MacDuff who played against Karina Charlesworth and Barbara Tai, all these players are from Canberra.
 
Girls 14 and under singles was played as a round robin with 16 games to Peleniese Ofati, Merimbula and 15 games to Grace Knox also from Merimbula.
 
Sunday results –
Womens Open Singles was played as a round robin with 26 games to Tara Paxton, Binji and 24 games to Gabrielle Beaumont, Merimbula.
 
Mens Open Consolation – Justin Chan, Sydney defeated Daniel Green, Canberra 6-4; 6-2.
 
Mens Special Singles –  John Rheinberger, oldest Bega player defeated Paul Warren, youngest Bega player 6-2; 6-4.
 
Mens B Singles – Peter Gardiner, Merimbula Defeated Joshua Fraser, Cooma 6-0; 6-0.
 
Womens B Singles was played as a round robin with 20 games to Samantha Briggs, Canberra and 16 games to Karina Charlesworth, also from Canberra.
 
Monday results –
Mens Open Singles attracted 26 players entered and was played over the three days.  Jay LaGinestra, Adelaide defeated Kevin Kelly, Canberra  6-3; 6-4.
 
Mixed Open Doubles – Sandra Bunce and Denis Love from Bega defeated Helen and Greg Holcombe from Canberra 6-4; 6-3.
 
Mixed Special Doubles was played as a round robin with 18 games to Pam Kimber, Cooma and Mark Irvine, Bega to 15 games to Marni Morieng, Cathcart and Phil McDonald, Nimmitabel.
 
Mixed B Doubles – Naoe and Yoshitaka Murakami, Sydney defeated Brian and Lee Emerson, Canberra 6-4; 6-4.
 
Mixed C Doubles – Erin and Henry Pearce, Cooma defeated Helen MacDuff, Canberra and Mark Huddleston, Tathra in a set final 3-6, 6-0, 7-6.
 
Boys 14 and under singles was played as a round robin with 18 games to Paul Warren, Bega and 12 games to Blake Austin-Tock, Bermagui
 
Thanks to Tathra Rugby League for a loan of their new club house facilities. The kitchen was well patronized with players and friends, as well as mountain bike riders and Tathra Beach Country Club members enjoying  the freshly cooked fare. Thanks to all helpers, our sponsors and raffle donations.  All in all three great days of tennis, despite the dusty conditions as the wind picked up the dirt off the clubs drive way and was shared amongst the players on the courts.
 
The tennis committee is looking forward to the 50th Tournament on the Labour Day long weekend next year.  We are  hoping John Rheinberger will play again next year as Denise Glover and John Rheinberger won the Mixed Special Doubles in our first Tournament 49 years ago.

Tournament Directors : – Vern McNeil -1964 to 1987; Lou Holt, Marnie Nicholson, Cheryl Blackly, John Foley, Lee Gill,Troy Burhop, Justin Waddell, Denise Glover 1995 to 2006; and Natalie Galvin- 2007 to present day.

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