The NT Open Championships is one of the territory’s oldest annual sporting events.

HISTORY OF THE TROPHIES – THE “PARAP CUP” & “BARDEN TROPHY”

NT Open Champions Perpetual Trophies
Parap Cup (Men)
Barden Trophy (Women)

Tennis NT considers the Parap Cup to have historical and social significance for the Northern Territory, and nominated it in 1990 to be named as a National Trust Cultural Heritage Icon.

In 1921, Northern Agencies Ltd presented the cup to the Darwin Tennis Association  as a perpetual trophy for the Men’s Singles Championships event. It was a very generous donation at a time when life in Darwin was difficult for many residents. In 1919 Vestey’s Meat Works had closed so that of the 1000 or so non-Aboriginal men living in the town, almost a third were unemployed. Of those working, about 160 people were government employees. Even though the community was small, the Tennis Association was a hard working and enthusiastic group doing its best to promote the game of tennis.

The sterling silver cup possibly derived its name from the courts where the first Championship event was played in 1920. It cost male competitors 3 shillings to nominate for the Men’s Singles and in the 1930s the Association introduced the practice of presenting the winner with a miniature cup as a keepsake.

In 1945 Barden’s Pharmacy presented the Darwin Tennis Association with a perpetual trophy for the Women’s Singles Championship event.

In 1939, with war threatening, the tournament was suspended. Mr Hurtle Bald, the Postmaster was President of the Tennis Association at that time. He and his wife were keen players. Records show that Hurtle officiated as umpire for the Men’s Championship while Mrs Bald competed in the Women’s Doubles event.

Sadly the Bald family was killed when the town was bombed on 19 February 1942. After the war the Parap Cup was found in the rubble of the bombed post office. It was badly damaged and had to be sent south to be expertly repaired. Ironically the first winner of the trophy when the tournament resumed in 1947, was L.J.S Hargreaves, a postal employee.

After Cyclone Tracy in 1974, the cup went missing again but fortunately was restored to the Association in time for the 1975 Championships.

The Parap Cup also has social significance for all tennis lovers. Tennis has been consistently played in the Territory and continues to make a contribution to the social life of all Territory centres, bringing players together through a series of tournaments culminating in the prestigious annual NT Open Championships. As well as local competitors, the Championships attract interstate and overseas players.

Why does Tennis NT consider the Parap Cup to be a Cultural Heritage icon?

The Parap Cup has been the most significant trophy for NT tennis players since 1920. It has significance also for the wider community because of its association with the history of Darwin. It was presented to the Association when the town was economically depressed in the 1920s; it survived the bombing of Darwin in 1942 and later the havoc of Cyclone Tracy in 1974.

It has become a symbol of the tennis community’s commitment to the development of the sport in the Territory as well as a reminder of the growth of the game since 1920. Local players and administrators are understandably very proud of the Parap Cup believing it to be one of the most illustrious trophies of any sporting body in the Northern Territory.

PAST CHAMPIONS