Wimbledon
The inaugural Championships are held at the All England Croquet and Lawn Tennis Club, Worple Road, Wimbledon, with an entry of 22 men. A crowd of 200 watch Spencer Gore become the first Champion.
Purton Tennis Club
Purton Tennis Club was formed in 1912 when the cricket club offered to provide and maintain two courts on their outfield. That arrangement continued until the outbreak of the second world war, when a series of concrete pill boxes and a deep anti-tank trench were built across the middle of the courts. The club was re-established on a different site after the war.
Wiltshire Tennis Association Formed
The inaugural meeting held in Trowbridge under the chairmanship of Ward Soames with ten others present. In advance of the meeting ten clubs had indicated their support for the creation of the association: Salisbury Lawn Tennis and Croquet Cub; New Sarum LTC; Riverside LTC Salisbury; Chippenham LTC; Malmesbury LTC; Wilts Archers; Devizes LTC; Trowbridge Westbourne; Swindon Town LTC; and Bulford LTC.
Post War: revival and growth
The fifteenth annual meeting of the Wiltshire LTA was held in Marlborough in October 1946. There were some personnel changes; Willam Brown from Aldbourne took over from T. C. Usher as president, and in 1947 A. H. Wilson, who had been secretary of the association since its foundation, was succeeded by a Salisbury solicitor, Gerry Vizard, who also served as the county’s representative on the LTA Council.
County Cup Success
The men won a notable triumph when they secured promotion to Group One for the first time in the county’s history. Henry Billington, who had started playing for the country in 1926, was a member of that team, as were several other pre-war county players including Bill Edgington from Swindon and C. A. “Snowy” Horton from Trowbridge. Remarkably, Henry was still playing for the county in 1960 when we won promotion to Group One for the second time.
County Cup Success
The ladies had a strong team reaching Group One. They were led by Viola White, one of three sisters from South Wiltshire all of whom played for the county at different times. Viola played regularly at Wimbledon, and there were other Wiltshire ladies who achieved that distinction: Enid Kerr, Mary Chamberlain, Jennifer Chamberlain and Ann Owen.
Chippenham League Formed
The Tennis League was formed in 1961 and was the suggestion of Gordon Budgell and David Fidler of Westinghouse Tennis Club who asked representatives of Clubs in the Chippenham area to a meeting in January 1961 at the Westinghouse Works.
The Chippenham league was initially formed with 8 clubs and 18 teams.
The league continued to flourish. In 1998 it reached a milestone of 100 teams being entered across the 3 Championships of Mens, Ladies and Mixed and in 2025 stands at 26 Clubs entering 116 teams.
Website
Minety Tennis Club Formed
After playing on local private courts for five years. Minety gets its own club.
Swindon & District Tennis League Formed
A meeting was held on 17th January 1977 at Wills Sports Club to form a competitive tennis league in the Swindon area. The meeting was attended by Mr Bob Clanchy (President of Wiltshire LTA) and his daughter Penny (until recently Secretary of Wiltshire LTA) and representatives of Aldbourne, British Rail, Burmah Oil, Highworth, Marlborough, Pewsey, Purton, Ridgeway, Ramsbury, Wills and Dorcan Tennis Clubs. It was agreed to form leagues for Mens and Mixed Doubles but there was not thought to be enough support for a women’s Section.
In 2025 the Summer League has 23 clubs with 114 teams across Mens, Ladies and Mixed. The Winter League has 18 clubs and 35 teams playing medley Mixed, Ladies and Mixed.
At its height in 2009 the summer league ran with 150 summer teams.
Website
SARUM League Formed
The Sarum League first ran with 12 teams.
There are currently 15 teams in the summer and 18 in the winter. The peak for the summer was in the early to mid 90’s when there were 28 teams.
In 2025 they are trialling an over-60’s league which will have 5 mixed teams & 4 ladies teams.
Website
British Lawn Tennis Association Formed
The British Lawn Tennis Association was formed, eleven years after the first Wimbledon championship. It was tasked with maintaining the new rules and standards of the emerging sport of tennis in the United Kingdom.
Centenary
As the Wiltshire LTA enters its second century tennis in the county is in good shape.
Charitable Status
The association itself, in common with its counterparts in other counties, registered as a Charitable Incorporated Organisation (CIO), a move that will give greater financial stability and some other administrative advantages but does not affect what we do.
Transfer of Operations
Assets of Wiltshire Tennis Association transferred to Wiltshire Tennis a registered charity.