Photo: Warren Buckland, Hawkes Bay Today (2019)

When 12-year-old Margaret saved up her pocket money to buy a wooden Slazenger Junior tennis racquet, little did she know it would spark a 77-year commitment to tennis. Now almost 89, one of our longest-serving and perhaps most determined players has officially called time on her playing days - leaving behind an extraordinary legacy at Havelock North Tennis Club.

The era of whites, wooden racquets, and "rainbow guts" 

Margaret’s tennis journey began in Petone before her family moved to Hawke’s Bay in 1953. It was an era of immaculate grass courts, strict all-white dress codes, canvas shoes carefully whitened before play, and white tennis balls that quickly took on a green tinge from the grass. A dedicated competitor from the start, Margaret used to cycle into Hastings on Saturday mornings for interclub matches, stay all afternoon for club play, and cycle home again - even serving as a ball-girl when tennis legends including Lew Hoad and Ken Rosewall played an exhibition match in Hawke's Bay.

On a trip to England in 1961, she picked up a new racquet with multi-coloured gut strings - earning her the nickname "the girl with the rainbow guts" on her return to New Zealand, a trusted racquet she famously refused to retire in damp conditions until well into the metal-racquet era! 

Defying the "housewives' tennis" label 

In 1965, illness nearly cut Margaret’s sporting life short. Hospitalised with rheumatic fever and left with a heart murmur, she was advised by doctors that she should only ever play "housewives' tennis."

Margaret obliged for a few years - wheeling the pram courtside for Ladies' Mornings - before deciding she wasn’t ready to give up the thrill of competition. Not only did she return to competitive play, she threw herself into club administration and went on to play some of the best tennis of her life.

Four decades at Havelock North 

Margaret joined Havelock North Tennis Club in late 1980 when her children began coaching here. As she recalls, the club was a very different place then: five grass courts and no pavilion, with members paying a $10 levy to share the Squash Club facilities until our current clubhouse opened in 1992.

She quickly became the player to beat. Between 1982 and 1988, Margaret won the Club’s Ladies’ Singles Championship seven years in a row. Even more remarkably, twelve years later in 2000 - at the age of 62 - she reclaimed the Club Ladies’ Singles title, noting that what she had lost in power, she made up for in "experience and craftiness" to outwit younger opponents.

Long-time clubmate and regular singles rival Jan Day remembers facing that fierce tenacity first-hand:

"Margaret was a really solid team member in our Thursday competition - she always arrived with a large thermos of iced water and two or three bananas! She was a true competitor, and many an opponent, usually younger, thought the match would be a 'walk in the park' only to discover they had no answer to the court skills and determination they faced from the other side of the net."

Alongside her teammates in that mid-week competition, she also helped Havelock North claim multiple A-Grade titles.

Taking on the world in her 70s and 80s 

While many players start winding down in their 70s, Margaret was just getting started on the international stage. At age 70, she was selected for the New Zealand team at the Super-Seniors World Championships for the very first time.

Over the next twelve years, Margaret represented New Zealand at seven World Championships in Christchurch, Turkey, Croatia, and Florida - training up to five times a week and winning a World Championship bronze medal with the NZ 80+ team in Florida at age 79. Always looking to sharpen her game, she even booked her very first one-on-one coaching lesson with club coach Alastair Montgomery at age 79 to tune up her backhand before flying out to the Worlds!

At 81, she carried the New Zealand flag at the opening ceremony in Croatia, reached the World Championship quarterfinals in the 80+ singles, and climbed to #29 in the world rankings - catching the eye of a British documentary crew filming octogenarian athletes. Yet she remained a committed club player throughout, turning up week in, week out for Tuesday and Saturday club days, and happily playing teenagers more than 65 years her junior in our Club Champs just to get good match practice.

A valued member of our club 

Reflecting on her decision to step off the court, Margaret wrote to the club:

"I've been at Havelock North for over 40 years, and had a great deal of enjoyment playing there, particularly in competitions... Thank you to all my friends at the Club, and especially team members and the various partners I've competed with over the years."

Club President Karen Coles says Margaret’s longevity in the sport is something the whole club can admire:

"Margaret’s dedication to tennis is remarkable. To play competitive tennis for 77 years - and to still be pulling on the silver fern and representing New Zealand in her 80s - is an extraordinary achievement. Beyond her titles and her grit on the court, it’s Margaret’s commitment, resilience and loyal presence at our club over the past 46 years that we value so highly. We’re proud to be a club for players of all ages and stages of life, and Margaret has shown us all that a competitive spirit and passion for the game never grow old."

Join us to celebrate Margaret 

We are hosting a special afternoon tea at the club on Saturday, 14 November at 3:30pm to honour Margaret and recognise her wonderful contribution to Havelock North Tennis Club. All members, past and present, are warmly invited to come along and raise a teacup to a true stalwart of the court (tea and coffee provided, please bring a plate to share)!