Club History
Club history
Opawa Tennis Club has a long history dating back to 1907. The slideshow to the right shows the fashions of Opawa Tennis Club from the 1910s to 2010.
- 1907 The club opened with two-three courts on a site rented from Opawa Bowling Club on Opawa Road
- 1911 The club moved to its current location which used to be an old shingle pit
- 1914-1918 Most of the men went to war, so only ladies and juniors were left
- 1920 The club purchased the property in between the club and the Heathcote River. This area was in paddocks and was used for grazing horses
- 1937 Paddocks started to be sold to pay for club renovations
- 1939 - 1945 During WWII the club lost members to war.
- 1953 Night tennis commenced under floodlights - this was a first for the South Island
- 1956/57 The club was at its strongest during the 1950's culminating in winning the men's senior interclub title for Canterbury in 1956/57
- 1976 Night tennis ceased due to the advent of daylight savings
- 1999 Part of the Locarno Street property was sold to pay for total court reconstruction
- 2007 The club celebrated its Centennial Celebrations
- 2014 Club rebuilds 2 new plexipave courts on Locarno Street after the earthquakes in 2010/11
The club enjoys an active recruitment policy, a top junior coaching programme, senior interclub coaching, competitive interclub teams and fantastic club tennis.