Tennis
District Championships

The first court in Poverty Bay was laid down by Major Westrup at Matawhero in 1878. W. L. Rees had four courts at his home at Te Hapara in the early 1880's. Another fine court was at A. Graham's home. The Gisborne Lawn Tennis Club (formed on 12 December, 1885) put down five grass courts and one in asphalt in Rutene Road, Kaiti. This property has remained its headquarters. Among town clubs which have disappeared the most prominent was the Whataupoko Club. Initial winners in the first series of district championships (commenced in 1900) were: Men, W. J. Barlow; ladies, Mrs. H. N. Watson.

In 1948, clubs (with membership in parentheses) affiliated to the Poverty Bay and East Coast Lawn Tennis Association (founded in 1922) were: Gisborne (128), Metropolitan (82), Tokomaru Bay (35), Wairoa (50), Mokonui (20), Kia Ora (22), Te Karaka (20), Mangapapa (30), Tolaga Bay (36), Ruatoria (54), Kaitawa (40), Awanui (20), Waerenga-a-Hika (24), Motu (21); total membership, 582.

Winners of the District Championships (New Series):

Men's Singles—1927, N. H. Bull; 1928–29–30, P. R. D. Watson; 1931, A. R. Shorland; 1932, G. H. Seddon; 1933–34, A. R. Shorland; 1035, J. J. Steevens; 1936, A. R. Shorland; 1937, P. Kaua; 1938–39–40, F. A. Richardson; 1941–44, war years; 1945, F. A. Richardson; 1946–47, L. Poole; 1948–49, F. A. Richardson.

Ladies' Singles—1927, Miss P. Hopkinson; 1928, Mrs. W. R. Beattie; 1920, Miss A. Philp; 1930, Miss P. Hopkinson; 1931, Miss M. Humphreys; 1932, Miss J. Hopkinson; 1933, Mrs. R. Hutchinson; 1934, Miss W. Barns-Graham; 1935, Miss E. Plummer; 1936, Mrs. R. P. Baigent; 1937, Mrs. W. Neal; 1938–39, Miss L. Karauti; 1940, Mrs. E. R. Brown; 1941–44, war years; 1945, Miss J. Parker; 1946, Miss N. Symes; 1947, Miss P. Jameson; 1948, Mrs. A. Jenkinson; 1949, Miss S. Bridge.

Men's Doubles—1927, N. H. Bull and D. E. Chrisp; 1928, N. R. Mackay and A. Shorland; 1929, D. E. Chrisp and P. R. D. Watson; 1930, M. Mitchell and P. R. D. Watson; 1931, H. D. Reid and W. Boddy; 1932, A. R. Shorland and N. R. Mackay; 1933–34–35, A. R. Shorland and D. E. Chrisp; 1936, L. Tawhiri and J. Heremia; 1937, J. J. Steevens and J. Heremia; 1938, A. R. Shorland and D. E. Chrisp; 1939, F. A. Richardson and R. Bignell; 1940, A. R. Shorland and D. E. Chrisp; 1941–44, war years; 1945, F. A. Richardson and D. Cranswick; 1946, J. Maybury and G. D. Stubbings; 1947, R. Smaill and R. Pettit; 1948, F. A. Richardson and R. Lees; 1949, R. Jenkinson and F. A. Richardson.

Ladies' Doubles—1927, Mrs. W. Neal and Miss M. Bull; 1928, Misses P. and J. Hopkinson; 1929, Mrs. R. L. Allison and Mrs. W. Neal; 1930: Misses P. and J. Hopkinson; 1931, Misses M. Bull and M. Humphreys; 1932, Mrs. R. Hutchinson and Miss J. Hopkinson; 1933, Mrs. R. Hutchinson and Mrs. E. M. Harper; 1934, Mrs. E. R. Smith and Mrs. B. Hacche; 1935, Mrs. D. E. Chrisp and Miss W. Barns-Graham; 1936, Mrs. R. P. Baigent and Mrs. B. Hacche; 1937–38, Mrs. R. P. Baigent and Miss M. Allan; 1939, Misses L. Karauti and R. Weihipeihana; 1940, Mrs. D. E. Chrisp and Miss L. S. Ballantyne; 1941–44, war years; 1945, Mrs. E. R. Brown and Miss M. Haisman; 1946–47, Misses H. Cranswick and R. Wellborne; 1948, Mrs. E. R. Brown and Mrs: A. Jenkinson; 1949, Miss S. Bridge and Mrs. Clementson.

Mixed Doubles—1927, N. H. Bull and Miss M. Bull; 1928, P. R. D. Watson and Miss P. Hopkinson; 1929, no contest; 1930, P. R. D. Watson and Miss W. Barns-Graham; 1931, J. G. Reeves and Miss E. Hegarty; 1932, C. L. Margoliouth and Miss J. Hopkinson; 1933, C. L. Margoliouth and Mrs. R. Hutchinson; 1934, N. R. Mackay and Mrs. E. R. Smith; 1935, A. R. Shorland and Miss W. Barns-Graham; 1936, R. page 450 Bignell and Miss M. Bark; 1937, R. Bignell and Miss M. Allan; 1938, J. J. Steevens and Mrs. W. Neal; 1939, R. Bignell and Miss M. Allan; 1940, J. Madden and Mrs. W. Neal; 1941–44, war years; 1945, F. A. Richardson and Mrs. E. R. Brown; 1946, J. F. White and Mrs. R. Delamere; 1947, L. Poole and Mrs. E. R. Brown; 1948, F. A. Richardson and Mrs. E. R. Brown; 1949, P. Ogier and Mrs. Ogier. Boys' Singles—1928, R. Bignell; 1929, H. F. Smyth; 1930–31, J. Coop; 1932–33. R. Stichbury; 1934, F. A. Richardson; 1935, J. Thompson; 1936, J. Smyth; 1937–38, A. Shone; 1939, B. Graham; 1946, W. Bignell; 1948, D. Grey; 1949, R. Neale. Girls' Singles—1928, M. O'Halloran 1933, M. Haisman; 1935, P. Reed; 1936–37–38, J. Burnard; 1939, A. Burnard; 1948, S. Bridge; 1949, B. Walters.