The Early Years

It is simply not possible to talk about the inception and growth of tennis organisation in New Zealand without mention of the Hawke's Bay Lawn Tennis Club.    Auckland, Christchurch and Napier became the dominating centres for lawn tennis following it's introduction in the late 1870's and of the three, Napier (represented by the Hawke's Bay Lawn Tennis Club) has the most impressive  record of initaive and enterprise.  Not only did it hold the first open tournament in the country, it also held the first recognised New Zealand championships which prompted the formation of the New Zealand Lawn Tennis Association with headquarters in Napier.

The first records of club tennis in NZ appear around the early 1880's in Christchurch and Dunedin and so by 1884 a small group of Napier enthusiasts led by Mr Frank Logan (first Club President) pull together to form the H.B.L.T C. with temporary grounds being found at Farndon Park, Clive.  The reasons for chosen grounds being so far outside Napier are not recorded but is is likely that time and expense where the deciding factors.  Farndon was already flat parkland and easily adaptable for  the use of lawn tennis.  Those courts at Farndon gave so much to the development of lawn tennis in this country, hosting no less than three New Zealand championships but the inconvenience of being so far from Napier would compel the club to relocate to a smaller site on Lambton Road (Hospital Hill) sometime between 1895-1899.

Mr. F Logan - Founder and First President - H.B.L.T.C

With the sport expanding rapidly, the 4 court site at Lambton Road couldn't meet demand and so a freehold site of about an acre was aquired at Jull Street to where the club moved in 1909 having laid down 6 courts and erecting a new pavillion.  An ajoining section was then purchased in 1910 with provision for a further 2 courts.  The club would remain at Jull Street until 1936 despite a proposal to relocate again some ten years into it's tenure.  Noteably, during this time, the club would take steps to secure it's legal standing by becoming Incorporated in 1926.  Whilst the grounds at Jull Street enjoyed some of the best tournaments in the club's history, attracting the country's leading players, they would mostly be remembered for  being the club's home at the time of the earthquake in February 1931.  All eight courts were badly damaged but with financial aid from the NZ Lawn Tennis Association the club endeavored to have them all restored for the season opening of October 1931.

The Move to Marewa

Whilst the earthquake was tragic in many ways for the local community it did have the effect of raising the land level around Napier,  creating the ground on which the club now stands.  Constant applications for membership over and above the numbers  permitted by the club rules, in line with the limitations of court space at Jull Street, had moved the club's committee to find more spacious grounds as far back as 1920.   It had come close to securing land in the the Harbour Ward in 1922 but the negotiations fell through and so the club would have to lie in wait until Napier Borough Council were in a position to lease off sections of the newly reclaimed land that was named Marewa.   The club put in  their tender for 5 and a quarter acres, enough space for a 20 courts and a new clubhouse.  Securing the land was the easy bit.  The problem was they were unable to put any money toward development of it until the grounds at Jull Street were sold and a cash sale would mean giving up the land immediately afterward.  When the grounds at Jull Street were sold in April 1936, the club had barely six months to develop the newly acquired land at Marewa form 4 feet high wild grassland to 20 court lawn tennis facility.

Excellent work from the club's groundsmen and the blessing of an exceedingly mild winter would allow for the courts to be formed and opened in time for the new season.  On 7th November 1936 the new grounds were officially opened with 20 grass courts set out in two rows (13 at the rear, 7 in front) with a provision for a "centre court" in front of the pavilion that had enough boundry space to accomodate some 1200 spectators, in temporary erected stands, for tournament finals and exhibition matches.   Of course, further progression of the site including  perimeter fencing with sheltering trees, roadworks and the proposed swimming pool would all take years to complete but a generously spacious club with excellent facilities and tremendous potential was in place.   Sadly, that potential was never fully realised as the the war was just around the corner.  The club was forced into recess and the land given over to grazing.  Come the end of the war, some of the land was sold off to raise the funds required to get the club up and running again.   Only 10 grass courts would be relaid and that swimming pool was never developed.
      Reference: The Hawkes Bay Lawn Tennis Club official history and souvenir booklet, 1936