On January 3, as the first serve sails over the net on the pristine grass courts at Ackerley Ave, the annual Benalla Lawn Tennis Tournament will do exactly that, with three full days of competition, reminiscing and celebration slated to commemorate a century of memories.
It’s an exciting time for all involved, and Benalla Lawn Tennis Club president David O’Donoghue said the club was looking forward to observing what truly was a significant milestone.
“For sure, (the tournament has) been a big part of the town, obviously, over the 100 years, and the clubhouse itself is 100 years old as well,” he said.
“I’m only new, obviously, but yeah, it's a very important part of the club and the town, and we're looking forward to making sure we can make the most of it.”
The evening of Saturday, January 3, the opening day of the tournament, will see the official 100th anniversary celebration take place, with anyone who has ever been a part of the tournament in any capacity invited to join the milestone festivities.
In what is billed as a reunion as well as a celebration, former club members and tournament players, as well as those who feature on the BLTC honour boards and their families, are encouraged to attend to mark the historic occasion.
“Our plan is to have a lot of the finals played around six and seven o'clock at night (on the Saturday),” O’Donoghue said.
“We're going to have a bit of live music later on and a pizza van and a bit of food, so we want to make it a bit of a celebration for people, not just who play, but people can come down as well and watch and catch up.
“A lot of locals come back over the Christmas break for their families and that, so we’re hoping that people that have played over the last, you know, 30 or 40 or 50 or 60 years can come back and enjoy it with us.”
While numbers are currently looking strong, O’Donoghue said he would love to see the field swell slightly over the next week or so to eclipse last year’s entries, but otherwise preparations were on track for the centenary event.
“We’d love to get about 250 (entrants), anywhere between 250 and 300 would be fantastic,” he said.
“Last year we had about 230, so that’s a really good number for us, we’re not a huge tournament and it's not a really popular time of the year for people to travel.
“But so far (the numbers) are looking really good, the courts are looking good, we've done up the clubhouse a little bit over the last 12 months with a bit of refurbishment, it's looking well, so we're excited.”
With a round robin format that ensures plenty of playing time across all grades, $500 for the open singles winners as part of a wider $1700 prize pool, as well as doubles and mixed doubles formats too, there is something on offer for even the most casual of tennis player.
Entries remain open until December 30, although O’Donoghue said there was wriggle room for those still weighing up whether to get involved or not, and he strongly encouraged everyone to get down and have a hit.
“Entries stay open until December 30, but even then, we will accept late entries,” he said.
“We'd love as many locals to come and play, or anyone, even if you've never played before, you can still play, that's the beauty of it all.
“Come down and register and have a hit, bring the kids and play with your kids, we can cater for everyone.”
RSVPs for the Benalla Lawn Tennis Club 100th anniversary celebration on January 3 can be made at the club’s Facebook page, as can entries for the singles, doubles and mixed doubles tournaments, which will be held from January 3 to 5.
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