Rowington Tennis Club was founded in 1924 as the Rowington Non-Descripts Tennis Club. Over the years membership has not varied much, always being between 40 and 60 members of whom perhaps 25 to 30 play regularly. For many years the members were drawn from a walking and cycling radius of just a few miles, but members now come from as far afield as Redditch, Solihull and the surrounding areas.  

 

Before the Second World War the courts were grass and were situated next to the Men's Club which, in the 1920s, charged £1 per annum ground rent. Court drainage and maintenance were a major headache and play was only possible from May to October.  During the closed season table tennis was played.

 

From as early as the 1930s Club members determined to build a hard court on the site of the existing grass court. Fund raising efforts began but the project had to be put on hold due to the outbreak of the Second World War.

 

In 1948 a parcel of land was given to the parish of Rowington to enable a village hall to be constructed. As a result, the tennis club was able to re-locate across the road to its present site behind the village hall where two hard courts were built. In 1966 a pavilion was erected, the first of several that have existed on the site. Shortly thereafter subs settled at a modest level sufficient to renew the courts every 8 to 10 years.  

 

Although the Club has always organised social events, they took on a whole new dimension in the 1970s with Greek and Italian evenings and parties at members' homes. Social events now revolve around the playing of matches and the tennis clubs played against today, such as Claverdon, Henley, Ullenhall etc, are the same as the clubs played against in the 1920s.

 

In June 1999 the Club celebrated 75 years of tennis at Rowington with a tournament at which period dress was worn and wooden racquets used.

 

After over 80 years the Club remains a friendly, happy, local tennis club quietly going about its business.