By Doug Mower, chairman In the heart of Cuckfield village, by the lush green recreational ground stands the Cuckfield Lawn Tennis Club comprising of three tennis courts. This year was supposed to be its big 100th year filled with big celebrations.

A brief history!
- 1920 – The Cuckfield Lawn Tennis Club was formed from two smaller clubs, played on two courts in the Vicarage Field, and was led by a committee of six under the chair of Miss Payne. Later that year Mrs Richard Worsley presented the recreation ground to the village.
- 1921 – A further court was added and the joining fee was set at ten shillings.
- 1927 – Three grass courts were constructed on the recreation ground.
- 1938 – The Council agrees to construct one hard court, with a rent set at £25 per annum.
- 1943 – Play continues during wartime. The AGM reported 30 members and the Club won the Challenge Cup against Haywards Heath.
- 1969 – A clubhouse was erected and each member was asked to lend £100 for the project, and each member was repaid.
- 2000 – The Clubhouse was extended and professionally clad by the members.
- 2014 – The Club becomes a registered company and a charity, and takes responsibility for the courts from the Council.

This year the celebrations got off to a brilliant start with a new logo by Louis McKay and an anniversary letter from His Royal Highness the Duke of Kent, President of the All England Lawn Tennis Club, congratulating us on reaching our centenary. Due to the Covid-19 pandemic, many of the other events planned for this year were postponed. Yet thanks to a surge in popularity, the tennis club’s celebrations are likely to be bigger and better for next year. In June the government gave the all-clear for tennis to restart again. This has grown from just singles to now doubles and even social tennis games every Tuesday and Saturday with good attendance. Coaching has also taken off in terms of demand. The club’s in-house coach, Patrick Armstrong, said: “There has been a really positive response to tennis in general and the coaching has really taken off too, which has been fantastic.”

For more news and information about current restrictions and to find out how you might be able to help the club with some of your own Cuckfield tennis memories, see the full article in August’s issue of Cuckfield Life.

By Sue Ponsford

The weather recently may not have been very conducive to playing tennis but the committee planning the centenary of Cuckfield Tennis Club has been hard at work thinking up memorable ways of celebrating such a special anniversary.

Saturday 2nd May will be crammed with events and there should be something for everyone. It will be held in conjunction with the annual Cuckoo Fair (this year on a Saturday as there is a special VE Day bank holiday on Friday 8th May). Non-member coaching will be on offer, memorabilia covering the last 100 years of tennis will be on view in the clubhouse and Wisdom Sports will be demonstrating their ball machine with tennis racquets to try. At teatime, there will be a formal cake cutting ceremony, and we hope to invite a local celebrity to do the honours. We plan to have willing members form the figure 100 on the courts and be photographed for posterity by a drone.

On Saturday 13th June there will be a themed tennis tournament, open to current and past members, when players and spectators will be encouraged to dress in the style of one of the decades since 1920.

Sunday 5th July (the middle Sunday of Wimbledon) will see lots of earnest people going round Cuckfield working out the clues in our family anniversary treasure hunt. The local shops are being encouraged to dress their windows appropriately and incorporate clues in their displays.

We hope to hold an anniversary dinner and to have a 100 hours tournament - players sign up to play for an hour, either singles or doubles. Plans are also afoot for more events for young people. More information will be available as the year progresses.

So save these dates and look out for more information as the summer approaches.

Published in Cuckfield Life magazine, March 2020.