About Us: Club History

Extract from minutes 29 April 1953

The club was formed originally as the Sunnyside Tennis Club on April 29th 1953 with 1 grass court (of dubious quality!) The first chairman was Mr. T Shotton and annual subs were 5 shillings! By 1956 we had 2 grass courts but membership was low. In 1966 the AGM was attended by only 3 members who agreed "to keep the club going as long as possible".

From this low point things started to improve. In 1968 "overcrowded courts" were discussed in committee, and that year the club was renamed Benson Tennis Club, a name it has proudly carried ever since.

In 1970 a new hard court was added, we joined Oxfordshire LTA, and membership was almost 100.

Two years later, led by Vic Hildersley, we first participated in Oxfordshire Summer League matches. Demand for court space grew and in 1975 we constructed a 4th court. (Shale! with plastic tapes... I remember hours of nailing them down!) but severe dry summers and increasing maintenance costs finally saw off the old courts to be replaced by our present 4 all-weather floodlit courts..........a far cry from 1953 and a tribute to those 3 stalwarts in 1966 who "kept things going".

contributed by John Johnson