Rushbrooke Lawn Tennis & Croquet Club is steeped in the best traditions of not only Cork and Munster tennis but also of tennis on a national level.
Situated in a beautiful sylvan setting overlooking the scenic Cork harbour, it is clear that the club was initially formed as a croquet venue.
Its purpose was to provide a social outlet where stationed British military officers and the Anglo-Irish professional classes could relax and enjoy the leafy suburb of Rushbrooke.
Club records indicate that the club was operating as a croquet venue with two lawns from 1870 although the exact date of inception is not known.
A Welsh gentleman by the name of Major Walter Wingfield changed the face of croquet lawns (and clubs) throughout the British Isles in 1874 when he applied to the English patent office to protect an invention he referred to as “Sphairistike”.
His invention related to the sport or game of lawn tennis and he was clear to distinguish his idea from “Royal” or “Real” tennis which was played on a court similar in style to a traditional hand-ball allay.
The game quickly gained acceptance amongst the professional classes and many croquet lawns were suddenly doubling as lawn courts for the purpose of tennis.
There can be no doubt that the croquet lawns of Rushbrooke met the same fate.
Consequently the first formal record of tennis to be played in Ireland was in 1875 when the All Ireland Lawn Tennis Club was founded as an integral part of the Rugby Headquarters on Landsdowne Road. It remained the “All Ireland” club until 1880 when the tennis playing membership formed the Landsdowne Lawn Tennis Club.
It is highly probable that the Rushbrooke club could challenge Landsdowne for this honour, however the first official record of competitive tennis been played at Rushbrooke is 21st July 1880.
There can be no doubt that social tennis was an integral part of the club prior to this date.
The winners of the inaugural Rushbrooke Open from 1880 are as follows:
Gentleman’s Singles: Mr. Murphy beat Dr. Downing
Gentleman’s Doubles: Messrs Murphy & Mr. Mc Namara beat
Messrs Allen & H.Dawson
Ladies Doubles: Miss Carnegie & Miss Tooker beat
Miss Denny & Miss Cole
Ladies & Gentleman’s Doubles: Dr. Townsend & Miss Tooker beat
Capt. Baldock & Miss Wheeler
The Gentleman’s singles was the main attraction in these early days, often attracting considerable interest from the best players in the south of Ireland.
Rushbrooke’s tennis playing facilities in these early days comprised two lawn courts although an additional two courts were added in 1884 possibly to appease the croquet membership who saw their lawns suffer unprecedented “wear & tear” due largely to the more vigorous nature of tennis.
Ten years later in 1894 the number of courts grew to six. This was largely in response to an increased growth in membership and the tireless efforts of the club’s growing membership.
Tennis facilities were all grass court based up until 1924 when the first “ hard” court was laid down. Consequently Rushbrooke was regarded as a summer club only, with off-season activities being held in the Royal Cork Yacht Club, then based in Cobh. This tradition continued well into the mid 1960’s before the yacht club moved to nearby Crosshaven.
The last of the grass courts were re-surfaced to hard courts in July 1993 and the club now boasts nine Omni championship standard courts available throughout the year.
Club records indicate the first reference to a club pavilion in 1887 and it is the author’s opinion that this magnificent structure was constructed sometime between 1884 and 1887. Press reports from the summer open tournament in 1884 clearly describe the use of several tents for “the serving of refreshments and other necessary duties” as opposed to any pavilion structure.
This beautiful Victorian structure would serve the club magnificently until its final demise on Tuesday October 24th 2006 to make way for a state of the art modern facility.
Although extended and changed internally on many occasions the frontage remained truly Victorian throughout its lifetime. The fact that it survived for such a long period is clear testament to the members who commissioned the structure in the late 19th century.
The club’s flagship tournament the Championships of County Cork were first held in 1897 and the title remains an integral part of the club to this day.
Many prominent Cork families have been associated with the club throughout its distinguished history. Families like Beamish, (the well known local brewers), Dwyer, Ronan, Haughton, Mc Carthy-Morrough, Crosbie, Goodbody, Cronin and French, to mention but a few had strong links with the club. Indeed the first trustee was Mr.William Henry Beamish.
Rushbrooke has a proud tradition on the tennis court. The club were winners of the Munster Cup (Grade 1) in its inaugural year in 1907 and since then have captured this prestigious prize on no less than twenty-three occasions, five more than its nearest rivals.
To date, a total of nineteen (19) club members have represented their country at varying levels namely:
Rushbrooke Players with International Honours (All categories)
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Gentlemen
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Ladies
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Harry Cronin
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Mary French
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Alan Haughton
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Binkie Harman
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Gerard Fitzpatrick
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Alex McOstrich
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Frank McDonnell
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June Anne Fitzpatrick
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Liam O’Brien
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Anthea Goodbody
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Redmond O’Donoghue
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June Barry
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Ronnie Daunt
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Grace Barry
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Peter Aherne
Niall Chandler
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Rachel Daly
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Don Harte-Barry
David Gardiner
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A further Sixty Four (64) have represented Munster at various age groups namely:
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Rushbrooke Players with Inter-provincial Honours (All Categories)
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Gentlemen
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Ladies
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Harry Cronin
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Mary French
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David Harman
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Binkie Harman
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Alan Haughton
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Alex McOstrich
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Mr John Ronan
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Joan Barry
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Don Harte Barry
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Anthea Goodbody
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Ronnie Daunt
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Ann Weldon
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Redmond O’Donoghue
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Jennefer Cronin
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Sean Hehir
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Claire Kavanagh
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Dan O’Regan
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Emily O’Driscoll
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Kevin O’Riordan
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June Barry
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Franks Furney
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Alison Dolan
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Liam O’Brien
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Louise Wharton
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Frank McDonnell
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Grace Barry
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Peter Scott
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Clodagh McDonnell
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Eddie Coakley
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Mary Brennan
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Robert Leahy
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Diana O’Regan
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Freddie South
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Aoife McDonnell
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Ciaran Dolan
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Carina Butler
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Daniel Dolan
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Ella McCarthy
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Luke Warner
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Jill Mc Auliffe
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Kevin O’Keeffe
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Mairead Rutledge
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Keith Kenny
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Jane Daly
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Jonathan Barriscale
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Margaret Martin
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Aidan Barry
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Catherine Lynam
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Peter Ahern
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Michelle Kahn
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Vince Lawton
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Rosemary Ryan-Purcell
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David Gardiner
Martin Leahy
Niall Chandler
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Paula Gardner
Margaret Roche
Emily Daly
Siobhan Ryan-Bovey
Tara O'Connor
Rachel Daly
Margaret Martin
Collette Miskella
Aisling O'Riordan
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The club has played host to a number of international tennis matches, namely the Davis Cup against Turkey in 1972 and a Federation Cup match against Mexico in August 1973. It has also hosted inter-provincial championships on several occasions, the first in 1925.
The Irish Junior Close Championships are run annually by the club since their inception in 1932 when the first winners were as follows:
Junior Girls Singles (U-14) Josephine “ Binky” Harmon
Under 15 Girls Singles Zelie Godfrey
Junior Boys Singles (U-14) D.E Harmon
Under 15 Boys Singles R.G Brown.
To date (August 2008), eleven members have had the distinction of holding the position of club President. Their names and tenures are listed below:
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Rushbrooke Lawn Tennis & Croquet Club Presidents
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1929-1952 Colonel Phillip Rushbrooke
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1952-1979 Mrs. Hilda Rushbrooke
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1979-1986 Major William Sugrue
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1986-1994 Mrs. Jack Ronan
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1994-1996 Mr. Cyril Hall
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1996-1998 Mrs. Jennefer Crosbie
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1998-2000 Mr. Michael Rushbrooke
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2000-2002 Lt/Cdr P.J.A Whitty
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2002-2004 Mr. Kevin O’Donovan
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2004-2007 Mrs. June Barry
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2007- Mr. Joseph Rodgers
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Rushbrooke is very proud to hold the honour of being the oldest existing croquet club and quite likely the oldest tennis club in Ireland.
Its strengths lie in its strong tradition for tennis and this is where the main emphasis still lies today.
“The Story of Rushbrooke Lawn Tennis & Croquet Club 1870-2007”
by Frank Mc Donnell ( 87 b/w photos. 180 pages. Hardback……€25) is available from the club.
Please contact 00-353-21-4811451 after 7pm for further details.