Rockhampton Tennis Town and Country tournament’s 100th anniversary

Players will hit the court for a very special edition of Central Qld’s premier teams’ doubles tennis event this weekend. See what’s behind its enduring success.

The 100th edition of the Town and Country teams doubles tennis tournament will be held in Rockhampton this weekend.

Barry Harth was 14 when he played in his first Rockhampton Tennis Association’s Town and Country teams tournament.

Now 49, he will again hit the court for what will be the 100th edition of the annual event this weekend.

More than 20 teams from Mackay to the Sunshine Coast will take part in the three-day tournament starting at 8am Saturday at the Rockhampton Regional Tennis Centre.

Harth, who is president of the RTA, said he was excited to take part in the 100th staging of Central Queensland’s premier teams doubles event.

“It’s an amazing milestone - and we’re very glad to get there,” he said.

“It’s continued to run for so long because of the dedication and passion of the committee and volunteers, without which it would have fallen by the wayside.”

More than 20 teams will compete at the three-day tennis tournament.

At the peak of its popularity - in the 1990s - the tournament attracted more than 100 teams from across the state.

Numbers fluctuated since then but took a hit when, in 2013, the Labour Day public holiday was moved from the first Monday in May to October.

Harth said the association tried running it at Easter and the Queen’s Birthday long weekend in October but “just couldn’t find the right fit”.

The tournament returned to its original date when the Labour Day holiday was reinstated in 2016, and organisers have been trying to rebuild it since.

Round games will be played on Saturday and Sunday, with the finals on Monday.

Harth said Town and Country was a celebration of competition, camaraderie and community, attracting players aged from their teens to their 80s.

“It’s just a lot of fun,” he said.

“I love tennis and it’s great to have been part of this tournament for so long.

“This is a true teams event and there are not many of them around anymore.”

Harth has been a regular at the tournament and won it with his teammates “four or five times”, and been runner-up on a number of occasions.

The teams will play round games on Saturday and Sunday, with the semis and finals on Monday.

A barbecue will be held on Saturday night, along with a charity auction with proceeds going to CapRescue.

Items going under the hammer include an autographed Novak Djokovic racquet and shirt, as well as Brisbane Broncos, Melbourne Storm and North Queensland Cowboys jerseys.

Originally published as Rockhampton Tennis Town and Country tournament’s 100th anniversary