The Garden Club Tennis Royan held several ceremonies to celebrate its centennial on 28 and 29 September 2012.
Amongst those present were Centenary Tennis Clubs (CTC) President Juan Maria Tintoré and his wife Berta, and Julian Tatum of the AELTC at Wimbledon, and his wife Gina.
To mark the centenary, the club travelled back in time to the date of its founding in 1912. The CTC President and his wife were brought from their hotel in a classic convertible Delage 1912 Tatum car, while the guests from Wimbledon arrived at the club in a convertible Renault 1912. Both couples were met by Royan President Jean-Pierre Geoffroy and Vice-President Claude Boucaud.
Leaving the cars at the gates of the Tennis Garden Boulevard Carnot in Royan, they toured the club, discovering the tennis courts and an espalier leading to an estuary upon which sailboats danced under the sun.
A few metres inside the club, the guests were welcomed by men and women clothed in suits and dresses from the years 1910-1915, and were invited to attend a tennis match which took place on the court’s central court. The participants were dressed in all-white, and played with wooden racquets and white balls of the era, difficult to find nowadays.
The match was interrupted to relocate to the clubhouse, where dignitaries were gathered, including several deputy mayors representing the mayor, Madame Joly, the Vice-President of the Regional Council, Mr. Servit, General Counsellor, and members of the club, partners, presidents of neighbouring clubs and former players from the club.
After a welcome from the President of the club, Mr. Tintoré addressed the gathering in impeccable French and expressed his joy in presiding over the ceremony and the opportunity to discover Royan. The much-applauded speech was followed by former international referee and deputy mayor Didier Simonnet, who addressed Mr. Tintoré in Spanish.
The speeches then gave way to the unveiling of the Centennial Plate, which was presented by Mr. Tintoré to Mr. Geoffroy at its new home in the entrance of the club house.
An official dinner was held on the evening of the following day in the salons of the Bridge Club Tennis Garden. The soirée was attended by Alain Moreau, President of the Poitou-Charentes League, Eric Defaye, Chairman of Tennis Charente-Maritime, and several elected representatives.
In his speech, President Tintoré emphasized the human qualities that must prevail in our association, those of “friendship, solidarity and sportsmanship.” An exchange of gifts followed, with the deputy mayor of Royan presenting Mr. Tintoré with the medal of the city of Royan in honor of his visit and his dedication to the CTC Association.
Needless to say, this event will long remain in the memory of the members of the Garden Club and Tennis Royannais.
