From: The Racketeer 44, January 2002
Seventy Years Ago
by Andy Lusis
A PHOTOGRAPH showing MPTC as it looked in 1932 has been given to the club by John Pullman. It was found among the papers of his father, Robert Pullman, who last year moved from his house opposite the club to a nursing home. Robert, possibly our longest-standing member, was club secretary from 1948-72.
Because of its historical importance, we print the photo below knowing that our production process will not do it justice. To remedy this - at least for members with Internet access - we have placed a better reproduction on the club website.
There is still some uncertainty about the number and position of the club's courts at this time. When the club started in 1923 there were four grass courts on the site, but only two of them were used by the club. Sometime between then and 1937 the club acquired one of the other courts. Perhaps this happened in 1932 and the photo was taken to show the club's three courts.
You will notice on the picture that the court nearest the camera is laid from left to right. Does this suggest, unlikely as it seems, that the court nearest to the present clubhouse did not belong to the club at this time?
Another puzzling feature is the small trees behind the fence on Esher Grove. Were these inside the area where the practice wall is now?
On the left-hand end court, the match is men versus ladies. Does this tell us something about the strength of our male players of the time? Finally, does anyone recognise any of the players?