The tennis club was formed as a section of the Miners’ Welfare in 1925 and played on shale courts at the Athletic grounds. It was one of two clubs in Mexborough, the other being Mexborough Tennis Club who played on grass courts on Harlington Lane; this club participated in the Sheffield League before the First World War, when clubs from the outlying areas were allowed to join the league. Both clubs played in the Mexborough & District Tennis League, at this time most villages and large employers had shale courts. Competition between the two clubs was quite intense.
Although tennis revived in this area after the war, there was a period of demise started in the early fifties and the club on the Athletic Ground was disbanded. In 1958 a group of young men started playing on the courts again and a year later formed the Tennis Club, soon after the tennis club on Harlington Lane disbanded and the courts sold. Members merged with the present club.
The club still remains a section of the Miners’ Welfare which is a registered charity one of only a few in the country still with courts. The old red shale courts were replaced in the mid nineties with macadam, benefiting the local community and until recently were the only courts within an 8 mile radius of Mexborough.
Mexborough has provided 2 Sheffield & District Presidents-Sid Hacking in 1964 [who was also Yorkshire President in 1966] and Bob Lamb in 1991. Bob still is heavily involved in the running of the club and the Miners’ Welfare Ground. Among players from the town Brian Sheridan won the Yorkshire Mens Singles in 1967 and Dave Godfrey won the Yorkshire over 45’s Mens Singles six years in a row in the 1990s.
Although a relatively small club it plays to a good standard of tennis in the Sheffield, Yorkshire and South Yorkshire Leagues. MTC runs successful competitive teams in Men’s, Ladies, Mixed and Junior events as well as offering a full range of coaching opportunities to suit all levels, holiday programmes for the local community and social events for its members.
Our focus is to provide not only a mix of team tennis and competitive opportunities but also social tennis for its members and the local community.
A doubling of membership in the last year, has enabled not only an expansion of competitive opportunities but also Junior coaching and competition. The club is now looking forward to further expansion and is striving towards Tennis Clubmark recognition and an improvement in facilities.