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CBSC TENNIS HISTORY updated July 2014

Greetings tennis fans. We are compiling a short written history of tennis at the CBSC.
Please help us. Although our trophies reach back into the 1940s, we have no written
history to speak of. Where were the courts located in the 40s and 50s? Who ran the
tournaments? Who was involved?
Do you have stories to share? We love names, dates and above all pictures! Please
email photos to us. (<perrydunnett@shaw.ca>)
Bookmark this page as we will continually be updating this site and streamlining the
information we receive. It is very much a work in progress . You can also log into this
website as a member, and share your tennis story in our "Share Your CBSC Story"
discussion forum.

Crescent Beach looked different in the 1920s. In the background is Blackie Spit.
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Pre - 1940s:
One of the longest standing CBSC familys is the Fergusson family. The Fergussons
began staying at Crescent Beach on McBride Avenue between 1915 and 1920. Their
grandson Rob remembers living on McBride every summer from 1941 to 1958. (Today
the Fergusson/Risk/Peterman/Lance) families are still active CBSC members).
No one is really sure when the one tennis court on Sullivan Avenue was constructed
(or who built it!). Below are two pictures of the court in the early 1940s. On the left ,we
believe, is Maureen Stewart.
Maureen Stewart? Posing in the 1940s
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1940s: According to Rob Fergusson, tennis in the 1940s and 50s was not as organized as
it is today. Usually a gang of young members and adults would take over the one court on
Sullivan street and play singles or doubles (rotating all the players) for a greater part of the
day. There was no formalized instruction and no tennis committee.
Our oldest tennis trophies are the two Nelson Trophies (Girls and Boys 16 and under
singles) - first awarded in 1943. The Nelson family arrived at Crescent Beach in 1936.
Krista Carwana (Nelson) tells us that her dad remembers that the area from Agar to Gilley
(between McBride and Kidd Rd.) was a big open field.


Middle trophy: Nelson trophy 1946.

Dick Nelson won the trophy in 1946.
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Here is a picture of Krista Nelson Carwana
presenting the Nelson trophy to Girls trophy
winner Alison Binley in 2008 - Holly Wacker
( Edworthy) was runner-up in the 16 and
under singles category that year.
Mairi Coulthard remembers playing tennis in the 1940s and 50s after their family
purchased their home at Crescent Beach in 1944. Mairi remembers that to play on the
court on Sullivan Street you had to sweep the court and then put the net up. Emily
Grimston (and her sisters Evelyn and Gail) as well as Anne Irving were Mairis partners
back then.
Rob Fergusson commented that for summer ending tournament play the swim coach
would just post a big board and players would sign up. The players would organize
themselves. Rob can not remember any awards ceremony but can remember
receiving some trophies.
One of our tennis trophies is the Claire Brewster trophy for girls 12 and under doubles.
Claire said her family came each summer from Revelstoke in the 1930s. The family
would stay at the Crescent Beach Hotel. Later Claires grandmother purchased their
cottage on McKenzie Avenue in the 1940s. The Brewster/Andruff/Pepper families are
still very active members of the CBSC.
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1950s: Still, the only tennis court at Crescent Beach was the one located on Sullivan
Street just across from Camp Alexandra and formal tennis instruction was not yet part
of the CBSC. The court on Sullivan is still there but currently used mainly for street
hockey.
I noted that on the 16 and Under boys trophy (the Nelson trophy) the 1956 winner was
Robbie Fergusson! According to Rob one of the best players around in the mid 1950s
was Steve MacDonald (the Steve MacDonald Trophy started in 1979 is given to the
Girls 10 and under doubles winner). Other players Rob remembers from the 1950s
include Brent Gifford, Lesley Gifford, John Chipperfield, Ian Matheson, Linda Lee, Holly
(Helen) Campbell and Heather Fergusson.
In 1955, the Larkins (Pete/Rose) arrived at Crescent Beach. The Larkins and later the
Saunders and Nordby families and their children, have contributed significantly to the
CBSC tennis program.

Son Larry Larkin was a Tennis Chair while Pete and Roses daughters Barb Larkin
Saunders was a tennis committee member and Mary Larkin Nordby is still the club
secretary. Many of Pete and Rose Larkins grandchildren have been involved in
coaching at the CBSC. Sean Larkin (tennis coach), Becca Larkin (tennis coach),
Teriann Larkin (syncro coach - now helps out as clubhouse secretary), Hans Nordby
(Pool boy), Anders Nordby (head tennis coach) and Heidi Nordby (tennis coach).
Marys husband Ewart (past sailing chair) is currently on the tennis committee.
Mairi Coulthard remembers that awards in the 1950s (before there was a clubhouse)
(both swimming and tennis) were given out at the end of summer under the porch at
Gardners store (corner of OHara Lane and Beecher). Later the awards were given
out at Wicksons pool.
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1960s
We do know that in 1961, the club constructed its own tidal pool on land made
available by the B.C. Packers Ltd.
When the Crescent Oyster Company property behind the end of Blackie Spit was
subsequently sold to the Municipality of Surrey for use as a park, the club was granted a 20
year lease of an acre, which included the pool area. The first two CBSC tennis courts were
finally built beside the tidal pool.
Rod Livingston (whose parents Dave and Floy owned a cottage on Gardner in the 1960s)
remembers when the tennis courts were being constructed. Rod remembers that the courts
were built up resulting in a huge hill of sand. Rod and Crescent beacher Tom McLean
would dig tunnels in the sand and then drop tennis balls into the holes. Their "ball rolling
machine" kept their parents and siblings guessing where the tennis balls would emerge from
the sand bank. The bank of sand on the north side of the courts was probably about six
feet high and we would have a maze of criss-crossing tunnels, and of course the ball, would
not come out of the three given options "A', "B" or "C" but come out about five feet away in
unannounced hidden tunnel "D". We didn't take bets so no money changed hands, but we
may have conned our parents out of 10 cents worth of Ju Jubes over at Duncan's store.
Rod remembers that other helpers included Doug Buchanan, Al Hetherington, Randy
Chambers, Terry McConkey, Bruce Robertson and Geoff Barker.
Rob remembers that when the tennis courts were built the tennis program really began.
Within a few years two more courts were added.
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In the late 1960s Mrs. Penny Moul was very involved in CBSC tennis and the assigning and
reporting of the tennis tournament was at her house called the Moul Hill. Members believe
that tournament games were arranged by the individuals themselves and various private
courts up the hill were used as well as the new CBSC courts.
Bruce Webster (CBSC head coach for many years) remembers a story from around
1965. As he remembers, the adult men's singles winner from CBSC (Bob Wright)
played the men's singles winner from the White Rock Tennis Club (Frank Muir) at the
White Rock Tennis Club at summers end. Bruce believes that this was the only time
the two clubs ever competed ike this. Frank Muir won the match.

Happy CBSC tennis players!
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Here is a clipping from the 1966 Seahorse:
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Trophies
Past trophies were named as the result of families offering to purchase a trophy then
continuing to pay for engraving and upkeep. This sometimes led to trophy name
changes as families joined and then left CBSC membership. An imperfect system which
meant some trophies went missing over the years. An example is the 16 and under
Boys Doubles 2nd place trophy. One of the double trophies was first awarded 1n 1998
while its partner trophy dates back to 1955!
Most of our current tennis trophies date back to the 1960s or 1970s as club numbers
increased and new categories like 8 and Under, 10 and Under and 12 and Under were
created (as well as for doubles).
CBSC Tennis Trophy winners
Tennis awards 2008
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1970s: During the 1970s Mark Tindle was the head tennis coach. The Tindle family
were all tennis players and both Mark and sister Jill were nationally ranked. Mark
arrived in the 1970s for summer work as head coach. The Mark Tindle Trophy for Boys
8 and under doubles is still used today. Mark later became the Tennis Chair in the
1990s and his children Scott and Lisa were both swim coaches in their era at the
CBSC.
Tennis became more and more popular throughout the late 60s and 70s. The
seahorse advertised in the 1970s that there would be more discipline in tennis lessons.
Also, no one was allowed to sign up for double lessons till the END of registration day.
Some of the players in the late 1970s were Deborah Radcliffe, Alexia McGavin,
Cathy Legg, Catherine MacDonald, Nancy MacDonald and Melissa Fahy.
Rob Fergusson and daughter Jennifer Fergusson, circa 1975

Amy Emerick, Jennifer Fergusson (right) waiting for lessons. (circa 1980-1982?) .. note the shoe tag...
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Did you know??
Something that affected the whole club in 1978 was that the Municipality of Surrey
came up with a Development Plan for Blackies Spit. The Citys plan which was
adopted in principle showed the CBSC being bulldozed and a new pool and courts
constructed on Dunsmuir Farm, approximately where the community gardens now
exist. There were no details as to who was going to pay for these new facilities or even
if they were soleley for the CBSC or whether they were to be a Municipal facility. At
the time club president Duncan MacKenzie led a large delegation and presented a brief
to Surrey Council on November 20, 1978. The Brief included details of the original
donation of the land from BC Packers Limited which included a clause that the CBSC
be allowed to remain on the site as long as it was used for recreational purposes. The
plans were eventually redrawn and the CBSC in its current location,was left intact.
Whew and profound thanks to Duncan, who still has a copy of the Brief and all the
attachments.
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1980s:
Jennifer Fergusson (now Overaa), Molly Fergusson (now Peterman) and Lindsay
Risk (Robs sister Heathers daughter) remember the early 1980s:
We used the court in Ocean Park (up the hill) to play on during the tournaments as
there were too many games and not enough courts near the clubhouse. We were
always bummed when we had a game there because our moms would make us ride
our bikes up the hill to get there (usually with our competitor) and we were tired before
we even started. Plus, no one was watching or cheering us on!
Like today the tournaments were sudden death the coach would seed us and set
up a tournament bracket and if you lost, you were out of the tournament. You could
play in 3 different categories for example, if you were 12 you could play in girls 12&u
singles, 12&u doubles and if you wanted you could play up such as 14&u doubles (if an
older friend needed a doubles partner).
The girls also mentioned that the Mathisen tennis courts were used for tournament
play during the summer.
Some of the players at this time were Lavelle Thompson, Kylie Irvine, Tanya
MacDonald, Alison Thomas, David MacKenzie, Ian MacKenzie, Amy Lesley Gifford,
Teriann Larkin, Eileen MacKenzie, Shannon Gordon and Jane Glanville.
Awards ceremony 1982. Girls doubles 14 and under winners. Left to right Lindsay Risk, Catherine
McGavin (coach), Jennifer Fergusson, and head coach Jim Lees.
Note the CBTC t-shirts - always a friendly rivalry with those swimmers!!
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1990s: During the 1990s Larry Larkin was tennis chair and over a few years, Larry built all
the bleachers that are around the tennis court and pool Larry had the frames built at his
school then put them together with wood donated by Tim Hudson . Larry and his dad Pete
then painted them.
During the 75th anniversary (1993) medals were introduced for tennis (previously
ribbons were given out). Barb Saunders (Larkin) was involved in starting that. Sean
Larkin (Larrys son and Barbs nephew), designed the medal. The medals had a green
seahorse in the centre with large gold crossed tennis racquets starting at the bottom
where its tail started. CBSC was written just above the seahorse and Est. 1918 was
just below. There was a scalloped line encircling all this.

Colourful Head coach Lex Vinson ran the tennis program for 7 years starting in 1988.
Lex worked tirelessly instructing players in all aspects of the game and was able to
instill passion for the sport as well as providing excellent instruction. Do you remember
Lex? (Remember never to be late!!)
Hoping for a picture of Lex here!! Do you have one?
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2000s
Bruce Webster was the head coach
for 5 years in the 2000s.
Lots of stories still needed here!! Please email <perrydunnett@shaw.ca>


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Tennis Tournaments: We need information about tournament play (especially in the
1960s and earlier). We understand there used to be a tournament in both July and
August. This changed in the 1990s when Larry Larkin was chair or just before. (I
believe it was because it was taking up another whole week of lessons). Ribbons only
were given out in the July tournament. When Larry was chair they also changed to the
present format of the round robin instead of a draw with a player being knocked out as
soon as they lost a game.
Mary (Larkin) Nordby remembers when she was in her teens (around 1969)and
joined lessons that she had to arrange her own times for matches in the tournaments.
At that time, the trophies were given out at the August Gala Award ceremonies, just
prior to the swim trophy presentations. In the late 70s and early 80s private courts as
well as the CBSCs 4 courts were used for both the junior and adult tournaments.
These included the Mathison Farm, the Mainwarings, the Ritchies and the Whites
courts. In those days Duncan MacKenzie thinks a full set was played and of course
there was no such thing as a 7 point tie breaker. Mens, Ladies and Mixed would be
the best of 3 sets in the finals.
Tennis Awards: Following the week long tournament the Tennis Awards recognize
not only the individual winners of the different age categories but also honours the
outstanding paddle, and junior players.
K r i s t i Go r d o n , S h a n n o n D a v i d s o n ,
Sarah Fleck and Kendall Jenns.

1976. Here the head coach?? stands beside
Katy Fergusson (bowl cut) and Shannon Gordon (braids) on the podium.
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Molly OCallaghan still has her ribbons, badges and shoe tags!!
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Junior League play: Along with other tennis clubs in the area the CBSC
participates each summer in a weekly play day culminating in the playoffs and
ownership of the Webster Trophy. The Websters (from New Westminster) were
instrumental in developing the New Westminster Tennis Club and subsequently the
White Rock Tennis Club. Their son Bruce was head coach at the CBSC for a number
of years in the early 2000s. Duncan MacKenzie remembers that in the 1970s CBSC
entered a Junior Team into the local Junior league. This was, and part of the growth of
CBSC tennis, because of the influence of then coach, Mark Tindle. Mark encouraged
some of the juniors such as Tony Mainwaring, Mark Freyman, Richard Savage, Lani &
Migi Ross and others to enter Junior tournaments in the Lower Mainland. Marks
youthful enthusiasm was catching and carried on by his successors, Gordie Charles,
Dave Bonshor, Bill Mainwaring, etc. Records show that the CBSC has won the Webster
League trophy many times. Here winning League members are Graydon Botsford,
Braedon Bealieu, Ian Perry (holding the first place trophy) Phillipa Farni, Holly Wacker
and Alison Binley. (2008).
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Tennis Coaches before the Syncro Show
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Fun Days (Dress up days) have been a tradition at the CBSC since before the
1960s. Here 2007 coaches Darth Vader (Fraser Perry) and Marilyn Monroe (Nicole
Davidson) pose for the camera.

Fun Day 2008
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Do You Remember?
ROCKETS!!
When Nash Vuletic was head coach in 2007 he introduced Rockets. Here coaches
Kyle White, Curtis White, Mark Wacker and Fraser Perry get ready for ignition.
SHOE TAGS? In the 1980s and 90s tennis members were required to wear shoe
tags when using the tennis courts to indicate that they were indeed members. There
are stories out there of older members telling younger members to vacate the courts
immediately as they were not
wearing shoe tags!!
As usual Duncan MacKenzie is
ready for anyone demanding to
see a shoe tag...
- no matter what year!!
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PADDLE TENNIS: Not sure what year Paddle Tennis was actually started but it
wasn't available when Hans Nordby was a young member, so his parents feel it must
have been started around 1984 or 85. I think that Anders Nordby was the first Paddle
Tennis medal winner. They had an actual set of skills they had the kids try with the
paddles and gave Anders a medal because he progressed so well!. Later the wooden
paddle award (then later the Higgins trophy) was started in 1994. Talented Anders
would go on to be Head Tennis Coach in the 2000s.

Oliver Botelho won the paddle Tennis Award in 2011.

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Tennis Court Dance
Mary Larkin Nordby recounts that It was held in the court on Sullivan Street when I
was very young (it's one of my earliest memories) - so that would be in the late 50s or
early 60s but I don't know when it actually started. As I recall, it was on the Gala Day
evening - we would all dress up and go down to the court. It was led by an older lady in
a square dancing outfit. Afterwards, we'd get a Dixie cup
Others have similar memories of the Tennis Court Dance we had ice cream too (in
little plastic cups with those wooden flat spoons. And back in the 70s, long dresses
even for the little girls, were worn. I love CBSC for its traditions.
Al the clown Edworthy has been hosting the Tennis Court Dances since 1989.
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Adult Tennis (special thanks to Duncan MacKenzie for a lot of the following information)..
Adult tennis was already up and running when the MacKenzie family came to the
beach in 1972. Duncan remembers that there were certainly trophies for both the
Ladies Doubles (Mainwaring) and Mixed Doubles but there was nothing yet for the
men. A trophy was purchased in 1973 and named the Clyde trophy. Duncan was
fortunate to win this trophy 2 or 3 times.
By 1974 Duncan was co-chair of the tennis committee along with Tom Fawsitt and
had an 8 member committee which in 1975 expanded to 13!! Familiar names who
are still club members include Joan Anderson, Marion (Pepper) Dyck and Heather
Risk.
Mairi Coulthard remembers the ladies league in the 1970s. The CBSC Ladies would
play the Vancouver clubs (Arbutus, Jerico, Vancouver Lawn) as well as West
Vancouver. Play started in May and included sweeping the courts, putting up the nets
and all the wind-sheets that went around the courts before matches.
Mairi also remembers that as there was no clubhouse or washroom near the courts
that when the clubs visited Crescent Beach they would meet at someones house.
After the matches they went back to the house for lunch. Mairi remembers that the
league was very competitive.
Adult tennis was very popular in the 70s and we had to restrict court use in July and
August so that there was always a court available for children. Seahorses used to list
the four courts and daily times for lessons and for adult play as the courts were very
busy. It was at this time in 1975 that shoe tags were instigated as many non members
were using our state of the art CBSC courts! Duncan had a complete set of shoe tags
on his tennis shoes from 1975 to 1998 when they were discontinued , although they
were brought back one year for nostalgic reasons without a date probably 2000.
Duncan still has the original printers proof for the shoe tags.
To give you an idea of how popular adult tennis was in 1974 the CBSC
introduced the CBSCLWIMOMDT (CBSC Long weekend in May Open Mixed
Doubles Tournament) which attracted an entry of 20 teams. We split the entries
into 4 groups playing a round robin in each group with the winners progressing to the
semi-finals and final. In 1975 entries were made in advance and were handled on a
first come first serve basis and we restricted the entry to 20 teams. Also in 1975
CBSC entered a team in the Spring BCLTA Ladies League. The ladies were very
successful and got to the 2
nd
top league in the Lower Mainland.
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Mary
Thompson, Carol Genn, Mairi Coulthard, Herbie Mainwaring, Lyn Pohlman, Maria
Bettauer, Val Harper, Margaret MacKenzie, Jay Donald and Margaret Gordon.
cbsc ladies tennis team 1976
third Division winners.
As an aside note Eileen MacKenzie (now Neapole) and Kyle ??? won the mixed
doubles trophy maybe about 25 years ago. As Eileen was leaving the country
Duncan delivered the trophy to Kyles house or at the very least his next door
neighbours house. As the MacKenzies were also leaving the beach Duncan left the
trophy on the doorstep - it has never been seen again and we are still looking!!!
Adult League Tennis continued for many years. Unfortunately in the 1980s tennis,
especially adult league tennis, became less popular golf took over to some degree
and others began playing year round somewhere else (Hazelmere). Tournament
entries dropped and such things as the May tournament were dropped.
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Art and Issie Van Wart have been involved in tennis at the club since they arrived at the
CBSC in the late1970s and they rounded out their major contributions to the club by running
the CBSC adult tennis program for about ten years in the 1990s. Danny Goldsmith then
suggested that CBSC should be encouraging new players to become involved. Art and
Issie maintained the competitions for the traditional trophies but always had a gimmick to
get people out ( gin in the punch its rumoured). Each Sunday they organized a
preregistered tournament, mostly mixed doubles except when there was a trophy
tournament for men's, women's, or mixed doubles. The format was rounds of 8 games on
each court with a change of partner after 4 games followed by semi finals and finals. A $2 or
$3 entry fee was charged. Balls, pop, and food was provided.
A good example of a tournament that Art and Issie organized was the Sunday
morning Strawberry Tea tournament (what was in that punch??). They also
organized one tournament where regardless of whether you won or lost all the other
players could vote you out of the tournament!! - the original Survivor Tournament I
guess! Only a couple as affable and well liked as Art and Issie could get away with
that : )
In addition each Wednesday and Friday evening they hosted drop in tennis and rotated
players about. On Fridays the players and friends went to a player's home for an after party.
This popular event lasted many years. Art and Issie enjoyed the opportunity to be able to
meet many great people as they attended all of these events.
Currently the adult tennis at the CBSC revolves around Wednesday and Friday
night socials with three tournaments held in the summer. These are Mens Doubles
(Clyde trophy), the women's doubles (Mainwaring trophy) and a Mixed tournament.
Ladies teams 1976
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I am positive that many of you out there have more stories and information about
tennis at the CBSC and that you have more PICTURES we could add !!! - the older the
better. Ultimately all of this info will be compiled and a summary of our colourful tennis
history will be created.
Please send me a story and some pictures - perrydunnett@shaw.ca
Thanks Ted Perry
Seahorse Cover 1973

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