The very first committee meeting of the Runciman Tennis Club was held 21 July 1934.  The site was inspected and plans for commencement discussed as well as the very first working bee organised.  The courts were officially opened on 5 October 1934.  The first season saw a membership of approximately 45 members paying 10/- for gents and 7/6 for ladies.  As well as loans from several Drury families, regular dances which included an orchestra and supper were held to fundraise for the club.

The original committee comprised of several well-known Drury Families such as Mawhinney, Aitkenhead, Appleby, Cossey and McPherson to name a few.  The president Mr Aitkenhead went on to become the President of S.A.L.T.A.  Apparently the club closed over the war years although there are membership records during this time.  It does however appear to be a much declined membership during these years.

The land was originally gifted by the McPherson Family to Runciman Tennis Club.  The Lees Family then purchased the farm from the McPhersons and subsequently signed over the land the club was on to the Papakura Council, it was then transferred to Franklin Council then back to the Auckland Council with the intention of it always being leased for a minimal sum by the club.

Runciman Tennis Club was originally part of the S.A.L.T.A (South Auckland Lawn Tennis Association) but later in 1992 made the decision to switch to the Counties Tennis Association. 

The club was particularly strong in the 1950s and 1960’s and with the Railway Tennis Club in Papakura closing due to the Railway taking back the land the courts were on, Runciman also gained several strong players.  Families such as the Smiths, Brownhills, Bercichs, Pykes and Sailsburys gained many junior, senior, individual and team championships for the club.  They also had a large amount of representative players and were a very highly regarded club.

Runciman has always had a good group for Ladies Days. Tuesday’s used to see Interclub teams around the South Auckland area being played both at home and away.  Papakura, Jellicoe Park, Sunnyside, Mangere East, Manurewa and Karaka were but a few.  The Ladies would also then use Thursday mornings as practice and casual play.  Although no longer playing interclub the Tuesday and Thursday group still has a great attendance and play year round weather permitting.  We are very lucky to have a great group of ladies (and one retired gentlemen) ranging in age from their 40’s right through to their 90’s who make great use of the courts two days a week.

Stella Penn who is now our club patron started the ‘Hit and Giggle’ Group in 1968 when her daughter and son were 3 and nearly 1 respectively.  Initially the group consisted of 11 Playcentre mothers and 16 toddlers.   It started with the intention of getting young mums out and playing tennis for enjoyment and is still going strong every Wednesday morning through the summer months.  Stella’s then aged 2 years old son very happily got into the tar bucket (used for patching the courts) at one stage also!

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A Counties Courier article dated 16 December 1985 gave an update on the courts.  After a lot of years with no work done on the courts a number of A Grade players had transferred to Ardmore. Rumour had it that the club was in decline which was untrue due to strong junior and ladies contingents.  Three years of negotiations had taken place with Lees Bros leading to the land being purchased by the Papakura Council and leased to the club.  Papakura Council gifted the club $5000 as well as a $10,000 loan in 1985 to resurface the courts with work not to exceed $20,000. At this time working bees contributed to new pipe fencing, concrete block walls, concrete block volley board (built by Kiwanis), clubrooms renovated and painted, concrete footpaths and toilets, new lawns and tree planting.  Thanks were extended to many local business – McEntee Hire, W.A. Stevenson, King Bros, Hurrican Wire, Winstones, Phillip and Impey, Jolly Farmer and Mellsops Ltd.

Families such as the Knights, Leas and Dodds particularly put in a lot of volunteer hours to keep the club thriving.

Professional coaching was brought into the club in the 1980’s.  Kevin Burgess a teacher from James Cook High School had left teaching and set up as a tennis coach and many junior members benefitted from this.  Although Kevin no longer coaches the club still subsidises professional coaching for our junior members funded in part from grants and also memberships.  It provides a great platform for our juniors to grow from and has helped see many successes with our interclub teams.

Astroturf was laid in 1997 on all three courts.

In 2016 clubhouse was upgraded by a team of club volunteers.  The club is incredibly lucky to have the support of the community and some very capable club members with great skill sets.  We now have a lighter/brighter clubhouse with a larger floor area.  The club still maintains its wonderful country feel vibe and character.

Runciman Grade 6 Team – Counties Grade Winners 2015-16 season

Runciman still fields around 6 interclub teams and has many keen juniors who attend coaching sessions on a Tuesday after school as well as weekend interclub matches.  There is also a Men’s Night on a Wednesday through the summer months which is well attended.  Stella Penn still runs the Wednesday morning ‘Hit and Giggle’ group although the toddlers are now grown with families of their own.  Ladies days are also still going strong on a Tuesday and Thursday morning throughout the year. 

The surrounding areas have seen a lot of change over the years since the club was established.  With the growth in Parkhaven and now the development of the Bremner/Jesmond Road area there has been a large growth in the area with hundreds of new families making Drury and Runciman their home.  Also there will be a huge change over the coming years with the Stevenson’s Industrial Park, new schooling planned for Drury, land being purchased with the intention of building a large new shopping mall and the Eastern Corridor development.  This can only lead to more people looking for local recreational facilities.

The current committee is now working towards upgrading the courts and keep the club for many future generations to come.