Plymouth's 'Mr Tennis' remembered

WE are very sad to report that Mr Tennis in Plymouth, Dave Williams, peacefully passed away last week after a short stay in hospital, write Dave and Sue Gale

Dave, who was nearly 91 years old, was The League and was league secretary for over 35 years, only retiring as Plymouth & District Tennis secretary last year.

It is very hard to know where to start with Dave’s achievements, as they began long before most of us were born. In the early days, he played tennis, football (he was a big Plymouth Argyle fan and was delighted to see Argyle win Division One this year) and table tennis at a good standard, and in the mid 50s he joined Carhullen Tennis Club, (a well-known club in Plymouth where the Davis Cup was once played) and became men’s team captain when the league started. Later he joined Mannamead, where he again became the team captain.

In 1979, he was responsible for getting the city council to re-open and renew the St Budeaux tennis courts, where he was instrumental in developing the club into the success it is today.

The league has been running for over 50 years, and Dave has been the league secretary since 1984. He was responsible for organising the various men’s and ladies’ divisions, and ensuring that there were no misdemeanours from players week by week.