WHEN members of the former Heaton Village Club had a reunion a few weeks ago (and a very good event it was too, I am told) among those who turned up was Ian Peters, who whilst clearing out his late mother's home came across a programme from 1950 for the Bolton Charity Tennis Tournament (which, incidentally, is signed by Fred Perry and Dan Maskill).

Ian gave the programme to Lewis Brown, who was also present, and as this year's Bolton Tennnis Championships were held only a couple of weeks ago I thought you might be interested in what happened 52 years ago.

Lewis, a well-known competitor in the 1950s, has lent me the programme, and from the details in it, it seems that the Charity Tournament began in 1935, was held annually until 1939, and then, because of the war, was postponed until 1948 when it began again.

Interestingly, in the Women's Singles event in 1950, there were 43 entries, and it was won by B.V. Murphy - now Babs Whittle - (in the programme, the results, round by round, have been written in pencil); for the Women's Doubles, 35 couples competed, and P. Brown and G. Wealthy took the title.

For the Men's Singles, a massive 113 players entered, and for the Men's Doubles, a total of 68 couples. In the Mixed Doubles, 59 couples battled it out. Among all the names in the programme, I notice one or two who are still playing tennis today, such as Jimmy Blackburn and Jack Lowe - albeit, as you can imagine, they are slightly slower than they were in 1950!

Apart from that, I found some of the advertisements in the programme extremely interesting, particularly as many of the businesses have since disappeared for various reasons.

Among those supporting the event were Stanley Haywood, Dispensing Chemists, of 13, Mealhouse Lane; W. Rothwell, Dispensing Chemists, 78 Knowsley Street,; J. Hilliard & Sons, ("Gifts and Prizes for All Occasions"), 13, Newport Street; J.T. Howcroft, Shoes for Men and Women, Fold Street, Bolton; Fisher Raworth & Co., Everything for the Garden, Oxford Street and Bradshawgate, Bolton, and Market Street, Farnworth; W. Picken, Saddler and Leather Goods Dealer, 66 Bridge Street, Bolton and 35 Bolton Street, Bury; Moyles, Bradshawgate, ("Gowns for the Fuller Figure"); John Read, Books, 11 Newport Street; Waddingtons (Furnishers) Ltd., 113, Bradshawgate; Marjorie Barlow School of Dancing, 15 Mornington Road, Bolton; Ross, Munro & Co., Wine and Spirit Merchants, Bottled Beers and Stouts, 3 Victoria Square, Bolton; Syd's, the Popular Butcher, 51 Great Moor Street, 237 Halliwell Road, 37 Blackburn Road, 111 Moor Lane; Allsopps (Clothing and Outfitting for Men, youths and Boys), 4 Newport Street.

So, a programme fascinating in many ways. Anyone for tennis . . ?

Incidentally, at the beginning of the 1980s, the Charity Tennis tournament came to an end, and in its place, in 1983, the Bolton Tennis Championships were started (and have since been run) by the Bolton Sports Federation Tennis League, the biggest and one of the most successful in the country. It also includes many more sections than the Charity event; there are now junior and handicapped events, but, like the Charity, they are still played at the Bolton School tennis courts on Chorley New Road.