The Murrumbidgee Irrigation Area Open celebrated its 100th tournament in Griffith last weekend, offering a chance to reflect on all the stories and characters that make up the history of one of the state's longest-running tennis tournaments.
The three-day annual event started back in 1920, but had to be cancelled last year because of COVID-19.
Its inception is believed to have been connected to Country Week - an event some of The Land's readers might well remember.
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Country Week was described as a huge event held yearly, attracting club players from all over the state to the big smoke, to pit their skills against the best players the country week had to offer.
Lorraine Maxwell, who joined the MIA Open's organising committee 15 years ago, said an article in the local paper indicated that the tournament was put on so they might be considered eligible to enter a team in Country Week.
"Country Week would have been a really big deal back then, just to get to Sydney to start with," Mrs Maxwell said.
When the tournament was started Mrs Maxwell said the event was initially staged at various farms across the district.
From 1924 the tournament was moved into town. Former MIA Open champion Barbara Dickson said back in those days there were tennis courts all over Griffith, up and down the main street.
"There were tennis courts at the dog grounds, the railway, the hospital, everywhere," Mrs Dickson said.
The tournament found its current home at Jubilee Park in 1955 and the tennis courts were named after Griffith's most iconic tennis figures - Jack Shannon.
Mrs Dickson said Jack managed to win the lottery not just once, but twice.
"I don't know how that happened but I just know he did," Mrs Dickson said.
He therefore was able to spend much of his time at the tennis court and was a volunteer at the Griffith Tennis Club through the 1950s and 1960s, coaching hundreds of kids for free.
"He was there at the courts every day, he just helped all the kids, all the time, he was absolutely amazing," Mrs Dickson said.
One of the children he coached was Mrs Dickson's daughter Margot Dickson who along with several others went on to win national tennis titles.
"There were a lot of children in tennis in those days," Mrs Dickson said.
In its 100th year the MIA Open is still attracting tennis players from across NSW and Victoria.
This year there were 196 entrants (despite 30 to 40 people being unable to attend due to COVID-19) and 46 events across the three days, including the well-known father and son and mother and daughter competitions.
"They are hugely popular events and other tournaments have taken it on," Mrs Maxwell said.
"You get these kids who are good tennis players and their parents are dragged along to go to their tennis events, so it's a bit of fun for them to actually take part."
The only requirement for entry of the doubles event was that the participants have a combined age of 100 or more.
- Lorraine Maxwell on the centenary event
As part of the 100th celebrations a centenary event was also played.
"The only requirement for entry of the doubles event was that the participants have a combined age of 100 or more," Mrs Maxwell said.
"We found a whole bunch of wooden tennis rackets which we were able to play with."
The event was won by Andrew and Matthew Condon, sons of the late Tom Condon who was one of the great supporters of tennis in Griffith and has a court named after him.
This year's open men's single event was won by Sam Fletcher from the South Coast who beat out stiff competition from local favourite Danny Dossetor who he played in the semi-final.
Mr Dossetor grew up in the Griffith area and went on to play tennis at college in the US.
He's now returned to the MIA, farming at Benerembah and coaching tennis in the area. Mr Dossetor has won the MIA Open nine times, including three times in a row from 2017 to 2019.
"I have been playing in the MIA Open since I was about five, my brother and sister played in it too and Mum and Dad," Mr Dossetor said.
"You've got your high level guys who come down and then you have your family events, all age groups and levels are catered for."
Mr Dossetor said one of the things that made the tennis tournament unique was the surface of the courts.
"We've kept our ant bed or loam tennis courts, which you see a lot at farms around here," Mr Dossetor said.
"It's very similar to the French clay, but it's our own area's spin on it."
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