History Notes - About tennis in Barraba

History Notes by Terry Threlfall

SOME TENNIS HISTORY IN BARRABA Part 2 – Bob Spencer

“For several years in the 1920s, Bob Spencer was regarded as the best doubles player in Australasia.” (from “Country Cracks – The story of NSW country tennis” (p 17) by Ron McLean, published in 1984.) Ron McLean goes on:

“Bob Spencer (1895-1978) was the youngest of six tennis-playing brothers and served his apprenticeship as a ballboy, sitting on a stump of a tree while his brothers sweated it out on court and bounced the putaway balls over the chicken wire fence. His brothers were Burt, Arnold, Les, Harold and Cliff and they were the best cricketers and tennis players for miles around. Perhaps it was sentiment – the brothers reckoned the Harold the most talented but he was cut down by a sniper’s bullet as he led his platoon into action on the Hindenburg Line in October 1918, only days before the Great War ended. Harold, Les and Cliff went to war and they must have taken the bold, free spirit with them with which they played their tennis – Harold and Cliff both reached the rank of Lieutenant and both won the Military Medal”

A wonderful old family photo, the Spencer boys (Barraba), taken in the early years of the century. Bob Spencer, who became one of the Country’s finest players, is the boy with the bat.

“Sixty or more years later, Bob Spencer recalls his boyhood days on Nangarah, the family property 15 miles from Barraba. ‘We played cricket and tennis every spare moment we had. I was always pestering them for a hit on our court. I had the advantage of playing against better players as I grew up and this certainly helped to bring my game on.’

The Barraba boys tested themselves at Country Week for the first time in 1913 with Cliff and Harold in their lineup ……. The following year Bob (just 19) joined Les and Harold in the team, when they were beaten by Trundle again… In 1920, three Spencer (Bob, Cliff and Les) and E A Busby went down to Dubbo, and it was the same story in 1921.

In 1922 Bob and Cliff were chosen for NSW against Queensland and went through the series undefeated. Bob and Cliff played together for several years and were a formidable combination, Cliff the tactician who constantly probed the opponents’ weaknesses and Bob the killer at the net.” (“Country Cracks”, p 17 & 18)

How good a tennis player was Bob Spencer? Two quotes:

Henry Marsh, the administrator of NSW Country Week for many years, is quoted in The Sun, 25 January 1925: “Spencer, without doubt, is the most outstanding doubles player of the State, possibly in Australia.”

From “Country Cracks” again p 20: “At 70 years of age (1966), Bob led his team to victory in the A grade Barraba Nite-lite competition.” Jan Freestone, many years Secretary of Barraba Town and District Tennis Club, told me: “When I was in my 20s, Bob Spencer, then in his 60s, was my mixed doubles partner in local tournaments. He told me: ‘You look after the net; I’ll cover the rest.’ And he did!”

Next week – The Barraba Country Week team and its Exploits