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Bob Lamb
Sat 25 Feb 2017 12:00
At the AGM on Tuesday Bob Lamb was given a standing ovation in recognition of his being given the Lawn Tennis Association’s Meritorious Service Award, promoted by both the Yorkshire LTA and the S&D LTA. The citation follows herewith but this News item will soon roll away so a more comprehensive review of Bob’s contributions to our sport and beyond, based on that citation, has been posted, with pictures, in ‘Downloads’, ‘Historical’, ‘015 Bob Lamb’ (sorry to make you part of history Bob!)
In terms of services to tennis at club, town, city and county levels over nearly sixty years I know of no equal excepting perhaps Sheffield’s own Eric Hampson (I’m happy to consider any challenges to this assumption) with proven service years from, at the latest, 1906 to the early 60’s by which time a young Bob was just on the scene, although they never met. One hundred and ten years continuity of service between them, more than two thirds of the period of history of Lawn Tennis.
Here’s the citation.
“Nominated by Yorkshire LTA, Sheffield & District LTA and Mexborough Tennis Club.
Bob came to Mexborough in 1957 having learnt to play tennis at a junior school in North Lincolnshire. He played tennis with friends on the Mexborough Miners’ Welfare Recreation Grounds and in 1958 reformed the tennis club and played in the local Mexborough league and served as Secretary and Chairman and is still involved today as its Treasurer.
In 1962 he attended his first meeting of the Sheffield & District LTA on behalf of the Mexborough club. In 1969 he was part of a group that amalgamated the Barnsley, Doncaster, Mexborough and Rotherham Tennis Associations into the South Yorkshire Tennis Association and became its President in 1986.
In 1975 he along with others formed the Sheffield & District Junior League and a year later became League Secretary of the Association a post he held until 2003. In 1989 he became a member of the Sheffield steering committee for the building of the Graves Tennis Centre.
He was also awarded one of the first May Medals by Sheffield & District LTA for services to Sheffield and South Yorkshire Tennis as a whole. In 1991 he became Sheffield & District President which he held for two years.
In 1993 his own club Mexborough was awarded “Club of the Year” by the Sheffield & District LTA for continuing to operate on a Miners’ Welfare Sports Ground over many years in a very deprived area of South Yorkshire.
In 2003 he joined the Yorkshire LTA Council as one of two Sheffield representatives. In 2005 he took over the organisation of the Yorkshire Doubles League Competition for 12 years.
In 2011 he became a member of the YLTA Management Group and was elected President in 2014 and just stepped down after three productive years where the face of the Yorkshire Tennis has changed considerably and the reputation of the Association has been enhanced.
Bob is a quiet and highly respected man who is able to grasp a problem and put forward a solution and implement the solution quickly and with minimal fuss.
He is a Silversmith by trade and has his own business in Sheffield and produced some outstanding commissions over 60 years”