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Gordon Boot
Sat 06 Jun 2020 14:03
Tennis Centenarian
Is there anyone who can remember Sheffield tennis in the late 1920’s and actively played in the 1930’s? Gordon Henry Boot can, and as the last remaining grandchild he can remember his grandfather Henry, founder of the famous firm based in Banner Cross Hall.
Born in Sheffield on June 10th 1920, his early years were spent in France and then Eastbourne before moving back to Totley and his first tennis memories. His parents played on a court in a Totley field off Chatsworth Rd with no fence netting so in return for retrieving wayward balls Gordon, aged nine, was allowed to tread the hallowed turf during tea breaks. Soon after he was boarded out at Scarborough College where football, cricket, tennis, rugby, hockey (playing for Yorkshire Schoolboys), fives, and athletics were a priority, this multi-sport involvement perhaps preparing him for his later role with The Abbeydale Sports Club. Aged sixteen he joined the family business, Charles Constantine Ltd, builders merchants, After living in Bromley, Kent, for a couple of years, helping run a new company venture there, WWII was declared and Gordon, along with his brother Kenneth, being Territorial reservists, reported to the 5th Royal West Kent Regiment. Gordon’s brief involvement with the BEF in Belgium ended with an escape from Dunkirk in a naval vessel, the first of what he regards as quite a few ‘lucky’ moments in his five year war, his own jeep vacating a spot taken immediately by an exploding shell, another landing in an adjacent haystack which stopped it exploding, his jeep being run over by a friendly tank, and his CO, with whom he spent a lot of time, being killed by landmine. His brother too died that way. His war took in Egypt (El Alamein), Iraq, Italy (Brindisi, Monte Casino, Pedemonte, Rome, Florence, Naples) and thence to Vienna to guard the palaces. He has a bunch of medals to remind him of his long service.
Married on his return in 1945 and subsequently the father of three daughters, he worked once more for Constantine’s, based in what is now the Australian-themed ‘Walkabout’ bar and eatery in Carver Street, an old Methodist chapel. Gordon dived into his sports again at, as it was then called, ‘The Sheffield Amateur Sports Club Ltd’, now ‘The Abbeydale Sports Club Ltd’, playing over the years hockey, badminton, squash and tennis (he won the club mixed doubles in 1987. In 1976 Constantine’s went into voluntary liquidation but Gordon was soon in harness again, invited by the retiring incumbent to take his position as ‘Secretary and General Manager’ of the Abbeydale club, Gordon having been a Director and Chairman of the ground committee over the previous five years. In his time there he oversaw the creation of a second hockey pitch (which necessitated his having to find some funding from family and friends), the installation of an air hall for multi sports, another to cover two of the newly carpeted tennis courts, and numerous improvements to the main Abbeydale buildings including an extension to the lounge area and new changing rooms. He retired from the club in 1985. As President of the tennis section he ran a Biostrath tournament for the LTA, Stanley Matthews Jr being one entrant.
However, his voluntary tennis administrative work continued, being results secretary for the ‘Sheffield & District Lawn Tennis Association’ winter league, and Treasurer for the ‘Sheffield & District Parks Lawn Tennis Association’, which he had the sad duty of winding up before it was merged with the SDLTA.
He has in his time taken his own boat into the Mediterranean and around North Africa and competed in car rallying including the Scottish RAC. In latter years he took to computing and handicrafts as hobbies.
Excuse my adding a personal note! My first ever tennis in Sheffield was in October 1987 in the Winter League for Hallam Grange v Whiteley Woods at their venue. I hadn’t played since moving to Sheffield two months before, had only just met my team, didn’t even know where Hallam Grange was, but was introduced to our opponents, Gordon and daughter Pam, shaking hands at the net. I walked to the baseline and, without looking up, unleashed a hard forehand intended to start a knock up. But Gordon hadn’t moved, and the ball struck him on the forehead between the eyes and rocketed into the air. He didn’t flinch and merely said to Dennis Webb, ‘Where did you say this man came from?’
So cool.
John Andrews
27/05/2020