It was road tennis’ greatest moment – a night pioneer Lance Bynoe didn’t live to see but would have savoured if he had.
Road tennis had come of age.
The initiative of Minister of Sports Stephen Lashley may have changed the image of Barbados’ indigenous sport forever.
The live televised finals of the National Sports Council’s Inter-Parish Tournament, telecast by the Caribbean Broadcasting Corporation, on Saturday night at Dover was the best Press the sport ever had.
The telecast went beyond Barbados’ shores as it was streamed to a worldwide audience.
Patricia, a Bajan living in Maryland in the United States, called to say how much she had enjoyed the excellent action.
Were it not for the defiant spirit of working-class crusaders back in the day, she may not have had the privilege to be watching road tennis now.
Social status
It is said that in the 1950s, black, working-class lads weren’t permitted to play lawn tennis, which was reserved for those of a different social status.
The way around this form of prejudice was to start road tennis within the community.
It has remained deeply rooted in that environment and it may be debated whether that instigated another degree of discrimination because the sport has struggled to gain national acceptance.
The only disadvantage of that stance is that the masses missed out on witnessing an original Bajan art form played consistently at a world-class level.
Such indifference may also have sprung from a seemingly perpetual low self-image which enslaves us to believe that nothing good can come out of Bridgetown, although there are countless instances to prove otherwise.
Truth be told, at times I got the impression that even some within the same road tennis fraternity didn’t take their sport with the seriousness it deserved.
And if they, as its leading spokepersons, didn’t speak in clear, unambiguous language, they couldn’t always blame its detractors for holding a negative view.
The quality and excellence exhibited on court by legends like the late Anthony “Tiny” Jordan, Antoine Daniel, Keith Griffith, Deighton “Pa” Roach, Anthony “Limp” Richardson, Julian “Michael Jackson” White and Sandra Bailey among others, was not always equated by the will of some of its administrators to create the springboard for greater advancement.
Patented
Philip “Frof” Garner has been the marked exception since the passing of Bynoe.
There was a lot of procrastination in having the game patented and even though the World Road Tennis Federation was established in the mid-90s here, it hasn’t made a notable contribution in trying to introduce the sport to a global audience.
I am not even sure that the federation still exists.
However, there is a silver lining emerging as a result of Minister Lashley’s mission to bring road tennis from behind the clouds.
Promise
The inter-parish tournament has the promise to make his wishes come true.
Even if executing the concept needs some modifications, Lashley has at least provided the ignition to fuel several more glorious nights on court.
The spirit of Bynoe and other stalwarts will be there burning bright.
• Andi Thornhill is sports editor at the Caribbean Broadcasting Corporation and can be reached at andithornhill@yahoo.com