Alcester man Tony King celebrates the Jubilee Year of the Wildmoor League with his 24th year as its’ one and only President and at the same time his 80th Birthday. Tony became involved when as a player at Alcester Tennis Club he wanted to help the new league which had been founded by its’ Secretary Corin Bishop in 1990, and so in 1991 he offered to sponsor their Annual Tournament. He was duly elected as President of the League and has never looked back. As a local business man at the time, he ran an Alcester company called King Construction and was responsible for relaying new courts at Alcester Tennis Club which itself was going through a rejuvenation.
Tony originated from Northwich in Cheshire and began playing tennis on the 70 year old grass courts of Castle Working Men’s Club. He completed his National Service between 1952 and 1954 in the Royal Air Force. He moved to this area in 1963 when he became Business Manager of Henry James West, Civil Engineer Contractors for sewerage works near Evesham, Worcestershire. In 1965 he left to set up his own business of King Construction based at Bulls Head Yard, Alcester, overlooking the tennis courts. The business consisted of mainly design and build industrial buildings, but it did all sorts of jobs. He later branched out to lay tennis courts for clubs at Stratford-on-Avon, Ullenhall, Droitwich, Worcester and Ettington Park Hotel in 1992, and of course the four hard courts at Alcester Tennis Club. When he first arrived in the area Tony played tennis at Stratford-on-Avon and later Bidford-on-Avon before moving to Alcester. He played an active role in helping develop Alcester Tennis Club as well as regularly playing in their teams, becoming the club’s Chairman and later Club President.
He became actively involved in the local community and was originally a member of the Alcester Round Table. He later joined the Alcester Rotary Club at which he helped raise funds for many worthy causes over the years. He twice served as President of this organisation before finally retiring as an active member in 2013, although he still assists with their activities as an honorary member.
Tony met his wife June playing Tennis in Cheshire in 1954 and they now live in Alcester and have four children, nine Grandchildren and three Great Grandchildren. He remains to this day an active sponsor of the Wildmoor League’s Junior competition and Men’s Inter-League Charity Cup Final and a keen supporter of this South Warwickshire Men’s’ Tennis League.