Road Tennis: It’s a Bynoe Ting
It can be said that the black Barbadian experience is one of repurposing their rejections from white aristocracy by melding it with their very real and important African traditions. This phenomenon pervades every aspect of Barbadian culture including architecture, practices, art and in this instance sport. While gully cricket is a well-documented and treasured past time of many in the Caribbean, road tennis is Barbados’ very own contribution to the sporting world. Though there were likely multiple individuals who helped originate the sport, this blog will focus not only on the culture of road tennis but also Lance Bynoe, who was not only a pioneer, but also a major contributor to the development of road tennis in Barbados.
Firstly, in order to understand what drove Lance Bynoe to develop an interest in the sport, we must first understand that though slavery had ended in Barbados in 1838, for the next century, the majority of black Barbadians were forced into artificial poverty by white plantation owners. Though many methods were used, far and away the greatest barrier to economic freedom was the Tenantry System and denial of education. As such, by the 1930s black Barbadians lived in circumstances marginally better than their ancestors had endured 100 years ago.
Lance Bynoe, due to the proximity of his community Peterkins Land, St Michael to the affluent, predominantly white residential area of Strathclyde was witness to this class divide more so than most. It was this proximity that introduced him to lawn tennis, a popular sport amongst the middle class and aristocracy of the island. This sport was largely unaffordable to the majority of black Barbadians. At the bare minimum it required tennis balls, a wire racket and a net in order to be played, however this kind of equipment was far too much money for the average Barbadian to dole out on a hobby. In addition, lawn tennis required a designated and manicured area in order to ensure quality play and as mentioned before, the vast majority (upwards of 90%) of black Barbadians did not own land.
Lance Bynoe, only 11 years old at the time, with both the innocence and the ingenuity of a child simply seeking fun started to imitate the game of tennis with a friend, first hitting a ball back and forth with their hands on the road. At some point, these children upgraded to using wooden boards as rackets, and along with the practice of skinning old tennis balls that had lost their bounce, a version of road tennis was born.
Dr. Anthony Gabby Carter, pioneer of Barbadian music and the first road tennis champion of Barbados (1970) explained in an interview for The Standpipe that during his boyhood days in the 50s and 60s, road tennis was popular in particular communities, but had not gained island-wide fame yet( Carter, 2 Nov 2022). This sentiment was seconded by Carlos Jackman, a road tennis enthusiast who named communities such as Bush Hall, Silver Hill and Belfield as road tennis hubs even today. In earlier times road tennis was played particularly for bragging rights within both the community and outside of it, with players traveling from community to community to test their skill (Jackman 3 Nov, 2022).
Jackman who grew up in the late 80s and early 90s noted that older men would often play road tennis for hours before retiring and letting the children play. Peter Blades, a former player hailing from Bush Hall further explains that road tennis was a social event with drinks and a lively atmosphere. Players made friendly wagers in front of a crowd after which, they would play for hours with some even earning reputations as headliners (Blades Nov 3 2022). Indeed, many players gained fame within the road tennis community with players earning themselves nicknames and spoken of like folk heroes. Jackman explains that throughout his life he had heard of the exceptional player Julian “Michael Jackson” White, while Dr Carter names “Lord Jesus” and “Dry Snow” as strong players of his era. Road tennis is as much a game of stamina and nimbleness as it is of technique and strategy, players such as Steven Soup and Ralph ‘Pee Lou’ Foster were notorious for their trick services and shots while Peter Blades recounts a player performing an ‘injection’ (wherein a player takes all of the pace off the ball to drop it short) in order to win an intense rally as one of his most prominent road tennis memories. (Blades, Jackman 3 Nov 2022) (Carter 2 Nov 2022).
Dr Carter states after the introduction of the wooden net in the 1950s, not much about the game has changed and this remains largely true. However, both Jackson and Blades acknowledge that the sport is being taken far more seriously compared to times past. Tournaments in the past were usually fun social affairs hosted on Christmas, Easter, and other holidays for small prizes (Blades Nov 3, 2022). The recent increase in grand prizes up to $20,000 or even a new car has encouraged individuals to be more professional about their game. Players are now increasing the standard of the wooden rackets by including rubber grips on the handle while also preferring rackets with a weight that feels good to them. Even the practice of skinning tennis balls is no longer required as road tennis balls are readily available via manufacturing. In addition, Blades adds that the increased money prize encourages more people to learn about the sport, therefore increasing the quality of the game.
Venom is the current Barbadian champion and is widely regarded as the best player in the region if not the world. He is the first player to win a car in competition.
Mark “Venom” Griffith at Chelston Gardens. Photograph. Medium. https://medium.com/airbnbmag/barbados-road-tennis-927662ec4ad0
Lance Bynoe worked tirelessly his entire life to promote the sport both within and outside the country. Using his connections in the Empire Club, he introduced and standardized the features of the game such as court size and scoring rules. In addition, he travelled around the region to introduce the sport to other countries going as far as the UK and the USA. Bynoe even constructed courts in Trinidad, St. Vincent and St Lucia in a promotion effort. Though he passed at the age of 80, his legacy lives on in the Lance Bynoe Veterans and Lance Bynoe Open tournaments. There is however a concern amongst modern road tennis players that as the sport grows more popular internationally that Barbados could be left behind or swept aside as the originators. More needs to be done to protect this sport by the government, whether it be legally, or tying Barbados itself intrinsically to the sport for this is a uniquely Bajan sport born from a uniquely Bajan experience.
Bibliography
P. Blades, interview by Xade Blades (Barbados, Nov 3, 2022)
A. Carter, interview by Stacia Martindale (Barbados, Nov 2, 2022)
C. Jackman, interview by Akini Glasgow (Barbados, Nov 3, 2022)