Fessenden Blanchard publishes Paddle Tennis

Blanchard’s book covered the origins and history of Playground Paddle Tennis and Platform Paddle Tennis. It also chronicled the court configurations, rules governing each game, playing strategies and tournament champions. Blanchard continued to be a prolific writer about the game and was its most ardent promoter. Scarsdale Inquirer, December 22, 1944

Fox Meadow expands to seven courts

With the exception of Manursing Island Club in Rye, NY, no other club even came close to affording its members such ample opportunities to play “The Game.” With seven courts Fox Meadow was the premier club for the game and its "home." Source: Diana Reische, Fox Meadow Tennis Club - The First Hundred Years, 1983

Fox Meadow list WW II Honor Roll

Club minutes refer to a 1944 Honor Roll of eighty-seven members and sons and daughters of members who were in the services, but the list has vanished in the intervening years. Source: Diana Reische, Fox Meadow Tennis Club - The First Hundred Years, 1983

FMTC Membership continues to grow

Despite having so many members away for the War effort, and raising the membership limit to 140, the waiting list still grew as Fox Meadow's popularity increased, driven by the strong platform tennis social and tournament activities. Source: Diana Reische, Fox Meadow Tennis Club - The First Hundred Years, 1983

Founding of Rye Invitational

Will J. Price elected FMTC President (1945-1947)

Inauguration of John Parker Compton Memorial Tournament; a boy who loved tennis

Allied troops were advancing in Italy, but the Nazis still held the Apennine Mountains, and suspected Allied sympathizers faced execution by the Germans. In hopes of rescuing a priest and a family who were in jeopardy, two young American paratroopers dropped behind enemy lines in March of 1945. One was a teenager from Scarsdale, John Parker Compton. As he neared the priest's church, a sniper shot and killed him. Later the Nazis killed the priest and burned his church. After the war, the Compton family had the church rebuilt and a memorial plaque installed. At home, John's parents Randolph and Dorothy,created a living memorial to the boy who had played so much tennis at Fox Meadow Tennis Club, a tennis tournament for boys eighteen and under. Paul Sullivan and his pal John Compton played many a game together. "Then John went off to Exeter," Sullivan recalls, "and a year at Prin[...]

National Championships

As in 1943 and 1944, the Women’s and Mixed National Championships were not played because of wartime travel difficulties. The Greenwich team of Sutter (Greenwich Country Club) and Maguire (The Field Club) captured their second Men’s (their first was in 1941). Source: Fessenden S. Blanchard, Platform Paddle Tennis, 1959

Oscar F. Moore elected APTA President (1946-1948)

Moore was President through some important growth years and was credited with developing the mixed Scrambles or Jamboree event. This format gave the game much of its social overtones and proved to be very popular. Few people had given so much of their time and energy, or been more identified with or dedicated to platform tennis.

National Championships – American Lawn Tennis had coverage

The Women’s National Championship was not played, but the Mixed was reinstated. The Mixed was won by the Fox Meadow team of Lamar Fearing and Maizie Moore and marked the only time Maizie had beaten her sister Madge in a National Championship. In a repeat of the 1945 final, the Greenwich team of Sutter and Maguire captured their second straight Men’s title, and third overall, with a five set win over the Fox Meadow team of Couch and O’Hearn, after being two sets down. Commenting on the match in his 1959 book, Blanchard observed: "O'Hearn was marvelous, mixed up his game. Couch tired himself out slamming overheads ineffectively without resorting to drop shot (drop volley) variations, though his forehand was fine and fast dropping. Sutter and Maguire were steady and kept lobbing." Source: Fessenden S. Blanchard, Platform Paddle Tennis, 1959