Road tennis
Road tennis is a variation of tennis invented in Barbados. It was created in the 1930s by those who could not afford lawn tennis. Though mainly concentrated in the island nation of Barbados, it has been introduced to the California and the Caribbean region. It is played in schools around the island. Most road tennis courts are located on the roads, where locals play the game.
Highest governing body | Professional Road Tennis Association |
---|---|
First played | 1930s |
Characteristics | |
Contact | No |
Type | Outdoor |
Equipment | Wooden "net", bald tennis ball, wooden rackets |
Venue | Road or court |
Equipment
The game is played using two wooden rackets and one tennis ball with the fur removed.
An eight-inch-high plank wood net is used on the court or road, which requires 21x10 feet of space to play.
Rules
The first player to 21 points is declared the winner. There are no volleys in the game and the server alternates after five points have been scored. Similar to table tennis, each serve must bounce once in the server's court.
Some popular competitions include Monarch of the Court in Barbados. The governance for the sport is the Professional Road Tennis Association.
Champions
The current champion in Barbados is Julian “Michael Jackson” White,
References
- "Barbados Road Tennis". barbados.org.
- "Road Tennis".
- "Barbados Road Tennis - Bajan Sports - RoadTennis.sports.bb". Barbados Road Tennis.
- "How to play Barbados road tennis". November 26, 2010 – via news.bbc.co.uk.
- "Rules". February 15, 2017.
- Gittings, Paul. "On the road: Barbados' twist on tennis". CNN.
- Bradshaw, Luke. "Road Tennis: The Traditional Sport of Barbados". Culture Trip.