Ravenswood is proud to be part of the 100th anniversary celebrations for the Tildesley Shield, the longest running tennis tournament in Australian History. Ravenswood has participated in the competition since its inception, winning twelve times overall, including eight years of back to back domination 80’s and 90’s.

When the Shield was stolen from the walls of an independent girls’ school, it was the Ravenswood Council that organised and funded a replica Shield and donated it to the Independent Girls’ Schools Sports Association.

The tennis uniforms of 100 years ago were long, ornate and as cumbersome as the heavy solid-wood rackets. At the 100th anniversary celebrations on Wednesday 21 March, four girls from different schools will demonstrate a game, wearing copies of the old uniforms and using reproduction tennis rackets.

The day will be a celebration of the spirit of Tildesley. In the words of one of its 1918 organisers, Mr Henry Marsh, ‘It is the most coveted trophy in school tennis because it teaches the girls to play for their school rather than for themselves… [and gives] a number of the younger girls an opportunity of representing their School which they would not otherwise get until much later.