Early Beginnings

The Twenties & Thirties

The War Years and Aftermath

Independence and Onwards

The Twenties & Thirties

The twenties and thirties saw a rapid expansion of both amenities and membership at the Club. After the building of the cricket pavilion which was also used as the Club house with an upstairs lounge where periodicals were available, and the provision of changing-room facilities which consisted of two showers and three basins, the next major item of expenditure was the building of six new tennis courts. These took a very long time to complete and ended up costing considerably more than the original estimate. The Club had to take out an overdraft to cover costs and by 1926 Club finances were in such bad shape that a proposal to sell off part of the Sports Club land was seriously considered. Fortunately wiser counsel prevailed and the following year when the Sports Club amalgamated with the Mombasa Athletic Club (lst August 1927) the financial position improved dramatically.

The Athletic Club brought in an influx of younger members which put new life into the Club and 1927 was a turning point when both membership and sporting activities increased sharply. Hockey was played for the first time at the Club and the tennis section introduced several new tournaments. The social side of the Club benefited from the increased membership and the first dance which was ever held at the Club was acclaimed a huge success, there being 50 dancers present. 

The president, E.C. Philips, in his end-of-year speech was able to state that '.1927 has been the most eventful in the history of the Club" and he went on to say, "I am confident that the Mombasa Sports Club has a big future before it, provided the Club receives the right sort of support. When talking of support gentlemen, I do not merely refer to participation in games but to the assistance that can be rendered to your committee and Club ,by the prompt payment of accounts.,:' This familiar plea was to be reiterated by many succeeding presidents & chairmen.

The committee realised that if the standard of sport was to improve the grounds would need to be improved and a special grounds committee was formed to tend the playing pitches and look after the club premises. In 1930 a decision was reached to build a new club house. Money was raised and the new building was opened on 27th February.1932. From that date on, largely owing to the active participation of the Lady Members, dances. Concerts and sundowners became regular features of the Club's social activities. 

In the 1930s a squash court was built and part of the cricket ground was returned. Hockey was given a pitch of its own and some of the tennis courts were re-laid. Tennis was played to a high standard and outstanding among the tennis members was Fraulein Cilli Aussem, a former World Ladies Singles Title holder. She did much to popularize tennis in Mombasa and in 1935 the Coast Lawn Tennis Championships were played on the Club courts for the first time and the South African Ladies Tennis team came on a memorable visit. A photograph taken of a mixed doubles partnership on the Sports Club tennis courts in 1932 gives some idea of the style of tennis gear of those days. Mr.and Mrs Benazeth, the French Consul and his wife, are seen with Mr and Mrs Ootsdam of Twentsche Overseas trading company. The men are wearing long white trousers and women white dresses to the knee, while their rackets have wooden frames with gut strings. 

In 1935 the rugby section were fortunate in having a home fixture with the South African Stellenbosch University touring side, which was at that time the best in the world. Although Mombasa Sports Club was easily beaten by the visiting South Africans, it boosted the popularity of rugby in Mombasa for some time after. Edward Rodwell remembers the occasion well as the South African team visit was a major event in the town and the party afterwards, when the Club manager somehow lost all his clothes and walked home naked, was a lively topic of conversation for some weeks afterwards.

In 1939 football was affected by friction between local African and Arab clubs and manv fixtures were cancelled due to lack of support, Tennis and cricket also lost popularity but despite these setbacks other sections flourished, All interest in squash was stimulated by a series of exhibition matches played on the Club's court by the English Amateur Squash Champion, Mrs Gandar Dower. Women's hockey also enjoyed a revival.

The Mombasa Sports Club was always an expensive club, A subscription in the 1930s cost 20/- a month, which was considerably more than most other clubs, Only the better off could afford to belong. However some of the major shipping and trading companies paid the membership fees for their European employees and this kept the membership going. Sport was considered essential for maintaining good mental and bodily health in tropical climes and everyone stopped work at 4.00 p.m. and played games until dark. By the 1930s there were many sports facilities in Mombasa but Mombasa Sports Club, exclusively European, was the most prestigious of them all.

Amongst the papers of Katherine Fannin, whose husband Charles Fannin was a keen cricketer and chairman of the Sports Club 1933-34, is a faded group photograph of the Officials v. Non-Officials Cricket Teams taken on August 14th 1926 at Mombasa Sports Club. She writes that "In that carefree year the whole Legislative Council, (fore-runner of our Parliament today) , and the Governor moved to the Coast for the month of August and held a session in Mombasa. We maintained that even that brief taste of sea air and sanity did our fevered up-country legislators a power of good. However, I am afraid it soon wore off!" 

In the centre of the group sit H.E. Governor Sir Edward Grigg (later Lord Altrincham) , with W. A. Sim Managing Director of Smith Mackenzie and president of Mombasa Sports Club on his right. On the Governor's left sits G. A. Northcote and behind him stand Lord Delamere (in striped jacket and double terai) and Sir Edward Grogan, leaders of the Settlers or Non-officials. Disposed round and about are many well known people, W. Springett, R. G. B. Spicer (Police Commissioner, wearing cravat and with hat on lap). E. R Sullivan Tailyour (Superintendent of Police Mombasa) , A. C. Beale, L. C. Wright, Dr De Boer, W. M. Logan, E. Rush, R. Bradshaw of the Education Department, H. M. Gardiner (Conservator of Forests), Raymond de Trafford, J. B. Erskine, C. Burman, D. C. Hodgson, S. Evans, A. G. Baker the Surveyor General and C. G. Fannin standing on the extreme left.

Mombasa in the twenties and thirties was a small town; its population in 1932 stood at just 40,000 of which 900 were Europeans, 6,000 were Arabs 12,000 Asians, and 20,000 were Africans. Edward Rodwell, reminiscing about Mombasa of that period, wrote how it seems strange to think now how one could be happy without radio, television, video, fast motor cars, air travel, telephones, piped water, tarmac roads, air conditioners, fridges, ice cubes and all the paraphernalia of electronic gadgets. There was little entertainment as we know today, no nightclubs, casinos or even beach hotels, but there was always a passenger ship in harbour for some fun and games and of course every kind of sport prevailed on the island; cricket,
ruby, football, tennis, hockey, rowing, sailing, boxing and most people joined one or the other
club. He remembers that in those days everyone seemed very friendly and "in the main were fit, hardworking and happy." 

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