I cannot remember tennis being part of the sports offering at school in the 1957-64 era. However, there were tennis courts in the Robertstown playing field. They were tucked underneath the northwest end of the engine sheds and belonged to the Aberdare Town Tennis Club, ATTC. I don't think the school had use of the courts, but it was possible to join the club. I joined for a year or so and still have my key (see below). There is an impressive photograph (number 105) of the engine sheds showing the northwest end in Aberdare: Pictures from the Past, Cynon Valley History Society 1986, ISBN 0 9508586 33. Also here, a link to the RCT photo archive.

You can't play there now though.  When Steve and I went back in the summer (of 2003), we found that the area where the courts once stood to be heavily overgrown and there were no signs of the courts or anything else in that area.  I suspect you would need archaeological skills to find any remains!

I also remember playing tennis in the park, but mainly at Plasdraw. We hired these courts from the Co-op.  You may remember that the Co-op had several buildings in this area, one of which was a rather nice villa with a veranda that overlooked the courts (photo number 19 in the above mentioned book, also here, (a link to the RCT photo archive). The house was built in the 1870s by James Lewis, an industrialist and brother-in-law of Richard Fothergill of the Abernant Ironworks.  It was in the 1920s that the house was acquired by the Aberdare Co-operative Society for use as its main offices.  An interesting photograph (another link to the RCT photo archive) shows our French and English teacher Mr D C Phelps at the last board meeting that took place in this building in 1984.

Much later, the co-op built a supermarket called Leo's in this area, but I think that this has now gone too.

Tennis in Aberdare at around this time is commented upon in The Aberdare Guide for 1956: "Aberaman Welfare has excellent grass and hard courts and their team is in Division I of the Welsh League.  The Aberdare Tennis Club has its courts at Robertstown and fields a team in Division III of the Welsh League.   The Aberdare Co-operative Society Sports Club has three hard courts at Plasdraw.   Public courts are available at the Aberdare Park and at Hirwaun."

There is more about School Tennis in the Sporting Activities section.