Tennis: John Ball to be remembered in fitting style this weekend

John Ball passed away recently following a three year battle with cancer.

Affectionately known as "JB", the tournament was one of his passions.

Now into its 19^th year, Ball was one of the driving forces in keeping it going and as club coach Mitch Power reflected, he was a big drawcard. Players would come from near and far for what they knew was going to be a good weekend of tennis, and to catch up with him.

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"He really prided the club on having a good vets tournament," he said.

A "very good club president", he described Ball as the kind of person who always had time for everybody.

"You would never find a guy that has as much time for everyone, I think," Power said.

"Anyone that entered the club or walked on to the verandah John would quite happily chat to for as long as he needed to."

He said he owes the long-time administrator a lot.

"He took a chance on a 22-year old tennis coach when I was a bit apprehensive to sort of do it.

"He sort of said no I think you can do it and really believed in me," he recalled.

"It's worked out really well. It's definitely given me a job, which I love, but also set my family up."

As passionate as Ball was about sport, particularly tennis, he was even more so his family.

Son Steve spoke of a man that for whom family always came first.

"He'd make sure that we didn't go without even if he had to go without," he said.

The oldest of six, four girls and two boys, Ball grew up on a property out at Westdale and developed a passion for sport at an early age, Steve said.

He played a lot of tennis, but was also involved other sports as well. He even won an under-18s premiership with the West Tamworth rugby league side.

Later as Steve and brothers Rod and Dean, and to a lesser extent sister Joanne starting playing themselves, he turned his hand to coaching.

"He loved his coaching and liked to be involved in whatever his kids were doing," Steve recalled.

"No matter what we were doing he always had some part of it."

Steve, Rod and Dean were all prominent on the local sporting scene.

Rod, who sadly passed away in 2017, followed the tennis route and is regarded as one of the club's best doubles players.

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Steve and Dean both excelled more on the hockey field with both going on to play for NSW; Dean the under-21s and Steve the seniors.

"One thing that stuck out for me is how committed he was to giving us the best opportunity really," Steve said.

He recalled how when he was playing for the NSW side, after being on the road from Tuesday to Thursday every week with his job as a sales rep for Dalgety's, he would drive him down to Sydney for training every weekend.

"We'd leave at 3 o'clock on a Saturday morning and he'd stay down and watch me train all day from 8 o'clock to five o'clock and then we'd train Sunday morning up to about 1 o'clock, then he'd drive me home again while I slept," he said.

"He might have done that for five or six weeks in a row."

It sums up what he was about.

"He was hard working and very dedicated, especially to his family and friends," Steve said.

First taking on an administrative role at Wests in 1962, Ball served as president from 2003 to 2018.

His dedication saw him awarded life membership of the club, and recognised for his service by the state body.

He was also a life member of the Tamworth Hockey Association.

Away from sport he loved washing his cars - he liked to do it every week - and spending time around the yard and with his ever growing family. Just before he died he was fortunate to meet his great grandson Vann.