Crowthorne Tennis club is situated in the grounds of St. Sebastians field at one time a part of the Great Forest of Windsor where, because poverty was rife and forest laws severe, the people were lawless and heathen! Up until 2002, when it was demolished, it lay behind the Who'd -A-Tho't It pub given its name by the First Duke of Wellington who, stopping in this clearing with just a few houses, after a hard day's hunting, requested water for his men and horses. On being offered ALE brewed in one the houses (for him & his men not the horses) he is alleged to have uttered the immortal words " By Gad, who would have thought it? "

In those days, the only occupation open to the local people was that of broomdashers - cutting twigs in the forest and making them into brooms or besoms which were then sold in Reading or as far away as Bristol. Occasionally, particularly in the Autumn, descendants of these diligent souls may be found on a Sunday morning sweeping the leaves off the courts before play begins!

The tennis club itself was formed in the 1960s by a group of local families using the facilities at Edgebarrow school but its first permanent base was two courts at Morgan Recreation Ground. The club became formally established and started to enter teams in the Berkshire League competitions but it soon became apparent that a minimum of three courts was required for most matches.

Sufficient land was not available at the Morgan Centre for a third court but hearing about the club's dilemma, the Trustees of St. Sebastians offered four courts in the grounds of St. Sebastians Field and, since 1990, this has been the home of Crowthorne Tennis Club.

In 1996, with the aid of a Lottery grant, floodlights were installed on two courts and these have enabled evening play to continue throughout the winter and has extended playing time at the start and end of the summer season. In 2003, the floodlighting was extended to include all four courts.

The modern pavilion at the bottom of the field offers excellent changing facilities and the presence of a bar and small kitchen allows the Tennis Club to arrange social events during the year. The pavilion is also the venue for other clubs including Scrabble and Bridge.

The facilities next to the courts were, until September 2001, less grand! The hut, which was physically moved by the members to its present location 13 years ago, had suffered the ravages of time. Plans to replace this with slightly more commodious accommodation came to fruition in September 2001, when the present court-side clubhouse was installed.