Calcutta South Club, one of Asia’s oldest tennis clubs at 94, stares at the prospect of having no player of any noteworthy achievement in its executive committee after Friday’s club election.

Scandal and FIRs instead of serve and volley were trending at the club ahead of the poll, far from the days when executive committee members of the haloed pavilion would get tired counting the number of Davis Cup ties they tallied between them.

Enrico Piperno and Ajit Lall, who are contesting for the posts of president and vice-president respectively, are the only ones with some significant tennis background. None of the other nine members, who have entered the executive committee uncontested, have played tennis above the local club level.

The cradle of Indian tennis, as the club was once known, cannot boast a “tennis player worth his salt” in the group that will take over the reins if Piperno and Ajit, the younger brother of Davis Cupper Premjit, lose the contest.

Even if Piperno wins, the Davis Cup count still stands at zero because “Rico” was in the reserves. Ajit played the Wimbledon Juniors but never won any major tournament at the national level.

Not good signs for a club that has produced greats like Dilip Bose, Naresh Kumar, Jaidip Mukerjea, Akhtar Ali, Premjit Lall, Leander Paes, Zeeshan Ali and Syed Fazaluddin.

“This is primarily a tennis club and the sport should be encouraged and developed. In that sense, genuine tennis players should have more control over its affairs,” said a club member.

A retired cricketer said non-sports people could be good administrators but space must be made for “some people who have played the game at a certain level and understand the players’ point of view and the technical aspects of the game”.

Of late, the club has been in the news for matters far removed from tennis. The CBI had on September 8 arrested club president Rajat Majumdar, an accused in the Saradha scam.

In August, Majumdar, a former director general of police, had filed an FIR against his predecessor Mukerjea with Bhowanipore police station accusing him of pocketing Rs 1 lakh as kickback from the ONGC for a sponsorship deal before the National Grass Court Tournament, an annual event at the club, in January 2013.

The complaint brought police to a club that was established in 1920 when the district engineer of the Calcutta Municipal Corporation had granted a lease of one tennis court to two Bengali youths — Anadi Mukherjee and Ganesh Dey — at a park along Woodburn Road.

The two youths had been denied membership by the Punjab Club, which was exclusive to its own community, at the same park. They sought to start a club where all communities could play the game.

While that tradition is still alive, too much politics has double-faulted its core area — tennis.

“Majumdar defeated Mukerjea, the last of the Davis Cuppers in the committee, in the September 2013 election. They are not in the fray this year but their factions are active. Their candidates are vying for the posts of president and vice-president while the other nine portfolios have gone uncontested,” said the club member, who declined to be named.

Nostalgic members recalled the time when Naresh Kumar, Premjit Lall, Mukerjea and Akhtar Ali “graced the executive committee”. Kumar has excused himself citing old age; Lall has passed away; Ali has been barred from contesting by a new article that prohibits members on the club’s payroll from contesting elections. Ali is a coach with the youth programme and draws remuneration.

Local stars Gaurav Mishra, Chirodip Mukerjea, Bidyut Goswami, Narendra Singh and the late Shyam Minotra had moved out of Calcutta. So did Zeeshan Ali and Syed Fazaluddin.

“Many of the top-bracket players had shifted base when they were young. We don’t produce top players any more. Given the situation, where will we get top players to fill in as administrators? Efficient administrators are running many successful clubs and sports associations around the world. It’s just that you mustn’t have vested interests,” said a poll contestant.

He rattled out names of politicians who have been at the helm of sports administration. “Like it or not, Praful Patel (football federation), Suresh Kalmadi (Olympic association) and Sharad Pawar (BCCI) were at the thick of things. The same can be said about most football clubs.”

The same is happening at South Calcutta Club, not much to every member’s liking.

Many members said initiatives to hold more tournaments and produce quality players were missing.

Rahul Choudhuri, who is going to be a secretary uncontested, said lack of sponsorship restricts the club’s plans to hold big tournaments. “The last Davis Cup tie (against New Zealand) was held here in 2003 and it cost us Rs 15 lakh. Unlike other cities that have big companies who willingly sponsor such tournaments, the situation here is different,” he said.

According to coach Akhtar Ali, the talent pool isn’t drying up but youngsters prefer academic excellence to the insecurities of making a career out of the game. “Without single-minded dedication, you cannot hope to make it big,” he said.