T&RA Newsletter
EASTER
2018
T E K C A R TEN N
A
nother season is reaching its climax but there’s still plenty to anticipate. In the following pages you can read about the key tournaments in greater detail – or at least find out who won what, if you haven’t been following the website. Talking about the website, you should all have seen it has evolved and it now more graphically orientated. I am hoping to introduce a members’ area shortly when there will be some new features, including on-line tournament entry. It is hard to summarise what has been yet another fine period. Peter Brake and Eton completed a grand slam at the National Rackets Schools, winning all four events showing remarkable strength in depth. Rob Fahey won through only his second ever challenge process for the right to take on World Champion Camden Riviere in April. The ever-impressive Ed Kay also added his name to a long list of amateur champions, although he was sorely missed at the Varsity match as Oxford won a tense deciding match, reversing the result after a few years of Light Blue dominance. Peter Wright and Jamie Douglas collected the Amateur Doubles for the third consecutive year. Back to Rackets and Lea Van der Zwalmen retained her Open Singles title, beating the impressive Lauren Gooding in the final. The numbers and standards continue to rise from the Schoolgirls through to the Ladies Open; 50 girls played in the National Schoolgirls singles, with India Deakin (Cheltenham) and Issie Thorneycroft (Wellington) taking the honours. Tom Billings retained his Open Singles title and, with Doubles partner, Richard Owen, will be hoping to recapture his Doubles title in April. A strong Cambridge team won the annual Varsity match at Queen’s. It is always encouraging to see so much happening with the juniors. Paul Weaver runs his highly competitive junior squad and will start next season with an inaugural Junior World Championship at Seacourt; Mick Dean and Simon Roundell continue to host huge numbers of boys and girls during the Spring Term. Our Patron, the Earl of Wessex, is currently about 20% through his challenge to play every court in the world in 2018 in support of the Duke of Edinburgh Scheme, and many of the visits so far have seen great numbers of youngsters on court. As we try and emulate this in Rackets, I have been greatly encouraged by Ben Bomford’s efforts at the Queen’s Club – and a number of school matches have been played at the venue. Some of you may have missed the latest regulations but the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) is virtually with us and will be enforced on 25 May. This will affect Real Tennis Online (RTO) which hosts the global handicapping system and Rackets Ranking Systems. I will be seeking your consent to use your data to keep these systems running; and will be also changing log on and password protocol at the same time. My apologies but you will all need to pass through this process, but thankfully only once. You will of course please forgive me for trying to encourage a few more of you to sign up for Gift Aid. It costs you nothing but we are currently reclaiming around £8,000 each year from your membership subscriptions from the tax man; but we currently leave around £17,000 unclaimed. I will steer you through on online process when I ask for your GDPR consent. My thanks to the T&RA staff, the ever dependable Andrina Webb who is now covering some of the Tournament administration as well as Membership, Olga Nechaeva as Financial Controller, Katie Robertson, returned from her yachting ventures to provide vital (part-time) cover and Tory Wall, the creative genius behind the Newsletter and Annual Report. My very best wishes to you all, members in general and volunteers specifically. A final thank you to our sponsors, Brown Advisory and Pol Roger, and our numerous Patrons and Benefactors – your financial support makes everything happen. Chris Davies
Cattermull Cup 2018
T
he increased turn-out for the 2018 Cattermull Cup, played in January came as a pleasant surprise. It is never easy coordinating applications for a competition soon after Christmas and New Year. A record 20 schools entered this handicap doubles tournament with a maximum of two pairs from each school, giving rise to 25 entries in total. Will Burns, the professional at MURTC returned from holiday in Mexico to mastermind the draw and having consulted with Chris Bray, they opted for 6 groups starting at 3pm on Friday 19th following which the knock out stages finished around 5pm on the Sunday. It was quite a momentum that they needed to sustain and fortunately Will did not have to mark every single match as we sought additional assistance from Adam Phillips.
MURTC, January
Other quarter finalists were a home MURTC pair from Bryanston, both pairs from Charterhouse, Radley, Clifton, Eton and Leys School. Much of the Tennis was superbly hard fought with Eton only going through because Cheltenham Ladies lost their final point. One of the Clifton pair was also a previous winner of the tournament. Both Wellington pairs were unfortunate to go out at the qualifying stages as were Downside (after a long journey) Taunton (having been finalists on two previous occasions), Millfield, Princethorpe, Shrewsbury, Harrow and Highgate. Haileybury had to withdraw at the last minute but are sure to field a pair next year.
We are working towards having a single coordinator at each school for both the Henry Leaf Open Doubles and this Handicap Tournament so that they can select Starting with the conclusion, the final was played their representatives as the pressure on numbers between King’s School Canterbury and Worth with mounts. This was the tenth year that the handicap King’s prevailing in a closely contested match. Worth trophy has been contested and there were a large were probably somewhat tired having played all number of players right across the age and ability their group matches as well as knock out stages on range. It was very pleasing to have a new name on the the Sunday. In turn, King’s had defeated defending trophy who won in the first year of their entry. champions Rugby while Worth overcame one of the Marlborough pairs that had been fancied to do well from the start in Group 1.
TEN N Drew Dowie (left) & Justin Snoxall, winners from Kings School, Canterbury
National Fathers & Sons Tournament Leamington, January 2018
Victorious:- Mark (left) & Josh McMurrugh
L
eamington Tennis Court Club was again proud to host the National Fathers & Sons, at the venue in which the tournament originated. There were some familiar faces, as well as new and absent among the field vying for the two titles on offer over the weekend. Paul & Charlie Danby were the top seeds, with Mark & Josh McMurrugh the number two pairing. Both made it through their respective semi finals with comfortable victories.
Finalists:- (left to right) Josh McMurrugh, Mark McMurrugh, Paul Danby & Charlie Danby
the first time, so congratulations to Mark on proving that practice does make perfect! It was also great to see the Danby's back at the club, and in particular Paul who looked fighting fit. The handicap edition saw both the Danby's and McMurrughs make the semi finals again, only to be toppled by Marty & Harry Burn and Paul & George Johnson respectively. The latter two had been so steady all weekend, and looked destined to be in the final from an early stage. A fast and furious affair took place in the final. Very gritty, but good natured tennis was enjoyed by the crowd throughout, as the two in form pairs exchanged games, with the Johnson's able to just keep their noses in front. The Johnson's played in the event last year and didn't win a single match, but were able to complete a full turnaround, by winning the final 6/4, leaving them undefeated for the whole weekend.
In the final, it was the number 1 seeded pair that made the early running, moving 5-0 up in the first to 8 game set. At this point, the previously error strewn McMurrughs started to cut out the errors, trying to make their opponents work harder for their points. They were able to pick on Paul a bit more and brought him into the game for longer periods, and were able to cut the gap. 1-5 became 2-5, then 3-5, and suddenly the game had completely turned on it's head, and we were locked at 6-6. At this stage, the McMurrughs took the lead for the first time, and what a time to do it! They were able to close out the match 8/6 in quite The tournament was a great success, played in fantastic literally a game of two halves. spirit by everybody, with just the correct amount of competitiveness and in-fighting! We hope to see Mark McMurrugh has been supporting the event since everybody again next year, plus some extras! 1985, and was able to get his name on the trophy for
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Chetwood Trophy Hyde, 12th to 14th January they might, Dennis Mullan, chairman of Bristol, and Steve Steadman, representing Prested couldn't stop him from getting through to the semi's. Sadly Jessica Medlow of Seacourt had to pull out of the tournament leaving Benedict Treloar from RTC to play Martin Hornby. The Hatfield player held his own and nearly won both sets, with Ben just about edging a 6/4 6/5 thriller. Late on Saturday saw the three highest seeds play. eremy Pennant (Wellington) won the Chetwood Radley's Paul Kettle played incredibly well to beat Trophy this weekend at Bridport. The Chetwood Richard Ramjane (Prested). Richard was nip and tuck Trophy is the National club winners handicap with our very own Geraint Thomas, but his home court knowledge eventually proved just enough to see competition. him past the finish post against both opponents. Once again we had a great start to the year with the Chetwood Trophy. We had 19 competitors from 16 Many thanks to Luke Readman who came all the different clubs come to Bridport to play the cup- way from Queen’s despite having been ill all week. winners cup of handicap Tennis, with handicaps He played his club mate Alan Giddins and Adrian Warburton from Prested, but sadly hadn't recovered ranging from 30 to 75. in time to do himself justice. Alan, who has only been Friday night saw Marcus Campbell representing playing for a year, played a steady game throughout Canford being narrowly defeated by one of two Bristol and made his way through to the Semi's. entrants, Laurence Brook. Then entered Danny Dawson from Oxford, who adapted to the court very And what great Semi finals we had. All the matches quickly. Mike Box, representing Hardwick, went from went to five games all, but by the end of two round strength to strength in each of his sets, but never quite robin groups of three, we had two clear Finalists, Alan found his range on serve. In the end Danny emerged Giddins and Jeremy Pennant. Despite a hefty handicap Alan played with great composure and looked like as a clear winner. he might overcome the odds, but with his opponent Saturday morning saw the first 4 games go to 40 all, found the length on his serve - Nobody could deny with Alan Wheeler of Middlesex narrowly taking all that Jeremy was a worthy winner. four. It wasn't until the seventh game that Moreton Morrell's Harry Walsh got going, but sadly it was too Many thanks as always to the Tennis and Rackets late. Then entered Jeremy Pennant from Wellington Association for sponsoring the tournament. Also a big who settled into the court very quickly, picking up thank you to all the participants... there was a lovely two hard fought victories to eventually win the group atmosphere all weekend and we appreciate everybody travelling so far, and giving up their weekend to take relatively convincingly. part. The lunchtime group saw the return of Merton's reigning Chetwood Champion, Bruce Morrison. His Happy Tennis and all the best for the New Year from experience of the court proved crucial, because try as the Pros at the Hyde!
J
National Schoolgirls Under 19 Wellington College, January & Under 15s 2018
Olivia (left) & Daisy
Under 15
Daisy beat Olivia 8-2
Isolde (left) & India
Under 19
India beat Isolde 8-6
Inter Schools Doubles Level Championship 2018
O
Oratory, Radley, Wellington and Queen’s Club. February
ratory, Wellington, Radley and the Queen's Under 14 Club: 40 pairs in action and trophies quite Final: Radley 1 (Ed & Jonty) bt Radley 2 (Magnus & widely spread. First Girls School - Wycombe George) 8/4 Abbey - to play, and to win sets, too. In a slightly thinner field than last year, Wellington 1 (Cesca and Benji) were unlucky, being the only pair Under 13 Final: Christchurch Cathedral School (Garson & to take the eventual winners to a deciding game and winning 17 games in 4 sets, but they narrowly failed Riehl) bt Dragon 1 (Henman & Kavenna) 5/2 This event was held once again at the Oratory School to clinch any of them. with six schools represented. The level of competition Third were Radley 3 (George & Toby) and fourth were can be gauged by the fact that no pair managed to win Will and Ollie, both pairs showing some real ability at all their group games, except Christchurch and all times. except on pair managed at least one win. The two Radley pairs in the final were most impressive Christchurch’s predominance carried them through and displayed some excellent doubles tactics. Magnus despite a strong challenge from the Dragon who they played some of the very best shots of the day and George applied himself in a thoughtful and stylish beat 5/2 in the final. way. However from 4-all in the final, Jonty played a solid, error-free game and, in combination with Ed
superb volleying, proved too strong for their plucky beating Radley 3 in their group and then Seaford 2 in opponents. the semi-final. Isolde’s gutsy scrambling and Marina’s splendid volleying were their standout features.
Under 16
Final: Portsmouth GS (Huw & Oliver) bt Radley 1 (Ed & Max) 8/5
Senior A Grade
Radley 1 Ned & Benedict (Radley) bt Freddie & Charlie (Wellington) 6/4 2/6 6/1 With 8 schools and 12 pairs, this was an excellent days A strong field contested this year’s championships, tennis at Wellington. Mayville bt Seaford in the plate though only one pair (Radley 2 of Harry & Harry final, both having beaten Oratory pairs in the semi- seriously threatened the top two seeds, pushing both finals. to tight 4/6 sets, Wellington 1 in the group stage In the main event, Wellington beat Hayling School and Radley1 in the semi-final, where the eventual before losing to last years champions, Radley 1 1/6 in champions were pushed to the edge. the semi-final. In group A, Radley 1 cruised through, with Tonbridge Portsmouth beat Canford 1 then Canford 3 – who had claiming 2nd place by beating Eton and Wellington 2. beaten Canford 2 in the quarter final 6/1 and 6/0 In Group B, Wellington had a struggle with Radley 2 but were otherwise untroubled. In the final, Portsmouth GS just emerged the winners from an extremely tight match at 5-5 to win 8/5. Eton claimed 5th place by beating Canford 6/4, while Congratulations to them. Clifton won 7th place over Wellington 2 6/5. Wellington 1 beat Tonbridge comfortably in the semifinal, though Radley 1 had much more trouble with Seaford 1 (Monty & Gus) bt Canford 2 6/4 Group winners Seaford 1 met Canford 2 in an excellent Radley 2, edging it 6/4 despite a minor hand injury to Batstone in trying to extricate a ball dropping in the B grade final, winning 6/4. Both had won semi-finals conmfortably (Seaford 6/0 corner. over Westminster and Canford 6/1 over Wellington 3) The final was a fitting climax to the day, in a final of so were worthy finalists. the lowest combined handicaps ever in this event Westminster had a good day, winning two of three (only one player, Vleck, was over 30 handicap, and he group matches to reach the smi-final. The plate event only just). Radley 1 raced to a 4/0 lead before faltering was won by Eton 2 who beat Wycombe Abbey (Isolde to 4/4 and just holding on to 6/4. From 2/2 in the 2nd & Marina) who had improved throughout the day, set, Wellington won 5 successive games to lead 1/0 in the decider. Freddie’s athletic power play at the back was supported well by Vleck who served well and used his volley well standing well up at the Door., while Benedict’s volley wavered under the constant attack.
Senior B Grade
It was much to Radley’s credit that they maintained their composure to gradually reassert themselves. Ned kept impressive discipline and Benedict served well to hold the service end while Bristowe made a few errors in trying to force the pace. Although it continued to feel very tight – most games seemed to reach deuce – Radley eventually closed a splendid final 6/1 in the final set.
Under 16 finalists, from left to right:- Max, Ed, Oliver & Huw.
Amateur Singles and Doubles Championships 2018 Queen’s Club, 17th to 25th February Singles Final
E
d Kay recovered from a set down to beat Peter Wright and win his first Amateur Singles Championship. So close in 2017, Ed made no mistake in 2018. It was Peter who starter the brighter, surging ahead in the first set as Ed fought to find his touch. With exquisite timing, Peter repeatedly hit the base of the tambour with crisp, accurate volleys; even the skill of Ed had no answer. First set to Peter 6/2. However, in the second, Ed came alive and took the game to Peter. Remarkable recovery shots prolonged each rest as both players, Bathurst Cup team-mates, fought for supremacy. But it was Ed with the answers and responded to take the set 6/2 and level the match. Ed started the brighter in the third establishing a 2-0 lead when Peter slowed down with an injured thigh. He battled on but now had no answers, trying to win points early - but Ed was wise and sailed through the set 6/0. After a brief discussion, Peter was unable to continue and retired - Ed Kay finally winning the coveted trophy. T&RA Chief Executive, Chris Davies, paid tribute to both players who had both reached the final after some superlative Tennis. he also acknowledged the support of Queen's Club and thanked the T&RA Benefactors who made everything possible financially. Ed Kay responded and acknowledged the lifelong achievements of his opponent, Peter Wright.
defending brilliantly and refusing to be beaten. Many of the rests were of the highest quality, both players fully committed, but it was Rob who levelled, taking the second set 6/3. An equally tight third set looked to be going the distance, but Ed's intensity won key exchanges and the set 6/4. The small gathering in the Dedans were appreciative and the match headed towards what looked to be a conclusion as Ed took a 4-2 lead in the fourth set. However, now Rob found even greater strengths, taking the next three games with his eyes on the set. But then Ed's experience told, and his ability to hit the grille and winning gallery with unerring accuracy, stemming the flow and setting up two match points. Only one was required as Ed took the fourth, decisive set 6/5. An outstanding match, played in perfect Corinthian spirit, between two great rivals. On-loan marker, Andrew Lyons, applauded both players - great advocacy for Real Tennis.
TEN
Earlier Rounds: After the titanic match against Luke Danby, which went the full five exhilarating sets, Peter Wright was then unexpectedly gifted a bye into the final when top seed Jamie Douglas pulled out through injury. However, the second semi-final didn't disappoint with a fabulous match between two young amateur players. Ed Kay had already established himself but found himself playing rising star Robert Shenkman. The first set could have gone either way from 5-all but it was Ed who took the early advantage with solid defensive volleys immediately unleashed into attacking the targets. Rob fought back,
Ed Kay 2018 Amateur Champion
Jamie Douglas & Peter Wright 2018 Amateur Doubles Champions
Chris Davies with Amateur Singles Champion Ed Kay
Amateur Doubles Champions Peter Wright (left) & Jamie Douglas
Inter Schools Doubles Handicap Championships 2018
Oratory, Hardwick and Radley, February
Radley 1 beat Radley 2 in the final of the Senior Inter Schools Handicap Doubles
Billy Ross-Skinner 2018
Winners Paul Bollerman & Katie Leppard
H
atfield House Tennis Club once again hosted the Billy Ross-Skinner British Mixed Doubles tournament over the weekend of the 9th/10th/11th of February and as is always the case with this tournament it provided some very close matches and some excellent tennis
Hatfield House, Feburary
Runners Up Georgie Willis & Simon Flynn
joined by Georgie Willis and her partner Simon Flynn who made it through via the repechage system. On Saturday there was further success for the younger contingent as Tara Lumley and partner Chris Handley made it through along with Clare Bucknell and last year’s winner Ed Popplewell, both pairs progressing with 2 wins out of 2 and no sets dropped to look like The event is an invitational event for the best 16 ladies very strong contenders for the title. available, paired up with 16 men of a suitable standard to give each pair an even chance of winning the title Sadly it was not to be for either pair though as Tara and and as is always the case, most of the matches were Chris never quite recaptured their early tournament very close battles. form as they went down to slightly more seasoned campaigners in Alex Garside and David Fortune 4/6 One very pleasing aspect of this year’s tournament 6/2 6/4. While Clare and Ed lost to Georgie Willis and was the greater number of younger players involved, Simon Flynn 6/2 6/5 in a very tight battle. These 2 especially amongst the ladies. This definitely helped to pairs would then meet in the semi-final with Georgie create a very lively atmosphere throughout the event and Simon playing almost faultless tennis to run out and equally increased the bar takings alongside the convincing 6/1 6/2 winners and take their place in the event! It really does bode well for a strong ladies game final. going forward though which can only be good for the wider game. We were also very lucky this year to have 2 of the up and coming Dutch players taking part in the tournament From the Friday groups 2 of those younger lady as both Saskia and Paul Bollerman joined us. Saskia players to progress through came from the afternoon and her partner Robert Dolman were unlucky to section as Sophie Dannreuther and her partner Nick miss out on the quarter-final going down 6/2 2/6 6/3 Brodie managed to progress with 2 wins out of 2 to to Lucy Hutchinson and her partner Anthony Jenks take their place in the quarter-finals and they were but Paul did make it through with his partner Katie
Leppard via the repechage and they were to go from strength to strength from there and eventually take their place in the final against Georgie and Simon. In the quarter-final Katie and Paul were in brutal form overcoming Candida Nicholls and Jonathan Fisher 6/0 6/2 and they continued that form in their semifinal beating Sophie Dannreuther and Nick Brodie 6/3 6/4. Sophie and Nick had come through a fantastic battle with Lucy and Anthony in their quarter-final, winning 3/6 6/2 6/5, with the final set coming down to 5/5 40/40 before they were able to clinch the win So the final came down Katie Leppard and Paul Bollerman against Georgie Willis and Simon Flynn and it was the very definition of a game of 2 halves. Georgie and Simon were absolutely awesome, taking the first set 6/1 and maintaining the momentum in the second set to lead 5/1 and up to that point they had barely made a mistake between them. Katie and Paul hadn’t really done anything wrong, they just didn’t get a look in, as relentless retrieving and brutal
hitting from their opponents made it look like it was going to be a very quick final. Slowly but surely Katie and Paul managed to gain a little foothold though and the turning point of the match was clearly at 40/40 when Georgie and Simon had what would be their only match point and were defending chase worse than 2. They played 2 balls which in hindsight could probably have been left, although it would have been close and the third shot Paul steamed a ball into the dedans to win the point and the game and from there the tide well and truly turned. From 6/1 5/1 down they didn’t drop another game, winning that set 6/5 and having started at 3/3, they took the deciding set 6/3 for an amazing win and a fitting end to a fantastic tournament. Huge congratulations to all 4 players who all played their part in a brilliant spectacle of a final! Huge thanks as always to Viv Dawes for her excellent organisation and pairing up of the teams. Thanks also to Hatfield for hosting the event, Liz Fisher and her excellent team who took care of the catering and the Hatfield Pros for all their efforts with the marking.
Varsity Tennis 2018
MCC, March
Oxford win both the men's and the ladies' matches
Victorious Oxford Teams
Final Result Oxford Ladies won 6-0 Oxford Men won 4-3
2017/18 Brodie Cup
Radley win the Brodie Cup beating Oxford in the final.
Pol Roger Cup MCC beat RTC 3-2 to win the Pol Roger Cup
Field Trophy
Oxford beat Moreton Morrell 4-1 to claim the Field Trophy When team sheets were exchanged, some very close matches were expected, but in the end a clinical Oxford managed to beat MM 4-1. Thanks go to RTC who were wonderful hosts, and, of course, to Pol Roger, whose continued sponsorship is very much appreciated.
Kershaw Cup & Thomas Trophy
Manchester, March
The second seed, Philip Shaw-Hamilton, narrowly overcame Jamie Bebb 6/5 6/5, having to come from 2/5 down in the first set in order to do so. The evergreen John Ward had a titanic battle with Jonathan Fisher, finally prevailing 6/5 in the third set and Fred Satow beat Richard Moore in straight sets. John Prenn also won in straight sets over Ronald Paterson. In the semis, John P beat John W comfortably but Philip and Fred indulged in an epic which could have gone either way before Philip prevailed 6/4 in the third. The final was a game of several halves, if that were possible. Philip, playing precision tennis, took the first set 6/2 as John succumbed to an unaccustomed series Kershaw Cup and Thomas Trophy of unforced errors. However, the energy expended in John Prenn won the Kershaw, beating Philip Shaw- his quarter- and semi-final seemed to catch up with Hamilton in 3 sets. Terry Jones & Paul Butler won the Philip as John tightened his own game and took it Thomas. to love. The final set was nip-and-tuck but John was always ahead with Philip trying to play catch-up. John ohn Prenn beat Philip Shaw-Hamilton 3/6 6/0 6/4 won 2/6 6/0 6/4. A terrific final. This year's Kershaw Cup was a much closercontested affair than has been seen for a while. The In the B singles, Paul Butler led throughout but was ante-post favourite, John Prenn, had been suffering against a thoroughly stubborn opponent in the form from a shoulder injury so had not had his normal pre- of Tony Harrison from Jesmond. Tony was never tournament practise. All the remaining members of ahead until the final game bur, having got ahead, was the field were pretty close in handicap and this threw not going to relinquish his lead and won 6/5. up some tense first-round matches.
J
Silver Racquet 2018
S I N
Louis Gordon beat Robert Shenkman in the final, 6/3 6/2
Seacourt, March
Category C - Handicap 20-29 Moreton Morrell, March
T
he 20-24 kicked off early on the Saturday with a scheduled 9.15am start. Despite having played for over 2 hours in a National League match the previous evening Jimmy Campbell came through 6/3 6/3 against an off-form Paddy Sutton. In the same National League match, Charles D’Oloy had lost to Vaughan Hamilton but had to pull out of the Cat C due injury, giving Vaughan a bye and more of a lie-in. In the afternoon Freddie Dixon showed his current good form against a talented though frustrated Vaughan, winning 6/2 6/2, and Jimmy Campbell beat Nick Baker 6/4 2/6 6/2. (Jimmy’s eighth set in under 24hrs). In the final on Sunday Jimmy took control of the first set 6/3. Freddie then settled into his rhythm
Match results 20-24 Final: Dixon bt Campbell 3/6 6/2 6/1 Match results 25-29 Final: Shaw-Hamilton bt Kroeger 6/2 6/3
N TE
Philip Shaw-Hamilton
and with a combination of great athleticism and plain good luck took advantage of a flagging (eleven sets!) and dispirited Jimmy winning the next two sets 6/2 6/1.
Freddie Dixon and Philip Shaw-Hamilton
Category D - Handicap 30-39 Hatfield, March
H
atfield once again had the honour of hosting the Category D Singles event for players between 30-39 handicap and as in previous years the event was split into 2 divisions 30-34 and 35-39. There was a good entry of 20 players in total and we were spoilt with some great tennis throughout. In the 35-39 section the final was between Ronald Paterson of MCC and Shovan Tamjidi of MURTC and it was an epic battle. Ronald was the eventual winner 6/4 6/5 after over 1 & ½ hours of play, with 2 very different styles of play on show. Ronald served and returned with excellent control and played some great classic tennis, whereas Shovan controlled the ball beautifully to a length and retrieved balls he had no right to get back. Both sets could have gone either way and the match was played in a great spirit and it appeared at the end that both players, as well as the marker, were relieved that it hadn’t gone to a final set.
N EN
In the 30-34 section the final was between Hatfield Steve Brewerton and Oliver Taylor Chairman Steve Brewerton and Oliver Taylor, a talented 19 year old from Jesmond Dene, who from the looks of things will be leaving this handicap bracket behind very soon. This was not to be his day though as a combination of Steve’s control and aggressive attacking play and Oliver’s inability to find the form that had brought him to final, meant that Steve ran out a fairly comfortable 6/1 6/3 winner. Oliver had showed some great skills and a superb all round game in earlier rounds and he clearly has a bright future but for Steve it was the culmination of a great weekend’s tennis, winning 3 matches for the loss of just 11 games and hopefully next year we will see him bring back one of the Category C titles from Moreton Morrell!
Ronald Paterson and Shovan Tamjidi
N E T
Category E - Handicap 40-49
Wellington, March
W
ellington were once again proud to host the T&RA Category E Championships, Level Singles for 40-49 handicaps over the weekend of 24th & 25th March.
The competition was again split into 2 sections 40-44 & 45-49. On Saturday evening we had the first semifinal of the 40-44 section which was a battle of youth vs experience. Petworth’s Richard White was up against Huw Thomas from Seacourt/Wellington. Richard had a tough battle with Nigel Ireson from Seacourt Finalists, 40-44 earlier on in the day, and despite being 55 years senior to Huw, battled hard and played some great tennis. But Huw was able to match this and played some very mature tennis to dominate the service end to book his spot in the final 6/1 6/2. The second semi final was also a battle of the ages although not as big a gap, Jonny Miller from Moreton Morell took on the experienced Simon Berry from Petworth. Simon started well and was serving some great serves to pin Jonny down the receiving end, but once Jonny started to find his range Finalists, 45-49 for the dedans his power of shots took him through to final with a 6/2 6/2 win. David Enticknap, this was both players 4th match of the weekend and after a tight tussle Renaud took the Sunday morning kicked off with the semi-finals of the match 6/4 6/3. 45-49 section. First up was another junior, Ivan Barker from Hampton Court was taking on Renaud Besnard The 45-49 main final was Ivan Barker vs Chris Gotla from Holyport, youth prevailed once again Reanud ,a very tight first set went right to the wire and at 5/5 rallied well and got a lot back but Ivan’s consistency 40all Ivan took the set with brilliant crosscourt return and tight cut shots were too much and he progressed of serve. Ivan continued his good form into the second to the final 6/2 6/2. The second semi-final was an set and was too solid for Chris in the end and took the all Wellington affair between Chris Gotla & David title 6/5 6/4. Enticknap. Chris started very strongly and raced to take the first set 6/1, David battled back well but at The final match of the weekend was the 40-44 Final 3/3 Chris stepped it up again and won the second 6/3. between Huw Thomas and Jonny Miller. Every game in the first set was either 40all or 40-30 so a 6/0 score line Next up was the 40-44 Plate final between Nigel to Huw was very harsh on Jonny as he has only really Ireson and Prested’s Clive Turner. This was to be our lost the set by 5 or 6 points, but it was well deserved by first 3 setter of the weekend! Nigel took advantage Huw who played the big points very well. The second of a slow start from Clive and won the first set 6/2, set was again a close one but Huw continued to play but Clive then settled down and cut out the errors to the important points with very clever tennis and won take the second 6/4. At 3/3 in the third Nigel powered the match 6/0 6/3… A great weekend of tennis, well through the next 3 games to win the match… The played everyone! 45-49 Plate final was contested by Renaud Besnard &
Category F - Handicap 50-59
Prested, March
P
rested were once again delighted to host the Category F Championships for handicaps 5059. We had a great weekend of tennis, with players coming from far and wide. Some epic matches along the way and it was great to see so many players playing above their handicap standard! In the 50-54 section of the draw, local knowledge got Ian Hawkey off to a flying start before a 3 set battle against Matt Skidmore was to be his downfall. Amy looked to be a strong contender from the start and after winning the semi-final 6/5 in the third(!) she kept the momentum going into the final and won the Championships 6/2 in third set. In the 55-59 section, again local hopeful Bruce Hogarth-Jones had a great start to the day, winning in straight and then winning a tight battle in the semi-final. In the other half of the draw, Stuart Rob Fahey and Amy Kerr was battling his way through the draw. Incredibly tight sets but he knew how to win the big points! He carried that through to the final, not dropping a set all day. Congratulations to all on a great weekends Tennis.
Stuart Kerr and Rob Fahey
Finalists, Matt Skidmore and Amy
Liz Leach (Plate Winner) and Rob Fahey
WORLD CHAMPIONSHI RTWC18 1st Round Eliminator RTC
Steve Virgona beat Chris Chapman 6/1 6/2 6/4 6/2 6/3 and qualifies for the Final Eliminator
RTWC18 1st Round Eliminator QC
Rob Fahey beat Bryn Sayers 4/6 6/3 6/1 6/5 4/6 6/4 6/5 and qualifies for the Final Eliminator
IP 2018
RTWC18 Final Eliminator
Final Eliminator at Prested Hall 2nd Leg Result: Rob Fahey beat Steve Virgona 6/2 6/3 6/2 1st Leg Result : Rob Fahey bt Steve Virgona 4/6 6/4 6/3 6/1 (in Chicago)
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fter a long trip from Chicago, Steve Virgona fully played his part in a titanic match against all-time great Rob Fahey. Rob stamped his mark on the match from the start with remarkable
authority. There was an early game when Steve was poised to level at 2-2 with multiple deuces and advantages mostly to Steve but Rob finally won it to go 3-1 up. Another opportunity in the third to get to 3-3 with Steve 40-0 up but this too escaped him. Rob was just half a yard ahead of Steve all the way. Astonishing anticipation and amazing balance with touches of brilliance. Jumping on short serves to volley them with unerring accuracy into the dedans; taking high-speed forces off the tambour; consistent serving often close to a second nick off the edge keeping Steve guessing. Steve played well; he dealt well with the serve, volleyed excellently and consistently asked questions of Rob. The main trouble was that the former World Champion always seemed to have an answer. Rob Fahey will now challenge Camden Riviere in a best of 13 set match at Queen’s Club, 24-28 April. Match at: www.facebook.com/TeamFaheyRealTennis/ Background First Round Eliminators Rob Fahey bt Bryn Sayers 4/6 6/3 6/1 6/5 4/6 6/4 6/5 Steve Virgona bt Chris Chapman 6/1 6/2 6/4 6/2 6/3
Rob Fahey wins 3-0 to qualify for the World Challenge in April
Having won 12 World titles before, Rob is no stranger to World Championship matches, however this is only his second ever time playing in the Eliminator process, the first being in 1993(!).
HRH Real Tennis Tour
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he Earl of Wessex is undertaking a yearlong programme of engagements aimed at generating support for The Duke of Edinburgh's International Award. Through a combination of DofE events, Real Tennis tournaments and fundraising activity, His Royal Highness will enable a new generation of young people to start their DofE journey in the UK and abroad. “Why on earth do you want to do that?” This is the sort of question you might think, but should rarely ask out loud. Particularly when discussing an apparently mad endeavour such as running a marathon every day, or climbing some notorious, far-flung mountain, or rowing across an ocean or skiing across a frozen continent; for what might seem mad to you or me can give someone else enormous pleasure. Well, actually, it’s probably less to do with pleasure and more to do with the satisfaction of setting and overcoming a particular challenge.
to add, but perhaps an appropriately eccentric one: I have decided to play every Royal or Real Tennis court in the world. This is not an unusual ambition among Real Tennis players, but I’m not aware of anyone who has tried to do it in one calendar year. Inevitably, once I started discussing this with the some of the experts I soon discovered courts I had hitherto unheard of, such as “trinquet” and “tripot”. We have produced a list of about 50 courts in 5 countries (taking into account benign ownership, permissions, playability etc.) and my aim is to play three sets of doubles on each court.
The Duke of Edinburgh’s Award Apart from the personal need to do this sooner rather than later (in other words while I still think I can!) there are some other factors behind my rather bizarre choice of activity. The common element is The Duke of Edinburgh’s Award. Real Tennis was my choice of Physical Activity to achieve my Gold Award, which inspired a bit of a passion and a sport which I have continued to enjoy. 2018 marks thirty years of The Duke of Edinburgh’s International Award Association, formed to help the growing spread of Ambition the DofE around the world which today operates in From many years of experience of The Duke of more than 130 countries and territories and involves Edinburgh’s International Award I have learnt that more than one million young people. Above all I hope this strange human characteristic is not particular to open young people’s eyes to the opportunities out to any one culture, but can be found anywhere in there, sports clubs to be more open and welcoming to the world. It’s been a long time since I did my Gold potential players and adults to be more encouraging; Award, but I now find that I have succumbed, once to experience the satisfaction of helping a young again, to this peculiar trait and have set myself a bit person to achieve a goal of their choice. of an ambition; not an overly dramatic one I hasten
exploits both on and off the court! His playing style and coaching skills are still remembered. My abiding memory of those days was the temperature of the court which never seemed to rise much above freezing. The decision to play in January must therefore rank as being somewhat questionable, nevertheless we were lucky with the weather and I was pleasantly surprised by the ambient temperature. My playing companions for the first three sets were junior members, all of whom were below the age of 15 or so, which certainly put me under plenty of additional pressure. By common agreement this is the truer court which takes a reasonable cut; the Tambour is not particularly pronounced so the ball tends to head for the back wall just over half way easily catching out the unwary by getting behind the defender. The Penthouse is quite sharp and I never really got the pitch or length right, not that my receivers complained!
Financial Legacy To this end, the whole tour has an additional economic purpose with an attempt to leave a financial legacy for the benefit of young people. Clubs have been asked to find different players for each set, who could be novices, juniors, seniors or professionals, hopefully sponsored. The DofE will also benefit from fundraising activities and opportunities generated by the tour. Charting My Progress The Real Tennis Tour started on 18th January in Cambridge where I learnt to play. Today there are two courts, there was only one in my day and it was unbelievably cold as the photographs from that time show. A number of players have asked me to record my observations of each of the courts, how they differ and how they play. So I will endeavour to chart my progress around the courts for those who are interested or who simply think I’ve gone mad and are still wondering, “Why on earth do you want to do that?”! Blue Court The Blue Court was recently restored having been Courts 1 and 2 – Cambridge University Real Tennis used as squash courts in my day. The last and only time Club I played on this court was when I was invited to reHuge thanks and congratulations to CURTC who open it! My companions for the next three extended hosted the most brilliant start to my Real Tennis sets were some of the senior members (or ones over Tour on Thursday 18th and Friday 19th January. A the age of 15 or so!) and some pretty even play, at least great mix of ages and abilities involved on court from all but a handful of games going to deuce. This court novices to juniors to seniors; great engagement with has a unique roof design with a series of glazed pitches the community; a productive fundraising dinner at which allows a lot of natural light without direct glare; Jesus College for the DofE and the actual tennis wasn’t its most unusual feature being the hessian covering of too shabby either! the brick walls above the out-of-court line. This court The event kicked off with around 40 complete novices is much livelier with the ball bouncing more, however from a number of local schools and colleges were given the main wall does induce a bit of drag which can the chance to try their hand at the game producing make the corners tricky to read. The Penthouse and the usual mixture of bemusement, frustration and Tambour are similar in design and effect. amazement. Most said they would be back to give it Not sure my tennis was all that good (which I’ll put another go and some even said that they would like down to a very good evening at Jesus College and to get involved with the next junior competition. Of a slightly too hearty breakfast!), but I’ll take the course, it was not only the young people being exposed members’ reported comment that they were relieved to the sport, but also the school staff. All-in-all a great they were involved in the first event as a compliment! investment in the future. Once again, my thanks to one and all for rising to the challenge and kicking off the Tour in such fine style Green Court and with plenty of enthusiasm. As for me, well there’s The first of the two courts I had to play on is known no turning back now! as the Green Court, although there is nothing particularly ‘green’ about it. This is the one I learnt to play on way back in the mists of time when I was an undergraduate and when it was the only one in use. Those were the days when Brian Church was the professional, a legend of the sport, renowned for his
Burma Rackets Court Old Carthusian Charlie Thomas's visit to the derelict Pegu Club in Burma a one time private member's club in the heart of Yangon, Myanmar (formerly Rangoon, Burma)
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nxious faces gathered round, an older man amongst them gestured to me that I risk arrest by venturing over the wall, but I hadn’t come this far to go back. Intentions were clear from the heavy duty padlock on the front gate that visitors were not welcome, so I was building up a pile of rocks to give myself a step up onto the wall in a patch where the barbed wire had fallen down.
inside the club grounds. With a quick look through the long grass I headed off on my mission, to see if the rumour I had heard was true – that there were a couple of disused rackets courts on the site. (A game from which the sport Squash developed, perfected in English Public Schools)
I stopped fast in my tracks concerned the sound of my beating heart would draw their attention as I sunk into the long grass. Three stray dogs strolled around the I was breaking into the derelict site of the Pegu corner and stopped, stalking a bird up in a blossoming Club, once a member’s club in the heart of Yangon, tree. The reason for my concern was that due to my Myanmar (Formerly Rangoon, Burma). This had own disorganisation I had only had one of my three been the beating heart of colonial high society in the rabies inoculations prior to leaving London, and felt country, verandas and lawns providing a setting for certain these dogs could be the end of me – in a corner military officers, civilian administrators and European of a foreign field, that was once England. merchants to sip G+Ts and ‘Pegu Club cocktails’ in tranquil surroundings. It now lay derelict following Luck would have it they soon tottered off and I began British withdrawal from Rangoon during the Second my search, peeping in through empty window panes World War and an ensuing spell as a Japanese brothel. and creaking doors at large teak rooms, once home to fabulous balls and billiards tables but now purposeless. With a thump, I landed on the other side of the wall Around another corner I found an outhouse with a
wide veranda running around it, could this be it? I peered in and was met with the steely gaze of a face, withdrawing into the shadows with white eyes fixated upon mine and as petrified as myself. We stood in a trance that felt like ten seconds, but couldn’t have been more than three. “Mingalabar”, I offered, Burmese for “Hello”. She shooed me away, aggressively gesturing at the front gate before she pointed at herself and put her hands in front of her in a handcuff motion. I got the idea, she was as afraid as I was because she could not use tourist naivety as an excuse for being there, she was squatting.
but was conscious that the court was much smaller than expected, halfway in between a rackets court and a squash court. The players would have used long stemmed wooden rackets with a small head with which they thrashed round a small, rock hard white ball similar to a golf ball.
Keen to get rid of me, she followed me out, I attempted in my best pidgin English to explain I was looking for a couple of rackets courts but for some reason don’t think she quite understood. I pointed at my watch and then showed three fingers, her understanding that I would only be three minutes seemed to appease her and understanding that there wasn’t much she could do, she followed me on my odyssey. I pictured decades of men playing here, possibly competing for the Pegu Club Championships in prewar times. I had a quick look at the other identical court before ascending the rickety stairs up to the viewing gallery uneasy at the very real possibility of the century old wood giving way under me. Up top, I looked down at the courts from above and along at a row of chairs and very old beer bottles strewn on the floor. I suspected these were the reserve of members of a rather different type of club that had habituated the premises following the British withdrawal, the Japanese soldier’s brothel. I saw a building, with a side wall slanting up in height from one side to the other, connected to the roof with finely interwoven wooden meshing. A tree was growing up the wall, clearly straining the bricks which were cracking. Confident that I had found my prize, I forced open a small door on the back of the building and found the resistance to be a small bush growing up inside the hallway backing onto the door and a carpet of leaves underfoot. Ahead stretched a narrow hallway with only two doors going off to the right side, widely spread apart. I ventured in through the first doorway which was ajar, nervously peering round thinking of the last time I peered into a dark room. What lay before me was exactly what I was looking for, a court. I could easily make out the lines on the floor and on the front wall, identical to back home
Content with my discovery and much to the delight of my rather anxious new friend, I headed for the exit the same way I had come in. Having thanked the lady for letting me have a look at her home, I hauled myself back up onto the wall and was flabbergasted to see about thirty people standing around, staring at me in silence. Keen not to overstay my welcome in case the local rozzers came along I jumped down and headed off through the crowd meeting their quizzical expressions with another “Mingalabar” and said “the courts weren’t quite as big as the Charterhouse ones, if you were interested” and headed off back down the dusty road.
Brown Advisory British Open Singles Championship 2018
Queen’s Club, January
Tom Billings retains his Open Championship
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uesday evening saw a great contest between two players at different stages in their Rackets' development. Tom Billings recently challenged James Stout for his world crown and, although he fell short, gave the champion much to think about. Alex Duncliffe-Vines is a rapidly emerging talent, always knocking on the door, full of tricky and never afraid to attempt the impossible shot. Billings had progressed smoothly through the earlier rounds, dropping a game to a hard-hitting James Coyne in the semi-finals. Duncliffe-Vines had successfully navigated past both Alex Titchener-Barrett and then Nick Hopcroft, both great talents. The first game was one-way traffic as Billings established a 10 point lead without response, in four intense hands. He retrieved everything and quickly pounced on any loose shot, combining his tenacious defence seamlessly into brutal attack. Duncliffe-Vines was undeterred and continued to probe, gaining his first point before Billings piled on three more to lead 13-1. Duncliffe-Vines tried a deft drop shot with success and then another - soon it was 4-13, but no further points would come his way as Billings ground out the first game 15/4 in a couple of more hands. Duncliffe-Vines needed to respond and he did. Another delicate drop shot secured a 2-0 lead, doubled in the next hand to 4-0. Billings was never far away and clawed back points but it was Duncliffe-Vines who was on top, taking a 10-3 lead. However, the tide turned in one devastating hand as Billings reeled off eleven straight points to virtually close out the game. A brief flourish from Duncliffe-Vines offered a glimmer of hope but it was Billings who trumped the air, taking the game 15/11 and a 2-0 lead. It was tough for Duncliffe-Vines who was on the top of his game but saw the game snatched from under his nose.
confidence of the second game. Billings is always dangerous and came back to lead 7-6 - which he increased to 13-6 in another hand. Duncliffe-Vines rallied, and continued to play exciting rackets but it was a clearly pumped up Billings who took the third game 15/7.
The fourth game saw the lead switch a couple of times, 4-1 Billings, then 6-4 Duncliffe-Vines as he reeled off his best run. But Billings now struck, seizing the moment and 10 points without response in the next hand to lead 14-6. Facing Championship The third game saw Duncliffe-Vines make the early Point, it was Duncliffe-Vines who now played the running, leading 3-0, then 5-2 but without the shot of the evening, with a heavily sliced, boasted
drop-shot, probably less than a centimetre above the tin. The gallery applauded the audacious shot and the next point. However Billings was not to be denied for long, winning the vital point to take the game 15/7, and the Championship. He had successfully defended his Open Championship with back-to-back wins. David Norman, T&RA President, stepped up to present the Sheppard Cup. He gave thanks to organiser (and proud new father) Will Morse, to Queen's Club for the outstanding facility, second to none, represented by Andrew Stewart, and also to Lead Rackets Sponsor, Brown Advisory. David Kay-Shuttleworth, a noble contestant in the earlier rounds, represented Brown Advisory, who have recently announced their intention to extend their initial term of sponsorship to five years. Both players and their supporters retired to enjoy their Pol Roger champagne.
Final Results T. Billings vs A. Duncliffe-Vines 15/4 15/11 15/7 15/7
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Rackets Professional Singles 2018 Manchester, January Final
Neil Smith bt Graeme Tyndall 15/12 13/15 17/15 15/13
Semi Finals
Neil Smith bt Ben Bomford 15/10 15/5 15/11 Graeme Tyndall beat Ryan Tulley 15/4 15/9 15/14
Quarter Finals
Ryan Tulley bt Reg Williams 15/3 15/3 Graeme Tyndall bt Dave Makey 15/8 15/4 Ben Bomford bt Noel Brett 15/4 15/4 Neil Smith bt Peter Brake 15/8 15/4
US Open Rackets 2018 Philadelphia, March James Stout - US Champion 2018 Tom Billings & Richard Owen - US Open Doubles Champions 2018
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ames Stout defeated Tom Billings to take home the Singles Championship 3-0 in a repeat of the word singles challenge match. Both players were in top form and left it all on the court.
Billings sought and found redemption in the doubles final, where he and partner Richard Owen beat James Coyne and Alex Duncliffe-Vines 3-0. Both pairs played extremely well throughout the tournament and wowed the gallery with some spectacular shots.
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All finalists should be extremely proud of their accomplishments in what was truly a fantastic draw.
Last and certainly least, congratulations to Plate Doubles champions Jono Jamieson-Black and Nick Harding, who defeated Dan Fisher and Charles Vennat. Singles Final
Stout bt Billings 3-0 Doubles Final
Billings & Owen bt Coyne & Duncliffe-Vines
Western Open 2018
Chicago, March
James Stout wins the singles; Ben Bomford and Ben Cawston win the doubles Singles Final
James Stout bt Will Hopton 15/13 15/10 15/5 Doubles Final
Ben Bomford & Ben Cawston bt Will Hopton & Conor Medlow
Ladies British Open 2018 Queen’s Club, Feburary
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Lea Van Der Zwalmen retains her Open Singles title
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he Ladies British Open was held at The Queen's Club on Sunday 25th February 2018 All matches were the best of three games, except the final which was the best of five. Results Final Lea Van Der Zwalmen bt Lauren (Wellington) 15/11 15/2 15/3 Semi-finals Lea Van Der Zwalmen bt Issie(Wellington) 15/1 15/1 Lauren (Wellington) bt Rose (Cheltenham) 15/12 6/15 18/16
Lea Van Der Zwalmen receiving her trophy
Varsity Rackets 2018
Cambridge retain the varsity four matches to one
Feburary
National Schools Doubles 2018 Queen’s Club, March Sponsored by Brown Advisory
Top day for dominant Eton, winning Peter Gray (Under 15) Cup, Eric Angus (Under 16 Cup), the Second and the First Pair Trophies. Doubles Championship (First Pairs) Final Eton bt St Pauls 12/15 15/9 6/15 17/15 15/10 15/12 Professionals Association Cup (Second Pairs) Final Eton bt Wellington 15/6 9/15 17/14 15/12 Eric Angus Cup Final Eton bt Malvern 7/15 15/12 15/7 15/9 Peter Gray Cup Final Eton bt Wellington 0/15 15/3 15/8 15/10
First Pairs 2018
Second Pairs 2018
Colts 2018
Junior Colts 2018
National Schoolgirls Singles Championships 2018 Sponsored by Brown Advisory
Queen’s Club, March
Issie (Wellington) and India (Cheltenham) take the honours
Judy Angus (Senior) Final India (Cheltenham) bt Rose (Cheltenham) 15/12 15/3 Beryl Danby (Under 16) Final Issie (Wellington) bt Abbie (Cheltenham) 15/1 15/4
Senior finalists
U16 finalists
Hoppy Easter! From all of us at the T&RA