Obituaries

(November 2021)

Farewell to Geoffrey Atkins, Rackets World Champion 1954-1971

The T&RA were greatly saddened to hear the news that one of its greats, former Rackets World Champion Geoffrey Atkins, passed away on Saturday 6th November

A Great World Champion Geoffrey Atkins learnt to play his Rackets at Rugby. He had won the British Amateur singles in 1952 and 1953 and also held the American and Canadian Amateur singles titles when he challenged Jim Dear for the World and British Open Championships. Geoffrey won an epic battle six games to five at the Queen's Club in April 1954. He went on to hold off four challenges, two from James Leonard and two from Charles Swallow. In 1971, aged forty-four, he finally resigned the world championship after a record reign of seventeen years, a tremendous achievement amid fierce competition from many younger players. Geoffrey is generally credited as being one of the three greatest champions of post-war Rackets, along with James Male and James Stout. 50 to 60 years ago, when Geoffrey was World Champion for a record 17 years, the game of Rackets was very different from 21st Century Rackets. The style of play of Geoffrey, Charles Swallow and James Leonard was as contrasted to that of James Male, Harry Foster, James Stout and Tom Billings as the play of Rod Laver was to that of Federer, Nadal, Djokovic and Murray. The Rackets ball was appreciably slower in Geoffrey's day, nylon was only replacing natural gut towards the latter part of Geoffrey's career, and the Grays racquets did not have the in-built reinforcement that nowadays allow the frames to be strung to hugely higher tensions. So the emphasis was much more on how consistently and accurately the ball was hit, rather than how hard it could be hit. Geoffrey's court coverage was seemingly effortless, his footwork absolutely impeccable and his ability to get the ball back to a length was magical. Given just half a chance he would put the ball away with consummate efficiency, not with crushing speed, but guided elegantly to where his opponent was unable to reach it, or, if he managed to get there, was forced into errors. Although an amateur, his commitment to practice and fitness was as 'professional' as any modern player, and it was legendary that at the end of even the most demanding matches, Geoffrey was so fit, and moved so smoothly, that he appeared as though he had only been out for a gentle jog, without a hair out of place and hardly a bead of sweat to be seen! He was probably not as effective a server as James Leonard, nor did he have the power on his kills of Charles Swallow, but these two great Open Champions were not able to wrest the World Title from Geoffrey in either of the Challenges they each made. As well as being a true legend of Rackets, it should be remembered that in the year before he moved on business to Chicago, he beat every leading British amateur at squash at some stage in that season. And he was no slouch at Real Tennis either, three times winning the Amateur Championship, and that tally would have been very much higher if he had been based in the UK, rather than in USA. Five years ago, Seacourt gave a special Dinner at the Club to celebrate Geoffrey's 90th birthday and to mark him being elected an Honorary Life Member of Seacourt. Though he was beginning to fail physically, and was no longer able to play golf or be on his feet for too long, he was still as sharp as a pin mentally, and many reported that it was a privilege to listen to his recollections of his illustrious career as one of Britain's greatest ever racquet sport players.

The T&RA sends its condolences to his son, Nick, and his daughter, Lucinda, and their respective families, including Geoffrey’s seven grandchildren.

Memorial Service Address by David Norman St Mary’s, Hayling Island – 10th December 2021

Geoffrey Atkins… we shall not see his like again! How blessed we are who witnessed him in action. He is widely regarded as one of, if not the, greatest Rackets players ever, having held the World Rackets Championship title for an extraordinary, indeed unique, 18 years (1954-1971), before retiring, undefeated. He was a majestic mover, a gliding Njinksy of the Rackets Court, exceptional eye/ hand ball co-ordination and yet amazingly rarely came off the court with a hair out of place or a bead of sweat on his face. A true athlete and, for insurance, he kept a small comb in his pocket. In all, an elevating phenomenon.

And, it wasn’t just Rackets. He was an excellent squash player, representing England twice. He also won the British Amateur Real Tennis Singles Championships title three times and, in the opinion of William Surtees, himself World Champion, could well have won the World Tennis Championships from Johnson or Knox if time had allowed.

Howard Angus, himself World Champion of Tennis and Rackets, observed poignantly to me, “One word encapsulates Geoffrey: ‘CONTROL’ – it was phenomenal and the ball often moving at well over 100 mph and at obtuse angles. I tried to concentrate on doing ‘An Atkins’, i.e. put the ball away where the opponent isn’t.” He was the ultimate ‘Master’ and so elegant in his execution with consummate efficiency. Although an ‘Amateur’, his commitment to practice and fitness was as professional as any modern player in the mould of Male or Billings, or earlier those Titans Prenn and Boone.

However, there was a further chilling dimension to his preparation as evidenced to me by Charles Swallow, one of his two brilliant but unsuccessful challengers in the 1960s.

“To hear Geoffrey knocking up on his own before a match could indeed be a chilling experience – to hear through the back wall his superb ball control on the court, on his own, at first 5 yards from the front wall, then 10, always keeping it in play, deadly composed with metronomic regularity, was truly nerve-wracking. This ability to terrorise one orally belied his nature as a human being: always kind, always decent.”

Geoffrey’s advice to William Surtees: “In World Championships, every point matters. Play each one as if it was Match Point.” And he did, with laser concentration and the most beautiful balanced volleying.

Let me leave you with a revealing vignette given to me by Roddy Bloomfield, author and first Open Foster Cup Champion 1954:

“In the 1960s, the celebrated Dan Maskell, England’s first Junior Professional Rackets Champion and then British Professional Lawn Tennis multiple Champion and winning Davis Cup Coach of the 1930s with Fred Perry (and BBC Commentator “Oh I say…” on the Borg/McEnroe 1980 most famous 18/16 tie-breaker), Dan was at Queen’s Club with the Davis Cup Squad and he entered the Rackets Gallery and saw Geoffrey playing – he quickly summoned the Davis Cup players from the adjacent Tennis Courts, declaring “You must watch this man Atkins – he is the most perfectly balanced player at any ballgame sport I’ve ever seen. Watch him and learn.”

In conclusion, I would like to suggest to you that Geoffrey Atkins was actually the quintessence, indeed the fusion, of Rod Laver and Roger Federer of lawn tennis fame; he was their forerunner in the 1960s in the world’s fastest, most exhilarating racquet and ball game. In addition to which Geoffrey was always the paragon of sportsmanship and behaviour in victory (frequent) and defeat (rare indeed) on and off the court. Some beacon! His ‘Mantra’ for victory in the Rackets Court, learned I suspect from Jim Dear… ‘Let the Ball hit the Racket, NOT the Racket hit the Ball’.

I will not see his like again. It was near perfection, to be cherished forever.

(November 2021)

Murray Glover, a highly accomplished Tennis player and long-standing member of the Royal Tennis Court and the T&RA, died on November 26 at the age of 88

Wellington Old Wellingtonian, Murray Glover, a long-term friend of the T&RA, and a keen Rackets and Real Tennis player has passed away. Murray's father, who had played in India in the army, had hoped his son would play Rackets at Wellington where he went in January 1947. However, to his and Murray’s great disappointment, his stuffy Anglesey tutor at that time, Claud Hughes-Games, would not allow any of his protégés to play the game before the age of 16. By the time Murray started to learn, from the wonderful Ronnie Hawes, his contemporaries were already fine players. Whilst never in the top rank of amateurs, Murray had a few successes over the years. In the early '80s he captained the RTC team which won the Field Trophy, for the inter-club championship, on several occasions. In 1976 he partnered Howard Angus to win the Cockburn Cup, the British Pro-Am championship. Around the same time he partnered Mike McMurrugh to win the Combined Services doubles at Queen’s. In the mid '80s he got to the semi-final of the British Over-50s singles twice, and the final of the doubles once, partnering Tony Crook. In January 1990 Murray damaged a sciatic nerve, playing in a match at Hatfield, which put him out of action for about a year, but in 1994, at the age of 61, he climbed to second place on the RTC club ladder.

Oxford After completing his National Service, Murray went up to Oxford in 1954. He had hoped to continue playing Rackets, but, since Oxford did not have its own court, took up the sister game, Real Tennis, at the historic court opposite Merton College. In those days there was no resident professional to teach students how to play; so one just picked the game up from opponents. The Rackets professional from Radley, Ronnie Lay, would mend broken strings, but apart from that, players were on their own, having to clean the court regularly - sweeping damp tealeaves over the floor with a very wide broom, and walking perilously round the inclined penthouse to brush the dust off. To clean the set of a hundred or so Tennis balls, they would shake them about in a large net with lots of chalk powder. Before long Murray was playing in the University team, and going to away matches in various courts around the country. Murray’s first away match was against the Royal Tennis Court at Hampton Court. He lost fairly easily, not least because it was the largest court in the world, and Oxford, the only other one he had played on, was the smallest! In 1956, Murray was a member of the combined Oxford and Cambridge side that contested the very first Van Alen Trophy match against the US Universities at Lords, winning his match as part of the overall victory. In 1958 he captained the Oxford side and, in the autumn of that year, went to New York with the combined Oxford/Cambridge team to defend the Van Alen Trophy, which they did successfully. Murray also played matches against various USA clubs - in Philadelphia, Boston, Long Island and Tuxedo Park. All in all, an amazing experience. In 1958 Murray was recruited by Tony Negretti to join the Royal Tennis Court Club at Hampton Court, of which he was President.

Royal Tennis Court Tony Negretti, as mentioned above, recruited Murray to join RTC in 1958, when he was captain of the Oxford team. At that time the RTC annual subscription was £1, and for that, you could wear the handsome club tie with its crossed racquets and 15/30 motif. Whenever Tony played in away matches he would always sign up new RTC members. One result of this was that, when Murray was appointed Hon. Secretary of the club in 1973 (after the so-called “Palace Revolution”) there were nearly 1,000 members. This number was reduced to 850 or so, when the full membership subscription was increased to £4, or £1 for “Friend of the Court” status. It was Murray's job in those days to produce and send out the Club newsletter. It took him several days to handaddress all those envelopes and then lick 'n' stick the stamps, even with help from the family. After a couple of years, two kind fellow committee members, Michael

Morton and James McNaghten, used to help him with the process. In recent times, Murray helped with the quarterly newsletter “stuffing” sessions admirably organized round the Club dining room table by David Seelig. He was very sad when ill health stopped him attending these convivial occasions from 2011 onwards.

Old Wellingtonian Real Tennis In the 1960s and 70s Murray was also secretary of the Old Wellingtonian Real Tennis Club, and played in its Henry Leaf team. There were regular fixtures at many clubs around England, including Oxford and Cambridge, and weekend fixtures at Manchester. The home fixtures were played at Holyport. The star player back then was Andrew Windham, but there was a good pool of reasonable players to call on, including Hugh Norton, and fine Rackets players such as Colin Haycraft, and Oliver and Philip Case. He remembered Oliver once going on court at Petworth straight from an all-night party in London, while Philip's brilliant improvisations on the piano lit up many a post-match get-together. Other great enthusiasts included the irrepressible Michael Meyer, the greatest ever English translator of Ibsen, who used to play with Sir Ralph Richardson at Lords, and Christopher Malim, whose fingers had been frostbitten on Arctic convoys during WWII. And then there was larger-than-life Rupert Russell-Cobb, who, peering through his pebble-lensed glasses, drove his Mercedes so fast Murray declined lifts to matches thereafter. He even declined more firmly, when he once offered to fly him up to Manchester in his private plane! The OW team enjoyed a memorable weekend at the Paris club, and on the last evening were entertained to dinner, in his Paris house, by Frank Laws-Johnson. As a director of Mercier, Frank had laid on some very special wines, the star of which was a 1938 Chateau Margaux. Rupert's verdict, when asked his opinion was “Not a bad drop of Pepsi-Cola, Frank !” There was an icy silence, and within twenty minutes we were all shown the door.

Finale After hip problems, Murray finally gave up playing Real Tennis in 2003, but carried on playing table tennis for his local club in the Thames Valley League. A stroke in 2011 put paid to all further sporting activity.

David Seelig adds... “For many years, Murray and I played one another on Sunday mornings on the Rackets court at his alma mater. Despite the fact that he had not played the game since leaving school, he had such a superb eye for the ball that one would have expected to find that he had been playing continuously since that time.”

Temple Grassi

(1946 -2021) Temple Grassi of Chevy Chase, MD and Northeast Harbor, Maine, born December 10, 1946, died peacefully from metastatic melanoma in his Chevy Chase home surrounded by his family on September 17th, at the age of 74.

He was a graduate of Woodberry Forest in Orange, Virginia and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. After graduating from UNC, Temple began his teaching career at The Gilman School in Baltimore, Maryland, moving to the Allen Stevenson School in New York City, and at the Landon School, in Bethesda, Maryland, where he taught for the remaining 22 years of his 32 year career. Although Temple retired, he remained a lifelong educator in the art of being a proper sportsman, gentleman, and clubman. An accomplished sportsman, Temple played football, soccer, and lacrosse while at Woodberry Forest. He would eventually become co-captain of the lacrosse team and ultimately bring his skills to UNC where he played for four years. During his summers, when not in Northeast Harbor, Temple was a camper and, later, a counsellor at Camp Kieve in Nobleboro, Maine. His love of Woodberry, UNC, and Kieve had no bounds. Until his last day, he could be found following the football and lacrosse teams for both Woodberry and UNC and singing the second verse of the Kieve Alma Mater loud and clear for all to hear. After moving to New York City, Temple was introduced to what would become his great obsession, court tennis - a game few know, but many love. He met his lovely wife, Eleuthera, and together they moved to Washington D.C., where he began a 15-year quest to build a Court Tennis court. Ultimately, Temple was successful and Princes Court opened up in McLean, Virginia. It was then that the nickname was born, “The Ambassador”, as he would continue until his dying day to teach and educate anyone who would listen about his beautiful sport. “The Ambassador” was predeceased by his father, Ettore H.A. “Bud” Grassi and is survived by his mother, Edith Gwathmey Grassi; wife Eleuthera S. Grassi; elder sister, Louise Whitney (Karen); younger brother, Edward Grassi (Judith); daughters Melissa Purcell (Andrew), Charlotte Aukamp, and Helen Vest (Chad); 5 grandchildren and many nieces and nephews.

(March 2022)

A friend to everybody and a passionate supporter of our Games - taken before her time

It is with deepest regret that I inform our Membership that Andrina Webb, Membership Secretary for over 8 years, passed away peacefully on Saturday 26th March. Andrina served the games she loved with true love and passion and nothing was ever too much trouble for this wonderful lady, and special friend. She has battled an incurable illness for over twelve months with astonishing grace and fortitude, making small strides forward and kept smiling until the very end. She has been a true friend as the T&RA has battled through its own challenges, changes and transformation throughout her time at the Association. Her loss is personal.

Andrina was a great enthusiast of Real Tennis and successfully took up playing Padel during the first lock-down. As a Real Tennis player she latterly found success in Handicap Doubles tournaments, and was a keen tourer with the Hurlingham Pigeons for many years, especially remembered on the Bunga Bunga tours. She was also a keen and successful backgammon player, organising tournaments (and frequently winning) at both Hurlingham and the Queen’s Club. She had a wonderfully sharp sense of humour, which made her a great pleasure to be with - a sentiment she radiated to everybody in her presence.

Andrina brough a very personal touch to everything she did, never hesitating to go the extra mile to support the T&RA Members and, more latterly, the Benefactors; and didn't know the meaning of out-of-hours. She epitomised the perfect employee in terms of her loyalty to the cause, her open-mindedness and her infectious personality; so much so she was more a friend to the Games. Andrina also took care to look after the T&RA office staff, never too busy to lend a kindly ear and was an absolute diamond at remembering those important dates in people's lives. She was a kind and loving member of our community.

Away from the office, Andrina even finding time to work as a Mckenzie Friend, helping the friends and relations of defendants navigate the complexities of the Family Court.

A rightly proud mother, Andrina adored her two children and nothing was ever too much trouble. Her passing is a huge loss to her family.

Our heartfelt condolences to her two children, Amelia and Louis, and her long-term partner Bob, who has been her rock throughout. Memories of Udaipur - written by Ollie Feather

This is not the end Nor is it the start This is that gentle place between The front of your soul And the back of your heart. Now there is no time; Us bowed before some clock. This is the perfect place between The breath before you start And the pause before you stop. I see you in the echo And in a mother's kind Slipping through the dusty palaces I feel you in the deepest blue Of the last rewind. Dance upon a shadow And wander as a kite No longer is there you or me, The bliss to be a soul at ease In that chrysanthemum delight. This is not the end This is not the past Amongst the grain and through the mist, Beyond that golden ocean Dreamers sit at last. Remember, friends. This is not the end.

(March 2022)

The T&RA are sad to report that Adrian Snow died aged 83 on 30 March 2022. We send our heartfelt condolences to his family.

Adrian had a most successful career as a schoolmaster. He joined The Oratory School from Brighton College in 1966 and remained on the staff for nearly thirty years. After a spell as a Housemaster he was appointed Headmaster in 1972, a post he held until 1988. He then became Warden and Managing Director of Oratory Construction before finally retiring in 1994.

Adrian was a highly respected Headmaster. He had a deep understanding of the education required for his pupils. His mantra to his housemasters when becoming Headmaster was “Every pupil must be encouraged to achieve something outside the necessary passes.”

Whilst Headmaster the number of pupils increased and he improved both the School’s academic ambitions and its sporting achievements. In addition, he undertook many developments which he felt were necessary to compete with other schools. The School was undoubtedly more highly regarded at the end of his time as Headmaster than it was when he assumed the role.

It was during Adrian’s time at The Oratory that David Weston, a keen Tennis player and parent of two boys at the school, introduced Adrian to the game of Tennis at Hardwick Tennis Court. He and David were jointly responsible for negotiating with the Rose family to revive the Court. The roof was repaired, lighting installed and changing room facilities were created. Together they founded The Friends of Hardwick Tennis Court in 1989 with Adrian subsequently becoming Chairman from 1997 to 2009.

Adrian arranged for The Oratory pupils to be coached at Hardwick and Merton College, Oxford. Encouraged by David he persuaded the School Governors to include a Tennis Court in the new Sports Centre. Adrian masterminded the project and the court was opened in 1989. It was the first Tennis Court to be built in Britain since the court at Seacourt in 1911. The court set the precedent for courts to be lit entirely by artificial light. It also incorporated glass viewing panels which increased spectator capacity and helped to facilitate the televising of the game.

In 1994, the Sports Council gave the T&RA a grant to assist the implementation of their latest Four-Year Plan. One of the Plan’s aims was to increase the number of Tennis Courts and to achieve this aim the T&RA appointed Adrian on a part time basis as the Tennis Court Development Officer responsible for encouraging the development of new courts and the restoration of old courts. Adrian was the perfect choice for this appointment with his passion for the game and his knowledge and expertise acquired whilst masterminding the creation of the Oratory School’s court. He spearheaded a campaign to encourage court restoration and construction singlemindedly and enthusiastically. He produced the T&RA’s first informative pamphlet called “Building Real Tennis Courts”. The pamphlet became the guide for all court developers and Adrian’s successors have updated it.

During the 1990s/2000 a new court was opened at The Harbour Club in London (1993), the Tennis Court was restored at Newmarket (1995), a new Tennis court, now the Bristol Real Tennis Club, was built on the games fields of Clifton College (1997), the court at Hyde House near Bridport was restored (1998), two new courts were built at Prested Hall (1999), a new court was built at Middlesex University (2000) and the second court at Cambridge was restored (1999). Adrian always made himself available to those developing and restoring these courts giving them the benefit of his time and advice.

Adrian tirelessly toured the country striving to persuade the owners of old courts to restore them and potential developers to build new ones.In the 1999/2000 T&RA Annual Report, Adrian wrote that he was currently advising twenty potential court developers. For example, he had high hopes of persuading the owners of the courts at Coombe Abbey near Coventry, Hewell Grange near Redditch and Easton Neston to restore them, but in spite of his efforts the courts remained in disrepair.

He didn’t confine his efforts to England. He advised the authorities at Troon in Scotland and at Dublin in Eire. Even after retiring as the T&RA’s Tennis Court Development Officer in 2006 Adrian continued to give invaluable advice freely to those developing new Tennis courts, for example at Radley and Wellington Colleges.

Adrian made an enormous contribution to the expansion of Tennis courts in the 1990s and thereafter and the work he did will help future generations of court developers. He will be greatly missed by the Tennis Community.

(1935 - 2022)

Colin was a great sportsman and, following his retirement, a great sports administrator spanning his love of Real Tennis, cricket and golf. He was a stalwart of Old Cholmeleians cricket and well known in Middlesex and MCC cricketing circles. He was an outstanding cricketer (spin bowler) who, while at school in 1951, took 84 wickets in only 16 school 1st XI matches, a record that stands to the current day. He joined, Middlesex CCC and played in their 2s but did not quite make the 1st XI. He captained the OC Cricketer Cup side from their very first match in 1969 through to 1988. He even made it into Wisden following the records he set at Highgate School, and while playing for the MCC. A true gentleman both on and off the field.

Having taken up Real Tennis much later in life, he soon became the over 50s British Amateur Champion. He won numerous titles throughout his Tennis career at Hatfield House Tennis Club as well as nationally. He even won on the world stage in the age group categories.

Having served for many years as Chairman of the Tennis Committee, Colin was well known throughout the real tennis fraternity. In 1995, on his 60th birthday, he even had an exhibition match held in his honour at Hatfield House Tennis Club between the then World champion Wayne Davies and Lachie Deuchar.

The game at Hatfield House, throughout the UK and across the world has lots to be grateful to Colin for. Most of all his love for the game, the friendships he made, his joviality, his interest in other people and his infectious laugh that everyone remembered. He will be sorely missed!

The T&RA is sad to announce that Colin Dean died on Friday 8th April. For many years, Colin was Chairman of the T&RA Tennis Committee before his retirement in 2010. He is a long serving member of Hatfield House where his presence will be greatly missed.

(1940-2022)

We are saddened to report the death of Francis Hamilton on 22nd April 2022

A talented all-rounder, both academically and with ball and racquet, he represented Winchester College at both squash and tennis. Despite winning the Hampshire junior squash championship, he decided while at Oxford that for him Real Tennis was a more interesting and more subtle game, and he took to it with enthusiasm. But after university his career in banking and consultancy took him to various Latin American countries where there were no courts, and thus he was for a while out of the game. By the late 1980s he was working in Washington DC for the International Finance Corporation. When he was with Haven Pell in Newport, they decided on a game only to find the court fully booked for a tournament. The only available court time was 6am. Nothing daunted, they climbed a chain link fence, retrieved the balls from the professional shop and played for an hour. Francis was immediately hooked again. He then joined a small group to raise money and build a court in Washington. After many setbacks, a court was opened in 1997 and although Francis was by then living in London, he and his wife, Catherine, returned to celebrate the opening. Francis retired to Melrose in the Scottish Borders, and his thoughts turned to building a court in Edinburgh. With James Ferguson and Angus Crichton-Miller, they had high hopes of building not one, but two courts at the Grange Sports Club. After years of planning, the members (mainly squash) voted against the proposal by just one vote. In 2004, when demolition threatened the Sun Court in Troon, Francis was instrumental in galvanising the Real Tennis community into writing letters of protest. The South Ayrshire Council received over 250 such letters, which together with other objections resulted in permission to demolish being denied. Francis was a most unselfish, gentle man who had time for everyone. Our heartfelt condolences are with Catherine and their children, Antonia, Olivia and Thomas. Francis Hamilton (left), with Temple Grassi

Chris Ennis

(1953-2022)

Chris Ennis was born in 1953 and started his career as a junior at Manchester. After the retirement of George Cooke in 1971, he was appointed assistant professional to Frank Willis. In May 1972, he & Frank won the Open Doubles, beating Charles Swallow & Norwood Cripps 6/4 6/2 5/6 6/0; and in June that year, he went on to win the Browning Cup for young professionals at Seacourt, defeating David Johnson, then of Lord’s, in the final 6/2 6/5 6/3. In 1973 and 1974, he & Frank again reached the final of the Open Doubles, but lost on each occasion to Swallow & Cripps. After Kevin Sheldon left Leamington to pursue a career in banking in 1974, Chris Ennis was appointed as Club professional; and in late 1974, he accompanied a team of Club members on a tour of the United States. In January 1975, he won the United States Professional Championship in Philadelphia, beating Jimmy Dunne in the semi-final 8/2 8/3 and Tom Greevy of Tuxedo in the final, 6/4 6/4 6/2. His finest achievement, however, was in 1975, when he won the Invitation Singles for the Field Trophy, defeating Norwood Cripps in the final 2/6 6/3 5/6 6/5 6/5, after seeing off Derek Barrett, Barry Toates & Howard Angus in previous rounds.

But after his triumph in the Field Trophy he fell out with the Committee of the Leamington Tennis Court Club and resigned his position as their professional. His last appearance in a major competition was in May 1976, when he played once again in the Open Doubles, this time with Mick Dean as his partner. But after what was described as “a splendid and exhilarating encounter with the fiery Ennis trying to outwit his former master” the pair lost in the final to Frank Willis and David Cull 6/1, 6/5, 4/6, 6/4. Thereafter, apart from one or two brief forays on to the Tennis court, he effectively abandoned the game. He was a powerful stroke-maker and a fierce competitor; and at that time was seen as a potential World Champion. It is ironic that his last bow was on the very court where he started his career.

Geoffrey Heap

(2021)

The Manchester Tennis & Racquet Club was his favourite. He had a mesmerising serve and opponents were never quite sure out of which rotation of the racquet the ball would ultimately emerge. He represented the club and visited other clubs around the country. He also travelled to play around the world, on one occasion, while visiting Sydney Tennis Club, breaking his nose at Sydney Airport while walking through a glass door. He was the only member of the party with hold luggage and his friends made the error of leaving him unattended. His greatest pleasure was, however, a late morning doubles at the club, followed by a convivial lunch and was always the highlight of his week. His regular partners have told me how much they miss his company. (June 2022)

Freddie was born in what was Tanganyika, went to Taunton School and read Law at Oxford University where he met his wife Elizabeth. His first sport was hockey at which he proved an accomplished centre-half for the Mid-Surrey club and then St George’s in Newcastle.

He enjoyed a long career as a Civil Law barrister and in later years used his experience to become an Asylum Judge in London. In the early 1980s he was invited by a friend to take up Real Tennis at Jesmond Dene. After some cajoling (he was perhaps daunted initially by the thought of learning a new game) he took to it enthusiastically. Within a few years he became a familiar figure at tournaments not just in Britain but also in France and Australia.

He was honoured to become Chairman of Jesmond Dene in the 1990s and, as a popular and respected leader, he steered the club through its negotiations for the taking over of the lease of the court building.

Our condolences go to Elizabeth, Rupert and Sarah. He will be missed by them and his many friends.

Pictured is Freddie on the right, James Wilson on the left and Freddie’s wife Elizabeth centre. Elizabeth is presenting them with a H’cap doubles trophy in 1997.

(June 2022) It is with deep regret that the T&RA announce the peaceful passing of legendary Haileybury Rackets professional, Peter Ellis, on Tuesday 14th June, aged 89.

Peter came to Rackets via cricket, where he had played for Middlesex. His 32 years at Haileybury, 1964 to 1996, were full of adventure.

Our thoughts are with his widow, Lillian, son, Richard and grandson, Jack. time as the Haileybury Professional. From his first finalist in 1967 to the end of a purple patch that ended in 1983, apart from the 1968 and 1981 season, Peter produced finalists in the singles or doubles at Queen’s every year. Their purple patch was between 1974 and 1983 where Peter and his boys reached 12 finals and won all 12! You might want to read the last sentence again as it is quite remarkable! An unbelievable statistic which shows just how well those boys were prepared and coached to win for Peter and the school. After the purple patch, Haileybury went through a barren spell, and though they appeared in six finals in the following eight years, they lost all six! However, Peter had not quite finished yet, as during his last five years as the Professional, Haileybury reached another nine finals – winning three more cups! This completed a truly wonderful and outstanding record as a coach.

Chris Cowdrey presents "the Pavilion" to Peter Ellis In life you often hear people saying that a certain person is a legend, often with good reason but the reality is actually not always quite so true. In Peter Ellis’s case, legend is not a big enough word to describe him. He really was the most extraordinarily amazing character that I, or people in the Rackets and cricket world, have had the pleasure to spend time with. Peter arrived at Haileybury in 1964 having spent three years as Head Professional at Oxford University, and his talents as a coach were soon obvious. Haileybury were represented in finals at Queen’s nearly every year in his

I have used the term purple patch numerous times in this tribute to Peter, and though there is probably a better phrase to use, I like it! In the middle of Peter’s reign as coach, Richard, Peter’s son, was his finest player, though Robert Wakely may disagree! Richard won three cups including an incredible three Foster Cups and the super coach/father was rightly as proud as punch. We, the Professionals, are all indebted to Peter for his service to the world of Rackets. He was more than a legend and Peter will be greatly missed by everyone who spent time listening to his hilarious stories, either in the bar at Queen’s, in his office at Haileybury or anywhere else. He will affectionately live long in the memory of us all. Tribute by David Makey, RPA Chairman

Pete Bostwick

(July 2022) Pete dedicated himself to sports throughout his life and built a long and impressive list of accomplishments over six decades, in six different sports. Pete’s achievements came in four racquet sports (Court Tennis, Rackets, tennis, and squash), together with golf and ice hockey.

George H. "Pete" Bostwick Jr. died at home on July 7, 2022 at the age of 87. Born on 22 August 1934, in New York City, Pete was the oldest of three children born to George H. Bostwick and Laura Elizabeth Curtis. He grew up in Old Westbury, New York and Aiken, South Carolina and graduated from St. Paul's School in Concord, New Hampshire in 1953 and Middlebury College in 1958. In 1955 he married Lilias Juanita Knott, and after college they settled in Locust Valley, New York, where they raised their four children. Pete joined H.N. Whitney, Goadby & Co. in 1959 as a stockbroker, becoming general partner in 1966, and spent 35 years with the firm. Pete dedicated himself to sports throughout his life and built a long and impressive list of accomplishments over six decades, in six different sports. Both parents were elite athletes. His father was a champion steeplechase rider, horse trainer, and polo player. His mother was an excellent rider and a low handicap golfer who played in one U.S. Women's Amateur. Great-aunts, Harriot and Margaret Curtis founded the Curtis Cup, the biennial women's amateur golf match between a team from Great Britain & Ireland and the U.S., as well as winning four national golf championships.

Pete's achievements came in four racquet sports (Court Tennis, Rackets, tennis, and squash), together with golf and ice hockey. He is the only man to win national singles championships in Court Tennis, Rackets, and squash. In Court Tennis, he won two World's Open Championship titles; in singles and doubles he won 16 national titles, and at the age of 53, after double hip replacements, 16 Senior national titles and one father/ son national championship. In Rackets, he won two U.S. Open titles, four Gold Racquets Championships, and the Canadian Centennial Invitational. In squash he won national championships in three age groups. In tennis, he won the New England Interscholastic Championship; played in the U.S. National Championships in 1952; won the Eastern Grass Court father/son championship in the late 1970s; and in his later years achieved multiple top-five national rankings playing doubles with family members. In golf, Pete won the New England Intercollegiate Championship; played in the 1959 U.S. Open at Winged Foot Golf Club; won six regional amateur tournaments; reached the semi-finals of the French Amateur and the fifth round of the British Amateur; and teamed with his brother Jimmy to win three titles. Finally, in ice hockey, Pete trialled for the 1960 U.S. Olympic hockey team, and from 1958-1983 captained the St. Nicholas Hockey Club.

American Sportsman... “Long Island's Pete Bostwick - may be the greatest athlete you've never heard of”. While Pete's passion for sports held no bounds, he will be remembered as a true gentleman with impeccable sportsmanship who was modest, engaging, with utmost respect for his competitors, and a perfect role model. He competed with persistent precision, perseverance, and a positive spirit, gracious in either victory or defeat. Pete had an eerie ability to recall matches, scores, and even individual shots and points from 50 years ago, and had a limitless supply of sports anecdotes.

Pete's love for his wife and family is his greatest legacy. A devoted husband and father, he was adored by his grandchildren, for whom he always had time. He had integrity, was kind, and valued the simple things in life. Straightforward, with an outgoing, warm, and engaging disposition, Pete had a great sense of humour, was a loyal friend, maintained a positive spirit, and loved life. Pete was predeceased by his wife of 66 years, and his sister, Laura Bostwick. He is survived by his four children, Peter Bostwick III, Catherine Wilson, Lilias Noesen, and Janet Bostwick, and his 11 grandchildren. Pete is survived by his brother, James F.C. Bostwick, and his half-siblings, Sissy Bostwick Armstrong, Charlie Bostwick, and Ricky Bostwick.

Four World Champions - Wayne Davies, James F.C. Bostwick, George H. Bostwick, Jr. & Northrup R. Knox

We regret to announce the death of the following members since the last Annual Report

Anthony Bacon Fiona Brown Martin Cooper Peter Probyn Chris Sampson