Digital T&RA Annual Report 2021/22 by Chris Davies

Annual Report 2021/22

10.benefits.TheT&RA

Please contact executive@tennisandrackets.com for further details of how to provide a tax-free gift to the T&RA.

Everything you need to know about leaving a in your Will to the Tennis & Rackets Association MAKE A DIFFERENCE FOR YEARS TO COME

6. The worldwide Tennis handicap system and Rackets ranking system and its features continues to be developed and funded by the T&RA.

8.media.The defibrillators now found in most clubs were part funded by the 9.T&RA.Clubs can take advantage of lower premiums for Public Liability insurance through the T&RA. Members have this cover as part of their takes a proactive approach to ensuring the equipment (racquets and balls) are available for all to use, and investing in new approaches to secure the future of the games.

5. The T&RA organises tournaments for all levels of player abilityincluding the British Open, the Pol Roger, Field and Brodie Cups plus category tournaments for all bands of ability, as well as Amateur Championships and the Invitation Singles.

3. The T&RA is committed to developing the champions of the future by supporting coaching programmes such as the Academy, Development Squads and Juniors, run by the Dedanists’ Society.

gift

1. Grants are available for club development, including new courts, restoring courts and improvements such as new lights, as well as essential 2.repairs.TheT&RA is investing in attracting, recruiting, training and retaining the professionals of both Tennis and Rackets by bringing apprentices or other young professionals into the games.

4. The T&RA supports the investment in the grass roots of the games, from encouraging new Tennis players in conjunction with the Dedanists’ Foundation and retaining school leavers who have played either one or both of the games.

7. The T&RA maintains an informative and vibrant website for both Real Tennis and Rackets at www.tennisandrackets.com. Members are kept informed via the Annual Report, regular newsletters, email and social

The Chief Executive’s Report 5

Obituaries 122

Tennis & Rackets Association Board, Consultants & Committees 2

Real Tennis Match Reports 28

The Bathurst Cup 58

Tennis & Rackets Courts around The World 10 Tennis Courts UK 12

Rackets Courts UK 16

Review by the Chairman of the Rackets Committee 87

Brownsupport:AdvisoryPolRogerSituTimEdwardsPhotographyHowardAngusGraysInternational

Van Allen/George Limb/Clothier Tour 50

Real Tennis Match Results 60

The World Masters 45

Review by the Chairman of the Tennis Committee 19

Junior Real Tennis 26

Rackets Match Reports 90

Contents

Tennis International Associations 15

The British Real Tennis Academy Report 24

T&RA Real Tennis Awards 65

We are grateful to the photographersfollowing for their kind permission to use their photographs:

AGM 134 Membership Subscription Rates from 1st July 2022 Annual Report 2022/23 Annual Report 2021/22

The Treasurer’s Report 6

The Chairman’s Statement 4

Real Tennis World Rankings 52 International Real Tennis Reports 54

Rackets World Rankings 86

Corporate Members, Schools, Alumni and Others 18

Tim Edwards, Tory Wall, Jean Deschamps, Matt thanks the following advertisers for their

Individual/Full Membership Rates* at date of joining UK(£) 70 and over £38.00 28 - 69 £68.00 21 - 27 £40.00 Under 21 or Full Time Student under 28 £16.00 Associate Membership Subcription Rates All ages £30.00 Affiliate subscriptions Clubs/Schools/Universities with their own courts £165.00 Nomadic/Evening clubs (without any court facilities) £82.50 *Qualifying age is taken at 1st July each year

Front cover image : John Lumley, British Open Winner 2021.

The FLM IRTPA National League 49

Benefactor Scheme & List of Benefactors 7

Real Tennis Club Reports 66

The Prenn Hue Williams Court 88

TheBrownT&RA

Court Development 8

The Ladies Real Tennis Association 20

Rackets Match Results 104

The Dedanists’ Foundation Report 22

Rackets Club Reports 110

Elected Members M K M FARMILOE A C B GIDDINS C J FOREMAN V J HARVEY

THEChairmanBOARD F C SATOW

HRH The Earl of Wessex KG GCVO ADC President D M NORMAN Vice Presidents

Chief Executive and Secretary C S DAVIES

Chairman of the Rackets Committee R D SUTTON

T&RA website: www.tennisandrackets.com

2021/22

Chairman of the Tennis Committee C VIGRASS

Financial Controller: e: accountant@tennisandrackets.com

Events and general enquiries: (020) 7835 6937 e: office@tennisandrackets.com

Patron

Facebook: www.facebook.com/tennisandrackets Twitter: @TRA_Ltd Instagram: @tennisandrackets YouTube: T&RA Media

e: fredericksatow7@gmail.com

2 Annual Report 202

Treasurer A C POWER e: acpoweruk@gmail.com

C J HUE WILLIAMS A C LOVELL Brigadier A D MYRTLE CB CBE

Vice President’s Representative W J MALTBY

(W) (020) 7835 6960 (M) 07533 418869 e: executive@tennisandrackets.com

Chairman of the Ladies’ Real Tennis Association K J LEPPARD

Communications and Membership: (020) 7835 6957 e: communications@tennisandrackets.com

J A N PRENN Sir JOHN RITBLAT C J SWALLOW

The Tennis & Rackets Association, c/o The Queen’s Club, Palliser Road, London W14 9EQ

P G C MALLINSON A N W BEESON W J MALTBY

Elected Club Representatives J WHITING V HARVEY N HAMILTON

J A BLACKBURN

Chairman: C VIGRASS

S LOUP N C T STAMP

Director of Tournaments

The Queen’s Club

Director of Court Development: S TALBOT-WILLIAMS

Child Protection Officer: Volunteer wanted Director of Junior Tennis: P C WEAVER St. James House, Stamford Avenue, Hayling Island, Hants PO11 0BJ (H) (023) 9246 6130 (M) 07740 913841 e: pweaver@btopenworld.com

THE RACKETS COMMITTEE

P J SUTTON Development

B C BOMFORD

Elected Members

S FLYNN

(M) 07774 267 335 e: chrisvigrass@gmail.com

M A BAILEY

CONSULTANTS

Fixtures Secretary

T H BILLINGS

Fixture Secretary

Secretary & Director Young Professionals’ Programme C S DAVIES

Annual Report 2021/22

Chairman of the Investment Committee: The HON J H M BRUCE

C M OLIPHANT-CALLUM Chairman of the Rackets Professionals’ Association D J MAKEY

Technical Adviser: H R ANGUS National Designated Officer: Mrs H M CROSSLEY

International Real Tennis Professionals’ Association Representative J SMITH

THE TENNIS COMMITTEE

C LINTOTT S ROUNDELL

Representative Members

Rackets Professionals’ Association Representative M J CROSBY

E R B HYDE UK Clubs

Hon Solicitors: R PETTIT and J REDDING

L D SYMONDS Schools’ Alumni

Annual Report Co-Editors: C S DAVIES / Ms V WALL BA(Hons) MA(Arts)

Chairman: R D SUTTON (M) 07738 090713 e: rorysutton@gmail.com

Under 25s

Public Schools’ Masters-in-Charge of Rackets

Chairman of The Ladies’ Real Tennis Association K J LEPPARD Chairman of Handicap and Ranking Sub-Commitee O SAUNDERS

Director of Tournaments

R G PATERSON

Ladies I DEAKIN

Secretary & Director Young Professionals’ Programme C S DAVIES

Elected Members

Director of the Young Professionals’ Programme: C S DAVIES

Doctor Victoria Harvey, the chair of the Cambridge Real Tennis Club has recently joined the Board, following the departure of David Watson in November. We are very grateful to David, who served for nine years on the board and was instrumental in developing Tennis IiP, which has already started to produce apprentice Tennis professionals for the future.

The Board and Games Committees have continued to meet regularly. We are always looking for volunteers for these posts who need not be based in the South East. Please contact me or Chris Davies if you are interested. The office has weathered the storm of Covid and has been busy organising various tournaments and events. We were very sorry at the passing of Andrina Webb, whom many members and benefactors will know. We are hoping to return the team in Centenary House to full strength shortly. Membership numbers have slipped back a bit because of Covid but we are hopeful that this will recover as play returns to pre-covid levels. We are grateful to members, clubs, their boards and schools for their continued support of these games we love.

courts in the USA and Australia are coming closer to realisation and Harrow has a newly refurbished Rackets court. In France a new court has opened recently and more are planned. After the recent surge of new Tennis courts in the UK over the past ten years or so, it would be good to see another new Tennis court here, which could happen at Hewell Grange.

Annual Report 2021/22

Under the leadership of Rory Sutton, chairman of the Rackets committee, we are hopeful that the coming season will see at least two apprentices in training at schools. This is the third major priority for the T&RA under my chairmanship.

The NewFutureTennis

Fred Satow, Chairman

Court preservation and development remains a top priority of the T&RA. There are prospects of new Tennis courts in the UK.

Participation

In the meantime, we must secure the future of Tennis and Rackets by recruiting, training and retaining new Tennis and Rackets professionals, upon whom our games depend. We have made good progress in Tennis but much remains to be done in Rackets.

With the effect of Covid abating, it has been pleasing to enjoy a full season of Tennis and Rackets with nearly all competitions being held and clubs and courts returning to nearly pre–covid levels of activity. However, the effect of Covid followed by the cost-of-living crisis continues to be felt with most courts and clubs losing some members who will take time to replace.

ur annual report seeks to comment on and commemorate key events and achievements in the past year. I also set out below the three key areas on which the T&RA will focus whilst I am chairman.

The Board and the office

Professionals

Facilities

year the T&RA has taken the first steps in developing a similar programme for Rackets apprentice professionals.

The Tennis Investing in Professionals programme to recruit and train new professionals and help existing professionals to improve their skills remains a major focus of the T&RA and me as chairman. The first apprentice, Jack Josephs has completed his one-year course and joined the Royal Tennis Court as a junior professional; and other apprentices continue at various clubs. In addition, a second phase of apprentices are in training. The issues of recruitment and training of new professionals are equally if not of greater importance in Rackets. This

The major event of the season was the decision of Middlesex University to give Middlesex University Real Tennis Club four years notice of their intention to close the court and re-purpose the space. It is very disappointing to lose such a well-built court created by the generosity of Peter Luck–Hille and many others. However, much can happen in four years and we are working to make the best of a disappointing situation. However, there are prospects of new Tennis courts at Hewell Grange and elsewhere in the UK, which our indefatigable Director of Court Development Simon TalbotWilliams is progressing. It was pleasing to see the second Harrow Rackets court restored to its full potential thanks to Charles Hue-Williams, John Prenn, the Harrow School Foundation and many others. Eton too have decided to proceed with the improvement of their Rackets court galleries. Further afield new Tennis courts have been built in Bordeaux and Washington DC and Tennis courts in Charleston and Sand Valley, USA and Sydney, Australia are getting closer to realisation. Court preservation and development remains one of my three top priorities for the T&RA.

Last year saw the T&RA’s rebranding process, with a fresher, more dynamic, new look. This year we proceed to the next step with a Marketing Strategy aiming to find a sponsor for Real Tennis, to work alongside us to enhance the future of the games. We already have terrific sponsors for Rackets in Brown Advisory, with who we share a first-class partnership. Our links with Pol Roger are as strong as ever, and it is not only the world champions who enjoy Pol as their drink of choice. I should also thank Situ for their support for the Ladies Rackets World Challenge, even more remarkable to see the brilliant Cesca win through to the final Asidestages.from

The next question is whether the same can be emulated for Rackets professionals, equally as vital to the future of the sport. There has been much discussion and Fred Satow, the new T&RA Chairman, has taken a close interest in this development. As for Tennis, the T&RA has pledged support to facilitate the training and a number of options are being explored including taking on undergraduates on coaching courses at university, while continuing with training pipelines such as at Eton, Harrow and Wellington

the very many volunteers connected with the above programmes, there are a handful who should be singled out. The much-travelled Howard Angus must have worn out a set of tyres as he travelled relentlessly around the country as the T&RA Technical Adviser. Similarly, Simon TalbotWilliams took over the role of Court Development Director, now reaping the rewards of Richard Dalzell’s early work, and making genuine progress. Paul Weaver has been the face of Junior Tennis for longer than most of us remember, and what a brilliant job he does and will shortly be hosting the Junior World Championships at Seacourt (a tournament he created and designed). Jamie Bruce sits as chair of the Finance Committee and works with our investment managers to safeguard the investments, enabling the T&RA to provide valuable grants. Ben Geytenbeek has emerged as a streaming expert and already offered advice to many UK clubs; he has also written a first class guide available on the T&RA website. There are so many more of you running events or working as officers in your clubs, for which the games are very grateful.

Annual Report 2021/22

Chris Davies, Chief Executive and Secretary

We build our future on history, but let’s make it vibrant and exciting.

Richard Owen travelled to New York to claim the Rackets World Doubles title after a mercurial performance at Queen’s. As new world champions, they were near unplayable in the British Open, while Tom was rarely troubled in the Open Singles. Ben Cawston also completed another stellar season and will challenge for the World Singles crown in November. For the Ladies, Lea Van der Zwalmen was back successfully defending her Singles title (and challenging Claire in Tennis). But the chasing ladies are making real progress as their game goes from strength to strength, with a first British Open title for Georgie Willis too.

As we approach next season, fresh challenges lie ahead. But we move forward without one vital member of the team, Andrina Webb, who sadly passed away in March. She had been membership secretary for over eight years and touched the lives of most of us. Her memory burns brightly and she will not be forgotten. My personal thanks to Jemima Murray-Poore, who continues to excel in all she undertakes, to the everreliable Olga Nechaeva, keeping our accounts on track and a warm welcome to Kambra Clifford as the new Communcations Coordinator and Membership Secretary. Finally, my co-editor, Tory Wall, who, in two words, is simply brilliant. A small team, but absolutely perfectly formed. We build our future on history, but let’s make it vibrant and exciting

hat a difference a year makes? Real Tennis and Rackets are very much back for a post-covid resurgence. Rackets thrived at virtually every school, showcased by the National Schools Championships at Queen’s running at capacity. The recovery in Real Tennis has been slower, perhaps because more players were unable to play regularly for around 18 months, but most clubs are starting to see their court bookings increase. Also, a full season’s competition for both sports, professional and amateur alike. International travel facilitated the RT Masters being played in France for the first time, and what a show the organisers put on, with an incredible performance by the British players. The Under 26 Team has just returned from Down Under with the Van Alen and Limb trophies, triumphant against their US and Australian opponents. Fabulous year for John Lumley, winning the British Open for the first time, amongst other wonderful achievements overseas, while the brilliant Claire Fahey successfully defended her Open and World titles, not for the first time. Husband Rob, finally defends his world title in

TomSeptember.Billingsand

It has been business as usual for the Board and Games Committees, as many key projects either continued to develop or evolved to new levels. In particular, the Investing in Professionals (IiP) programme has seen its first apprentice (Jack Josephs) securing a job at Hampton Court , three other apprentices in training, and one more starting at Petworth as the first of Tranche 2. There are still some improvements to make in the programme; key will be to secure roles for the future graduates. David Watson, having stepped down as T&RA Chairman, has taken the leading role to drive the programme forward. Rather less publicised is the fact that 16 of the current professionals have been accredited by our partners, Sport Structures, with more not far away.

Regular expenditure; this covers principally subscriptions less the cost of supporting members, including the hard-working office staff, marketing, IT & communications. Regular activities ran a deficit of 35.2k. Subscriptions income was flat as a decline in membership numbers were offset by an increase in subscription rates. Staff numbers were maintained at similar levels to 2021, but costs rose as furlough payments were no longer being received following the end of that programme.

- Tournaments; net tournament costs exceeded sponsorship and donations by £23.3k prior to allocation of staff costs to support the organising of tournaments. This deficit was slightly more than the previous year’s deficit of £2.3k, as tournaments restarted after the covid hiatus. We continue to seek a sponsor for Tennis in order to address this deficit

The T&RA received a generous donation of £40k from the Real Champions Club to help fund the cost of IiP. In addition, to these investments in the development of professionals, the T&RA provided grants of £22k for court improvements and £12.6k encouraging member -participation.Investments: Interest and dividends were £59k slightly ahead of the previous year. After dividends were reduced by companies early in Covid, these have largely now been restored and in many cases increased. We experienced a loss of £200k in realised/unrealised gains on our investment portfolio, these were all unrealised losses. Over the past year the MSCI World Index is down 9.4%, with the declines occurring in the first half of calendar 2022 - Our objective is to breakeven on Regular activities and Tournaments over time. In contrast, Development costs are expected to be funded by the returns on our investment portfolio - interest, dividends and capital gains and donations. This will not be true every year as development expenditure, particularly on courts is irregular in nature, and investment returns vary depending on stock market conditions

- Development: This covers court & facilities, building and refurbishment, the recruitment and training of professionals and encouraging participation in the two games. As noted above, 2021/22 saw significant investment in professional development and training. The Tennis IiP programme investment was £82.2k, and £9.2k was spent supporting Rackets professionals.

As at year end 2021/22 , the T&RA had £2.6 million in assets – £1.8 million in unrestricted funds, £0.5 million in restricted funds and £0.3 million in endowment funds. As a reminder, the unrestricted funds are held to ensure adequate income and capital generation and to provide a firm foundation for future grants; there are seven restricted funds, these funds having been donated for specific purposes e.g., for the training and development of professional coaches, while we can only use the income from the endowment fund for development of the games. Total assets on the balance sheet have fallen from £2.8 million from the previous year reflecting falls in financial markets in the first half of calendar year 2022.

We manage the finances in three areas - Regular Expenditure, Tournaments and Development. With Development expected to be funded by investments and donations.

This

Turning to the outlook for 2021/22. We would expect regular expenditures to become more in line with income as we benefit from a recovery in membership fees following the annual rise in subscriptions rates and a recovery in membership, while we look to maintain staff levels close to current levels. We will continue to spend on upgrading RTO, which has been slightly delayed due to resourcing challenges. We will invest heavily in professional development, with the continuation of IiP and plans to initiate a similar programme for Rackets professionals. The level of grants for courts will depend to the extent current discussions on new courts at Hewell Grange and other locations coming to fruition. Finally, we expect interest and dividends to be slightly higher than the current year, as interest rates rise. Capital gains clearly depend on the performance of financial markets and we have strong confidence in our investment managers to ably manage volatility in these markets.

Andrew Power, Treasurer

In terms of the T&RA profit and loss statement for the year 2021/22, we posted a small loss of £17.6k compared to a profit of £76.4k the previous year. This primarily was due to a significant increase in the size of grants authorised, principally for professionals. Grants totalled £124.3k compared to £34.7k the previous year, a difference of £89.6k.

2021/22 has been an important year in investing behind our strategic priority of developing our cadre of professionals.

Annual Report 2021/22

last seaon, 2021/22 , has been an important year in investing behind our strategic priority of developing our cadre of professionals. The Investing in Professionals (IiP) programme has been in incubation for three years, but only partial roll-out could occur in previous years due to covid. In the current financial year, IiP was fully rolled out for Tennis.

It is critical that we enable the next generation of professionals by attracting and recruiting new players into our games, which, in turn, will inspire both young and old to realise their potential and achieve their dreams. Both games are suffering from an ageing professional profile and a serious shortage of young professionals which, if not addressed urgently, will leave many Clubs and Schools without a suitably equipped professional team able to teach to a high level and to support the courts’ economic operations. Once the youngsters are committed, we want to retain them and train them to support their clubs better. With your support, the T&RA is the major stakeholder in the Investing in Professionals programme for Real Tennis and aims to develop something similar for Rackets, so that future players can be as fortunate as many of us have been to be taught and inspired by great coaches.

Now in its eighth year and your support is needed more than ever. Over 90 members are now signed up as Benefactors, a terrific effort, but it would be even better to sign up the 100th. It is only through enthusiastic and generous donors who, like us, are passionate about the games of Tennis and Rackets that we can protect and develop the games for a vibrant future.

Aside from the regular benefits of being a T&RA member, together with recognition in the Annual Report and online, Benefactors also receive an invitation to an annual drinks party, where the Chairman provides an update on recent projects and developments. In addition, you will receive the Benefactor’s tie, or brooch for the ladies, on joining. Becoming a Benefactor is a perfect way to contribute to the future prosperity of our games that have given us so much pleasure over the years. Become a Benefactor and support this initiative.

T&RA Benefactors Mike RichardCharlesJamesTimPaulGeorgeJamieNicholasMichaelConDavidJohnathanAndrewCliveRobinTaytRobertZandyAllawayAntonApplebyBaldwinBarlowBarnesBeesonBlissBrazierBridgemanBrooksBrowneBruceCalvocoressiCattermullCockroftCoyneD’OylyDalzell Nick Danby Jean De Pourtales Graham Defries Dominic Delaforce Justin ChristopherAlexMaggieBrendanSirChristopherDavidAlanTonyDavidCharlieDowleyForemanFortuneFriendGiddinsGodfrayGreenAndrewHamiltonHegartyHenderson-TewHoareHopton Lord Anthony Hothfield Michael Hough Michael Howard Mark Hue Williams Charles Hue Williams Nigel Hurst Brown Quintin Ings-Chambers Adam Inselbuch John Kemp-Welch Mark WilliamPeterRichardPeterAlanMichaelLandauLingensLovellLuck-HilleMacAlisterMallinsonMaltby Simon Mansfield Christie Marrian Patrick Maxwell Tim JamesAlastairMaxwellMaxwellMcDermott John McVittie Ben Mekie Tim StephenDavidMilliganMillsMorant Sir Geoffrey Mulcahy Paul MarkGarethJohnTimRogerRichardDeaneGilesRonaldAdrianColmDavidNichollsNormanO’SheaPatersonPatersonPembertonPennickPettitPilgrimPilkingtonPrennQuarryRayner Sir John Ritblat Lesley Ronaldson Fred CarlChristopherJohnDougSatowSheperdigianShneersonSnellSnitcher Lord John Suffield Charles Swallow Chris GordonWillieFormanJohnJillDavidDavidChrisJamieSwanTurnerVigrassWatkinsWatsonWhitehouseWhitingWickesWilksWoodman

Our long-term promise is to protect and grow the games we love... becoming a Benefactor helps you to give more demonstratively and enable the future.

The T&RA finances are in a reasonable state following the pandemic, despite providing support to those in need. We have managed to cover routine expenditure from our annual subscription revenue, which goes towards subsidising play, especially schools and juniors. But the Association faces a real risk that it will not have the resources to meet the large and irregular requests it receives to provide more enduring support to our games. These generally fall into two main areas:

Need for Money

Recruitment and improvement of training Developmentprofessionals.ofnewcourts; and

Benefactor Benefits

T&RA Benefactor Scheme

Restoration of existing courts

Equally, the generosity of historic donors and Benefactors has allowed the Association to make significant contributions to both the new courts at Wellington and Tonbridge; capital support for projects such as the Hyde; and repair/improvement projects (including Moreton Morrell’s splendid new floor and the new roof at Jesmond Dene) that have greatly enhanced the playing opportunities and experience for our members in many different parts of the country. We have been able to support new, environmentallyfriendly LED lighting projects across much of the UK. These challenges and opportunities will keep coming…

If you are willing to become a Benefactor and contribute a minimum of £300 per annum (including your annual subscription), contact the Membership Secretary, at the T&RA’s office at Queen’s. Many thanks again for your kind and generous support.

Annual Report 2021/22

WEBSITE

However, morale at the Club is high, courts remain fully booked and the officers of a new Club entity have formed a very effective Relocation Committee. We are working with

T&RA is committed to offering grants towards the cost of new courts of at least 10% of the total development cost – and hopefully for a court in a priority County this may be increased to 15%. The financial model included, see T&RA’s website, anticipates a good level of individual donations from supporters as well as Sport England, with the institution’s own contribution being primarily the land.

3. Linked with the introduction of Padel tennis

INTRODUCTION

POTENTIAL NEW TENNIS COURTS

MIDDLESEX UNIVERSITY REAL TENNIS CLUB

2. Integrated within other racquet sport centres

1. Located within educational establishments

A key stumbling block in some cases is the identification of a suitable Project Champion who has the necessary time, enthusiasm, drive and local connections to move the opportunity forward. If you would like to get involved or have any suggestions, please contact me (see below).

Whilst no new Tennis courts are under construction, we have identified realistic possibilities in nearly all of the target counties specified in the 2019 strategic review. Discussions are ongoing with the relevant institutions and in two cases negotiations are well advanced, one of these instigated by a school.

We obviously keep our eyes open for opportunities at all the out-of-use courts around the UK. Those at Coombe Abbey in Warwickshire and Crabbet Park in West Sussex are currently in commercial use whilst the Georgian court in Bath remains a museum. Easton Neston in Northants and Fairlawne in Kent are in private ownership. Troon is also firmly on our radar as it remains in the curtilage of a Nursing Home placed in “special measures” for part of the last two years.

T&RA’s website provides a host of information on Tennis court development, including a statement on the strategy, court plans, alternative models and case studies of all the recently developed courts in the UK. It also covers the Key Requirements for Successful Developments as well as the Unique Selling Points for the game. Do take a www.tennisandrackets.com/real-tennis/court-developmentlook:

Annual Report 2021/22

OUT-OF-USE TENNIS COURTS

Although continuance of the Tennis use was secured in 2010/11, from the university’s point of view, having consolidated activities at the Hendon campus, the notice to quit was the rational outcome of a review of their future space and use requirements.

them to find a new location in the northwest of London and discussions are ongoing.

The viability of new development opportunities is enhanced where they are:

Middlesex University has served notice to terminate Tennis at the Millennium Court on the Hendon Campus. This takes effect on 14 February 2026. The tragedy is that, with the Lucke-Hille Foundation having spent around £1.5m (in 1999 money) on the most technology advanced court in the world, the university would only grant a 10-year lease.

Since taking on the Court Development brief in November, Richard Dalzell and I have continued with the Tennis strategy, endorsed by the T&RA Board in 2019, to proactively improve court coverage throughout the UK.

Court Development

For Rackets, we are alert to new possibilities, although the financial model is more challenging, with reliance on individual benefactors, as in the case of the re-modelled original court at Harrow School officially opened in April.

FINANCE

by Simon Talbot-Williams

Of particular interest is the court at HMP Hewell Grange in Worcestershire. Until recently a gym for inmates, the entire estate is now on the market for sale. We have been working very closely with the selling agents and most potential purchasers. The listed court is in excellent condition and restoration to its former use seems to be the only viable option. Hopefully, buyers of the estate will agree with our logic!

The cost of a standard new Tennis court, built as part of a larger sports complex and thus sharing changing facilities, club room and professionals’ office, is likely to be in the region of £1m.

A well-run club will produce a positive cash flow within 3 years which will enable the interest on any debt to be covered and repayments made by year 10.

Tennis UK

RESOURCES

Simon simon@talbotscott.co.ukTalbot-WilliamsAnnualReport 2021/22

The current strategy, endorsed by the T&RA Board, is to improve the coverage for Tennis throughout the UK and to fill in the gaps. To this end, analyses have been produced for each of the 48 counties of England as well as the major cities in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.

There is clearly much going on with at least 15 potential projects underway. All involve travel, meetings and much interaction. So, whilst I am grateful to our many individual enthusiasts, if we are to succeed in the promotion of new and re-use courts, to provide a comprehensive service to each of our various prospects will need more resource, hopefully of a voluntary nature, so please do get in touch with offers as Project Champion or more generally from those with expertise in property, planning and construction matters.

(T) +61 (3) 6231 1781

(T ) +33 (0) 16 42 24 767

President: Simon Berry

Fontainebleau Cercle de jeu de paume

Paris Societe Sportive du Jeu de Paume (T) +33 (1) 47 27 46 86

The Hobart Real Tennis Club

3 Trinquet Courts e: euskalrealtennis@gmail.com used for BordeauxTennis

1 Tennis Court Domaine de Rocquevielle

President: Cecile Alchuteguy Urrugne/Bayonne (T) +33 (0) 6 76 94 74 13

OVERSEAS TOURS AND LETTERS OF INTRODUCTION

United Kingdom Tennis and Rackets Clubs or individuals who wish to take touring teams to Australia, Canada, France or the USA are asked to inform the T&RA Chief Executive BEFORE they contact the relevant governing body or the overseas clubs. This avoids embarrassment should several groups be planning a visit at the same time. The Chief Executive will also provide letters of introduction for United Kingdom players travelling overseas.

1 Tennis Court 45 Davey Street e: pro@hobarttennis.com.au Hobart, Tasmania 7000

Montreal The Montreal Racket Club

Melbourne The Royal Melbourne Tennis Club (T) +61 (3) 9429 8744 (F) +61 (3) 9428 3280

1 Tennis Court de Fontainebleau, President: Thierry Bernard-Tambour Palais national, 77300, Fontainebleau Professional: Guillaume Dortu France (T) +33 (0) 67 13 35 226 e: info@paume-fontainebleau.com

President: Ivan Semenoff 74ter, Rue Lauriston, Professional: Rod McNaughtan 75116, Paris e: nfo@squashjeudepaume.com France www.squashjeudepaume.com

(T) +61 (3) 5333 5755

Jeu de Paume de Bordeaux

e: Headmike.mclernon@colliers.comProfessional:DanFishere: mrcproshop@gmail.com

The Ballarat Tennis Club

(T) +1 (514) 849 3697 www.montrealracketclub.org

1 Tennis Court et de Racquets

Contact: Denis Scotet or Isabelle Riou used for Tennis Allee Alfred de Musset (T) +33 (0) 7 69 91 05 74 / +33 (0) 6 34 26 32 05 64000 Pau France 19, Rue Bayard 64000 Pau e: jpn.secretaire@gmail.com

Professional: Nick Howell 107 avenue Marcel-Dassault (T) +33 (0) 7 49 37 90 71 33700 Merignac France e: pro@jeudepaumebordeaux.com (T) +33 (0) 9 73 17 74 41 www.jeudepaumebordeaux.fr

Hobart

1 Rackets Court 396 rue Concorde

FRANCEAUSTRALIA

The Royal Tennis Court

Professionals: Frank Filippelli (Head), Chris Chapman (Senior Pro), Jonathan Howell (Deputy Head), Kate Leeming (Part-time) John Woods-Casey (Pro) e: pros@rmtc.com.au

Professional: Brett McFarlane (Head) www.hobarttennis.com.au

La Bastide Clairence/ Euskal Real Tennis

President: Thierry Lievre-Cormier

CANADA

InternationalAnnual Report 2021/22

Romsey

2 Tennis Courts 18 Sherwood Street e: admin@rmtc.com.au Richmond, Victoria 3121

Pau Jeu de Paume de Navarre

1 Trinquet Court Parc Beaumont,

Director: David Cowburn

NARA Club Representative: Michael McLernon Montreal, Quebec H3A 1J2

1 Tennis Court 388 Larter Street, Ballarat, Victoria 3350 e: www.ballarattennisclub.com.auProfessional:pro@ballarattennisclub.com.auAndrewFowler(Head)President:RobertJolly(T)+61401856797

1 Tennis Court 160 Glenfera Road (T) +61 408 571 999 Romsey 3434, Victoria e: david@kilchurnwines.com.au

Ballarat10

1 Rackets Court Detroit, Michigan

Rackets Professional: Steve Toseland e: stevetoseland@drc1902.com

Boston The Tennis and Racquet Club (T) +1 (617) 536 4630 (F) +1 (617) 247 1978 www.tandr.org Massachusetts 939 Boylston Street

Manhasset The Greentree Court,

Chicago The Racquet Club of Chicago (T) +1 (312) 787 3200 (F) +1 (312) 787 3207

1 Tennis Court Chicago, Illinois

Professionals: James Stout (Head), Barney Tanfield (Head), Tony Hollins (Senior), Neil Smith, Adrian Kemp, Josh Dodgson (T) +1 (212) 753 9727 e : tennis@rtcny.org

Detroit The Detroit Racquet Club Manager: Glenn Rivers e: glenn.rivers@gmail.com Michigan 626 East Woodbridge (T) +1 (313) 568 0432 e: drc1902@yahoo.com

Assistant Professionals: Leon Smart, Marie Alexandre Leduc

e: Professionals:r.baker.thompson@gmail.comJohnCashman(Head), Steve Virgona, Conor Medlow

InternationalAnnual Report 2021/22

2 Rackets Courts 1365 North Dearborn Parkway e: pros@racquetclubchicago.org

NARA Club Representative: Baker Thompson

1 Rackets Court 10022

1 Tennis Court Newport, Rhode Island Head Professional: Mike Gooding e: NTCpros@tennisfame.com

1 Tennis Court Philadelphia, Pennsylvania NARA Club Representative: Jeff Yager e: jyager@salientpartners.com

1 Tennis Court, New York

The National Tennis Club

New York Racquet and Tennis Club (T) +1 (212) 753 9700 (F) +1 (212) 980 7180 New York 370 Park Avenue, USCTA Representatives: Zachary Sacks, Dan Laukitis, Rahul Vinnakota 2 Tennis Courts New York, New York e: laukitis@gmail.com

Lakewood Georgian Court University

NewportCourt

NARA Club Representative: Norb Madison e: nbmadison@sbcglobal.net 48226

Head Professional: Tim Chisholm e: tchisholm@thetuxedoclub.org

USCTA Representative: Johnathan Lewis 60610

www.tennisfame.com (T) +1 (401) 849 6672 Rhode Island 194 Bellevue Avenue, USCTA Representative: Brenda Sabbag

Philadelphia The Racquet Club of Philadelphia (T) +1 (215) 735 1525 (F) +1 (215) 735 4805

Washington DC Westwood Court Tennis (T) +1 (703) 938 5510 e: ctpros@westwoodcc.com Virginia 800 Maple Avenue E. Head Professional: Ivan Ronaldson

Tuxedo Park The Tuxedo Club (T) +1 (845) 351 4791 www.thetuxedoclub.org

1 Rackets Court 10987 Club Representative: Josh Scherer e: scherer.joshua@gmail.com

1 Rackets Court 19102 (T) +1 (212) 300 3442

(T) +1 (803) 648 2152 (after 5pm) South Carolina PO Box 84, 146 Newberry Street SW USCTA Representative: Milton Carothers

Aiken The Aiken Tennis Club

11 USA

NARA Club Representative: Jonathan Larken e: jlarken@hotmail.com

Pennsylvania 215 South 16th Street, USCTA Representative: Peter Vogt

New York Tuxedo Park, Tennis House (T) +1 (845) 351 7345 (F) +1 (845) 351 7309

Professionals: Robert Whitehouse (Head), John Lumley (Asst) (T) +1 (215) 772 1544 e: courts@rcop.com

1 Tennis Court Vienna, VA 22180 www.westwoodcc.com

1 Rackets Court 02115 NARA Club Representative: Lucas Walsh (T) +1 (617) 216 6148 e: walsh.lucas@gmail.com

USCTA Representatives: Xanthe Ranger e: xanthe.ranger@gmail.com

NARA Club Representative: Guy Devereux e: guy.devereux@yahoo.com

1 Tennis Court Aiken, South Carolina President: Michael Sullivan 29802 Professional: Trey Bogue e: aikentennisclub@gmail.com

USCTA Representative: Richard Moroscak, Jr New Jersey 990 Lakewood Avenue, Schuyler Wickes e: swickes@gcrealtennis.org (M) +1 (610) 212 43011 Tennis Court Lakewood, New Jersey Gary Barnes e: gbarnes@gcrealtennis.org Rackets Court* 08701 *Rackets Court out of use

1 Tennis

All enquiries to USCTA Representative: Peter Di Bonaventura, Long Island Manhasset, New York (private court) 212 Sport Hill Road, Easton, CT 06612 e: racintoday@aol.com

USCTA Representative: Arthur Drane

1 Tennis Court, Boston, Massachusetts (T) +1 (617) 291 7730 e: adrane@usps.gov

e: www.bristolrealtennisclub.comemail@bristolrealtennisclub.org.ukStuart Andrews (F) e: stujohnandrews@yahoo.com

IiP Level 2* professionals in BOLD Tennis UK TENNIS UK Annual Report 2021/22

12Court

Cambridge University Grange Road, Kees Ludekens (S) K Ludekens (Head Pro) Real Tennis Club Cambridge CB3 9DJ Christine Marrian (F) P Paterson (Assistant Pro) (2 Courts) (T) (01223) 357106

The Hyde Tennis Club Walditch, Bridport, Terry Hand

J Smith (Head Pro) Real Tennis Club Maidenhead, Berks SL6 2JR As for court (T) (01628) 673964

e: jamesbarlow20@hotmail.com www.hatfieldhouserealtennis.com Jackie Sherman (F) e: (M)jas4@talktalk.net07971680367

J S Dawes (Head Pro) Tennis Club Hatfield HouseO 11 Edmunds Walk , J Law (Assistant Pro) Hatfield, Herts AL9 5NF London N2 0HU (T) (01707) 273391 (M) 07922 249795

e: pros@hhtc.co.uk

e: hardwickfix@gmail.com

e: clubpro@hyderealtennis.co.uk

Bristol Real Tennis Club Clifton College Playing Fields, Mr P Moss (S)

e: curtc.fixtures@gmail.com A Phillips (self employed) www.curtc.net www.curtc.net J Ludekens (IiP Trainee)

B Taylor-Matthews (Head Pro) Abbots Leigh Road, (T) (0117) 971 1418 B Coleman Bristol BS8 3QD e: phjamoss@outlook.com (T) (0117) 973 3444

Hatfield House c/o Fore Street Lodge, J Barlow (S)

Holyport

J Ryan (Head Pro) BH21 3AD e: jrar@canford.com V Hamilton (Trainee) (T) (01202) 881232

e: alrosclark@gmail.com www.hyderealtennis.co.uk As for court

e: sarah@samcg.co.uk B Lambert (F) (H) (01491) 874299 (M) 07174 356485

J Brodie (Head Pro) Dorset DT6 4LB e: tfhand@aol.com S Grier (Club Manager) (T) (01308) 420777 Ros Clark (F)

10 Pound Meadow, Sherfield on Loddon, (Please post all mail to Hon Sec) Hook, Hampshire RG27 0EP (H) 01256 880381 (M) 07860 232146

Holyport Street, Holyport, J Smith (F)

Falkland Palace Royal Falkland Palace Tennis Court Ewan Lee (S ) Tennis Club Falkland, Fife KY15 7BU Lawview, Strathallan, www.falklandtennis.wordpress.com Forgandenny, Perthshire. PH2 9EG (M) 07514 672697

e: jrar@canford.com D Neill (S) www.canfordtennisclub.co.uk Master-in-Charge www.canford.com/open-to c/o Canford School -thepublic/real-tennis-and Canford Magna, Wimborne -squash Dorset BH21 3AD (T) (01202) 847505

e: www.hrtc.co.ukpros@hrtc.co.uk

Canford School Wimborne Minster, Dorset J Ryan (F)

e: curtcpros@gmail.com

Address and telephone number Hon Sec (S) Fixture Sec (F) Professional(s) (PT = part-time)

e: pros@hrtc.co.uk

e: dn@canford.com

Hardwick House Whitchurch, Reading, Sarah McGivern (S) Berks RG8 7RB

e: ewanslee@gmail.com

e: graememarks@yahoo.co.uk

MCC The Tennis Court, Graeme Marks (F) C Bray (Head Pro) Marylebone Cricket MCC, Lord’s Ground 4a Woronzow Road, London NW8 6QE C Swallow (Assistant Pro) Club St John’s Wood, (H&W) (020) 7722 1135 London NW8 8QN (020) 7586 1063 (M) 07768 611493 (T) (020) 7616 8685

e: manager@mtrc.co.uk (M) 07947 859954

e: pros@ortc.uk N Cherry (IiP Trainee) www.ortc.uk

13 Tennis UK

e: pro@mmtcc.org Warwickshire www.mmtcc.org (M) 07714 245396 e: tony.branfield@gmail.com

T Granville Tennis Court Club Warks CV35 9AL 40 Railway Crescent As for court (T) (01926) 651229 Shipston-on-Stour L Pettiford (Assistant Pro)

Middlesex University Middlesex University Real Tennis Club Real Tennis Court The Burroughs e: pros@murtc.co.uk W Burns (Head Pro) Hendon (T) (020) 8457 9568 J Taylor (Trainee) NW4 4BT J Harrington (F) (T) (020) 8457 9568 (M) 07734 054126

The Manchester Tennis 33 Blackfriars Road, Salford 3 Jamie Bebb (S)

L Williams (Head Pro) Tennis Court Club Leamington Spa, As for court C Aley (Assistant Pro) Warks CV32 5DT (T) (01926) 424977

e: ar.sanderson@btinternet.com As for court

Jesmond Dene Matthew Bank, Jesmond, Richard Sanderson (S)(F) M Eadle (Head Pro) Real Tennis Club Newcastle upon Tyne NE2 3RE (M) 07768 147080 S Harris (Admin)

As for court

R Fahey (Head Pro) Real Tennis Club The Oratory School, Woodcote, e: admin@ortc.uk C Fahey (Head of racquets, Reading, Berks RG8 0PJ Oratory School) (M) 07375 898995 L Gale

The Oratory

Moreton Morrell, Warwick, Tony Branfield (S)

Moreton Morrell

e: professional@mtrc.co.uk Carl Hamill (F) www.mtrc.co.uk e: hamill747@yahoo.co.uk

e: pros@murtc.co.uk e: harrington2btconnect.com www.murtc.co.uk

Court Address and telephone number Hon Sec (S) Fixture Sec (F) Professional(s) (PT = part-time)

The Leamington 50 Bedford Street, F Dixon (S)

A Knibbs Real Tennis Club Suffolk CB8 0JT (M) 07738 784594 (M) 07074 268787 (T & F) (01638) 666612 e: becher510@btinternet.com As for court e: www.newmarketrealtennis.clubpros@newmarketrealtennis.club

e: tenniscourtclub@hotmail.com B Taylor-Matthews (F) www.leamingtonrealtennis.co.uk As for court

S Heap (General Manager) and Racquet Club Manchester M3 7AQ 106 Talfourd Road S J Brockenshaw (Head Pro)

(T) (0191) 281 6854

(T) (0161) 834 0616/ 241 9260 London D Long (Senior Pro) (F) (0161) 834 4909 SE15 5NZ

IiP Level 2* professionals in BOLD Annual Report 2021/22

e: tennisandsquash@mcc.org.uk

e: club@jdrtc.co.uk Z Eadle (Assistant Pro) www.jdrtc.co.uk

The Sports Centre, Mark Candlish

The Newmarket Fitzroy Street, Newmarket J Belcher (F)

e: jonepetersen@gmail.com C Swan (F)

Address and telephone number Hon Sec (S) Fixture Sec (F) Professional(s) (PT = part-time)

M Hobbs (Head Pro) Racket Club Feering, Nr Kelvedon, Essex CO5 9EE As per court As for court (2 courts) (T) (01376) 570220

The Queen’s Club Palliser Road, London W14 9EQ A Drayson (F)

Wellington Real Dukes Ride (T) (01344) 444245 Pro Shop D Jones (Head Pro) Tennis Club Crowthorne (M) 07471 905661

A Lyons (Head Pro) Hants PO11 9AJ e: reception@seacourt.com As per court www.seacourt.com

As for court www.outc.org.uk Craig Greenhalgh (F)

B Ronaldson (Head Pro) (2 courts) (T) (020) 73863405 (M) 07812 024434 B D Sayers

e: www.queensclub.co.ukrealtennis@queensclub.co.uk

The Prested Hall Prested Hall, Feering Chase, Mark Hobbs

e: mfd@radley.org.uk As for court e: cjr@radley.org.uk (H) (01235) 202973 www.radleyrealtennis.wordpress.com

Petworth House Estate Yard, Petworth House, J Petersen (S) T Durack (Head Pro) Tennis Court Petworth, Sussex GU28 0DU Pear Tree Cottage Beech Hill, L Gordon (T) (01798) 343527 Hambledon As for court

Radley College c/o Sports Centre, Radley College, Master-in-Charge

e: fieldhouse248@me.com N Mackenzie

e: pros@outc.org.uk

IiP Level 2* professionals in BOLD Tennis UK TENNIS UK Annual Report 2021/22

e: (T)christopher.swan@rathbones.com(01256)389158

Oxford University c/o Merton College, Merton Street Neil Mortensen (S) A J Davis (Head Pro) Tennis Court Oxford OX1 4JD (M) 07711 161649 C Greenhalgh (T) (01865) 244212

e: www.prested.co.ukbookings@prestedtennisclub.co.uk

Court14

C J Ronaldson (Head Pro) Tennis Court Radley Abingdon, Oxon OX14 2HU M F Dean N Merola (T) (01235) 543176

N C Wood (Head Pro) East Molesey, Surrey KT8 9AU e: paulnewton2@live.com 69 Tennis Court Lane (M) 07764 471702 Giles Doy (F) Hampton Court Palace (T) (020) 8977 3015 As for court S Blaber e: info@royaltenniscourt.com e: RTCFixtures@gmail.com A L P Ronaldson (PT) www.royaltenniscourt.com J Josephs

e: phtprofessionals@outlook.com Surrey T Armstrong (IiP Trainee) www.petworthrealtennis.com GU8 4HL

Seacourt Tennis Club 20 Victoria Avenue, Hayling Island, (T) (023) 92466122

e: rackets@queensclub.co.uk

e: DPJ@wellingtonfitness.co.uk www.wellingtonrealtennis.co.uk e: realtennis@wellingtonfitness.co.uk

A Player (Senior Pro) West Berkshire A Machin (IiP Trainee) RG45 7PU

e: del636@yahoo.co.uk

As for court

The Royal Tennis Court Hampton Court Palace, P Newton (S)

e: secretaire.cfcp@gmail.com

e: hamerwine@gmail.com

e: conor@racquetclubchicago.org

Australia Real Tennis Association

e: CFCP,president.cfcp@gmail.com74terrueLauriston,751164 Paris

Honorarye:Treasurer:(T)alistairjcurley@gmail.com+61409440916AlastairRamsayAlastair.ramsay@gmail.comSecretary:Jonathan Hamer

International INTERNATIONAL Annual Report 2021/22

Chairman: Alistair Curley

USA

FRANCE

USA AND CANADA

President: Mary Livingston (T) +1 (202) 288 4644

THE NETHERLANDS

e: Sweelinckpleine:Secretary:luciedd@planet.nlCeesdeBondtc.de.bondt@casema.nl19A,2517GM Den Haag (T) + 31 (70) 345 3774

President: Jonathan Larken

Irish Real Tennis Association

e: Commsjlarken@hotmail.comDirector:Conor Medlow

President: Síle Reilly (USA)

(T) +31 (70) 3465794

Treasurer: Lucie Douwes Dekker

IRELAND

President: Tim Batten

Secretary: Ben North Membership & Competitions Secretary: Bear North 64 Old Cabra Road, Dublin 7 e: www.irishrealtennis.ieinfo@irishrealtennis.ie

AUSTRALIA

Secretary General: Emmanuel Chelli

Chairman: Theo Bollerman

Chairman: Roland Budd, 114 Silchester Park, Glenageary, Co. Dublin (T) + 353 87 987 7353

Comité Français du Jeu de Courte Paume (Fédération Française de Tennis)

The Dutch Real Tennis Association

The United States Court Tennis Association

MembershipSecretary:Treasurer:2nd1stmary.livingston@gmail.comVicePresident:DacreStokerVicePresident:DanLaukitisKenFortonDaveChristensenSecretary-Zachary Sacks

The North American Racquets Association

The Manchester S J Brockenshaw 33 Blackfriars Road, Salford 3 S M Heap (Manager) e: manager@mtrc.co.uk Tennis and Manchester M3 7AQ Racquet Club (T) (0161) 834 0616/ 834 4909

Cheltenham College, Bath Road College R Horn Cheltenham Glos GL53 7LD (M) 07867505718 Cheltenham Glos GL53 7LD (M) 07717 457204 (T) (O) (01242) 265600

Charterhouse M J Crosby (T) (Court) (01483) 291655 A G Johnson

Clifton College R Williams Clifton College, Clifton, R Williams

Professional(s) Address and telephone number Master-in-Charge Address and telephone number

e: agi@charterhouse.org.uk

Malvern College N A Brett College Road, Malvern, (2 Courts) Worcs WR14 3DF (T) (Courts) (01684) 581639 (T) (School) (01685) 581500

e: nab@malverncollege.org.uk

The Sports Officer

e: rackets@harrowschool.org.uk

Haileybury G Tyndall Haileybury College, Jocelyn Jennings Haileybury College, College Haileybury, Hertford Haileybury, Hertford SG13 7NU SG13 7NU (M) 07872 559506

e: j.jennings@haileybury.com (T) (Court) (01992) 706371

e: g.tyndall@haileybury.com

Cheltenham M Briers Cheltenham College, Bath Road Matt Coley

c/o Brooke Hall, School (T) (School) (01483) 291671 Godalming, Surrey GU7 2DX (2 courts)

e: nab@malcol.org

rhw@marlboroughcollege.orgRacketsUKRACKETS UK Annual Report 2021/22

Britannia Royal Naval College Dartmouth, Devon TQ6 0HJ (W) (01803) 832141 Ext 7016

BRNC Dartmouth

e: mjc@charterhouse.org.uk (T) (W) (01483) 291671

32 College Road, Bristol BS8 3JH Clifton, Bristol BS8 3JH (T) (School) (0117) 315 7000

Harrow School J M Eaton 33 West Street, P J Warfield Cairnryan, (2 courts) Harrow-on-the-Hill, Harrow Park, Middlesex HA1 3EG Harrow-on-the-Hill, (T) (H) (020) 8422 3298 Middlesex HA1 3JE (T) (Court) (020) 8872 8227 (T) (020) 8872 8202 (T) (School) (020) 8872 8000

Marlborough R H Wakely c/o The Rackets Court, M Bush (M) 07773 901484 College Marlborough College, e: mplb@marlborough.org (2 courts) Marlborough, Wilts SN8 1PA (W & court) (01672) 892491 (M) 07967 557036

e: rcjwilliams1@hotmail.com (T) (Court) (0117) 315 7279 (M) 07779 248666

Eton College P Brake Eton College, Richard Montgomerie 1 Willow Place (2 courts) Windsor SL4 6DW Eton, (T) (Court) (01753) 370473 Berkshire SL4 6HJ (M) 07900 306044 (M) 07917 132414

Court16

e: m.briers@cheltenhamcollege.org (M) 07771 988935

e: m.coley@cheltenhamcollege.org

e: pjw@harrowschool.org.uk

e: professional@mtrc.co.uk

e: p.brake@etoncollege.org.uk

e: cmoc@wellingtoncollege.org.uk

e: rst@wellingtoncollege.org.uk

(T) (Court) (01962) 621137 (T) (College) (01962) 621200 (M) 07930 381707

Tonbridge D J Makey 10, Cedar Crescent, Leo Walsh School Tonbridge, (2 Courts) Kent TN10 3QW (M) 07968438976 (M) 07941 518686

The Royal Military Academy, Sandhurst, Camberley, Surrey GU15 4PQ

Seacourt A Lyons 20 Victoria Avenue, Hayling Island, Tennis Club Hants PO11 9AJ (T) (02392) 466122

St Paul’s School S Tulley St Paul’s School, Lonsdale Road, Dr E A Beesley St Paul’s School Barnes, London SW13 9JT

The Queen’s Club B Ronaldson Palliser Road (2 courts) B C Bomford London W14 9EQ (Head Professional) (T) (020) 7386 3405

e: rackets@queensclub.co.uk

Radley College J Rock 6 Walled Gardens, Kyle Willis-Stovold Radley Abingdon,CollegeOxon OX14 2HR (T) (W) (01235) 543000

The Senior Common Room (2 courts) Rugby, CV22 5EA (M) 07792923150 (T) 01788 556229

e: steve.tulley@stpaulsschool.org.uk

e: leo.walsh@tonbridge-school.org

Wellington R Tulley Wellington College, C M Oliphant-Callum Wellington College, College Crowthorne, Berks RG45 7PU Crowthorne, Berks RG45 7PU (T) (Court) (01344) 444251 (T) (01344) 444145

RMA Sandhurst Major C M S Lytle

e: max.lytle235@mod.uk

e: djm@tonbridge-school.org

e: EAB@stpaulsschool.org.uk (T) (School) (020) 87489162 (M) 07972 037095 (T) (Court) (020) 8746 5314

Court Professional(s) Address and telephone number Master-in-Charge Address and telephone number

Rugby School Gapped Oak Street Will Nicholl

e: wdn@rugbyschool.net

Winchester T E R Cawston c/o The Rackets Courts, College Winchester College, Winchester (2 Courts) Hants SO23 9LX

terc@wincoll.ac.ukRacketsUKAnnual Report 2021/22

e: JCR.Rock@radley.org.uk

TONY DUTTON

CORPORATE MEMBERS, SCHOOLS, ALUMNI & OTHERS Annual Report 2021/22

e: george.nodder@gmail.com

Honourable Artillery Company Tennis and Rackets Club

c/o MR A ANDERSON Armoury House, City Road. London EC1Y 2BQ

GUY

The Ladies’ Real Tennis Association KATIE LEPPARD

Old Harrovian Real Tennis and Rackets Association SIMON e:(M)SP5Salisbury,EbbesbourneMeadowROUNDELLCottageWakeWiltshire5JB07904409671sroundell@gmail.com

Wykeham Rackets (Wednesday) Club TIM e:SP6DamerhamCrosswaysBOLTON-CARTERHouse3EUTim.BoltonCarter@gmail.com

Wykeham Rackets (Monday) Club NEALE TURNER

43 Southfield Road, Oxford. OX4 1NX (M) 07979 525 932

JESTERS (Rackets)

e:NETHERLANDSluciedd@planet.nl

e: mt59@btinternet.com

Old Etonian Racquets & Tennis Club

JAMES (M)e:BucksElmPuttenhamBINGHAMPlaceFarmRoad,PennHP108LEjambingham@hotmail.com07904092821

The Haphazard TOM ROBERTSON

Bryanston Bumblebees (Tennis)

ADAM DOLMAN (M) 07977 296896

Oxford (University Tennis) ANDREW J DAVIS c/o Merton College, Merton Street Oxford OX1 4JD

MIKE SEYMOUR

Charterhouse Monks (Rackets)

e: adamdolman@yahoo.co.uk

Harrow (Tennis)

Tonbridge (Rackets)

Tonbridge (Tennis) GEORGE E NODDER

e: tom@tomrobertson.org

e: chairman@ladiesrealtennis.com

Westminster School Head of Station Little Deans Yard London, SW1P 3PF

Wellington Rackets and Real Tennis Dukes e:(T)RG45WestCrowthorneRideBerkshire7PU(01344)444245

realtennis@wellingtonfitness.co.uk

ALASTAIR GOURLAY (H) (020) 73813403

Malvernian Society Ltd Malvern College Malvern, Worcs WR14 3DF

e: rupertob@me.com

Brooke Hall, Charterhouse, Hurtmore Godalming,Road,Surrey GU7 2DX (W) (01483) 291655

TOMMY FABER

Dutch Real Tennis Association Sweelinckplein 19A The Hague, 2517 GM

MALCOLM THORP (M) 07785 265 651

RUPERT OWEN-BROWNE

e: alexander.i.anderson@gmail.com

e: malsoc@malcol.org

e:CB3CambridgeGrangeLUDEKENSRoad9DJpros@curtc.net

(H) (01825) 830078 (M) 07917 357620

The Brigands Tennis Club (Tennis)

JESTERS (Tennis)

Wimbledon Lawn Tennis Museum Church Road, Wimbledon London, SW19 5AE

The Army Tennis & Rackets Association CAPTAIN OLLY SNELL e: snello846@mod.uk

e: alastair@parkdrivepictures.com

CURTC (University Tennis)

e: neale.turner@btinternet.ccm

JAMES BLACKBURN

Harrow (Rackets)

SIMON

4 St Aubyn’s Park, Tiverton, Devon EX16 4JG (H) (01884) 259200

KEES

e: tony.dutton@hurlinghamclub.org.uk

MARTIN J CROSBY

The Hurlingham Club

Hartham Park Stické Tennis Club Hartham Park, Corsham Wiltshire, SN13 0RP

The Dedanists’ Society JOSH FARRALL 12 Putman Henley-on-Thames.PLace Oxon RG9 1BZ (M) 07990 857 912 e: johnfarrall@iib

e: mjc@charterhouse.org.uk

e: real-tennis.club@studentclubs.ox.ac.uk

The Tiverton Real Tennis Club

e: jamesandrewblackburn@gmail.com

e:DT6BridportRaxMulberryMALLINSONHouseLaneDorset3JJguy@mallinson.co.uk

Clifton Boasters (Rackets)

Grays of Cambridge Int. Ltd Station Road, Robertsbridge East Sussex, TN32 5DH

e:(M)SP5Salisbury,EbbesbourneMeadowROUNDELLCottageWakeWiltshire5JB07904409671sroundell@gmail.com

Sun Court Tennis Club 8 KA10Irvine,BlavenheadAryshire1KF

Old Wykehamist Tennis and Rackets Association Flat 4 No. 5 Gwendwr Road W14London9BA

Time moves on and the programme is now actively looking at the next apprentices for Tranche 2 and already lining up future apprentices for new hosts. The intention is to broaden the hosts and continue to expand the

Tennis UK

We are also delighted to announce that the first apprentice on the programme, Jack Josephs, has moved to a full-time role at RTC, and continues to make excellent progress.

As also mentioned elsewhere, the Investors in Professionals programme has had a successful launch and inception. It has now to address a consequence of that success namely how to help those apprentices when they complete their apprenticeships. This is being considered by the programme under the continuing help and facilitation of John Whiting.

The Tennis Committee continues to meet, primarily by Zoom, and it has considered the many topics in the past year including Middlesex University RTC, identifying the priorities and tasks the Tennis Committee and the T&RA should focus on [through a ‘poll’ of club chairmen and pros], the introduction of prototype graphite racquets in the USA made by Harrow, eye protection and streaming.

I should also mention that a sub committee has been set up to consider what the impact might be if graphite racquets were to be manufactured and sold at scale on, inter alia, the game generally, clubs, pros and the games relationship with Grays. It is likely to be in a position to report early next year.

improving Real Tennis Online and to promote future resilience and permit improvements. This has not proceeded as speedily as we had hoped, primarily due to health issues of others, but we hope that by the year end it will be completed.

Importantly the IiP and their mentors are working with them in this venture. Nat Cherry is in the early months of his time at the Oratory and Tim Armstrong has just started at Petworth, the first apprentice under Tranche 2

In parallel to these activities the T&RA office and volunteers continue to keep the game running and operating day to day. Whilst it can be invidious to name individuals [particularly as I will inevitably omit someone I should mention] these include the production of the annual fixtures schedule [Simon Flynn], the coordination and liaison with other national games committees and the like to run the various international competitions [Ronald Paterson], the British and World juniors [Paul Weaver] and updating the Pol/Field/Brodie rules [Ronald and Brendan Hegarty]. As ever my thanks to them and all the other volunteers who keep our game going.

Theprogramme.Boardand

n last year’s report I repeated the hope that we could return to a full season’s competition for 2021/22 and put the covid restrictions behind us when, in England & Wales, they were formally lifted on 19 July 2021. That has pleasingly been the case although of course the T&RA and clubs have had to remain sensitive to, and bear in mind, continuing covid issues when holding competitions and play generally. The other articles and reports in our Annual Report are testament to the resurgence in play since then.

Chris Vigrass, Chairman of The Tennis Committee

...the T&RA and clubs have had to remain sensitive to, and bear in mind, continuing Covid issues when holding competitions and play generally.

Investing in Professionals update

Of these whilst the news about the closure of Middlesex currently scheduled by the University in 2026 was so sad, it did at least result in a piece in a Times editorial about our game – which must be a first.

Another TC sub committee, of Chris Lintott and Owen Saunders, continues with the task of updating and

The programme is delighted to report there are currently four IiP apprentices in training at four different clubs. Alex Machin (Wellington) and Jim Ludekens (Cambridge) are currently edging towards the end of their training and are considering their next steps.

OCIP are grateful for the support of the T&RA and RCC, who have both fully committed to the first three years of the IiP programme. The Tennis Community in the UK are fully committed beyond this initial period. Of course, this does lead back to the support of the T&RA membership as well as the many of you who have subscribed to the RCC.

Finally, the support of the professional community to make this happen has continued to be significant, inspirational and positive. Many of the more senior professionals are working on improving their credentials and targeting higher levels of accreditation, all of which takes time.

Annual Report 2021/22

• We ran a very successful Ladies British Open at Seacourt in April 2022 after two years without it. Claire Fahey retained her British Open singles title and her British Open doubles title with her sister Sarah Shuckburgh.

• Encourage all women at your clubs to sign up for our matches and tournaments

• We continue to work closely with the Dedanists’ Academy and other partners developing initiatives to focus on junior •Tennis.Weare proud to be a diamond patron of the Dedanists’ WeFoundation.wouldlike to congratulate all our tournament winners over our 2021/22 season and a big thank you to everyone who participated in our fixtures, we have had a lot of fun at a variety of clubs around the country. Thank you to all the clubs who have hosted us.

• Offer the most precious thing, your time - we always welcome volunteers, good initiatives, and feedback

• Claire Fahey retained her world championship title defeating Lea Van Der Zwalmen in Fontainebleau in April 2022. Claire has held the ladies world title since 2011 which is a phenomenal achievement and we salute her. We are excited to be hosting the next World Championships in the UK in April 2023 and we cannot wait to showcase the very best of the women’s game on our home turf.

I cannot write an annual report without a special mention for our terrific committee, all of whom play a vital and often unsung role carrying out important and necessary work for the LRTA. They give a lot of time voluntarily and I am hugely grateful for their support and input; together we make a real difference. We have had a few changes on the committee this year - Georgie Willis was co-opted as Secretary and we said goodbye to Linda Fairbrother, our fixtures secretary, after 12 years on the committee. We were also delighted to appoint a new Honorary Auditor, Vicky Rogers at our AGM in April.

• Follow us on social media and help to raise awareness

Annual Report 2021/22

• Our membership has increased steadily through the year; we always welcome new members.

• We have continued to promote all levels of women’s Tennis and have provided a range of tournaments and matches that cater for everyone, encouraging participation across the board.

Sponsorship has been a little more challenging this year, especially for the junior tournaments, some of which have been without. We are keen to find some replacements to enable us to continue to provide these important competitive opportunities. Please do get in touch if you can help us.

We have a lot to look forward to, do you join us!

• We continued to run regular junior Tennis clinics through the season for a variety of ages, mainly based at The Oratory but going further a field where we have a group who would benefit from Claire Fahey’s coaching. Together we aim to build on the pool of talented juniors engaging with Tennis and forming friendship groups to bring on the next generation under our LRTA Academy.

Committee and volunteers

We are excited for the new season which will be action packed. In addition to our LRTA fixtures we are delighted that, for the first time, there will be a Ladies Bathurst Cup alongside the men’s event in the autumn. We then have the excitement and build up to the Ladies World Championships in the spring which will be the pinnacle of this coming year.

• Our British Handicap Tournament at Prested in November included a celebration of our 40 years as an Association. The standard of women’s Tennis has certainly improved over the last 40 years and the LRTA has evolved with developments in their own sponsorship, technology, website, merchandise and branding. We are looking forward to the next 40 years to see how much further we can progress to benefit the women’s game.

bsence makes the heart grow fonder and that has certainly been the case this year as we have returned to play a full season of Tennis. We have very much enjoyed reconnecting with clubs, pros and members in the UK and beyond. We may have had a few disruptions, illness and a lot of covid caution to deal with, but almost all of our fixtures this season went ahead despite covid’s best attempts to stop us, which is fantastic. Some highlights during the year:

• We have run some well attended junior events and would like to congratulate all our talented players with special mention to Cesca Sweet, Felicity Riddall Bell and Lydia Compton-Burnett who have all deservedly won junior tournament titles this year.

I am extremely grateful to those on our subcommittees, our match and tournament managers, club representatives and volunteers – without you the LRTA would simply not function.

Tennis

As ever, we are indebted to our existing sponsors namely Peter Luck-Hille, Addison Law Solicitors, The Jesters, Champagne Pol Roger, The Dedanists’ Society and our anonymous donors. Thank you all for your generosity over another difficult year and for helping us to promote womens’ Tennis.

T&RA members can also support us, here are a number of ways you can do so:

• Become a LRTA member for as little as £10 per annum –women and men, young and old are all welcome

Sponsorship

• Make a donation for girls or womens’ Tennis

Katie Leppard, Chairman of The Ladies Real Tennis Association UK

• Sponsor a match, event or tournament

21 Situ ARCHITECTURE • URBANISM • LANDSCAPE Cranleigh School Masterplan KAIG Lake Mulshi, Pune Selmun Palace Hotel, Malta Middle East EuropeIndiaUnited Kingdom 2nd FLOOR WEST, APEX, READING, BERKS, RG1 1AX WWW.SITUPLAN.CO.UK • +44 (0)118 449 2030

By David Mills, Chairman

DuringAchievementsthePast Year

Open Days - A great half-term for Junior Tennis! At Bristol, Moreton Morrell & The Oratory

An amazing total of 42 new junior players, (including 17 girls) aged from 5-14 attended these events and all of those who played have signed up for follow-up sessions at the club.

Tennis UKAnnual Report 2021/22

Sponsored by The Dedanists’ Foundation

There was an excellent entry of 21 juniors for the 2021 Handicap Singles event held at the Wellington court over the weekend of 18th/19th December.

During the October school half-term break in Autumn 2021, the Dedanists’ Foundation coordinated a major campaign to introduce a new batch of junior players into clubs to experience Real Tennis for the first time. Encouragingly, most of the clubs involved were courts that had previously had little or no junior activity.

The 12 youngsters with the highest handicaps played on Saturday in the “B” competition. For many of them, it was their first taste of tournament play and there were many closefought matches.The final of the “B” competition was between two young players from Wellington, Lila HueWilliams and Seb Edwards, and was won by Seb 8/3.

Moreton Morrell, with our financial support and advice, organised its first Junior Open Day in October 2021.

We are a grant-giving charity (No.1145526) whose sole aim is to increase the number of young people, from all backgrounds, playing Real Tennis.

TheDEDANISTS’22FOUNDATIONInthepast12months,wehavecontinuedtogiveoursupportforjuniorRealTennisdevelopmentatclubsaroundthecountry,WeaimtoassistintheformationanddeliveryoftheirjuniorTennisprogrammesaimedatattractingnewjuniorplayersintothegamewithparticularemphasisonenthusingyoungstersfromstateschoolbackgrounds.Aswellasthesupportwealreadygivetomanyclubs,wehavealsostartednewinitiativesatCanford,Leamington,andBristol.

British U18’s Handicap Singles 2021

250 flyers were designed by Tory Wall and printed by the Foundation to help advertise the event. These flyers were sent to local schools and posted on social media platforms, Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. As a result, seven youngsters were recruited who had never played Real Tennis before.

At Bristol Chris Ronaldson and Maggie Henderson-Tew had a 6-month secondment to revive the fortunes of the Bristol club. One of their priorities was to create an active new junior section. To help achieve this they turned to the Dedanists’ Foundation for help and guidance.

With considerable funding from the Foundation they held a very successful Junior Open Day.

Max receiving the U18 Handicap Singles trophy from Paul Weaver

The main competition took place on Sunday with players from many clubs taking part. 10 year old Max Warner qualified through to the final to play last year’s winner Cesca Sweet. The final produced yet another comeback from young Max who came back from 3-6 down to win the match and the tournament 8/6.

Prizes were presented by Paul Weaver (Director of Junior Tennis UK and Dedanists’ Foundation Ambassador). He took the opportunity to thank The Dedanists’ Foundation for their sponsorship of the event and for all the other good work that the Foundation does for Junior Tennis.

Investing In Professionals

As a result of this cooperation, the Dedanists’ Foundation and the Jesters Club will be jointly funding initiatives at Oratory, Bristol, Moreton Morrell, Canford, and Cambridge Real Tennis clubs. On all of these initiatives, we will be working together with the Jesters to achieve our joint aim which is to increase junior participation in Real Tennis on an open-access basis.

to become

Over the past 10 years, the Dedanists’Foundation has given financial support to many university Real Tennis groups. We see university Tennis as an important bridge between playing the game as a junior and playing again as an adult. It is a very effective means of recruiting new young players and well worth our support. The InterUniversity Tournament, sponsored by The Foundation is now the focal point in the Universities’ Real Tennis calendar.

The Jesters

Tennis UKAnnual Report 2021/22

LRTA

Universities

The Dedanists’ Foundation is delighted to announce that they are now working on some joint projects with the Jesters Club. These projects focus on encouraging youngsters to play Real Tennis in clubs around the UK. The Jesters Club has over 3,000 members worldwide and is dedicated in large part to the organisation and promotion of racket sports throughout the world and to the encouragement of the games, including Real Tennis.

The PLH Cup is an inter-club junior competition that encourages junior players to get involved in club matches for the first time and meet juniors from other clubs. It is sponsored by The Dedanists’ Foundation and is aimed at the average junior player rather than elite players. This season a record 12 clubs entered teams. The final was played on the 12th June 2022. Teams from Oratory and Seacourt reached the final with Seacourt taking the trophy with a 4-2 victory. Photo: The team from The Oratory, left & the Seacourt right.

good work please email one of the following:How Do I Become A Patron? David Mills, Chairman dsmills1949@gmail.com Josh Farrall, Director josh@dedanistsfoundation.org www.dedanistsfoundation.org Julian Wilkinson, Treasurer ardquinwest@btopenworld.com Paul Weaver, Ambassador pweaver@btopenworld.com The Peter Luck-Hille Cup 2021/22

Founder Patron or a Diamond Patron to help us continue with

We are delighted to announce that the Ladies Real Tennis Association has become a Diamond Patron of the Dedanists’ Foundation. This signals the start of a concentrated effort by The Dedanists’ Foundation to attract more girls into the many junior Real Tennis activities that are taking place around the country.

The Dedanists’ Foundation made an initial £4000 grant towards the funding of the IiP programme. This programme offers new trainees and existing young professionals a highly professional educational environment in order to develop a meaningful career in Real Tennis. In tandem with court training and courtrelated skills, the programme offers learning and training in the business skills relevant to becoming an accredited Real Tennis professional.

Other Recent Initiatives option for potential which was a Founder Patron the Foundation. Now we are pleased to announce that in future there If you would like to become a this

will be a new category of Patron for the Charity, namely Diamond Patrons.

We would like to take this opportunity to thank all of our Founder Patrons who have between them raised a considerable amount of money which we use to fund all of our projects. In order to carry on with the good work we are doing the Charity always needs to secure further donations. Up until now there has only been a single

donors

At the Oratory The Dedanists’ Foundation was delighted to sponsor a Junior Open Day at the Oratory Real Tennis Club in October. The Foundation contributes £1500* per year towards an enhanced remuneration package for assistant professional Levi Gale. This contribution has enabled Levi to stay in the game and has given him the opportunity to help create this junior initiative at the club. 14 andDedanists’supported*Fahey.coachinghoursattendedyoungstersforthreeofon-courtwithClaireLeviisalsobytheSocietytheT&RA.

For Academy 2021/2, we made significant changes to player selection and programme management. In terms of player selection, because covid had reduced our opportunities to see and assess players in action in recent years, we relaxed selection criteria in order to widen the net as much as possible. In terms of programme management, we recruited new people in order to spread the load, introduce new ideas and apply more focus to planning the development of players. Paul Weaver took over administration of the Academy programme as a whole. Squad directors took over the set up and management of coaching days and development plans for their squad of players.

Operations Manager Paul Weaver Squad Directors Graham Tomkinson, Stef King, Mike Henman, Nick Warner. Tennis Coaches Chris Bray, Rob Fahey, Claire Fahey, Dan Jones, Andrew Lyons, Ben Ronaldson, Bryn Sayers, Ben Taylor-Matthews.

The game is beholden to all clubs with the drive and capacity to recruit and develop the young players who represent the future of Real Tennis and from whom Academy players are selected.

Junior Squad Julian Wilkinson

During 2021/22, we delivered 19 squad coaching days and a further 50+ sessions of individual one-on-one coaching to 25 core Academy players plus 8 reserves and 3 IIP apprentices.

. Programme Management & Coaches

Tracy Parker

The Dedanists Society

Dedanists’ Society Report

Microtactics Tennis coaches plus Graham Tomkinson. Academy Chairman Josh Farrall

Squad Directors

Physical Training Andy Chinneck. Sports Psychology Aura Goodman, Alex Lucas.

Annual Report 2021/22

Diet & Nutrition

Academy 2021/2

By Josh Farrall, Graham Tomkinson & PaulTennisWeaverUK

Senior Squad Stef King

The UK playersforcoachingnationalprogrammethebestyounginthecountry.

High Performance Squad Graham Tomkonson Development Squad Mike Henman

The British Real Tennis Academy 2021/22

Cadet Squad Nick Warner

he British Real Tennis Academy is the UK national coaching programme for the best young players in the country. It is run by the Dedanists Society and funded by the Society and the T&RA. Each year, it typically selects 25 or so young players who are a mix of amateurs and professionals, men and women from 12 to 25 years of age. Players are selected from across all clubs on the basis of match play results, commitment, potential and the recommendation of their club head professional. The Academy curriculum includes Real Tennis strokeplay, matchplay, physical training, nutrition and sports psychology. Players are streamed into squads according to age and proficiency. Coaching of the High Performance Squad, the lowest handicap players, is delivered via individual one-on-one coaching sessions. Coaching to all other squads is delivered via a mix of group coaching and match play days at Queen’s, Oratory, Wellington and Middlesex - and additional private sessions for players with the highest potential. The Society works with the Department of Sport Sciences at Brunel University to ensure that the design and content of Academy programmes include current research and best practice from the wider world of elite sport. The Society funds programmes that support and complement Academy coaching. It sponsors junior tournaments that engage and motivate players and coaches such as the World Junior, the British Under 21 & 24 and the British Girls Under 15 & 19 championships. It includes IiP apprentices in its Academy coaching sessions. It helps the LRTA to fund its newly-launched Girls’ Academy.

Under 24

British Junior Singles Championship Winners

Note: University and school players are also credited to their home club.

Academy Players 2021/22 NotableAcademyAchievements2021/22

Shenkman, Robert 2.4 0.6 Manchester Gale, Levi * 3.4 7.0 Oratory Flynn, William 12.8 2.8 Seacourt van der Zwalmen, Lea 15.3 1.2 Queen’s, Bordeaux

William Flynn Under 21

William Flynn

World # 20 (was # 89 at season start).

1. M Trueman. 2. J Medlow.

* Professional player - all others are amateurs

SENIOR SQUAD AGE 17 - 23 (June 2022)

Junior World Rankings, May 2022 Under 18 Academy dominates top 5:-

National League Div 1, most valuable player.

Ladies World Championship, finalist. French Amateur Singles, finalist.

Youngest ever player, British Open Singles, main draw.

5 Queen’s Wellington Seacourt

Under 19 Girls Cesca Sweet Under 18 Max Trueman Under 16 Bertie Vallat Under 14 Max Warner

Youngest ever winners of a National League Division.

4. B Vallat. 5. H Henman

1 Cambridge Uni, Hyde, Jesmond Dene, Manchester, Oratory, Oxford, RTC

National League Div 1, second most valuable player.

Finalist, Raquette d’ Or, Amateur Doubles, France. Winner, Raquette d’ Argent, Amateur Handicap Singles.

2 Petworth, Canford

Robert Shenkman

William Flynn

Tournaments & World Rankings at June 2022

World # 19. Last 16, US Open 2022.

6 Radley

JuneHandicap2022

thanBetter/(Worse)HandicapJune2021 Club

Trueman, Max 14.2 9.7 Seacourt Yorston, Benedict 14.2 4.8 Radley, Oxford Uni Medlow, James 16.4 11.5 Seacourt Taylor, Oliver 19.6 4.6 Petworth MacDonald, Ivo 20 Queen’s Cambridge Uni DEVELOPMENT SQUAD AGE 16 - 17 (June 2022)

HIGH PERFORMANCE SQUAD

Levi Gale

Max Trueman / James Medlow

Congratulations to Radley, Queen’s, Wellington and Seacourt on being the home club and primary developer of so many young players in the Academy.

Florent Brethon

The handicaps of 64% of Academy players improved significantly over the last 12 months. An annual improvement of 7 points is a good performance for higher handicap players and an improvement of 4 points is good for those with lower handicaps. For High Performance squad players, match results are more informative and important. Handicap may not be the only valid measure of a player’s performance but it is certainly clear and objective. Typically, the rate of a player’s handicap improvement is not constant. It varies from year to year depending upon practice, coaching and the adoption, or not, of fundamental changes in technique, fitness and mental strength. A player’s handicap may deteriorate in the short term while he or she is adopting new methods for longer term benefit.

Annual Report 2021/22

25 Tennis UK Number PlayersAcademyof Clubs

Vallat, Bertie 19.8 14.7 Queen’s Henman, Henry 20.4 8.7 Radley Brethon, Florent 26.2 8.8 injuredFrance, Radley Garson, Magnus 29.6 0.1 Radley Rossiter, James 29.8 0.1 Queen’s JUNIOR SQUAD AGE 16 - 17 (June 2022) Parsons, George 33.4 7.3 RTC Sweet, Willem 35.2 7.4 Wellington Hetherington, Tom 36 Jesmond Sweet, Cesca 49.4 10 Wellington Barton, Toby 48.7 8.3 Petworth, Wellington CADET SQUAD AGE 11 -15 (June 2022)

Warner, Max 52.1 14.7 Queen’s Garson, Laszlo 52.9 12.1 Welligton Nottingham, Algernon 56.4 7.6 Wellington Blackburn, Albert 48.5 9.9 Hyde, Canford Garson, Ambrose 50.7 1.3 Radley

Player

Lea van der Zwalmen

AGE 19 - 25 (June 2022)

By Paul Weaver

Left

JUNIOR TENNIS

fantastic weekend at Queen’s last summer, showcasing the very best of Junior Tennis.

Championships were held once more at The Queen’s Club in August 2021. For a full report and results see page 28. This tournament signified the return of ‘business as usual’ in the Junior Real Tennis world.

WIN!

Junior

26 Junior Tennis 2021/22

to Right: U14 Champion, Max U16 Champion, Bertie U18 British Junior Champion, Max T British ChampionshipsJunior 2021 Inter Schools Doubles Level ChampionshipSenior, U16 & U13 2022 The Under 18’s was at Queens, Under 16’s at Radley and the Under 13’s was held at The Oratory - so it was a busy weekend of Tennis. Left: Some of the U13 competitors Above: U16 Finalists Annual Report 2021/22

The

T&RA British U15/U19 Doubles Championships

British U18 Handicap Singles 2021

The U15 British Doubles Championships were held at Wellington on Saturday 20th November. Five excellent pairs fought it out in a round-robin group with many close and exciting matches. The top two pairings going through to play in the final were Algie Nottingham & Laszlo Garson and Francesco Saviotti & Alfie Watson. Algie & Laszlo won a great final 8/3

On the following day, Holyport was delighted to host the U19 event. Holyport had previously been the traditional home of this event and it was great to see it back again after a few years away. A high-quality tournament ended in a final with Seacourt pair James Medlow & Max Trueman playing Bertie Vallat (Queens) & Magnus Garson (Oxford). The Seacourt boys came out on top after a thrilling final.

Peter Luck-Hille Cup 2021/22 Season

There was an excellent entry of 21 juniors for this year’s Handicap Singles event held at the Wellington court in December 2021. The “B” competition gave many of the players their first taste of tournament play with Seb Edwards defeating Lila Hue Williams in the final. In the main competition, the highlight of the group stages was 10-year-old Max Warner’s comeback from 2-7 down to win 8/7 in a match he had to win to qualify. Max eventually won through to the final to play last year’s winner Cesca Sweet. The final produced yet another comeback from young Max who came back from 3-6 down to win the match and the tournament 8/6. Thanks go out to the Wellington club and to the Dedanists’ Foundation for their continued support and sponsorship.

27 Junior Tennis

The team from The Oratory, left & Seacourt team, right

As well as these traditional junior events, the Schools Tennis Programme continues to flourish under the guidance of Mike Dean. There are now a large number of schools involved in the Inter-Schools Championships.

Adam Player with Seb, Max & Cesca

Algie, Laszlo, Alfie & Francesco, the U15 Doubles finalists

Annual Report 2021/22

Our thanks go out to the T&RA and to Josh Smith, the new Head Professional at Holyport , for running such a wellorganised event and marking throughout.

British Junior Championship

2021/22 TENNIS

As things in the Real Tennis world return to normal, the Junior Championships reverted back to the Queen’s Club over the weekend of August 20th-22nd.

The U16’s final was a head to head between two other extremely promising youngsters, Henry Henman (Radley) and Bertie Vallat (Queen’s). These two 15 year olds put on a great display of Tennis with the title eventually going to Bertie in the 3rd set.

MATCH REPORTS

U16 Bertie Vallat bt Henry Henman 5/6 6/0 6/3

Real6/3Tennis Match ReportsAnnual Report 2021/22

The U18 final was expected to be a clash between the top two U18 players in the world, Max Trueman & James Medlow (both Seacourt). However James, who is still struggling with the after effects of a complicated broken leg, had to pull out in the group stages. This left James Rossiter (Queen’s) in with a chance, but Max was just too strong for him in a hard fought final.

‘21August

The after effects of all courts being closed for 18 months reflected in the fact that we had only one entry for the U12 competition. However, entries for the rest of the event were pretty much as normal and Max Warner (age 10) who was deprived of a chance to win the U12’s went on to play in the U14’s, winning 6/0 6/0! Max is easily the youngest player ever to win the U14 event and should have a great future in the game, remember the name!

U18 Max Trueman bt James Rossiter 6/1

U14 Max Warner bt Charlie Grainger 6/0 6/0

Winchester (Delaforce & Potter) bt Worth (Cattermull & Bett) 8/5 Marlborough (Hewitt & Kerr) bt Charterhouse (Don & Taylor) 8/1 Epsom (Wilkinson & Watson) bt Taunton (Mathers & Peregrine-Jones) 8/7 Clifton (Swindon & Esses) bt Tonbridge (Nodder & O'Dwyer) 8/7

FinalWinchester bt

29 ‘21SeptemberOctober‘21

Cattermull Cup (Alumni Tournament)

Semi Finals

Winchester bt Marlborough 8/3 Clifton bt Epsom 8/2 Clifton 8/5

Henry

Quarter Finals

Leaf Prested Cup UK Under 20 Amateurs Old Etonians beat Old Carthusians 6/1 6/2 Photo: Henry Leaf finalists Jamie Giddins and Rory Giddins (right) beat Tim Drayson and Adam Dolman Final Max Trueman beat George Parsons 6/1 6/2 Winner Max Trueman Real Tennis Match ReportsAnnual Report 2021/22

REAL 10

e witnessed a sublime evening of Real Tennis at Middlesex University. Five stars of the game; namely, Rob Fahey, Bryn Sayers, Ben Taylor-Matthews, Josh Smith and Will Burns battled it out over 10 extraordinary sets played off half-handicap to become the Real 10 champion. After 21 long months with no competition, this one certainly did not disappoint!

Five stars of the game; namely, Rob Fahey, Bryn Sayers, Josh Smith, Ben TaylorMatthews and Will Burns battled it out over 10 extraordinary sets played off halfhandicap to become the Real 10 champion.

Josh Smith came out firing on all cylinders kicking the event off with consecutive wins against Will Burns and the reigning world champion Rob Fahey. Smith’s footwork and strength on court proved too much for his opponents and soon became an early favourite for the title.

Ben Taylor-Matthews was in incredible form on the night and seemed to control his games with pinpoint precision on both wings. Taylor-Matthews overcame his first two opponents, Sayers and Fahey, with great confidence and seemed to get stronger and stronger as the games went on. Sayers came fighting back with his incredible double-backhand, rallying his next two opponents off court. Burns and Smith could not keep up with Sayers as he asserted his presence in the competition.

By Jack Josephs

‘21November Real Tennis Match ReportsAnnual Report 2021/22

Of course, this wouldn't be a REAL competition without Rob Fahey in contention, and resounding victories over Sayers and Burns put him right back in the mix. Fahey showed his class; hitting targets as he pleased and creating a galvanising spectacle for the crowd. This left the door wide open, and sure enough, Ben Taylor-Matthews stormed through it. Taylor-Matthews was assured in his play and remained level-headed throughout, using his incredible technique and strength to punish the opponents and secure victory. Taylor-Matthews kept up his 100% record for the night and ran out as a very well deserved winner!

Thank you to Chris Bray for his world-class marking and his outstanding work in helping to organise the event. And, Finally, I would like to recognise the magnificent efforts and achievements of Will Burns; Will did not only play in the event, but was the creator and driver of the competition, who spent countless hours organising the event and making it so special. Will made sure it ran smoothly throughout and was responsible for the exceptional organisation.

In his winning speech, Taylor-Matthews highlighted the importance of such a memorable event after such a long time away from the action for both the players and supporters. On behalf of the MURTC community, I would like to say an enormous thank you to our extremely kind and generous sponsor, Ed Cotterell, for making this event possible. Ed’s passion for Real Tennis is unrivalled and is an inspiration to us all, he spends countless hours theorising with students and members about the game and we are extremely fortunate to have him in our community. We

Congratulations to Alex Hume for winning the popular grille competitionEnjoy the champagne! The Middlesex university students were extremely grateful to have had the opportunity to attend such an exciting event. It was a joy to have the students in attendance and it is great to see what a lovely group they are! They thoroughly enjoyed getting to know the members and are now more determined than ever to give the sport their best shot. We are pleased to say we had a record attendance in today’s student session!

would also like to thank all of our fantastic members for making this event so special, bringing enthusiasm to the club and contributing to such a wonderful atmosphere. This event could not have happened without you and we look forward to welcoming you all to many more events like this one in the near future!

SHOT

! Real Tennis Match ReportsAnnual Report 2021/22

The two semi-finals were intriguing, with World Champion Fahey lined up against rising talent John Lumley (Philadelphia) and then doubles partners, Taylor-Matthews and Sayers, looking at each other across the net. The first semi saw Lumley return everything Fahey could fire at him, with exquisite shots overcoming the power of Fahey. The

Lumley now had the momentum, which he carried into the third set, with Taylor-Matthews seeing everything coming back; a lead Lumley wasn’t about to relinquish as he took the next two sets to claim the Open Championship, 4/6 6/4 6/2 6/0.

British SinglesOpenFinal 2021

‘21November Real Tennis Match ReportsAnnual Report 2021/22

Champion had his moments in the first and third sets, but it was Lumley who reached his maiden British Open Singles final, winning 6/4 6/0 6/4. The second match was a thriller as these two great players knew each other’s games so well and the lines were drawn for a lengthy encounter. After two sets, it was one-set all, although Taylor-Matthews was close in the second. The intensity never waned as the number two seed, Taylor-Matthews, scored the key points to wear his opponent down and eventually reach his first British Open Singles final, winning 6/2 5/6 6/3 6/5.

The T&RA British Open 2021 saw the top players back in action, competing for world challenge points for the first time since the pandemic squeezed the life out of international Real Tennis. It was also good to see five overseas’ players, two from the US and three from France, making the time and effort to travel to the Queen’s Club. Young rising talent Will Flynn (Seacourt) made his way through qualifying to take his place in the main draw but ran into the steady Tom Durack (Petworth) in the first round. The second round saw the top seeds enter the fray and dispatching their valiant opponents, except for Josh Smith (Holyport) who fell to the inspired amateur Jamie Giddins in a five set epic. Sadly, it was Giddins’ last match as injury forced him out of the quarter-finals. The top two seeds, Rob Fahey (Oratory) and Ben Taylor-Matthew (Leamington) won their respective matches against leading amateur Matthieu Sarlangue and Darren Long (Manchester) respectively. The final match of the day saw Bryn Sayers (Queen’s) steer his way past Nick Howell (Bordeaux).

The Monday evening was filled with anticipation and, after a Pol Roger reception for the spectators, the match was underway. The first set was finely balance with both players returning well and playing the big points fairly equally. But it was Taylor-Matthews who found his length at the end of the set to establish the early pace. In an equally exciting second set, Lumley slowly built his way back in the game to level–one set-all–but could easily have been two-love to either player at this point.

John Lumley wins the T&RA British Open Championship, beating Ben Taylor-Matthews 4/6 6/4 6/2 6/0

Finally, David Watson presented the famous British Open trophy to John Lumley, another wonderful achievement in his reasonably short career to date; his name on the trophy for the first time. John’s proud family was in support including his mother, Penny a former ladies Tennis world champion, and sister Tara, the current world doubles champion, in both Tennis and Rackets.

David Watson, the retiring T&RA Chairman, was present to commemorate the volunteer of the Year, T&RA Director of Junior Tennis, Paul Weaver, who managed to hold numerous events, including the Junior British Open, during the occasional breaks in the lockdown. Paul has run this event for the last 21 years. Next was a lifetime achievement award to Chris Ronaldson (Radley/Bristol) who has spend an astonishing 50 years in service to the game. During this time, he has revived courts and clubs and was instrumental behind the Radley Court built to 2008. He was also the Open Champion between 1980 and 1985.

MATCH POINT

Real Tennis Match ReportsAnnual Report 2021/22

The quarter-finals saw no major surprises as the top four seeds made their way into the semis; but here there were some tough matches. Fahey & Howell faced third seeds John Lumley (Philadelphia) & Conor Medlow (Chicago), fresh from Lumley’s exploits of the day before, knocking World Champion Fahey out of the singles. A hard first set went to the travellers, before the top seeds levelled. The third set hung in the balance but eventually Fahey & Howell persevered 6/5, and then ran through a swift final set to

The T&RA British Open Doubles 2021 saw a good entry this year, highlighting the wealth of talent around the UK Clubs, as well as players travelling from both France and the US to participate. Qualifiers Nick Wood & Scott Blaber (RTC) won their first-round match before running into the formidable top seeds, Rob Fahey & Nick Howell (Oratory & Bordeaux). Fellow qualifiers, Claire Fahey & Levi Gale (Oratory) ran into the experienced amateur pair, Jamie Giddins & Ed Kay, but made them fight after a brilliant third set recovery.

secure their place in the final, 5/6 6/2 6/5 6/0. Next on court, second seeds Bryn Sayers (Queen’s) & Ben TaylorMatthews (Leamington) took on another pair of travellers, fourth seeds Rod McNaughtan & Matthieu Sarlangue (Paris). The UKbased pair started strongly and were two straightforward sets ahead before a fiercely contested third set saw them progress to the final, winning 6/1 6/2 6/4. The final was evenly contested with all four players playing their part with some breathtaking rests. Howell was steady and allowed his more illustrious partner to make his spectacular shots, a Fahey masterclass of doubles play. Sayers and Taylor-Matthews were never far away, taking their own big points to run each set towards its conclusion, but the Fahey & Howell pairing proved its worth as the top seeds, always having just enough to overcome the clever shot-making of Sayers & Taylor-Matthews. Fahey’s skills were highlighted near the end of the third by intercepting a dedans-bound, main wall boast with a crisp volley into the winning gallery. Ultimately worthy winners in a tight match, 6/5 6/4 6/4.

British DoublesOpenFinal 2021

‘21November Real Tennis Match ReportsAnnual Report 2021/22

Rob Fahey & Nick Howell win the T&RA British Open Doubles Championship, beating Bryn Sayers & Ben Taylor-Matthews 6/5 6/4 6/4

T&RA Chairman, David Watson, presented the Grays Junior of the Year award to Bertie Vallat (Queen’s) following his own successful year winning the Under 16 Open Championship. Then he thanked the tournament organisers, Alistair Lumsden and Ben Ronaldson, together with the numerous volunteers who had made the event happen, ably led by Jess Garside. Thanks were also due to the Patrons and the T&RA for their financial backing. The Doubles salver was then presented to winners, Fahey and Howell, who reiterated how wonderful it was to be back on court, and being able to play in front of Tennis-starved galleries once again.

The 12 youngsters with the highest handicaps played on Saturday in the “B” competition. For many of them, it was their first taste of tournament play and there were many close-fought matches.

Real Tennis Match ReportsAnnual Report 2021/22

The British Open Under 24 Singles Championships (The Eric Angus Cup) - W Flynn

Many thanks go out to Wellington for holding the event and to The Dedanists’ Foundation for their continued support and sponsorship. Doubles

Under 21’s & 24’s Singles &

35 ‘21December

The British Open Under 24 Doubles Championships (The Stephens Tayleur Trophy) - W Flynn & M Trueman

The British Open Under 21 Singles Championships - W Flynn

There was an excellent entry of 21 juniors for this year’s Handicap Singles event held at the Wellington court over the weekend of 18th/19th December.

In the end, it came down to a final between two young players from Wellington, Lila and Seb. The match was initially close before Seb took charge and went on to win 8/3 and take the “B” prize.

The main competition took place on Sunday with players from many clubs taking part. The highlight of the group stages was 10 year old Max’s come back from 2-7 down to win 8/7 in a match he had to win, to qualify for the semi-finals. Max qualified through to the final to play last year’s winner Francesca. The final produced yet another comeback from young Max who came back from 3-6 down to win the match and the tournament 8/6.

Held at Middlesex University Real Tennis Club

Under 18 Singles Handicap Tournament

Under 19’s Doubles: Cesca S and Lilly-May R (WC) took on Olivia Boulton (S) and Marina Hammond (WC) in the doubles final. Cesca and Lily came out the blocks quick and took an early lead but Olivia and Marina battled to get back into the match but Cesca and Lilly-May proved to be too strong on the day and won the title 8/5. Cesca and Lilly-May now hold both the National Rackets and Real Tennis doubles titles, which is an huge achievement in both games!

Real Tennis Match ReportsAnnual Report 2021/22

Amateur Singles & Doubles

Wellington was proud to host the LRTA Under 19’s and Under 15’s National Singles and doubles.

The first semi final started very well for James Medlow as he took the first set against Jamie Giddins but Jamie soon found his form as he move through the gears to

Ed Kay and Jamie Giddins beat Jamie Douglas and Peter Wright 6/1 6/2 3/6 6/5 to win their third British Amateur Championship.

Under 19’s - After 2 groups of round robin matches Lila HW(WC) took on the number one seed and holder Cesca S (WC) in the first semi-final. Lila put up a great performance and made Cesca earn her 6/1 win to reach the final. The second semi-final saw Seacourt’s Olivia Boulton take on Cambridge player Isabella Harvey in another great match, which saw Oliva through to the final with a 6/2 win. Cesca was well focused for the final and despite Olivia best attempts to get a foot hold in the match, Cesca proved just too strong and defended her title with an impressive 8/0 win.

Shenkman defeated Adam Dolman in three close sets whilst Jamie Giddins beat Ben Yorston to move into the semi final.

The singles tournament started with the withdrawal of the number 1 seed and favourite Jamie Douglas and as a result saw James Medlow move straight into the semi finals as one of the tournaments youngest ever semi finalists. There were other strong performances by young Seacourt players, as Max Trueman beat James Greenley in three sets and took a set off Ed Kay in the quarter finals. Rob

nder 15’s - Clemmie B (WC) took on Malati Rice in the first semi final and put in a very strong performance to win a place in the final (6/2) where Clemmie took on Cambridge player Felicity Riddell Bell who had beat WC player Emilia P 6/4 in a very close and exciting semi final match. The final could not have been closer between Clemmie and Felicity with both players raising their game to new heights but it was to be Felicity’s day who took the title with a 8/6 win. The under 15 doubles was an all Wellington affair with Emilia P & Isabel H verses Charlotte D & Lydia CB. Another great final with unbelievable attacking shots and defensive play Congratulations to Charlotte D and Lydia CB on taking the under 15 doubles crown 8/6 in a very exciting final.

‘22January

Photo: L to R: Lily, Cesca, Josh Farrall (Dedanists’ Foundation), Olivia & Marina

Singles Report

36 LRTA U19 & U15 Singles & Doubles

Ed Kay beat Jamie Giddins 6/3 6/4 6/2 to become the 2022 British Amateur Champion in a two hour thriller at the Queen's Club.

beat James 3-1. The second semi was a cracker was Rob Shenkman and Ed Kay split the first two sets and at 2-2 in the third it looked like the match would go all the way. Ed’s return of serve volleys and coolness under pressure eventually showed as he ended up victorious 3-1.

The Amateur final was to be played between Cambridge University and doubles partners Ed and Jamie. A close first set was followed by an epic second set that at 4-4 saw 12 deuces as both players sought the upper hand. This was amateur Tennis at the highest level as Ed’s winning galleries cancelled out Jamie’s dedan winners. Ed took the game and the set and never looked back, winning the match 3-0 to take his second Amateur Championship to add to the one he won in 2018.

Middle: Holding the Doubles trophy Jamie & Ed Bottom: Peter Wright & Jamie Douglas

Queen’s.Sponsored

And so the final of the Amateur Doubles was to be a repeat of the last three finals. A positive covid test meant that the match was pushed back two weeks but the wait was well worth it. Ed Kay was on fire in the first two sets, returning with power and precision and retrieving everything from the serving end. Jamie and Ed moved into a 6/1 6/2 lead. But Jamie Douglas and Peter Wright have won this tournament too many times to give it away and a change of tactics saw them take the third set 6/3. The fourth set was a brilliant display of doubles, with hard hitting, retrieving and patience combining to take the set from 3-3 to 4-4 to 5-5 and to a deciding game. One final well played game from Ed Kay, and Giddins and Kay had retained their title for the third time.

37 ‘22February

We thank Chris Davies and the T&RA for hosting, tournament directors Jamie Giddins and Ben Ronaldson for organising and for all of the professionals for marking. It was great to see high quality amateur Real Tennis back at

Real Tennis Match ReportsAnnual Report 2021/22

Photos: Top: Jamie Giddins & Ed Kay

Doubles Report

The Seaourt pair of James Mellow and Max Trueman put in an excellent performance in the first round to defeat Richard Elmitt and James Greenley and demonstrate why they are a pair to watch in the future. Adam Dolman and James Acheson-Gray also moved well into the semi finals. The semi finals were disrupted by Storm Eunice and were postponed by two days to allow for safe travel. Giddins and Kay moved into the final with a 3-0 win whilst there was a brilliant second semi-final as Peter Wright and Jamie Douglas came from 2 sets to love down to defeat James Acheson-Gray and Adam Dolman.

Defending Silver Racquet and nine-time Gold Racquet champion Jamie Douglas defeated Jamie Giddins (2021 All Comers champion) 3-0 at the start of February to win the MCC Silver Racquet. Douglas started far stronger, taking a strong early lead and taking the first set 6/1. The second set was neck and neck and at 5-5, 30-30 it was anyone’s game. Douglas sneaked the set and was able to carry this momentum through to the third set to finish the match off 6/1 6/5 6/2. It was a great match and Jamie Douglas goes on to play Ed Kay, as he attempts to win his tenth title.

Seacourt Silver Racquet 2022

Jamie Douglas wins delayed MCC 2021 Silver Racquet against Jamie Giddins 3-0

Real Tennis Match ReportsAnnual Report 2021/22

Zak Eadle beat Lewis Williams 6/5 3/6 6/5 in a thrilling semi-final. In the second, Louis Gordon came from a set down to beat junior sensation, Max Trueman, 1/6 6/0 6/5. In the final, Zak started well taking the first set 6/1. With the second set much closer, Louis retired injured with Zak leading 5-4. Zak Eadle is the Seacourt Silver Racquet champion 2022.

‘22Feburary

MCC Silver Racquet 2021

4th singles James Kempton (Merton) bt Miles Kempton (Robinson) 6/0 3/6 6/1

Photos: Left: Cambridge women, winning team

‘22March Real Tennis Match ReportsAnnual Report 2021/22

Men’s match (Oxford names first)

3rd singles Louis Manson (St Anne`s) bt Arthur Adams (Trinity) 6/1 6/1

151st Varsity

Women’s match (Cambridge names first)

1st doubles Emily Arbuthnott (Wolfson) & Ulla Petti (Trinity) beat Natalie Barber (Green Templeton) & Olivia Becher (St Anne`s) 3/6 6/5 6/4 Cambridge won 4-2

1st singles Benedict Yorston (Merton) bt Patrick Smart (Churchill) 6/1 6/0

1st singles Emily Arbuthnott (Wolfson) beat Natalie Barber (Green Templeton) 6/3 6/4

Oxford won 6-0

1st doubles Benedict Yorston (Merton) & James Kempton (Merton) bt Patrick Smart (Churchill) & Arthur Adams (Trinity) 6/2 6/5 6/3

2nd singles Alfred Backhouse (St Catz) bt Aaron Wienkers (Trinity) 6/2 6/0

Right: Oxford men, winning team

4th singles Ulla Petti (Trinity) beat Olivia Becher (St Anne`s) 6/0 6/5

2nd doubles Alfred Backhouse (St Catz) & Louis Manson (St Anne`s) bt Aaron Wienkers (Trinity) & Miles Kempton (Robinson) 6/0 6/3 6/0

2nd doubles Mary Strevens (Magdalen) & Izzy Marshall (New) beat Kureha Yamaguchi (Clare) & Rosie Taylor (St Edmunds) 6/4 6/3

3rd singles Mary Strevens (Magdalen) lost to Rosie Taylor (C) (St Edmunds) 6/4 1/6 2/6

2nd singles Kureha Yamaguchi (Clare) lost to Izzy Marshall (New) 0/6 0/6

Mixed fortunes for Oxford and Cambridge at MCC Match

2021/22 Real Tennis Match ReportsAnnual Report 2021/22

Pol Roger Trophy, Field Trophy & Brodie Cup

A huge thank you to our traveling supporters who made all the difference and showed the passion and commitment our club has for Real Tennis. A big thank you to Oxford for being such amazing opponents, fierce on court and super friendly off court, the perfect balance to a successful Brodie Cup. I can’t finish the report without thanking George Scott for playing in the semi final against Radley and getting us over the line and into the final and to Tom for all his efforts and success in the earlier rounds!

FIELD TROPHY FINAL

Oxford win a close final against local rivals, Radley.

BRODIE CUP FINAL

It was a closely fought match between Oxford and Radley and was a splendid day's Tennis, ending 3-2 to Oxford. Unfortunately, a Radley player was absent through sudden illness and, as Oxford won the first two rubbers, and the match was decided by lunchtime. Nevertheless, Radley fought hard for their honour and won the two matches after lunch, which would have made for a nail biting finish had Radley not defaulted earlier!

Bottom: ClubvictoriousTheQueen’steam,winners of the Pol Roger Trophy.

Wellington beat Oxford 3-2

Above:Photos:The Brodie Final, teams from Wellington & Oxford.

40 ‘22March

POL FINAL FINAL

A huge thank you to James Simpson of Pol Roger for providing lunch with a beautiful selection of wines and of course Pol and to the T&RA and the stewards to ensuring this year’s competition was superbly run and lastly to Simon Roundell who presented the prizes, wearing his T&RA hat!

Right: A montage of action & finalists from the Field Trophy final.

QUEEN'S CLUB beat ROYAL TENNIS COURT

41 Real Tennis Match ReportsAnnual Report 2021/22

on 40 points, Georgie smashed the return of serve into the dedans, beating a half yard chase, thrilling the spectators and winning the match.

S42eacourt

Semi-finals saw the former ladies World Champion Penny Lumley succumb to the reigning World Champion Claire Fahey 6/0 6/0, with Penny’s daughter Tara fighting the other semi-final against Georgie Willis winning 6/2 6/2. Claire went on to retain her British Open title beating Tara 6/0 6/0.

In the Doubles Plate, Sophia Lewis & Bernadette Bidouze took on Caroline Macdowell & Olivia Boulton, a great 3 set match with Sophia & Bernadette making it through 6/2 2/6 6/3 and into the final against the holders Di Wilson & Rosie Law who played some strong Tennis but couldn’t hold off the consistency of Sophia and the experience of Bernadette winning the plate 6/2 6/1.

A wonderful end of tournament speech was given by Peter Dawes who came out of retirement to present prizes congratulating all the winners and finalists. Katie Leppard (LRTA Chairman) also thanked everyone on behalf of the LRTA, whilst Claire Fahey praised her fellow competitors on the high standard of play throughout the tournament.

Photos: Above: Claire Fahey, Ladies British Open Singles Champion, with Peter Dawes

The British Open Plate was won by Minty Oldham who beat Sophia Lewis 6/3 6/2 in an exciting 2 sets with most of the first set games going to multiple deuces and some great targets on both sides.

A huge thank you must go to the whole crew who ran the tournament, in particular Alex Garside, Viv Dawes and Jess Garside for making this tournament such a success, organising the players, making the draw and billeting the players. Most of all a big thank you to our sponsor Peter Luck-Hille without whom none of this would be possible, along with Pol Roger.

The handicap doubles was split into 3 groups, with some great matches. We saw some great Tennis in the final from all players but it was Sophia & Georgie’s day winning 8/2.

The British Open doubles had a strong entry with the top players marking their territory. Penny & Tara Lumley made the final against Claire Fahey & Sarah Shuckburgh but the top seeds were too strong taking the title 6/0 6/2.

Real Tennis Match ReportsAnnual Report 2021/22

Above right: Claire Fahey & Sarah Shuckburgh, British Open Doubles Champions, receiving their prizes from Peter Dawes.

What a fantastic four days of Real Tennis with many of the final score lines not reflecting the brilliant Tennis being played on both sides.

LRTA British Ladies Open 2022

The British Open Singles quarter-finals first match between number 2 seed, Sarah Shuckburgh and Georgie Willis was a thriller. Both players dug in and took many of the games to deuce.

The penultimate game, with an exceptionally long rally/ rest, placed the score at 5 all for the last game and a nail biting finish. With Sarah serving on 30 points to Georgie

Tennis Club was pleased to host the Ladies Real Tennis Association (LRTA) British Ladies Open 2022, sponsored by Peter Luck-Hille, in April, the first time since 2019 due to the covid pandemic. As always a very warm welcome was extended to new and old friends with twenty two ladies from Clubs all over the UK , and even Bordeaux, signing up to play.

Province is the first woman named in the modern history of sport. She would play in Paris as early as 1427 and regularly beat some of the top male amateurs of the time. In the 18th century, prominent figures such as Madame Masson and Madame Bunel followed suit. More recently, Claire and Lea have been competing on equal terms in, respectively, some of the most prestigious professional and amateur tournaments in the world. This tradition of gender equality is something of which the sport of Real Tennis should be proud and actively promote. It is our hope that this LWC has helped raised the profile of the ladies' game for years to come and attract more sponsors.

2022 Ladies Real Tennis World Championships

The 2022 Ladies World Championships welcomed a total of 17 players from all around the world, including the Netherlands.

In doubles, Claire pairing up with her sister Sarah Shuckburgh and they won the title against Isabel Candy and Saskia Bollerman. Even though Isabel was recovering from injury and Saskia was not able to train much by living in the Netherlands, they produced a promising game against the invincible sisters.

It was also our task to raise the standards in organising such an event to match with what is normally done for men. Many things could have been better, and some will need to be improved in the future of course, but we are confident that one day, the format, as well as hosting and sponsoring, will reach what we could see for Men’s World Championship. If we were deemed to have contributed to show the way forward for top ladies’ tournaments, then we would definitely consider this event as a success!

Photo copyright: Jean Deschamps

43 Real Tennis Match ReportsAnnual Report 2021/22

The event was labeled by the Alice Milliat Foundation, which is the first European foundation for women in sports. This is an important step for Real Tennis and a recognition of the tradition of ladies playing it.

13 ladies played in the singles and 6 pairs played in the doubles. The event was completed by a singles plate and a doubles handicap tournament. The main competition ended with a fantastic match, with success by the defending champion Claire Fahey who won her 6th World title in singles against the young French hopeful, Lea Van Der Zwalmen. Even if she tried to put up her best resistance, she did not find the answers against the experience, the incredible touch and the highlevel game produced by Claire. It was the first time that Lea was playing at home for a World Championship, and despite the result, as Claire said, Lea is taking French ladies’ game to an all-new level. We certainly hope that these two champions will have many more battles in the future.

Our sport has a long history dating back to the 14th century. It is less well known that Margot from Hainaut

The week of competition took its promises and was an amazing display of sportsmanship, technical skills, and determination. We were so glad this event gave the players and spectators a memorable time both on and off the court in the beautiful city of Fontainebleau.

Thierry Bernard-Tambour, Chairman

The singles plate was won by Xanthe Ranger who defeated Alex Brodie, and the doubles handicap saw Alex and Jess Garside beat Nicola Doble and Alex Brodie, who sadly had to withdraw due to injury. The club was very proud to be hosting the most prestigious ladies Real Tennis tournament in the world, especially after such challenging times. This event, every eight years in France, was an opportunity to showcase the best players in the world and promote our wonderful sport, and we are very thankful to both players and sponsors for their crucial support.

Winners – Maj Gen J Illingworth and S Yankson 6/3 6/3

for

The 2022 Combined Services & R Championships took place at the Queen’s Club the first time since 2019. Representatives of the Royal Navy, Force competed, both wonderful comradeship built up across the years.

British Army and Royal Air

Runners Up – Maj M Thornton and Maj O Snell (ARMY)

Real Tennis Past and Present Doubles

‘22May

Real Tennis Past and Present Singles

Ed will now take on Jamie Douglas in a repeat of the last four gold racquet fixtures. Jamie leads the head-to-head 3-1, with an impressive total of ten gold racquet victories (six short of the clubhouse leader - Howard Angus with a whopping 16!).

UK Combined Services Real Tennis and Rackets Championship

Left: Maj M Thornton

Real Tennis Match ReportsAnnual Report 2021/22

Real Tennis Inter Services Doubles

2022 Silver Racquet at Lords

Runner Up – Maj M Thornton

Runners Up – Cdr CS Davies and Cdr S De Helpert (ROYAL NAVY)

with

Winners – P Cattermull and S Heilpern (ARMY) 6/0 6/5

Left:Photos:Past & Present Doubles.

serving and retired personnel enjoying the

Ed Kay won the 2022 Silver Racquet at Lords beating Robert Shenkman 6/5 6/1 6/4.

Ed Kay, Silver Racquet winner at Lords 2022

L to R: Illingworth, Yankson, Davies & De Above:Helpert.Past & Present Singles.

Winner – S Yankson 6/0 6/0

Right: S Yankson

THE BOSTWICK CUP

ur enthusiastic travellers crossed La Manche by road, rail, boat and air to congregate just in time for the Saturday practice session and the welcome cocktails. GB performed admirably in this first challenge and still arrived fresh and fit (or as good as it gets) the next morning when, through a quirk of scheduling they faced the jet lagged Australians. Definitely a fortunate throw of the dice. The first match - the first doubles - pitted David Watson and Mark Nicholls against Matty Hayward and Richard Hince and was both the tightest match and, as it later proved, the clincher. The opening game alone lasted 15 minutes and went to the Australians but GB took the next and progressed to 5-2 with GB somehow taking key points. Nerves then set in and the Australians increased the pace forcing racquet errors from the opponents and drawing remorselessly back to 5-4. Nicholls steadied the ship to close out the first set 6/4 with some crisp volleying and firm returns. The second set was equally tight but GB somehow always just held the upper hand and took the match 6/4 6/4. Next up Richard MacAlister and Simon Talbot Williams - on paper the tightest match and one GB needed to win to maintain the momentum. The British pair played impeccable steady tennis and never looked likely to drop the baton winning 6/1 6/3.

‘22May

That evening all the teams were royally entertained chez Henri Blanchot who provided a magnificent reception at his historic “Tardis” house opening out into a wonderful courtyard garden where seemingly endless wine and appetising canapés were offered until the small hours. The GB team performed strongly in the drinks match defending their reputation as enthusiastic travellers.

The final day saw GB take on the Americans - sadly fielding a team of only six thus necessitating their weaker players to step up twice. The pick of the games was the first singles with a relentless Steve Hufford moving to 5-0 up against an exasperated William Maltby somehow unable to get the ball to perform as he needed. However, he dug in resolutely and battled through to a safe win 6/5 6/3.

Day 2 saw GB take on the hosts, bright eyed and bushy tailed and, despite the early hour, the GB team were unstoppable comfortably winning all their matches against enthusiastic players drawn from around the country and with proven skills in Longue Paume and Pelote Basque as well as Jeu de Paume.

Annual Report 2021/22

Great Britain retained the Cockram Trophy in Paris, the Bostwick Cup in Bordeaux and the Danby Trophy in Fontainebleau.

Real Tennis Match Reports

stepped Geoffrey Russell and Richard Compton Burnett to play Nick Carr and John Piccolo. Almost from the start it was clear that all was not well with RCB still struggling to recover from a virus and despite valiant determination and energetic court coverage by his partner the GB pair were forced to concede the match late on in the first set. Up stepped super-sub Ronald Paterson to complete the event and GB wound up winners 3-2 of a close fought contest

GB proudly retained the Bostwick trophy and look forward to the next event in a venue TBA in the UK in 2024. Our thanks to the host Club and its Board and President Thierry and also to the excellent professional team led by Nick Howell ably assisted by his sidekick Tommy, who both marked impeccably and coped admirably with the various curve balls and inevitable changes and retained their charm and good humour throughout.

MWORLDASTERS

The first singles between Maltby and Happell was a high quality spectacle with William coming out strongly retrieving and attacking with equal verve. The first set was tight - much tighter than the score line suggested with many deuces and advantages but Happell just edged the key points taking the set 6/2. The second set started in similar vein but the relentless pressure finally told and forced errors from the GB number 1 as Happell closed it out – 6/2 6/0. The second singles though felt like a banker for GB with the dependable John Prenn up against Graeme Bradfield. The knock up suggested a tight match was in prospect but Prenn’s firm strokes and reliable retrieving forced errors from his opponent and he produced a near flawless display to take the game and the match 6/1 6/0. The second doubles was thus just for honour and up

GB beat Australia 5-0

SEMI FINALS

1 singles Wright bt Krznaric 6/1 6/4

2 singles Devereux bt Emery 6/3 6/0

USA beat Australia 3-2

1 singles Wright lost to Bey 6/3 4/6 4/6

Another close match in the third/ fourth play-off saw USA beat Australia 3-2, all down to the last match. In the grand finale, it was almost all one-way traffic, with GB winning 4-1, after some closely fought matches.

2 singles Elmitt bt Batten 6/2 6/4

1 doubles Semenoff & Grabli lost to Devereux & Soffer 4/6 4/6

1 singles Barker lost to Krznaric 1/6 4/6

1 doubles Acheson-Gray & Eddis bt Buckley & Kininmonth 6/2 6/2

1 doubles Acheson-Gray & Eddis bt Semenoff & Grabli 6/2 6/1

3 singles Shenkman bt Hartnell 6/0 6/2

1 singles Bey bt Wintersteen 6/5 4/6 3/6

France beat USA 3-2

THIRD/FOURTH

2 singles Elmitt bt Emery 6/1 6/0

3 singles Zug lost to Hartnell 3/6 4/6

FINAL

2 doubles Marville & Boy lost to Herlihy & Hill 4/6 3/6

2 doubles Barker & Jarvis bt Girod & Chelli 6/2 6/0

Photo: Some of The Cockram GB Team. L to R: James Acheson-Gray, Harry Eddis, Peter Wright & Roman Krzaric.

Real Tennis Match ReportsAnnual Report 2021/22

3 singles Shenkman bt Blanchot 6/5 6/4

2 singles Batten bt Barker 6/5 6/3

GB beat France 4-1

The Cockram was played in Paris, captained by the ever-green Peter Wright. GB eased past Australia 5-0 in the semi-final, while hosts France fought a close 3-2 victory against the USA.

3 singles Blanchot bt Zug 6/2 6/0

2 doubles Barker & Jarvis bt Poolman & Scopelliti 6/0 3/6 6/1

1 doubles Wintersteen & Soffer bt Buckley & Kininmonth 6/3 6/0

WORLD SSAMTER

2 doubles Herlihy & Hill bt Poolman & Scopelliti 6/3 6/0

THE COCKRAM TROPHY

The GB Bostwick Team. L to R: Richard Compton Burnett, Ronald Paterson, John Prenn, Mike Happell, David Watson, Simon Talbot-Williams, Mark Nicholls, Sue Haswell, William Maltby & Geoffrey Russell.

L to R:- Duncan Colquhoun, Nigel Draffan, Alan Oliver, Jill Newby, Philip Shaw-Hamilton, Simon Johnston, Jamie Bebb & Richard Moore

On the first day against the USA only six of our squad of eight could make it; 1st pair Nigel Draffan and Duncan Colquhoun, 2nd pair Jill Newby and Philip Shaw-Hamilton, 3rd pair Richard Moore and Simon Johnston. The match was won 3-0 by GB but had some very competitive games. Nigel Draffan covered the court very well for Duncan, whose hip was giving him pain. Richard Moore fell badly, narrowly missing cracking his head against the side wall but bruising his hip. It was a good warm up and a chance to get to know the largest court in the world rather better than a mere practice session.

Team GB retained the Danby Trophy with a clean sweep in Fontainebleau, beating each of the other competing nations.

THE DANBY TROPHY

In the individual event Jill Newby and Philip Shaw-Hamilton beat Alan Oliver 6/1 6/3 in the semis, and Wayne Spring and Simon de Halpert 6/3 3/6 6/1 in the final - so Jill becomes the first female ever to win a World Masters title. Congratulations to Jill Newby for a sterling performance whilst carrying a painful knee injury picked up after a fall in a previous singles match.

The Dandy Trophy GB Team

The third day was effectively the final between GB and the Aussies having both beaten the USA and France. First match on were the 1st pair (Nigel and Duncan again). Having lost the first set 4/6 the Aussies (Wayne Spring and John Faull) upped their game to take the second set 6/3. Both GB players had allowed their game to lack drive and purpose and Duncan's hip looked very troubling at the end of the second set, but in the third Nigel hit the ball more forcefully and provided brilliant support keeping GB in the match and allowing Duncan to make his customary winning shots and the pair took the third set 6/2. The 3rd pair of Jamie Bebb and Richard Moore were far too steady and had no trouble against Euhana Varigos (the only female member of the Australian team) and Peter Stanley winning 6/0 6/0. Match over and won which made life more comfortable for the 2nd pair of Alan Oliver and Philip Shaw-Hamilton to cruise to a 6/1 6/1 victory over Rob Jolly and Dick Friend. GB retain the Danby Trophy beating all countries 3-0! A fine team effort by all players.

Real Tennis Match ReportsAnnual Report 2021/22

Knowing that the French were not as strong, both Duncan and Richard were retired and given the day off for the second day's match. With late comers having now arrived the team comprised 1st pair Jill Newby and Philip ShawHamilton; 2nd pair Alan Oliver and Nigel Draffan; 3rd pair Jamie Bebb and Simon Johnston. We all won effortlessly since the French had insufficient strength in the Over 70s. It has to be noted that the French Captain - Ken Casler - was to go immediately into hospital the next day for an intensive, innovative and very costly blood transfusion and total body chemo in order to combat a form of leukemia. We all thought that he was incredibly brave to play in the 1st pair despite very obvious ill health and we wish him well. (At the dinner, nearly two weeks later, Ivan Semenoff said that he was doing well.)

Real Tennis Match ReportsAnnual Report 2021/22

June

Jamie Douglas retained the Gold Racquet at Lords today beating Ed Kay 6/2 6/0 3/6 6/3. A great match with wonderful retrieving and athleticism not to mention the ball being struck prodigiously hard.

The tournament was, as always, a joy to run because of those taking part, who were a splendidly sociable and enthusiastic crew: modest in victory, gracious in defeat and who played all the rubbers in a spirit of friendly but fierce competition. The number of nail-biting 5-all sets was a credit to the handicapper and a worry to the time-keeper, but somehow we managed to complete the event by 19.55, if time for a members’ booking at 20.00. Perfect! Grateful thanks to our splendid sponsors, Pol Roger and Tunnock’s.

Jamie Douglas won the 2022 MCC Gold Racquet title at Lord's on June 25 beating his challenger Ed Kay 6/2 6/0 3/6 6/3 in a blistering contest full of forcing into the dedans and Jamie's trademark boasts from the hazard into the corner at the service end. Ed was under immense pressure in the first two sets but withstood that to win the third set in fine style. He was 3-0 up in the fourth set and at that point it looked as though the match might go to a fifth but the relentless pressure from Jamie prevailed and took him to his eleventh title. Chris Swallow marked the match superbly in traditional style from the middle of the court.

Scottish National Handicap Championships 2022

The group shot shows some of the competitors and the Pros, CJR and Josh King, who did a fine job of marking all weekend. ‘22

TheGENTLEMENChampionships.OFSCOTLAND,annalsshallrecordthenew

MCC Gold Racquet 2022

Congratulations to Andy Keeley, who won the Singles trophy, and to Matthew and David Anderson who won the Doubles at the Scottish National Handicap

names to be engraved on the fine Pol Roger trophies. Congratulations to Andy Keeley, who won the Singles trophy, beating Matthew Anderson in the Final, and to the debutants Matthew and his father David Anderson who won the Doubles, beating Maggie Henderson-Tew and James Dron.

Most Valued Player Robert Shenkman No 2 Levi Gale Division 3/4. 21/22 Matches. Winners Leamington 1 Runners Up- Queen’s 2

Final results from 189 matches

Most Valued Player William Todd No 2 Dick Cowling Division 9. 26/26 Matches Winners Petworth 4 Runners Up Hat/MURTC 2 Most Valued Player Martin McNair No 2 Adrian Warburton

For more information about FLM National League schedules and results go to www.irtpa.com/match-schedules

Premier Division: - 5 matches Winners Team Taylor-Matthews 3/2 Most Valued Player awarded to Bryn Sayers Division 1/2 . 26/26 Matches. Winners Manchester. Runners Up - The Oratory

Most Valued Player Jonny Whitaker No 2 Nino Marola Division 5. 43/43 Matches. Winners Seacourt Runners Up-Queen’s 3

Most Valued Player James Medlow No 2 Max Trueman Division 6. 12/13 Matches. Winners Hatfield 1

The FLM IRTPA National League 2021-2022

Most Valued Player Jack Josephs No 2 Ed Turner Division 8. 13/13 Matches. Winners The Royal Tennis Court 4 Runners Up Leamington 2

The T&RA were delighted that FLM also sponsored the T&RA Benefactors’ Cocktail Party.

Rob Shenkman and Bryn Sayers lost the Premier League to Ben Taylor Matthews and Levi Gale at The Hyde.

Most Valued Player Award Josh King No 2 NIck Lloyd Division 7. 39/39 Matches. Winners MURTC Runners Up- Queens 4

In 2020 FLM kindly agreed to sponsor the IRTPA National League. Unfortunately, covid struck. Although some keen players overcame the restrictions the competition had to be abandoned.

This year 46 teams with over 250 players have entered in eight Divisions.

RobManchesterShenkmanand

49 Real Tennis Match Reports …at

Annual Report 2021/22

Darren Long best Claire Fahey and Levi Gale

CLOTHIER CUP FINAL RESULT

GB defeated USA 5 matches to 4

legendary players Rob Fahey and Kieran Booth began their careers. In the singles Henry Mullan performed well in comfortably beating Erik Barker (Washington) in the quarter final and was unfortunate not to reach the final, losing 4/6 in the 3rd set to Freddie Bristowe (New York). On the other side of the draw Robert Shenkman won through 6/1 6/3 in his semi final against local hopeful Ollie Pridmore (Hobart) to set up a final against Freddie. The final was a tense affair with the first set going 6-0 to Robert despite 4 deuce games. The second set ebbed and flowed and despite Freddie having his chances Robert edged it 6/5, to take the title 6/0 6/5.

USA defeated Australia 9 matches to 0

GB defeated Australia 9 matches to 0

After

LIMB CUP FINAL RESULT

In the second match between the number 3s the previously untested Ben Yorston (having missed the Hobart leg due to a hockey tour) provided a nail-biting victory over Erik Barker 6/5 6/5. The crowds were treated to seemingly never-ending restes between two players with similar styles leaving many spectators wondering if the match would ever end.

The tour started with the Australian U26 Amateur Singles and Doubles championships in Hobart, the club where

British veteran Henry Mullan then flipped the overall match scoreline on its head with a 6/2 6/2 win over Pete Dickinson using a tight railroad and powerful volleys to great effect. This left GB in the ascendancy going into the

In the doubles, the first semi final was an excellent contest with Ivo Macdonald and Pete Dickinson (Philadelphia) almost giving the second seeds Barker and Bristowe a fright eventually going down 4/6 4/6. The final was a quality affair between two experienced pairs. Bristowe and Barker won the first set 6/5 but Shenkman and Mullan rallied to level the scores and take the match to a decider. The final set was full of pulsating restes but ultimately Bristowe proved the difference between the pairs providing many explosive volleys to take the US team to the title, 6/5 2/6 6/4.

Van Alen/George Limb/Clothier Tour Report and Results July ‘22

Real Tennis Match ReportsAnnual Report 2021/22

VAN ALEN CUP FINAL RESULT

The teams then enjoyed a great dinner at the Hobart club before embarking the next day to Ballarat in pursuit of the Van Alen cup, held by the USA since 2019. The first day comprised four singles matches and the 2nd & 3rd string doubles. In the 4th string singles, Ivo Macdonald had a humdinger with the aptly named Chase Motz (USA) eventually going down 5/6 in the final set to give team USA an early victory. Motz attacked with real vigour to leave USA team manager Ivan Ronaldson purring with delight.

14 days in Australia, the UK team of Robert Shenkman (c), Henry Mullan, Ben Yorston and Ivo Macdonald have returned home victorious claiming a host of trophies from the tour matches in Hobart, Ballarat and Melbourne.

The first doubles match of the day was somewhat anticlimactic since an arm injury to Henry Mullan severely hampered GBs chances and they went down 4/6 3/6 to Dickinson and Bristowe. 3rd & 4th strings Macdonald and Yorston then won 6/4 6/3 against Motz and Barker to put GB to within a win of victory. However there was a further twist and it was nothing less than the Van Alen cup deserved with Bristowe shining yet again in the doubles arena alongside Erik Barker, defeating Shenkman and Yorston 6/4 6/5 to leave nothing to separate the teams as they went into the final match. The main question ahead of the deciding rubber was the fitness of Henry Mullan, who had been living on a diet of ibuprofen and Panadol after the first match of the day. As it turned out, his pain subsided and he was able to take up a role at the back of the court against Dickinson and Motz. However, it was his partner Ivo Macdonald who proved the difference, hitting Exocet style forces at the dedans whilst Mullan was solid on the volley. A shell shocked US team could not cope with the offensive play on show and team GB took the victory 6/2 6/3 to reclaim the Van Alen cup. The match was played in

Moving on to Melbourne, both the UK and USA teams were able to complete 9-0 victories over Australia in the George Limb and Clothier Cups respectively to round off a successful tour for all parties. Thanks were given to ARTA president Alistair Curley for organising and overseeing a whirlwind 14 days, and indeed for all of the Australian professionals who marked the Tennis and who were excellent hosts.

excellent spirit between two evenly matched teams and it was a great spectacle of international team Tennis.

Annual Report 2021/22

final two matches of the day. The final match between the 1 strings was a repeat of the u26 final in Hobart and it did not disappoint. Robert Shenkman took the first set 6/3 but Freddie Bristowe rallied and found a purple patch, taking the second set 6/2 and opening up a 5-0 lead in the 3rd. At 40-15 to team USA the match seemed over however Shenkman edged back into the match. Slowly but surely the score was eventually tied at 5-5 before Shenkman completed a seemingly unthinkable comeback to win 6/5 in the final set. Team USA , Barker and Dickinson then provided a thrilling comeback of their own over Mullan and Yorston to win 6/5 in the 3rd to leave the overall match score at 3-2 going into the final 4 doubles games. Both teams then enjoyed Ballarat’s own 4th July celebrations before the second day of play took place on the Tuesday.

Written by team captain Robert Shenkman.

Photos: Opposite: Under 26 in Hobart Top: Freddie Bristowe (USA) & Robert Shenkman (GB) Below: GB, USA & Australian Teams

52 Junior Real Tennis World Rankings 2022 Real Tennis Match Reports/Junior Rankings Rank Player & Age HandicapClub 1 Max Trueman (17) 13.8Seacourt 2= James Medlow (17) 16.4Seacourt 2= Bertie Vallat (16) 16.4Queen’s 4 Oliver Pridmore (17) 20.1Hobart 5 Henry Henman (15) 20.2Radley 6 Magnus Garson (18) 29.6Oxford 7 James Rossiter (17) 29.8Queen’s 8 George Parsons (16) 33.2RTC 9 Alex Rackham (17) 33.5Hobart 10 Willem Sweet (18) 35.4Wellington Rankings as at 6th August 2022 World class Real Tennis was played at Hampton Court Palace, sponsored by MITSUBISHI ELECTRIC The Champions Trophy at Royal Tennis Court Royal Tennis Court, Sunday 26th June 2022: Rob Fahey beat Ben Taylor-Matthews 6/2 4/6 6/2 6/3 in the final of the Real Tennis Champions Trophy MATCH Annual Report 2021/22

53 Real Tennis Rankings RankPlayer Points 1Camden Riviere 58686 2Rob Fahey 54001 3John Lumley 37373 4Ben Taylor-Matthews 29242 5Chris Chapman 22682 6Bryn Sayers 17703 7Nick Howell 16341 8Steve Virgona 12182 9Leon Smart 10882 10Matthieu Sarlangue 10677 Rankings after Champions Trophy 2022 RankName H’Cap 1Claire Fahey (professional) 5.0 2Lea van Der Zwalmen (France) 15.9 3Tara Lumley 22.8 4Sarah Vigrass 24.6 5Saskia Bollerman (Netherlands) 28.0 6Isabel Candy 28.8 7Nicola Doble 30.5 8Penny Lumley 31.5 9Sue Haswell 31.9 10Georgie Willis 32.9 Men’s Real Tennis World Rankings 2022 Ladies’ Real Tennis World Rankings 2022 The Ladies’ World Rankings are currently based on Real Tennis Online Singles handicaps and the British Open is seeded based on RTO Players who are recorded on RTO as having a "dormant handicap" or who have not recorded any Singles results on RTO for a year or more are not included in this list. All players amateur and GB unless stated. Rankings as at 6th August 2022 Real Tennis World Rankings 2022 Annual Report 2021/22

By Theo Bollerman, President

Dutch Real AssociationTennis

he IRTA is delighted that its members were able to get back on court over the past year. We travelled to Hardwick House in October to take part in the Brigands Doubles Tournament for Peripatetic Clubs, where we had a promising start but narrowly missed out on advancing beyond the group stage. March saw the IRTA back at Hardwick House, this time for a fixture against The Haphazards. Also in March, the IRTA team emerged the victors in the Celtic Challenge at Radley, who then hosted our Irish Open Championship in June. Our Closed Championship will be held later in the year, and further fixtures and trips are being planned. We are

The other group stayed in Australia. In Ballarat , Lucie and Theo Bollerman competed in the lovely handicap doubles tournament for the Joey Cup. They came third. Robert Jolly gave one of his great speeches. After that , the trip went to Melbourne where they joined forces with Huub and Kim van Boeckel to play the Roo. Saskia Bollerman was also there but could not play in the Australian Open and Ladies World Championships as she was still injured. Her hip procedure took place in June; and she was not allowed to do any sport for at least six months. The yearly Dutch week at Radley College was attended by some 60 players, of which 42 competed in the Dutch Real Tennis Championships and the handicap doubles tournament. In the absence of Saskia, Stephanie Zaaijer was a worthy successor, who later that year went to the

The planning permission which was to see the historic Dublin Real Tennis Court become part of a museum expired in late 2021; an application by the developers for an extension was denied. The IRTA will now resume its campaign for the restoration of this important part of Ireland's built heritage to its intended purpose.

By Ben North, Secretary

54 International

grateful to all the clubs, supporters, and professionals who have welcomed the IRTA and given us the opportunity to start playing Tennis again.

Annual Report 2021/22

Irish Real AssociationTennis

The Dutch Real Tennis Championships, August 2021, Fontainebleau

he year started well with two groups of Dutch playing in different countries. One group consisting of André Driessen, Rogier Botting, Marian van Koesveld, Feikje Nassy, Erik Gunter, Henk Jan Meere, Florentine Molkenboer and top player Andreas van Braam Houckgeest, had their annual meeting in Cambridge with a fair result. The Cambridge team beat the Dutch 7–5. Many thanks again to Christie Marrian, who organized the meeting for the umpteenth time.

RMTC for a three-month period to assist in the proshop. Second place was for Marian van Koesveld. The men’s tournament was won again by Paul Bollerman in a very good match against Hugo van der Meer. Many extra activities were undertaken; a group of Dutch even took part in a session of Eton Fives. Of course golf, Rackets, fives and lawn tennis were also popular. It was a great week again, made possible by Chris Ronaldson, his assistant Nino Merola and the friendly ground staff who prepared the grass courts especially for the Dutch.

he schedule for the season was beginning to look very condensed for the months in May, June and July 2022, but restrictions started to lift in the UK and there was at last play with the first ranking tournament since the conclusion of the US Open 2020 being played with the British Open in November 2021.

The Champions Trophy sponsored by Mitsubishi Electric was held at the Royal Tennis Court, Rob Fahey was defending the title he won back in 2019 and he retained it winning in four

RealAustraliaTennis Association

International

As we look ahead to the rest of year and early 2023, we invite you to come join us in Melbourne for the Australian Open & Women’s Open 3-10 January, immediately followed by the Boomerang Cup, a great event for all standards of players. And of course, it’s an awesome time to escape the northern hemisphere winter, get some heat and lots of Tennis! There will be also supporting events in Ballarat and Hobart. Keep an eye on our Facebook page for more Finally,details.Australia sends its very best wishes to the rest of the Real Tennis world – and invites you to ‘get down under’ soon!

a court! The hard part of course is raising the necessary funds; the fundraising project is well under way, and you can find all the details of how to donate at www. sydneyrealtennis.com.au. If you are an Australian resident for tax purposes, then your donation can be tax-deductible too!

Results for events played to 3rd July 2022 Tournament Winner Finalist

Ben Taylor-Matthews

U.S. Open 2022 Camden Riviere Rob Fahey

are only three more ranking tournaments this year before the race for the world championship in 2023 concludes following the British Open in November. The race is quite close and one more large prize fund from the three remaining Opens would make that event very competitive indeed. The Australian is in August, the French late September and the British in November.

U.S. Pro Singles 2022 Camden Riviere Rob Fahey

Champions Trophy 2022 Rob Fahey Ben Taylor-Matthews World Doubles 2022 Camden Riviere & Tim Chisholm John Lumley & Steve Virgona

Our clubs have all come through the pandemic in good shape. Government furlough schemes allowed them to keep going, and each club used the various periods of lockdown to undertake maintenance and upkeep. We emerged into 2022 with a full calendar of domestic Tennis events and all clubs saw court bookings return towards pre-covid levels.

By Susie Falkner, CEO

Annual Report 2021/22

Our Masters teams (some twenty-five players) were the first Australians to head overseas for Tennis in a long time, to attend the World Amateur Masters in France. It was a wonderful celebration of Tennis, and everyone survived the ordeal of vaccinations, paperwork and covid tests!

Theresets.

The World Doubles took place at the new Bordeaux court following the Champions Trophy. It is fitting that France’s newest court should be the host for a new world doubles format where the best four pairs play over the best of nine sets in each match. The IRTPA has created a world double ranking system which partly takes an individual’s current singles ranking and their results from four years of doubles events to calculate a player ranking and points value. The points value of the pair is then combined with the highest value being No. 1. The full explanation can be read on the IRTPA’s web site.

By Alistair Curley, Chair of Tennis

There was also a period of introspection for ARTA, as we were required to revamp our Rules to meet new requirements for incorporated bodies. The upshot is that we now have a set of rules which allow all players of Real Tennis in Australia to have a genuine say within ARTA. Our most important local project is the goal of a new Real Tennis court in Sydney and the team there have been working tirelessly to get the necessary approvals. They now have an excellent site at the Cheltenham Recreation Club and exciting plans for the court. I visited the site in May and can assure everyone it will be a great location for

The U.S. Open and the U.S. Professional Singles playing for the Schochet Cup were scheduled to be played concurrently as possible with a week in between the two events. The U.S. Open was hosted by the Tuxedo Club. History was made for this event in the prize money was US$100,000, the highest ever for an Open tournament with US$65,000 going to the singles prize fund, with a draw of 16 players (the qualifying tournament was very competitive!) and US$35,000 going to the doubles prize fund for a draw of 12 pairs. If prize funds could be kept at this level there would be no shortage of players, and our professionals would not be out of pocket for chasing ranking and race points from around the world. The Open Singles and US Pro Singles titles saw Camden Riviere maintain his winning form.

British Open 2021 John Lumley

021 saw the return of competitive Tennis within Australia, albeit with events needing to be re-scheduled on several occasions due to lockdowns. However, as we know, most international events remained off limits last year.

The IRTPA

was he a two-time World Champion, but he won nearly every existing national title, in every age bracket, singles and doubles, over a span of many decades. In 1994, he was inducted into the International Court Tennis Hall of Fame as part of the inaugural class. In Temple Grassi, we had the ultimate cheerleader, in the most profound and tangible sense of the term. His enthusiasm and support for our game never flagged; he spurred action and innovation in both player and court development. Though he left us far too quickly and far too early, he left us with a better, stronger game and we will be forever grateful. Here in the United States, we look forward to carrying on the legacy of these two great gentlemen of our sport.

56 International USCTA

To that end, as we look ahead to where we are going, I am thrilled that we have three very active ongoing court development projects. In this last year, it was announced that a new court is being built at the Sand Valley Golf Resort in Nekoosa, Wisconsin. Around four hours north of Chicago, this court will feature as part of a multi-sport

venue alongside top-rated golf courses and grass lawn tennis courts. We continue to work with the Daniel Island Club to complete the exciting prospect of bringing a court to Charleston, South Carolina. It is a city that would be a unique destination for Tennis, particularly for our international visitors. And last, but certainly not least, it will be my particular pleasure to welcome friends from near and far as we open the new Washington, DC court at the Westwood Country Club. Since 1997, Prince’s Court has been a special venue for our game, featuring outstanding club players and warm fellowship, and I am confident that this tradition will continue at Westwood. Onward!

Annual Report 2021/22

am pleased to say that the 2021-2022 season was complete, robust, and successful. It has been wonderful to see the energy and enthusiasm of USCTA members in getting back on court. I want to thank the professionals and all club leadership for their commitment to hosting national and club tournaments once again. Without them, we would not have been able to host two U.S. Opens, two U.S. championships.ageofandSchochetSinglesProfessionalfortheCup,afullslatenational,andlevel

As we reflect on where we have been and where we are going as an Association in the champion.aGrassi.andPeteAmericanlegendstheIpandemicpost-world,mustrecognizelossoftwoofthegame:BostwickTemplePetewasconsummateNotonly

By Mary A. Livingston President, United States Court Tennis Association

Photo: The new Washington, DC court at the Westwood Country Club, in progress!“Imust

recognize the loss of two legends of the American game: Pete Bostwick and Temple Grassi. Here in the United States, we look forward to carrying on the legacy of these two great gentlemen of our sport.”

A fantastic fortnight of Tennis, respect, friendship and style which prove one more time that nothing is greater than this game. The next World Masters will be hosted by Great Britain in 2024. The project of renovation of the court in Chinon is progressing with more than Euros 800,000 raised thanks to the efforts of the team headed by Thierry Bernard-Tambour. We are as well looking forward to playing again on the court

International

We would like to thank all volunteers who made all this events a succees and are happy to announce that the next French Open will take place in Paris at the end of September.

in Pau soon. This project has been approved by the mayor of the city.

This season has seen the renewal of the game after the covid-19 crisis. International and national competitions took place again.

The legendary Coupe de Bordeaux was back after ten years of absence. This prestigious trophy won in the past by the best amateurs as Julian Snow and Howard Angus was awarded to Nicolas Victoir this year. And last but not least, France hosted for the first time the World Masters hosted by the three main French clubs: including for the first time the 80’s category. For the first time, matches could be watched on line, thanks to Thestreaming.Cockram Trophy, the Bostwick Cup, The Danby Trophy and the Muñoz Trophy were won by the respective British teams. The French Cockram team lost only in the final against Great Britain

great year of Real Tennis in France !

Annual Report 2021/22

14andBritain,fromMoreFontainebleauBordeaux,andParis.than100playersAustralia,GreattheUnitedStatesFranceparticipatedinindividualcompetitions

By Ivan Semenoff

Cockram French Team: Julien Bey, Tim Batten, Ivan Semenoff (cap.), Emmanuel Chelli, Alexandre Boy, Laurent Marville, Alexandre Girod, Charles Blanchot, Jean-Philippe Grabli

Matthieu Sarlangue won for the 12th time in a row the prestigious Raquette d’Or, beating the record of his father Bertrand (11 times). To be continued… Fontainebleau hosted the Ladies World Championships won by Claire Fahey against Lea van der Zwalmen in the final. Fontainebleau also hosted the Junior Open and the first Ladies French Championships won by Lea van der BordeauxZwalmen. organised the Doubles World Championships won by Camden Riviere and Tim Chisholm against John Lumley and Steve Virgona in the final. At this event the court was officially inaugurated by the mayor of Bordeaux, Mr. Pierre Hurmic.

Comité français

Annual Report 2021/22

Left: The Bathurst Cup.

CUP

In 1921, the T&RA committee met to give approval for a new tournament, the Bathurst Cup, to take place first in London between 8 and 20 May 1922. As The Times reported on 21st November, the competition would take place in Paris one year and London the next, and would be open to teams of between two and four amateur players representing any country in the world. These teams would compete on a format modelled on the lawn tennis Davis Cup, namely four singles matches and one doubles match, the winner being the

team winning the most matches. Perhaps showing an awareness of a thousand years of Franco-Anglo relations, the organisers decided that in France, French rules would apply; so, for instance, each match in France would be three 8 game sets, whereas in the UK it would be five 6 game sets.

THE

ewspaper lore tells how the perfect newspaper headline should have four elements; religion, snob appeal, mystery and sex; hence the archetypal headline, “Oh, my God! The Duchess is pregnant; whodunit?” My story has the first three elements, so it is nearly perfect. it involves Tennis’s own world cup, the biennial Bathurst Cup, coming to Lord’s in 2022. First, let me tell you a bit more about the tournament before describing the mystery of the trophy and its giver.

Above: The Bathurst Cup was given by and named in honour of Lilias, Countess of Bathurst.

Inevitably, given the choice of venues, the first competitors were France and Great Britain. The tournament experienced some teething problems, some of which might sound familiar to organisers of international matches in the early twenty-first century. The two players making up the French team, M. Worth and M. Deves, were not greatly enamoured of the court at Queen’s or of the Tennis balls provided for the match, leading to calls by the press for much greater efforts to standardise the match balls. Whether for these or other reasons, the team of four players from Great Britain, Baerlein, Bruce, Pennell and Renshaw, proved too strong for the Frenchmen and were

58 International

By Roger Pilgrim, with thanks to David Best, Brian Rich, Sam Leigh, Jamie Bruce and Chris Davies.

Turning now to the trophy and its donor, the Bathurst Cup was given by and named in honour of Lilias, Countess of Bathurst and the wife of the 7th Earl. However, Lilias (nee Borthwick) was a powerful woman in her own right. In 1908 she inherited The Morning Post, a newspaper associated with the Tory Party from her father and was its proprietor until 1924. The paper was noted for its attentions to the activities of the powerful and wealthy, its interest in foreign affairs, and in literary and artistic events: it is said to have

Morning Post was not a paper providing any coverage of Tennis. So her motives remain a mystery unless someone out there knows more!

59 International

By‘Scissors’”!thefollowing year in Paris, the Americans had organised a team; as the Sunday correspondentTimeslater noted it was very “splendid” of them to turn up for a tournament that could never be played on their home soil, on the grounds that it would probably not be possible for representative teams to travel there “merely on the coarse question of money”. The first US team included their Olympic champion, Jay Gould, although it sounds from the commentary of the time that he had not put in much training for the event: “Mr Gould is decidedly portly these days […] he potters around the court”. However portly he might have seemed, Gould could still stoop for the ball, and was more than a match for the French. Indeed, the he also gave the British pair of Baerlein and Bruce a run for their money. It was only a remarkable win in the deciding rubber by Baerlein against Gould - 4/8 8/5 8/4 (French rules) - that gave the British their 3-2 victory. The USA would win in the following year and establish a pattern of US and GB victories that was unbroken until 1982 when Australia (who had started to compete in this tournament in the 1950’s) won the trophy for the first time.

easy winners, 5-0. Indeed, the Times correspondent was able to note of Mr Pennell, that his singles match against M. Deves was so much within his control that he was not required to resort to his usual range of on-court practices, including “playing the ball between his legs and behind his back” and, at moments of stress, “ejaculating the word

been the first daily paper in London to publish notices of plays and concerts on a regular basis. It achieved notoriety in 1920 when it published a series of articles on the now thoroughly discredited, anti-Semitic hoax, the Protocols of the Elders of Zion.

An interesting footnote emerging from the T&RA archives is that, like the more famous Jules Rimet Trophy awarded to winners of the soccer World Cup, the Bathurst Cup also went missing. In 1972 , it vanished completely, only to reappear later in the same year, after the insurance money had been collected. (The insurers were reimbursed, of course.) It is now stored securely, and winning teams hold a replica trophy commissioned in 1987.

Annual Report 2021/22

Her reasons for donating the Bathurst Cup are, for the moment, obscured by the mists of time. Extensive research within the archives of the T&RA has revealed nothing. An article in The Field from 1921 states that this “generous gift” would “do a great deal to spread the knowledge of Tennis both here and abroad and to carry the revival of interest in the game that has been noticeable in the last few years.” Sadly no one has yet produced a definitive biography of the InvestigationsCountess.in the Oxford Dictionary of Biography indicate that the male members of her family were interested in hunting, flying and winter sports, but no Tennis players. A cursory review of the list of documents deposited in the archive of her papers at liessuggestUniversityLeedsdoesnottheanswerthere.Andthe

This year is to be the 100th Men’s and the inaugural Ladies Bathurst Cup, it will be held at Lords.

Clifton (Swindon & Esses) bt Tonbridge (Nodder & O'Dwyer) 8/7

Category D Open Championship

Jamie Giddins bt Craig Greenhalgh 6/3 6/0 6/1

Giddins & Yorston bt Hyde & Smart 6/1 6/3

54-59 Competition

Matthieu Sarlangue bt Mackenzie 6/2 6/2 6/5

Chris Handley bt Ronald Paterson 5/6 6/3 6/5 David Barnes bt Simon Martin 6/0 6/2

Over 50 Amateur Doubles 2021

P Norris bt E Smith 6/3 6/4

Winchester (Delaforce & Potter) bt Worth (Cattermull & Bett) 8/5 Marlborough (Hewitt & Kerr) bt Charterhouse (Don & Taylor) 8/1 Epsom (Wilkinson & Watson) bt Taunton (Mathers & Peregrine-Jones) 8/7

Max Trueman bt Archie Mayer 6/0 6/1 George Parsons bt Alex Machin 6/1 6/3

Semi Finals

Lottie Hoskin bt Rosie Taylor 6/5 6/1 Eve Shenkman bt Jacqueline Siu 6/2 6/3

Shenkman & Hoskin bt Siu & Kirk 6/2 6/1 Willis & Neill bt Lewis & Taylor 6/2 6/2

Final

Edward Smith bt Hugh Antrobus 4/6 6/3 6/3 Bill Ingram bt Tim Lancaster 6/1 6/3

Mark Piper bt Alex Brodie (3) 6/3 3/6 6/1

Jonny Whitaker bt Will Flynn 2/6 6/4 6/1

Neil Mackenzie bt Claire Fahey 6/1 6/4 3/6 6/2

Figg bt Foulds 6/5 5/6 6/5 Mayer bt Worboys 6/3 6/4

Final Grier bt Sui 10/6

Final Winchester bt Clifton 8/5

Singles First Round

Round 1

Lord's MCC Jul 02 - 03, 2021

Yorston & Bates lost to Macdonald & Smart 2/6 5/6 1/6

Levi Gale bt Jamie Douglas w/o

E Smith bt B Ingram 6/5 1/6 6/3

Final Chris Aley bt James Law 1/6 6/3 6/4

Final

Rory Giddins bt Ed Hyde 3/6 6/1 6/4

James Kempton lost to Patrick Smart 2/6 1/6

Nick Howell bt Eadle 4/6 6/1 6/1 6/2

Final Robinson bt Kempton 6/1 6/4

Winchester bt Marlborough 8/3 Clifton bt Epsom 8/2

Prested Cup UK Under 20 Amateurs 2021 Prested Hall Oct 09 - 10, 2021

Stuart Kerr bt Chris Vigrass 6/4 6/2

Clive Turner bt Tim Harper 4/6 6/3 6/1 Mark Piper bt Stuart Kerr 6/5 6/1

Cattermull (Alumni Tournament) Handicap 2021

Semi Finals

Giddins bt Josh Smith 2/6 3/6 6/1 6/2 6/5

Oratory Sep 03 - 05, 2021

Lewis Williams bt Luke Danby 6/5 6/5

3rd 4th place play off

Robert Shenkman bt Will Burns 6/0 6/3 6/1

Richard Vallat bt Ben Geytenbeek 6/4 6/1

Martin McNair bt Paul Cattermull 6/4 6/3

Final

Final Mayer bt Figg 6/0 1/6 6/2

Archie Mayer bt Ben Dickson 6/3 6/0

Round 2

10-14 Competition Group 1

P Norris bt J Jones 6/2 6/2

Jack Josephs bt Steve Brewerton 6/2 3/6 Jonathan6/1 Fisher bt Nick Brodie 6/4 6/4 Simon Constantine bt Mark DevonaldSmith 6/1 6/5

Penny Lumley bt Josephs 6/4 6/5 Jonarhan Fisher bt Constantine 6/5 6/3

Clive Turner bt Araminta Oldham 6/0 6/2

5th Place Play off

Category E Open Championship

45-49 Competition Round 1

Louis Gordon bt Adam Player 6/5 6/4 6/2

Rob Fahey vs Gordon 6/0 6/1 6/2

Quarter-finals

David Watson & Peter Wright bt Chris Vigrass & Clive Turner 8/0

Wellington Sep 11 - 12, 2021

15-19 Competition Round 1

Tim Robinson bt Handley 3/6 6/4 6/3 Silas Manhood bt Andrew James 6/1 1/6 6/4 Renaud Besnard bt Ben Andrews 6/3 4/6 6/1 James Kempton bt Barnes 6/1 6/3

Peter Homes & Simon Barker bt Vigrass & Turner 8/2

Final

Lewis bt Mayer 10/4

Darren Long bt Kay 3/6 6/1 4/6 6/5 6/0

Category B Open Championship

Richard Foulds bt Richard Marmoy 6/2 6/4 Christopher Figg bt Chris Harland 6/5 6/5

Lumley bt Giddins w/o

30-34 Competition Round 1

Oxford vs Cambridge 150th

Category G Open Championship

Mark Piper bt Clive Turner 1/6 6/1 6/4

British Open Singles and Doubles Championships 2021

Laura Neill bt Kate Kirk 6/0 6/1

Finals

Hatfield House Sep 03 - 05, 2021

Alex Machin bt Bella Harvey 6/1 6/0

Jacqueline Sui bt Callum Grier 10/7

Annual Report 2021/22

Richard Foulds bt Mike Cotton 2/6 3/6 Dan Worboys bt Ian Hawkey 6/1 6/3

35-39 Competition Round 1

Deciding Doubles

Peter Norris bt Kim Walker 6/4 6/4 Jenny Jones bt Damian Mayer 6/2 3/6 6/5

Archie Mayer bt Trevor Hammond 6/3 6/5 Dan Worboys bt Richard Coughtrie 6/3 1/6 6/2

Semi-finals

Ed Kay bt Luke Danby 6/2 6/2 5/6 6/4

Second Round

40-44 Competition Round 1

Round 2

Ben Taylor-Matthews bt Shenkman 6/3 6/1 6/3

The Hyde Sep 17 - 19, 2021

Prested Hall Sep 25 - 26, 2021

Callum Grier bt Peter Lewis 10/7

Final Lumley bt Fisher 6/4 2/6 2 0 ret

James Bates lost to Mark Bonaventura 4/6 3/6 Benedict Yorston bt Ivo Macdonald 6/1 6/5

Callum Grier bt Catherine Mayer 10/9

Martin McNair bt Lucas Garvin 6/4 6/4

Chris Manson bt Richard Vallat 6/2 6/4

Chris Manson bt Martin McNair 6/4 6/3

Levi Gale bt Mark Mathias 6/2 6/1

50-54 Competition First round

Quarter-finals

Ladies (Oxford names first)

Tim Harper bt Matt Boulton (4) 6/4 5/6 6/3

Men's (Oxford names first)

Category F Open Championship

Watson & Wright bt Holmes & Barker 6/1 6/0

Semi-finals

Giddins & Kempton bt Hyde & Bonaventura 6/1 6/2 5/6 6/4

Georgie Willis bt Sophia Lewis 6/2 6/0

MURTC Sep 24 - 26, 2021

Tom Durack bt William Flynn 6/4/5/6 6/3 6/3

Real Tennis Match Results

Zak Eadle bt Nino Merola 3/6 2/6 6/4 6/5 6/2

3rd Place Play off

3rd Place Play off Alex Dyter bt Ged Parsons 4/6 6/2 6/4

Round 3

Peter Lewis bt Catherine Mayer 10/4

Anniversary Varsity Match 2021

Jacqueline Sui bt Catherine Mayer 10/8

Robinson bt Manhood 6/5 4/6 6/1 Kempton bt Besnard w/o

Semi-finals

Bryn Sayers bt Levi Gale 6/1 6/3 6/1

Prested Hall Oct 02 - 03, 2021

Jacqueline Sui bt Peter Lewis 10/9

John Lumley bt Durack 6/0 6/0 6/3

The Queen’s Club Nov 14 - 23, 2021

Paul Cattermull bt Richard White 6/5 6/4

Max Trueman bt George Parsons 6/1 6/2

Amateur Singles and Doubles Championships 2022

First Round

Semi-finals

Relegation Matches

Real Tennis Match Results

Quarter-finals

Gordon bt Gale 6/3 6/5

Leamington lost to Oxford 1-4 Canford lost to Bristol 1-4 Manchester lost to Wellington w/o Radley bt Jesmond 5-0

Tom Shrager & Matt Potter bt Hodgson & Roundell 6/3 6/0

Preliminary Round

Rayner bt A. Deakin 6/3/ 6/3 Warner bt MacAlister 6/0 6/3 S. Barker bt Lawrence 6/3 5/6 6/3 J. Symonds bt S. Talbot-Williams 6/2 6/2

Radley bt Hatfield 5-0 Oxford bt Prested w/o

First Round D. Sheperdigian bt R. Paterson 6/2 6/4

Giddins & Kay bt Douglas & Wright 6/1 6/2 3/6 6/5

Final

Moreton Morrell lost to RTC (1) 0-5 Petworth bt Seacourt 3-2

Tom Durack & Louis Gordon bt Neil Mackenzie & Josh Smith 6/5 6/3 6/3

First Round

Quarter-finals

Taylor-Matthews bt Long 6/3 6/2 6/1 Sayers bt Howell 6/2 6/1 2/0 retired

Danby bt Holmes 6/0 6/1

Max Trueman bt Nick Howell 6/2 6/4

Over 50 Amateur Singles 2021 Lord's Nov 19 - 21, 2021

Semi-finals

Oxford bt Oratory 3-2

Doubles Quarter-finals

Levi Gale bt Chris Aley 5/6 6/2 6/3

M Trueman bt J Greenley 6/2 6/4 6/4

Jamie Douglas & Peter Wright bt Dolman & Acheson-Gray 2/6 4/6 6/1 6/1 6/0

RTC bt Petworth 4-1

Manchester bt RTC w/o Holyport lost to Wellington 0-5 MCC bt Middlesex 3-2

Semi-finals

John Lumley & Conor Medlow bt Douglas & Wright 6/1 6/1 6/3

First Round

Gordon bt Trueman 1/6 6/0 6/5

Moreton Morrell lost to Cambridge 2-3 Seacourt lost to MCC 1-4

Final at Wellington Mar 05, 2022 Queen's Club bt RTC 3-0

Adam Player bt James Medlow 6/5 5/6 6/1

Semi-finals

See page 39

Lea Van der Zwalmen bt Craig Greenhalgh 6/5 6/3

Lumley bt Fahey 6/4 6/0 6/4 Taylor-Matthews bt Sayers 6/2 5/6 6/3 6/5

N. Warner bt Sherdigian 6/0 6/0 P. Lawrence bt N. Jeffery 6/4 5/6 6/4

Luke Danby bt Vaughan Hamilton 6/3 4/6 6/2

Semi-finals

Wright & Packham bt Shrager & Potter 6/0 6/3

Brodie Cup Final 2021/22

E Kay bt R Shenkman 4/6 6/3 6/2 6/3

Final

P. Wright bt M. Rayner 6/0 6/0 Warner bt H. Eddis w/o P. Holmes (4) bt Barker 6/2 6/2 L. Danby bt Symonds 6/3 6/1

Jamie Douglas & Peter Wright bt Robert Shenkman & Darren Long 6/2 6/2 3/6 6/3 Jamie Giddins & Edmund Kay bt Claire Fahey & Levi Gale 6/3 6/1 5/6 6/4

Doubles First Round

Leamington bt Cambridge 3-2 Oxford bt Hardwick 4-1

Quarter-finals

Cambridge lost to Leamington 2-3 Queen's Club (2) bt MCC 4-1

James Medlow & Max Trueman bt Richard Elmitt & James Greenley 5/6 6/4 6/0 6/2

Manchester bt Newmarket w/o Hatfield lost to Wellington 0-5 Radley bt MCC 3-2 Jesmond Dene bt Queen’s Club 3-2

Tim Collins & Chris Vigrass bt Steve Mutton & Matt Boulton 6/4 6/2 Andy Keeley & Robert Peel bt Tim Collins & Chris Vigrass 6/0 6/2

Bryn Sayers & Ben Taylor-Matthews bt Durack & Gordon 6/3 6/4 6/3

Eadle bt Williams 6/5 3/6 6/5

Williams bt Van der Zwalmen 6/0 6/2

Adam Dolman & James Acheson-Gray bt Nick James & Tom Seymour-Mead 6/1 6/3 6/5

Final Wright bt Danby 6/2 6/3

Final

Moreton Morrell lost to Canford 2-3 Bristol bt Petworth 5-0

Annual Report 2021/22

E Kay bt M Trueman 6/2 4/6 6/2 6/4

Fahey & Howell bt Lumley & Medlow 5/6 6/2 6/5 6/0

Semi-finals

Peter Wright & Charlie Packham bt Keeley & Peel 6/5 6/4

Trueman bt Player 6/4 6/3

Sayers & Taylor-Matthews bt McNaughtan & Sarlangue 6/1 6/2 6/4

Jamie Giddins & Ed Kay bt Medlow & Trueman 6/3 6/4 6/1

Semi-finals

Fahey & Howell bt Sayers & TaylorMatthews 6/5 6/4 6/4

R Shenkman bt A Dolman 6/5 6/4 6/1

Eadle bt Danby 6/0 6/4

Oxford vs Cambridge 151st Anniversary Varsity Match 202 Lord’s MCC Mar 04-05, 2022

Quarter-finals

Scott Blaber & Nick Wood bt Zak Eadle & Craig Greenhalgh 6/4 6/5 6/3

J Medlow bt J Douglas w/o

Final

Lumley bt Taylor-Matthews 4/6 6/4 6/2 6/0

Third Round

Wright bt Warner 6/0 6/4

Lewis Williams bt Claire Fahey 6/1 6/4

Zac Eadle bt Rob Fahey 6/3 6/2

M. Rayner bt A. Petrie 6/3 6/5 R. MacAlister bt N. Browne 6/3 6/3

Over 40 Amateur Doubles 2022 Prested Hall Feb 26 - 27, 2022

J Giddins bt J Medlow 5/6 6/1 6/1 6/3

E Kay bt J Giddins 6/3 6/4 6/2

Singles Last 16

Pol Roger Trophy Final 2021/22

Rod McNaughtan & Matthieu Sarlangue bt Giddins & Kay w/o

The Queen’s Club Feb 12 -20, 2022

Semi-finals

Andrew Hodgson & Simon Roundell bt Simon Talbot Williams & Tom Marriot 6/5 6/4

Quarter-finals

Field Trophy Final 2021/22

Leamington lost to Queen's Club 1-4

Semi-finals

J Giddins bt B Yorston 6/4 6/3 6/3

First Round

Moreton Morrell bt Seacourt 5-0 Bristol bt Prested 3-2

Lewis Gordon bt Tom Durack 6/5 2/6 6/2

Seacourt Silver Racquet 2022

Final at MMTCC Mar 05, 2022 Oxford bt Radley 3-2

Second Round

Final

Eadle bt Gordon 6/1 5-4 retired

Robert Fahey & Nick Howell bt Blaber & Wood 6/1 6/1 6/2

Radley bt Holyport 3-2 Prested bt Jesmond Dene 3-2

Final

Fahey bt Sarlangue 6/3 6/0 6/3

Seacourt Feb 03 - 06, 2022

Sarah Shuckburgh bt Doble 6/3 6/2

Lea Van der Zwalmen bt Bollerman 6/3 6/3

Final

Final Buxton bt Lawrence 6/2 6/2

Claire Fahey bt Penny Lumley 6/0 6/0 T Lumley bt Georgie Willis 6/2 6/2

30-34 Competition First Round

Semi-finals

Paul Weaver bt Seymour 8/0

Semi-finals6/5

Nicola Doble bt Quitterie Idiat 6/0 6/0

Cat D Handicap 35-39 Competition

Semi-finals

Fahey bt Shuckburgh 6/2 6/1 Van der Zwalmen bt T Lumley 6/1 6/0

Harper bt White 3/6 6/1 6/4

Final Hennessy bt Harper 6/1 6/1

Ladies World Championship 2022 Fontainebleau Apr 11 - 17, 2022

Final at The Hyde Mar 13, 2022 Wellington bt Oxford 3-2

Category D Open Championship

The Queen’s Club May 04 - 06, 2022

Saskia Bollerman bt Xanthe Ranger 6/1 6/1

LRTA British Ladies Open 2022

Quarter-finals

Seacourt 7-10 Apr, 2022

Hennessy bt Malek Al-Chalabi 6/2 6/1

William Holmberg bt Andrew James 4/6 6/2 6/4

Final Fahey bt Van der Zwalmen 6/0 6/2

Geoffrey Russell bt Patrick Lawrence 6/2 3/6 6/2 Martin Richards bt Sue Haswell 6/3 6/3

Annual Report 2021/22

Final

Quarter-finals

Chris Handley bt Doug Sheperdigian 6/4 6/1

Richard White bt Andrew Fletcher 6/3 4/6 6/3

FaheyFinal & Shuckburgh bt Lumley & Lumley 6/0 6/2

Gray bt Daly 6/4 6/3

Singles First Round

Fahey & Shuckburgh bt Candy & Bollerman 6/0 6/1

Martin Daly bt Luke Readman 6/2 6/5 Richard Gray bt Ben Geytenbeek 6/2 6/2 Chris Manson bt Nick Geere 6/4 6/5 Richard Ramjane bt Steven Bishop 6/1 6/4

First Round

Real Tennis Inter Services Doubles

Alex Brodie & Nicola Doble bt Penny Lumley & Alex Garside 5/6 6/0 6/1

Weaver bt Ward 8/4 Shaw-Hamilton bt Oliver 8/6

Final C Fahey bt T Lumley 6/0 6/0

Lintott bt Holmberg 6/1 6/3 Brewerton bt Handley 6/3 6/4

Isabel Candy by Ariane Huynh-Lenhardt 6/0 6/0

Paul Weaver & John Ward bt Alan Oliver & Simon De Halpert 8/1 Philip Shaw-Hamilton & Nigel Draffan bt Richard Moore & Jamie Bebb 8/5

Real Tennis Past and Present Singles

Nick Jeffery bt Simon Talbot-Williams 6/3 6/3

Singles Quarter-finals

Oliviero & Mortimer bt Lawrence & Jeffery 6/5 Johnston & Harrison bt Talbot-Williams & Haswell 6/4

Semi-finals

45- 49 Competition

Manson bt Ramjane 6/2 6/3

Wellington Mar 18 - 20, 2022

Real Tennis Match Results

Chris Lintott bt Sidney Yankson 5/6 6/1 6/5

Semi-finals

Over 70s Amateur Doubles Semi-finals

Penny Lumley bt Nicola Doble w/o Tara Lumley bt Irina Dulbish 6/3 6/1 Georgie Willis bt Sarah Shuckburgh 5/6 6/1

T Lumley bt Candy 6/1 6/0

Michael Hennessy bt Trevor Hammond 6/1 6/2

Simon Johnston & Tony Harrison bt Jamie Bebb & Ronald Paterson 5/4 Simon Talbot-Williams & Sue Haswell bt Simon Armstrong & Mel Harding 5/3

Semi-finals

Michael Seymour bt Dick Tanfield 8/2 Richard Moore bt Andrew Brown 8/0

John Ward bt Moore 8/5

Maltby bt Richards 6/4 6/2

Ed Buxton bt Brodie 6/0 6/3

Patrick Lawrence & Nick Jeffery bt Mike Seymour & Robin Barlow 5/3 John Oliviero & John Mortimer bt Martin Farnworth & Fiona Harrison 5/2

Steve Brewerton bt Ronald Paterson 6/2 6/1

Round 1

Simon De Halpert bt John Burnett 8/0 Richard White bt David Brazier 8/5

Claire Fahey bt P Lumley 6/0 6/0

N Doble & G Willis bt S Dannreuther & K Leppard 6/0 6/2

Semi-finals

40-44 Competition Round 1

Maj Gen J Illingworth & S Yankson bt Cdr CS Davies & Cdr S de Helpert 6/3 6/3

Penny Lumley bt Alex Brodie 6/1 6/2

Semi-finals

P Lumley & T Lumley bt R Law & D Wilson 6/0 6/0

Final Shaw-Hamilton & Draffan bt Weaver & Ward 8/3

Doubles Quarter-finals

Bristol lost to Oxford 2-3 Radley lost to Wellington 2-3

UK Combined Services RT&R Championships 2022

William Maltby bt Jamie Bebb 6/1 6/1

Real Tennis Past and Present Doubles

J Garside & I Dulbish bt A Garside & J Newby 6/1 6/0

Manchester Mar 11 - 13, 2022

First Round

Final Lintott bt Brewerton 6/4 6/1

Semi-finals

Tim Harper bt Araminta Oldham 6/4 6/4

Quarter-finals

Category E Open Championship

Nick Brodie bt James Kempton 6/3 5/6 6/2

Final Johnston & Harrison bt Oliviero & Mortimer 6/3

Semi-finals

Over 70s Amateur Singles

Paul Cattermull & S Heilpern bt Maj M Thornton & Maj O Snell 6/0 6/5

Hatfield House Mar 18 - 20, 2022

Semi-finals

C Fahey & S Shuckburgh bt J Garside & Dulbish 6/0 6/1

Doubles

Fahey & Shuckburgh bt T Lumley & J Garside 6/1 Candy6/1 & Bollerman bt Brodie & Doble 6/3 6/2

Semi-finals

Over 70 Amateur Championships 2022 Wellington Apr 02 -03, 2022

Maltby bt Jeffery 6/0 6/0 Richards bt Russell 6/4 6/5

Singles Quarter-finals

Final Shaw-Hamilton bt Weaver 8/3

Tara Lumley & Jess Garside bt Xanthe Ranger & Freddy Adam 6/2 6/2

Lumley & Lumley bt Doble & Willis 6/5 5/6 6/3

Alan Oliver bt De Halpert 8/0 Philip Shaw-Hamilton bt White 8/0

S Yankson bt Maj M Thornton 6/0 6/0

Tara Lumley bt Milija Simlesa 6/0 6/0

Over 60 Amateur Singles and Doubles Championship (Kershaw Cup/Thomas Trophy) 2022

Quarter-finals

Patrick Lawrence bt Alex Machin 6/2 6/3

Final Manson bt Gray 6/1 6/3

Semi-finals

1st singles - Wright bt Krznaric 6/1 6/4

2nd singles - Elmitt bt Batten 6/2 6/4

Final

Australia beat USA 5-0

3rd doubles - G Russell & R Paterson GBR bt JB Dewitte & R Fabre FRA 6/0 6/0

G Cornish & J Faull AUS bt G Van Schaack & V Cassin USA 6/2 6/0

Australia beat France 5-0

S Johnston & R Moore GBR bt V Cassin & R Corey USA 6/2 6/3

2nd doubles - Herlihy & Hill bt Poolman & Scopelliti 6/3 6/0

Real Tennis Match Results

Quarter-finals

J Faull & G Cornish AUS bt B Corman & R Salmon FRA 6/0 6/0

1st doubles - Acheson-Gray & Eddis bt Buckley & Kininmonth 6/2 6/2

1st singles - Barker lost to Krznaric 1/6 4/6

W Spring & A Willingham AUS bt K Casler & D Thorpe FRA 6/1 6/0

Over 50s Cockram Trophy (Paris)

2nd doubles - Marville & Boy lost to Herlihy & Hill 4/6 3/6

D Colquhoun & N Draffan GBR bt J Faull & W Spring AUS 6/4 3/6 6/2

J Taylor bt R Michelson 6/0 6/1

Over 50s Doubles

Semi-finals

GB beat Australia 3-2

Over 60s Bostwick Trophy (Bordeaux)

1st singles - M Happell AUS bt S Hodges USA 6/0 6/0

P Shaw-Hamilton & J Newby GBR bt K Casler & G Smart FRA 6/0 6/0

THIRD/FOURTH USA beat Australia 3-2

Great Britain retain the Cockram Trophy

Paris, Bordeaux & Fontainebleau

A Oliver & N Draffan GBR bt B Corman & D Thorpe FRA 6/0 6/0

1st singles - S Hufford USA bt E Blanchot FRA 6/0 6/0

2nd doubles - R Compton-Burnett & G Russell UK lost to N Carr & J Piccolo AUS 2/5

1st singles - W Maltby GBR lost to M Happell AUS 2/6 0/6

Quarter-finals

3rd doubles - G Russell & R Paterson

2nd singles - C Nobes AUS bt H Blanchot FRA 6/0 6/2

D Colquhoun & N Draffan GBR bt C Johnston & C Cline USA 6/1 6/1

A Oliver & P.Shaw-Hamilton GBR bt R Jolly & D Friend AUS 6/1 6/1

1st doubles - Semenoff & Grabli lost to Devereux & Soffer 4/6 4/6

1st doubles - D Watson & M Nicholls GBR bt S Aldrich & P Vogt USA 6/3 6/2

FINAL GB beat France 4-1

3rd doubles - R MacAlister & S TalbotWilliams GBR bt C Nobes & J Hamer AUS 6/1 6/3

3rd singles - Shenkman bt Blanchot 6/5 6/4

May 14 - 17, 2022

2nd singles - J Hamer AUS bt A Monaghan USA 6/1 6/2

GBR bt R Carroll & S Hodges USA 6/1 6/1

GB beat USA 5-0

3rd doubles - J Piccolo & N Carr AUS bt P Guerout & JM Fontaine FRA 6/0 6/1

Final Wright bt Krznaric 6/1 6/3

Barker bt Batten 6/5 6/1

S Barker bt Talbot-Williams 6/0 6/1

Holmes bt Taylor 2/6 6/2 6/2

2nd doubles - J Hamer & M Hayward AUS bt R Fabre & C Huynh FRA 6/0 6/0 Great Britain retain the Bostwick Cup

2nd singles - Devereux bt Emery 6/3 6/0

1st singles - W Maltby GBR bt E Blanchot FRA 6/0 6/1

2nd doubles - S T-Williams & R MacAlister

Annual Report 2021/22

Semi-final GB beat Australia 5-0

V Cassin & R Corey USA bt P Stanley & R Jolly AUS 6/5 6/5

Over 70s Danby Trophy (Fontainebleau) Day 1

J Bebb & S Johnston GBR bt R Salmon & D Chapellier FRA 6/0 6/0

1st doubles - Wintersteen & Soffer bt Buckley & Kininmonth 6/3 6/0

GB beat France 5-0

2nd singles - J Prenn GBR bt G Bradfield AUS 6/1 6/0

W Spring & A Willingham AUS bt C Johnston & C Cline USA 6/3 6/3

Final Barker bt Holmes 6/3 6/2

2nd singles - Batten bt Barker 6/5 6/3

C Johnston & C Cline USA bt G Smart & R Salmon FRA 6/1 6/1

J Taylor by Semenoff 6/2 6/1

2nd singles - Elmitt bt Emery 6/1 6/0

Over 55 Singles

2nd doubles - S T-Williams & R MacAlister GBR bt R Carroll & P Vogt USA 6/2 6/0

1st Round

J Bebb & R Moore GBR bt E Varigos & P Stanley AUS 6/0 6/0

J Newby & P Shaw-Hamilton GBR bt G Van Schaack & V Cassin USA 6/1 6/2

T Poolman bt A Girod 2/6 6/3 6/4

Blanchot & A Boy bt G Devereux & P Jarvis 6/4 6/1

JP Grabli bt J Buckley 4/6 6/4 6/2

T Batten bt JGrabli 6/2 6/1

Great Britian retain the Danby Trophy

Quarter-finals

1st doubles - Acheson-Gray & Eddis bt Semenoff & Grabli 6/2 6/1

3rd singles - Shenkman bt Hartnell 6/0 6/2

USAretiredbeatFrance 5-0

Individual Paris, Bordeaux & Fontainebleau May 17 - 27, 2022

J Acheson-Gray & H Eddis bt S Shenkman & A Girod 6/2 6/2

1st doubles - S Aldrich & A Monoghan USA

Peter Wright bt Kenneth Soffer 6/0 6/3 Harry Eddis bt Jeremy Wintersteen 6/4 6/1

1st doubles - J Prenn & M Nicholls GBR bt H Blanchot & P Guerout FRA 6/0 6/1

Semi-finals

P Holmes bt Poolman 6/4 2/6 6/2

1st doubles - R Hince & M Hayward AUS bt S Aldrich & S Hodges USA 6/4 6/2

3rd doubles - C Nobes & G Bradfield AUS bt A Monaghan & R Carroll USA 6/0 6/4

2nd singles - J Prenn GBR bt S Hodges USA 6/0 6/1

I Semenoff bt R Kininmonth 5/6 6/4 6/3

S Talbot-Williams bt B Saint-Martin 5/6 6/1 6/0

Wright bt Bey 6/1 6/1 Krznaric bt Eddis 6/3 6/5

GBR bt C Huynh & JM Fontaine FRA 6/0 6/0

2nd doubles - J Piccolo & N Carr AUS bt S Hufford & P Vogt USA 6/2 6/3

2nd doubles - Barker & Jarvis bt Girod & Chelli 6/2 6/0

R Corey & G Van Schaack USA bt G Kressmann & J-P.Chapellier AUS 6/2 6/1

Day 2

1st singles - Bey bt Wintersteen 6/5 4/6 3/6

P Wright & R Krznaric bt M Hartnell & T Poolman 6/0 6/2

2nd doubles - Barker & Jarvis bt Poolman & Scopelliti 6/0 3/6 6/1

Roman Krznaric bt James Acheson-Gray 6/1 6/0 Julien Bey bt Simon Shenkman 6/2 6/1

2nd singles - D Watson GBR bt P Inchaurraga FRA 6/1 6/0

1st doubles - M Happell & R Hince AUS bt JB Dewitte & P Inchaurraga FRA 6/0 6/1

J Wintersteen & S Herlihy bt JP Grabli & I Semenoff 6/3 6/3

Real Tennis World Masters 2022

1st doubles- D Watson & M Nicholls GBR bt R Hince & M Hayward AUS 6/4 6/4

Real Tennis World Masters 2022

3rd singles - Blanchot bt Zug 6/2 6/0

1st singles - W Maltby GBR bt S Hufford USA 6/5 6/3

E Varigos & D Friend AUS bt G Smart & G Kressmann FRA 6/1 6/2

bt JB Dewitte & H Blanchot FRA 6/0 6/0

Semi-final France beat USA 3-2

Day 3

1st singles - G Bradfield AUS bt E Blanchot FRA 6/3 6/1

2nd singles - S Hodges USA bt P Inchaurraga FRA 6/3 2/6 6/5

Wright & Krznaric bt Wintersteen & Herlihy 6/3 Acheson-Gray6/1 & Eddis bt Wintersteen & Herlihy 6/1 6/4

3rd singles - Zug lost to Hartnell 3/6 4/6

2nd doubles - S Hodges & R Carroll USA bt P Guerout & C Huynh FRA 6/0 6/0

1st singles - Wright lost to Bey 6/3 4/6 4/6

3rd doubles - P Vogt & A Monaghan USA bt R Fabre & JM Fontaine FRA 6/0 6/1

Over 50 Singles

Wright & Krznaric bt Acheson-Gray & Eddis 5/6 6/3 6/2

Lewis Williams bt Josh Smith 9/5 Mackenzie bt Smith 9/6

Quarter-finals

Over 40 Open Singles Championship 2022

Semi-finals

Quarter-finals

Fahey bt Chapman 6/2 6/1 6/4

David Watson bt Richard MacAlister 6/2 6/3 John Prenn bt Patrick Lawrence 6/2 6/1

Final de Halpert bt Ward 6/3 6/1

Johnston & Oliver bt Willingham & Cornish 6/0 6/1

Final

Semi-finals

Over 65 Doubles

D Friend bt J Newby 3/6 6/3 6/3

Prenn bt Hufford 6/4 6/1 Nicholls bt Carr w/o

Spring & de Halpert bt Thorpe & Soutter w/o Van Schaack & Cassin bt Stanley & Friend 6/2 Shaw-Hamilton6/1 & Newby bt Chapellier & Salmon w/o

R White bt R Salmon 6/3 6/0

First Round

Mark McMurrugh bt Geere 6/1 6/2

Final

P Shaw-Hamilton bt Cassin 6/0 6/3

R Barlow & M Seymour bt WRG Corey & J Zacher 6/1 6/1

Semi-finals

Ward & Wilks bt Saint & Anscombe 6/1 6/0 de Halpert & Willingham bt Barlow & Seymour 6/4 6/5

M Seymour bt R Barlow 6/4 4/6 retired J Ward bt Wilks 6/5 6/2

J Hamer & D Watson bt W Maltby & M Nicholls 2/6 6/5 6/4

JunSeacourt10-12, 2022

S de Halpert vs Anscombe 6/2 6/2 Wilks bt F Bernheim w/o

Taylor-Matthews bt Lumley 6/5 6/1 6/5

1st Round

Mackenzie bt Williams 9/7 Gale bt Smith 9/2

D Sheperdigian bt S Hodges 6/0 6/1 J Hamer bt R Paterson 6/2 6/3 P Inchaurraga bt M Stefanowicz 6/5 6/0

Quarter-finals

H Saint & B Anscombe bt G Kressman & R White w/o

Spring & de Halpert bt Van Schaak & Cassin 6/2 Shaw-Hamilton6/4 & Newby bt Johnston & Oliver 6/1 6/3

Final Fahey bt Taylor-Matthews 6/2 4/6 6/2 6/3

Prenn bt Nicholls 6/2 6/0

Happell bt Watson 6/2 6/3 Prenn bt Maltby 5/6 4/4 retired

S Hufford bt Sheperdigian 6/3 6/4

J Prenn & M Nicholls bt M Stefanowicz & J Fisher 6/1 6/2

Luke Danby bt McMurrugh 6/3 6/0

Over 75 Doubles

Final

Ward & Wilks bt de Halpert & Willingham 4/6 6/4 6/4

Over 80s Doubles Final

Danby bt Wright w/o

Bryn Sayers bt Mackenzie 6/2 6/1 6/2

Final

J Prenn bt Hamer 6/1 6/0 N Carr bt Inchaurraga 6/0 6/1

Quarter-finals

Qualifying Rounds

Over 70s Singles

Gale bt Williams 9/0

W Wilks bt J Zacher 6/1 6/0

Main Draw Day Two

Semi-finals

William Maltby bt Graeme Bradfield 6/1 6/1

Final Ward bt Seymour 6/0 6/0

Barker & Holmes bt Taylor & Poolman 6/1 6/2 Final

Taylor & Poolman bt Buckley & Michelson 6/5 6/2

Annual Report 2021/22

Happell bt Prenn 6/2 4/6 6/2

A Oliver bt Friend 6/0 6/0

Semi-finals

Over 55 Doubles

Over 80s Singles

1st Round

Levi Gale bt Neil Mackenzie 9/6

J Ward & W Wilks bt R Barlow & M Seymour 6/4 5/6 6/0

John Lumley bt Chris Chapman 6/3 6/1 6/5

Over 70s Doubles

R White bt M Seymour 6/1 6/3

Main Draw Day One

W Wilks bt G Kressmann 6/4 6/4 B Anscomb bt G Soutter 6/0 6/0

Taylor-Matthews bt Sayers 6/3 6/4 6/0 Chapman bt Long 6/3 6/2 6/2

Champions Trophy 2022

Aldrich & Bell bt Inchaurraga & Paterson 6/1 6/1 Prenn & Nicholls bt Spring & Hufford 6/1 6/2

Final

Over 60 Singles

W Spring & S Hufford bt E Varigos & S Hodges 6/2 6/1

Final Prenn & Nicholls bt Aldrich & Bell 6/2 6/3

1st Round

Talbot-Williams & Semenoff bt Girod & Saint-Martin 6/1 6/4

S de Halpert bt P Stanley 6/2 6/2

H Saint bt J-P Chapellier 6/1 6/1

S Aldrich & G Bell bt P Stanley & D Friend 6/0 6/0

Royal Tennis Court Jun 21 - 26, 2022

First Round

Semi-finals

Final Shaw-Hamilton bt Oliver 6/0 6/1

Semi-finals

P Inchaurraga & R Paterson bt J Hamer & N Carr 6/2 2/6 6/5

W Spring bt de Halpert 6/1 6/1

Nick Geere bt Oliver Hunter 6/4 6/4

Semi-finals

Over 60 Doubles

Second Round

Ward bt White 6/4 6/3 de Halpert bt Wilks 6/3 6/1

Semi-finals

Hamer & Watson bt Happell & Prenn 6/0 retired

M Happell & J Prenn bt N Carr & M Hayward 6/2 6/2

M Nicholls bt J Fisher 6/2 6/4

Shaw-Hamilton & Newby bt Spring & de Halpert 6/3 3/6 6/1

Final

Semi-finals

Real Tennis Match Results

S Johnston bt G Van Schaack 6/4 6/5

Shaw-Hamilton bt Johnston 6/0 6/1 Oliver bt Spring 6/5 6/0

V Cassin bt G Cornish 3/6 6/2 6/5

Over 65 Singles

Bradfield & Hayward bt Talbot-Williams & Semenoff 6/1 4/6 6/5

Quarter-finals

J Ward & W Wilks bt JP Chapellier & R Salmon 6/2 6/1

Quarter-finals

Peter Wright bt C. Danby 6/3 6/2

Darren Long bt Gale 6/5 5/6 6/2 5/6 6/2

Mike Happell bt Geoffrey Russell 6/1 6/2

Rob Fahey bt Ben Taylor-Matthews 6/1 3/6 6/5 6/5

Barker & Holmes bt Bradfield & Hayward 6/4 6/4

J Ward bt Saint 6/0 6/1

Charlie Danby bt Gary Duncan 6/2 6/2

Over 75 Singles

Paul Weaver was awarded volunteer of the year. Bertie Vallet was awarded the best junior performance award. Chris Ronaldson was presented with a lifetime achievement award.

Bertie Vallat (Queen’s) was presented with the Grays Junior of the Year award following his own successful year winning the Under 16 Open Championship in the ASummer.lifetime

Bertie - Gray’s Junior of the Year

Paul Weaver - Volunteer of the Year

Chris Ronaldson, Lifetime Achievement Award

T&RA Real Tennis Awards 2021

Retiring T&RA Chairman, David Watson, commemorated the volunteer of the Year, T&RA Director of Junior Tennis, Paul Weaver, who managed to hold numerous events, including the Junior British Open, during breaks in the lockdown. Paul has run this prestigious event for the last 21 years. A true servant to Real Tennis, Paul has been instrumental in generating many of today’s top players and professionals who first picked up a racquet at Seacourt.

David Watson’s citation:

"I believe it is the first such - a lifetime achievement award - is being presented to an individual who, in my view, has done more to shape and enhance the future of Real Tennis in this country, and internationally, than any other individual. Chris Ronaldson was a great world champion between 1981 and 1987 - a proud and impressive achievement - but it is not primarily for this that I bestow this award. Earlier this year, Chris completed 50 years as a club professional. I can state with complete confidence that he has transformed and revolutionised every club he has worked at. His drive, work ethic and commitment are unparalleled and he has built thriving new clubs from scratch just as he has re-energised those suffering in troubled times. From the start of his career when he was drawn from Oxford to launch the new two court Melbourne facility, returning back to the U.K. to Troon where he and Les generated almost 90 hours of play in a week and then to Hampton Court where the court was only getting eight or nine hours of play a week and now regularly exceed 100 hours. He and Les brought life and energy to a club covered in dust and cobwebs and I vividly remember the procession of future stars who came to work and learn their craft at the feet of the master. More recently on to Radley, to build a whole new membership and activity from zero-base to it becoming one of the most active courts in the country. And most recently Bristol where he and Maggie are doing an amazing job to renew and revitalise this great facility. Chris has always been ready to offer his advice and expertise to all who have sought it but he has never courted recognition or reward for all that he has done. He and Les ran the British junior tournament for many years, he was a driving force behind the RTO handicap system and has led many other quiet programs that could easily have earned him the volunteer of the year award. His achievements are too numerous to mention! This trophy takes the form of a handcrafted racquet made by his friend Graham Highland and I know he will treasure it and the grateful recognition that goes alongside it. The inscription says “Presented by the T&RA to Chris Ronaldson in appreciation of a lifetime of selfless dedication to Real Tennis”.

Annual Report 2021/22

achievement award was presented to Chris Ronaldson (Radley) who has dedicated an astonishing 50 years in service to the game. During this time, he has revived courts and clubs and was instrumental behind the Radley Court built in 2008.

Our Secretary, Phil Moss stepped down in April, as did our Treasurer, Chris Willows earlier this year. Both have contributed a great deal to the wellbeing of the club and I am very pleased to be able to thank them on behalf of our members. I am also most grateful to our incoming Treasurer, Nick Geere and Secretary, John Dixon for volunteering for a stint as Executive Officers of the Committee, and to our recently appointed President, John Newman. Despite a turbulent world and some very sad times, the club is in a good place and the future looks very promising.

ambridge has had a great year with return to play becoming more of 'a thing'. The students have enjoyed a busy year with our women securing a long overdue victory over Oxford in a spectacularly high-level draw. The men came up against their old rivals both in Varsity and the Inter Unis, securing victory in neither, but a lot of good Tennis for the spectators. We welcomed back our recent alumni alongside long-time supporters of the students for the Giraffe Club Cup (moving to November next year). Tennis, champagne and dinner were followed by extravagant bar hopping until the wee hours where we all numbed the memories of being beaten up by students in both divisions. Our thanks as always to the wider community of Cambridge alumni who steadfastly support our students to play as much as they can.

By Vix Harvey, President

021/22 has been an important year in the history and development of Bristol Real Tennis Club. At the post-pandemic Welcome Back party in September, Tony Hill unveiled the Presidents’ Honours Board, and it was fitting for his name and that of Peter (PJ) Probyn to be the first and last names on display. PJ made a great effort to attend the evening despite a serious illness, but sadly passed away later in the year.

In terms of revitalising the club, we were fortunate to experience the expertise and enthusiasm of Chris Ronaldson, as Consultant Professional, and Maggie Henderson-Tew, on secondment from the Radley Club from 1st October 2021 until 31st March 2022. Within a few weeks of their arrival, there was a very friendly, welcoming atmosphere in the club, particularly on match days and during tournaments.

66 Tennis Club Reports

By Clive Archer, Chairman

Annual Report 2021/22

The BRTC teams have performed well this season in matches against other clubs, particularly in the T&RA Brodie Cup matches, eventually losing narrowly to Oxford Tennis Club in the semi-final. Perhaps we shall do even better next year!

Following an advertisement sent out to all Real Tennis clubs in the world, interviews in January and subsequent approval from the Committee, Ben Taylor-Matthews has been appointed as our ‘Head Professional’, to work alongside Ben Coleman as our ‘Club Manager/ Professional’. Ben T-M began in Bristol on 1st April and there has been a smooth transition from Chris and Maggie’s very successful time at the club.

The seniors have been on superb form, with full draws for the longest running ever Tayabali and White singles league (postponed so many times during lockdowns). Post league dinners are back on for divisions 2-5 in the now completed, new clubroom and the season culminated with a delicious BBQ hosted on a fine summer's evening in the Ludekens' garden with our very own Head Professioanl cooking up a storm in true Aussie style. Our fixtures list against other

BristolBristol

We are fortunate to have attracted and recruited Ben Taylor-Matthews to Bristol and wish him the very best of luck in his future playing and coaching career. We look forward to BRTC going from strength to strength, maintaining its “new normal” high levels of court usage and a continued drive to increase the size of the membership and diversity.

CambridgeCambridge

Kevin King decided to retire at the end of January, after a great career as a Real Tennis Professional, including over 20 years as our Head Professional, where he has made many friends!

The juniors have also had an exciting year, winning some of the long overdue category tournaments from 2020, 21 and 22 in a variety of handicap bands as well as a rogue win in the graduate cup! Felicity and Bella participated in several of the LRTA tournaments and training sessions; Alex and Bella headed to the U19 doubles where they had a lot of fun but not many victories; however, the practice obviously paid off as they came back to secure an excellent win in the Club mixed doubles event. We are super excited to see some of the local schools bringing groups in their games lessons on a regular basis now and thank the Dedanists for all the support they have offered with this initiative.

At the elite level, we were thrilled to see all Cambridge alumni in the Amateur Champions singles and (half of the) doubles finals, the Silver Racquet final and the Gold Racquet final. Many congratulations to Ed Kay, Jamie Douglas and Jamie Giddins who continue to play at the very top of the amateur game. We all thoroughly enjoy the exhibition matches these stellar players come back and offer at our events.

Clubs has been full thanks to our incredibly hard-working fixtures secretary and great fun was had by all the members signing up to play both here and away. We have been working hard to recruit new members, with free taster sessions regularly available and have enjoyed seeing some new and fast improving faces around the club. A particularly strong contingent is emerging from the old University rugby blues!

Our thanks as always to our fantastic professional team: Kees, Peter, Adam and our fab IiP apprentice Jim, whose handicap is getting dangerously close to his age....and to Ben Geytenbeek for giving so freely of his time and being willing to share his technology and expertise in the new world of Real Tennis streaming. Pol Roger have again been wonderfully supportive of our events and we remain steadfastly appreciative of their delicious portfolio of champagne, wine and whisky!

As a final note, many congratulations were offered to Tony Kenedy and Camice Revier who tied the knot in wonderful Real Tennis style in the beautiful setting of Granchester this summer. The two of them are avid players of the game, and regular members of our weekend fixtures team.

Annual Report 2021/22

Left: Alex and Bella beat Igor and Ariane in the Divison 1 final of the Cambridge Mixed Doubles. Right: The exhibition match for the Giraffe Club Cup with Jamie Douglas, Jamie Giddins, Ed Kay and Patrick Smart.

Camice Revier and Tony Kennedy’s Real Tennis arch on their exit from Grantchester Church

Many in the Real Tennis community will remember Fiona Brown. Fiona sadly passed away on September 26th in the Arthur Rank Hospice. Fiona was a very long-standing member of CURTC, as a player, a supporter, a generous sponsor, and as a member of the committee. For many years she was a wonderfully efficient and hard-working club secretary, tolerant and wise, during crucial phases of the club’s development. She was much loved, admired and appreciated.

67 Tennis Club Reports

n last year’s report I broke the sad news of Steve Ronaldson’s retirement as Professional at Canford after a mere 39 years! Steve’s departure was marked by a huge gathering of members past and present – over 100 were in attendance, spilling over onto the court from the Dedans – which involved much revelry, drinking and stories of games gone by. There was much laughter and not a few tears. Steve and Barbara are now happily settled in the Scottish borders and at the last count Steve had joined at least three golf clubs!

REAL TENNIS

was clearly a wariness associated with returning to the game and at one point the club’s membership had dropped to 75. However, thanks in large measure to a membership drive led by James and Vaughan, we are now in a much healthier position with over 130 members.

The Club’s junior programme has bounced back well post-covid with four shiny new racquets and up to 20 youngsters on the squash and Real Tennis courts regularly over the last 12 months and our thanks go to the Dedanists for all their support. We also had four of our young players (Tom, Vincent, Toby and Gabriel) involved for the first time in the PLH Junior Real Tennis Competition – fantastic experience for all of them.

CAN F ORD

There have been a number of club competitions taking place simultaneously which has kept the court very busy. One of these is a new competition named “The Two Ronnies” in honour of Steve Ronaldson, with 52 players entered. It involves a degree of both skill and luck with no one knowing exactly what is going on – just the way Steve would have liked it!

By Ewan Lee, Secretary

The Tennis Court hallways, changing room and office have been rejuvenated having been newly painted and decorated throughout. All in all the club finds itself in fine fettle and as always will provide a great welcome for any visiting players.

Post-programme.covid,there

CanfordCanford

By David Dickson, Chairman Falkland Palace Falkland Palace

Steve’s last Assistant, James Ryan, has taken over the reins and his enthusiasm and energy in the role have already paid dividends. After five arduous months alone in charge, dividing his time between school and club commitments, James was joined in January by a new young assistant, Vaughan Hamilton. Vaughan has grown up playing Tennis at Moreton Morrell and has proved a great addition to club and school, throwing himself energetically into all aspects of the job from day one. At only 22 years of age and already with a handicap of 17, he will definitely be one to watch over the coming years. James and Vaughan are both actively involved in the Investing in Professionals

In March we welcomed a Premier League Match – Team Taylor-Mathews vs Team Sayers. It was a fantastic evening with the Dedans packed with pupils, members and many faces new to the game who were treated to an exhibition of incredible Tennis. The eventual winners were Ben TaylorMathews and Robert Shenkman beating Bryn Sayers and Neil MacKenzie 2-1.

Tennis Club ReportsAnnual Report 2021/22

The world Championship Challenge has been a long time in the waiting, but the 140 Canford balls are still ready to go for the big match in September between Camden Riviere and Rob Fahey.

are very happy to report that since the lifting of covid measures the most northern of the Real Tennis clubs has been enjoying a vibrant return to normal business. We have welcomed playing guests from Lords, Queen’s, Melbourne, New York and Washington, all of whom enjoyed their time on court. Team visits from Jesmond Dene, Prested Hall and Moreton Morrell have been planned for the future, so if you wish to pay us a visit for a few sets and a decent meal over a long summer’s weekend, do get in touch!

School development opportunities continue to grow with pupils at the School National Singles and Doubles Championships. Gabriel Davey and Tom Chissell went to the U15s British Junior Open, with David Offer and Tom Clark being invited to the World Junior Championships at Seacourt in August. We had tense home and away fixtures against the Hyde and introduced a successful mixed pupils and members match against the Dedanists. Next year we are excited to have an Old Canfordians vs. Pupils match and are keen to invigorate our OC links over the coming years.

CAN F ORD

We put together our first Brodie Cup team for a number of years, superbly captained by Oliver Hunter – and the whole team are excited to go again next year. There are plans to enter at least two National League teams and a Field Trophy team for next season.

Though victory in the Brodie Cup and our regular Bickley Derbies against Newmarket and Moreton Morrell continue to elude us, our small corps of regular players are determined that eventually we will prevail! Meanwhile Hardwick continues to be a popular venue for roving teams, and is regularly visited by the curious from far afield. We are grateful for the support of many who are unable to visit the court frequently.

Ball production at Falklands Palace

For the rest, life at Hardwick continues gently as ever. Isolated as it is, life on the estate and at the court seemed barely touched by the pandemic and activity at the court has recovered quickly from the imposed restrictions. In spite of the urgent desire of many to rush to the airport and seaside as travel became easier, our level leagues in the autumn were successfully completed, as were our winter tournaments, there was even a result from a long postponed, but not forgotten, doubles final from the 2019/20 season. We were pleased to be able to return our Lady Rose weekend and AGM to its traditional date in the spring. This was in fact “Another General Meeting” as, in order to keep everyone informed and our constitution properly followed over the hiatus, we had held catch up meetings over the internet.

By Steve Brewerton, Chairman

Tennis Club Reports

t was with great sadness that we learned in March that Adrian Snow had died. Adrian was a founder member of The Friends of Hardwick Tennis Court, serving first as treasurer and subsequently for many years, as chairman. He loved the game and the court at Hardwick. As a keen handyman he took a very much hands on approach to the development of the changing rooms and the kitchen in the dedans, which play such a large part in the social life of the club. Adrian was keen that Real Tennis be revived through the promotion of the game in schools, and that new courts should be built. It was through his enthusiasm and support that the court at the Oratory, the first new court for eighty years, was developed. He will be fondly remembered at Hardwick and as a great asset to the Real Tennis community.

fter an unusual couple of years, we are pleased to see our court back in full action with increased court usage and a growing membership. Fortunately, we were able to return to a full schedule of internal competitions, National League matches and club matches. This season we hosted both the Category D competition and the Billy Ross Skinner invitational mixed doubles. The Cat D winners were Ed Buxton (30-35) and Chris Lintott (35-40). Our Billy Ross Skinner winners were Paul Bollerman and Minty Oldham who were victorious over Chris Lintott and Izzy Hunt. Both tournaments were a huge success and many thanks to Sarah Sullivan and her team of helpers, who made the BRS such an enjoyable tournament. These tournaments and all other activity at the club would not be possible without the consistently excellent performance from our two professionals Jon Dawes and James Law.

Hatfield House Hatfield House

We have been able to complete further refurbishment projects this past year, as part of on-going mission to keep HHTC looking and playing in first class condition. Our latest projects included the full refit of the ladies changing rooms, an overhaul of the electric system and the implementation of a state of the art streaming service for matches and coaching.

Annual Report 2021/22

HardwickHardwick

By Tim Tomalin, Chariman

I would also like to give a personal thank you to both the ownership and membership of Holyport, who have warmly welcomed me into their club. I wanted to hit the ground running, and our goals this season revolved around getting our members back into the swing of Tennis. After the pandemic, a season with no interruptions would be a success and we wanted to create some momentum; we had a full list of matches, tournaments, events, and set about providing a warm and social atmosphere at the club - all things that have been difficult to achieve throughout

HolyportHolyport

Top class court conditions at Hatfield House

covid-19. I am delighted to report success in all of these areas, and we rounded off the season on Finals Day where our Club Singles (Andy Keeley), Club Doubles (Andy Keeley and Charles Human), Handicap Singles (Theo Besnard) and Bandit Cup Doubles (Sarah Lambie and Richard Bird) were played and crowned in front of the most supporters that we have seen all year. Nick Parkinson and Richard Bird receive great thanks for their brilliant contributions on the catering and the trophies.

s we reflect on the 2021/22 season we must first give thanks to John Evans, whose near decade of stewardship of Holyport Real Tennis Club came to a conclusion at the beginning of the season, signing off with another successful Holyport Bowl. John’s time at Holyport saw the club make many positive changes and I am grateful to have taken over such a beautiful and well run club chock-full full of potential. I know the club and the members are tremendously grateful to the hours of time and effort that John put into Holyport, so on behalf of everyone here we give a heartfelt thank you John.

70 Tennis Club Reports

We are happy to report increases in membership, a target we will continue into the coming season. We are also pleased to have installed streaming facilities, and plan to offer a range of video services to the members. As we look ahead we intend to continue our current trajectory with a particular view to establishing a junior programme, engaging with local sports clubs and schools, and to give our members new services and support to their Tennis including a new online club shop. We very much look forward to the coming season, building on what we have achieved this year.

In May we completed our internal competitions and we now have Nick Baker as our club champion, beating Mark Rayner in the final. Our club doubles champions, Martin Richard and Nick Brodie retained their title for another

Byyear.Josh

Annual Report 2021/22

Smith, Head Professional

As well as all our internal Club competitions we were also busy hosting external competitions including the Category B (10-14 and 15-19) competition as well as the Brodie Cup and Chetwood Trophy finals and the FLM National League Premier Division. In the Cat B 15-19, Chris Alez and James Law faced off in a tense three set thriller with Chris narrowly taking the match 6/5 in the final set after a magnificent see-saw battle. In the 10-14 category the dedans was full of Members as we were treated to an all Hyde final as close neighbours Levi Gale and Mark Mathias took each other on. This was a match of the highest quality with Gale finally closing it out 6/2 6/3 after some incredible restes and powerful forces. The Chetwood Trophy was won by Wellington’s John Amor who beat Matt Boulton of Seacourt in two sets, thus claiming the prize that had eluded him four years ago. In the Brodie Cup final, Wellington overcame Oxford 3-2 in another excellent and closely fought match.

Top: The Wellington Brodie Cup team lift the trophy after a close final against Oxford. The final was played at Hyde. Above: A friendly welcome in Dorset.

t has been an absolute joy to have been able to move on from the covid era and for all our members to have been able to get back to playing regular Tennis. Court usage is back to prepandemic levels and our Membership is once again gently growing. I am also pleased to report that progress with our juniors continues apace with a core group of U16s having regular coaching sessions.

Annual Report 2021/22

Our Club is now fully refurbished following our fund raise in 2020 and, after much back and forth with the planners, we successfully completed the replacement of our pot holed drive with tarmac which has been a great relief to us all.

As ever, do drop in and see us if you are ever in this beautiful part of the world.

Club Reports

By Adrian Paterson, Chairman

The success of our Club would be nothing without our wonderful professionals, Jez Brodie and Stephen Grier and once again, I would like to thank them for all their hard work and cheerful demeanour.

In March we were delighted to have the opportunity to host the FLM National League Premier Division giving our members the opportunity to watch the game played at the very highest level. In the A string singles Bryn Sayers, having never played at the Hyde before, beat local boy Ben Matthews in a fabulous match winning the division in the process. In the B string, two more local protagonists Levi Gale and Neil Mackenzie gave us a stirring spectacle with Neil winning in two sets and, in a fine example of the art of doubles, Ben and Levi paired up to defeat Bryn and Neil. Overall, it was a fabulous evening of Tennis and much enjoyed by a packed dedans. Hopefully this brilliant initiative will be repeated and we can welcome back these top class players again.

HydeHyde

Tennis

LeamingtonLeamington

In December we played against Prested Hall in the Field Trophy and had a very close match. It stood at 2 matches all and youngster Tom Hetherington looked all set to complete the win at one set all and 4-2 up in the third when injury hit. After an injury break he was able to continue but was clearly struggling and couldn’t complete the win. The following day the Brodie Cup team were outplayed at Radley.

72 Tennis Club Reports

Sadly, in June our former Chairman, Freddy Such, passed away. He helped the club through its development to becoming a full time Real Tennis club in the nineties. He was an enthusiastic player and great supporter of the club and will be sorely missed.

Jesmond Dene has great ambitions to develop the facilities and expand the Tennis and we have been fortunate to have secured a grant from a local charity, the Catherine Cookson Foundation, with a great deal of help from The Dedanists’ Foundation, which will help us to make further improvements over the summer.

By Richard MacAlister, Chairman

Founded in 1846, Leamington Tennis Court Club.

Jesmond Dene Jesmond Dene

e started the new season with renewed optimism after successful refurbishment of the club’s facilities. At the beginning of October we were pleased to welcome old friends and new for the Great North Doubles. This is an open handicap tournament with our annual dinner held on court on the Saturday night. The Tennis was very competitive and the eventual winners were John Duns and Darren Spurling who beat Tony Harrison and Craig Swallow – not the first time that the Harrison Family feature in handicap tournament finals. The dinner was great fun and the festivities continued until late. The Club Handicap Singles again featured the Harrisons with Tony as ruthless as ever, beating his wife, Fiona, in the final. The Club Handicap Doubles was an exception, not featuring a Harrison in the final, and was won by Ralph Jackson and Archie Mayer who beat Bryan Eaton and Chris Marks.

The other major competitions were the Sir Andrew Noble Doubles where Will Todd and Charlie Wells beat Rachel Hollington and Fiona Harrison, the Williamsons Handicap Singles, won by low handicapper Alex Dyter (who beat Fiona Harrison) and the Ladies Singles was won by Fiona Harrison.

We are grateful to Mark and Zak Eadle for their enthusiasm and dedication as professionals. Zak, in particular, has endeavoured to bring high quality Tennis to Jesmond with a National League team and drove the expansion of the Jesmond Dene Cup, sponsored by Queensway Dental. It attracted a very high quality field including many of the top professionals, who all seemed to enjoy their visit. The spectators were treated to some breathtaking Tennis and, in the final, John Lumley proved too strong for Bryn Sayers to win in two sets.

John Lumley receiving the Jesmond Dene Cup

Annual Report 2021/22

We’ve been sending our champagne over to you from Épernay ever since our family first created it back in 1849. Refined and elegant, it’s the perfect accompaniment to every special occasion. Of course, what constitutes a special occasion is entirely up to you.

Delight in every moment.

And finally, congratulation to all the MTRC representatives across the age categories in the recently-held Masters in France. Simon Shenkman (over-50s), Jamie Bebb (over70s) and Robin Barlow (over-80s) all won their respective team events.

In November, we held the delayed handicap singles which, in a final that ended 7-all 40-all, was won by the Hon. Sec., Jamie Bebb, who just prevailed, giving receive-15 owe-30 one serve banned tambour to his opponent Aaron Peden. He held the title for a matter of a mere few weeks, however, as the current running of the event was held in February and here things were more straightforward. The fastimproving Abdullah Naveed beat Charles Whitaker 8/3. The Bentley Doubles in December inspired another tight thriller. Mike Purcell and Charles Whitaker beat Jamie White and David Summersgill 8/7, the final game also going to 40-all! A slightly narrower handicap was involved than that of the earlier singles, with the winners receiving 30 and the losers owing 40.

he Club has undergone extensive repairs to the external structure of the building, in particular the roof, over the course of the last two years and we are very grateful to all who contributed to the cost. The final bill was signed off earlier this year and we now hope for no more leaks on the courts.

The Club is in good heart – to such an extent that a syndicate of members has “invested” in a 6-year-old hurdler, in training locally, being prepared for a September campaign in the Club name. Watch this space. Many congratulations are due to Robert Shenkman, who has become the latest on the Honour roll in the USA, having won the Amateur titles at both singles and doubles for 2022.

This has allowed us to engage in post-lockdown freedoms, starting with the annual curtain-raiser, the Pennant final. In a repeat of last year’s event. the Legal Eagles beat the Erratics, a triumph gained overall by the traditional tactic of dropping their most senior player throughout the season and playing their fast-improver instead. The Smithie weekend doubles was won by Jonathan Heaton and John Clarkson, who beat John Mortimer and John Oliviero 6/3.

The Manchester Legal Eagles

fter a nil return in 2020/21 the season kicked off with a new fixture against The Army in early September. With the season now finished results were mixed but enthusiasm unbounded. Owing to fixture congestion the DW Cull Trophy normally held in October was not played.

Skills Night organized by Ian Harris in early November proved ever popular with 18 players of all standards gathering for a convivial evening. Team “Three Sheets to the Wind” consisting of Tony Friend, Catherine Walker and Nick Esses won the event in style.

ManchesterManchester

By Jamie Bebb, Chairman

The Kershaw Cup and Thomas trophy were held in March. In a repeat of the previous (2020) final, William Maltby beat Martin Richards 6/4 6/2 , with Martin not quite able to reproduce the intensity and accuracy of his power hitting that had so disconcerted William on the previous occasion. The B singles was won by Paul Butler, who beat Ronald Paterson 6/2. In the Thomas Trophy final, the rock-steady Jesmond pairing of Simon Johnston and Tony Harrison beat the more volatile regular pair, John Mortimer and John Oliviero 6/3. Darren Long and Robert Shenkman went through the National League season unbeaten and played the Oratory – Clare Fahey and Levi Gale – in the final in Manchester, which they won 2 matches to nil in front of a roisterously partisan gallery. Robert was undefeated throughout the campaign and took the tournament MVP award.

By Giles ChairmanPemberton,

Annual Report 2021/22

74 Tennis Club Reports

MCCMCC

In the Manchester Gold Racquet in October, doubles took centre stage. In the singles final, Ben Cawston beat Theo Taylor 15/2 15/1 15/4 and then teamed up with Alex Duncliffe-Vines to beat Christian Portz and Robert Shenkman 15/0 15/6 15/5. This was Robert’s first year as tournament organiser, having taken over from the estimable Brendan Hegarty, who had revived the tournament in the early part of the century and nursed it to its present standing on the international stage and to whom the Club owes a great debt of gratitude.

Fundraising for the floor restoration was finally drawn to a close with a much delayed but tremendous Gala Dinner on June 11th where Rory Bremner regaled us with comments from many celebrities including Donald Trump’s views on “Moreton Morrelle”. It was great to see many players from other clubs competing in the weekend handicap doubles tournament, won by the LRTA pair Katie Leppard and Candida Nicholls. Thanks to

The Club’s major internal event, the Tennis Weekend was held at the end of January. The winners were: Mason Sharp Cup - Kate Evers and Jonathan Ellis-Miller Osborn Parker Cup - Sebastian Wood and James Leeper The winners of the internal competitions in February were:

R Aird Cup – Nick and Ben Jeffery beat Ronald Paterson and Chris Thomas

Tennis Club Reports

Moreton Morrell Moreton Morrell

The MCC All Comers Tournament was won by Rob Shenkman. The delayed MCC Gold Racquet for 2021 was played at the end of March between the holder Ed Kay and Jamie Douglas, the latter winning his tenth trophy. The 2022 Gold Racquet was successfully defended by Jamie against Ed in June.

Monthly Tennis Club Nights were reintroduced in January. Participation has been good and has provided members with the opportunity to play and meet informally with fellow members. Younger players (under 35) evenings continue to be held on Mondays with enthusiastic participation and included a pre-Christmas Festive Club Night, Henry Stuttaford and Tom Guest winning the doubles suitably hatted.

MCC Pol Roger team lost to Queen’s Club in the early stages and had to win an eliminator against Seacourt to stay in the event next season. With a considerably strengthened team they duly won. In the Brodie Cup MCC beat MURTC in the first round but lost narrowly to Radley in the second round.

took over as Chairman from Sir Andrew Hamilton last July and want to recognise his outstanding service to the club. Andrew was Chairman for 20 years, during which MMTCC has thrived, building membership and participation, becoming a registered charity and replacing the deteriorating Bickley floor. The floor is a stunning success and Bruce Paxton’s recognition as floor expert to the Tennis world is well deserved. A new trophy has been created in Andrew’s honour and Bruce was awarded honorary life membership, in recognition of their individual contributions. (Note that our Articles of Association as a Charity now limit the tenure of the Chair so history will not be repeated by me!)

Annual Report 2021/22

MCC Generations Cup (Christie Trophy) - Giles and Hugh Pemberton beat James and Conor Coley

Essential work to the Tennis Court roof was successfully carried out in January to March as were internal redecorations to the professionals’ area and male and female changing rooms, all of which has given the area a smarter feel.

WH Ollis Cup – James McDermott beat Andrew Hinds HD Johns Cup – Gareth Zundel and Sebastian Wood beat Jonathan Ellis-Miller and Richard Spencer

The Club’s young assistant professional Jack Clifton left in April. Chris Bray has just been appointed as new Head Professional. He has been with the Club since August last on an advisory basis and will take up his new role in July. Looking ahead, the Club will be hosting the Centenary of the Bathurst Cup from 8 to 15 October 2022. The GB team (current holders) will be captained by Jamie Douglas.

By Simon Hobson, Chairman

DP Henry Cup – Ben Jeffery beat Richard Gray

Princes Cup Finalists: Winners LRTA (Katie Lappard & Candida Nicholls) and Hamsters (Robert Frost & Charlie Kearl)

RG Paterson Bowl – Ben Jeffery beat Ben Martin

The Club hosted the 151th Varsity Match in early March with dinner in the Long Room at which the guest speaker was former MCC President Mike Griffith. Oxford men beat Cambridge and Cambridge women beat Oxford.

Tennis Club ReportsAnnual Report 2021/22

The Court has been under threat for some time. We presented a strong case to the University for the renewal of our lease and gained widespread support across the Real Tennis world. In the end the University decided that they had better uses for the space on what is now their core campus and have given us four years notice. Our appeal was rejected and the Court will close in February 2026. A group of members (with support from the T&RA) are exploring options for a new North London court. But such endeavours are never easy.

our76

sponsors BLB Associates and Richard George Tailoring for their support.

Rory Bremner in action at the Gala Dinner

Burns did battle for the coveted trophy. Ben TaylorMatthews came out on top in one of the first professional tournaments after the various covid interruptions. The U24's & U21s British Open gave us a glimpse at the future as some of the best young players in the world took centre stage, the tournament was dominated by Will Flynn who took all the prizes with some excellent performances. Will won the doubles trophy with Max Trueman, who also played very well throughout.

Post covid recovery of play has been strong with the pent up desire for Tennis filling our courts well. We have been able to complete most of our tournaments and honours boards will only miss one year as a record of the pandemic’s dreadful impact.

The Cattermull Cup was again a great success with another fantastic entry, in the end it was the team of Felix Delaforce and Jonathan Potter who lifted the trophy for Winchester after 3 days of high quality doubles play. The worlds best then descended on the club for The Real 10. It was a superb exhibition of Tennis as Rob Fahey, Bryn Sayers, Ben Taylor-Matthews, Josh Smith and Will

his has been a year of exceptional highs and lows for the Club. Following our very successful Crowdfunding campaign, we have smartened up our court facilities, invested heavily in student Tennis and gained new members. We are grateful to the many people across the Real Tennis community who supported us. We have also had a very active year on the court. We took in the first IIP trainee Jack Josephs who had a very successful spell at the club. Within 9 months Jack was down to a 27 handicap and able to carry out all aspect of the professional job well. This in turn lead him to securing a job at the Royal Tennis Court and we wish him the best of luck in his future endeavours.

By Julian Ashby, Chairman

Care of our 1905 building is a constant concern and we commissioned a quinquennial report to enable planning and budgeting of maintenance works. Happily, there were no shocks in the report but there is plenty to do, as expected, with our cellar and non-court roofs being priority items. We are fortunate to have the support of members, most of whom give monthly to a building fund and of a benefactor who has funded major maintenance such as our recently restored clerestory windows and redecoration of the penthouse corridor. Taking on the Chair role has been exciting and rewarding, if a little more time consuming than I had expected! I am confident that with the experience of our Board and our excellent Pro’s Tom and Lloyd, MMTCC can continue to grow whilst maintaining its reputation of a warm welcome and excellent playing surface.

Both of our national League sides had a fantastic season and made in to the finals. The team of Simon McLoughlin, Alex Hume and Jack Josephs lifted the trophy at Queen’s Club in Division 7 for a superb win. In Division 9 Mark Heffernan, Stuart Kerr, and Ben Geytenbeek (Hatfield) came up just short losing 1-2 away to Petworth but showed great fighting spirit throughout.

MURTCMURTC

One of our projects this year has been to explore a new Junior Development Plan. Working with support from the Dedanists, we ran a successful 6-week course last Autumn with 8 participants from which 3 young players are now keen enthusiasts. Our Easter “camp” had less interest and had to be cancelled so we are reviewing our approach and offering targeted junior packages to a slowly growing list of new youngsters; it takes a lot of energy and tenacity to build and maintain a junior programme!

Lastly we say goodbye to Chris Bray who is moving on to the MCC. We wish him the best of luck and look forward to Will Burns taking the club forward on its next steps.

Our plans to restore the interior of the court are still ongoing as finding a suitable way to get a firm riser station into the court to enable us to work over the penthouse, is still ongoing. Due to our restricted access, it is impossible to get a cherry picker onto the court so we are negotiating to knock a hole in the side wall in line with the Post, which will enable us to drive straight on to the court area.

The worlds best descended on the club for The Real 10, pictured above with some of the University students .

At Christmas we hosted a hugely enjoyable party that culminated in our professioanl Andrew Knibbs taking on the Prested Pro, Mark Hobbs in an exhibition match with a difference. For every game that was won, the winner had to put on another piece of Santa Clause clothing, the last being a fat cushion inside the jacket and above the belt

Tennis ClubByReportsHugoJohnsen,

An exhibition match with a difference!

Annual Report 2021/22

Recently we entertained Brenner Wooley from Radio Suffolk who had never experienced the sport. He came and spent two hours watching and trying out the game, interviewed the chairman and professional and then gave a 20-minute slot on the radio. We have yet to do the same on local TV!

Chairman

ewmarket Real Tennis Club is in fine health and, although with a relatively low membership, we continue to offer plenty of internal and external matches which are well supported. We have just completed our 2022 Rose Bowl which was won by the home team of Charlie Pittaway & Sandy Norman, who beat the Turner Bros in the final.

NewmarketNewmarket

Let’s also not forget our own World Champion, Rob Fahey also defends his overdue title fight at Prested Hall this year and is hard into his training as he has some family honour to uphold after Claire’s own successful defence of the Ladies World Championships in Fontainebleau. All in all, The Oratory has reinvigorated itself, protected its future, attracted lots of new players, and inspired a new range of juniors to start playing.

Fahey’s inspirational guidance and coaching, with team victories against the recent dominance of Wellington, Radley, something not enjoyed for many years. The expectation is that this will continue into the upcoming season and various players going on to complete in the national championships and hopefully pick up some individual silverware too.

By Simon Wetton, Chairman

At a club level the traditional success in the Thames Valley League has been continued with a second place result this year, and good results in both National League Div1, for Claire and Levi Gale through to the finals but losing to a very strong Manchester duo and Div 9 as semifinalists as well as an MVP award for Martin McNair who also saw individual success in the National Category 40’s championships. The Club was also able to post entries across a range of the Category championships and played a full list of Club fixtures both home and away.

OratoryOratory

Oxford

Our transformation was the work of several years of change and the belief in the School head and governors to embrace our proposals for the way forward. Covid was oddly beneficial in that it provided a unique opportunity for the school to use the court almost full time as students needed alternatives to contact sports. It also saw a significant influx of new members joining and the combination now swelling the clubs booking sheet to bursting point. Many thanks to our Professional team of Rob and Levi Gale for their outstanding work in this area.

As this first season has finished, the fruits of this demand has delivered notable success on court. The Oratory school Juniors have proved formidable under Claire

As we move forward the club plans four Padel courts in the near future which we hope will attract significant interest and the potential for a raft of new players that we can also entice to have a go at Real Tennis.

Thames Valley League and the National League, we have at last held a proper Varsity match after the fixture last year without spectators or a dinner due to covid. This year’s splendid celebration at Lords included as guests a number of the 150th anniversary players , joining the teams for the 151st mens varsity match and the 30th womens match. Honours were shared with the men winning 6-0, and our women’s team losing 2-4 after some outstanding matches.

Tennis Club Reports

Annual Report 2021/22

t has been a challenging period for the Oratory, thankfully not for negative reasons, but because of the significant positive changes we have undertaken to transform the club over the last few years. Our challenges now revolve around satisfying the demand and available court time to satisfy both the requirements of the school and the members.

e have been delighted to see so many members and students on court. Tennis is back and firing on all four cylinders. As well as the Brodie Cup, the

The Oratory has reinvigorated itself, protected its future, attracted lots of new players, and inspired a new range of juniors to start playing.

Oxford W

One of the joys of playing at Merton is meeting, playing and often being beaten by the student players, and indeed

By Neil Mortensen, President

Bill Broadbent 1951-2021 generous benefactor

We have a growing junior programme, for which huge thanks to Ben Ronaldson’s enthusiasm and ability to encourage juniors to try out the game. Of particular note, James Rossiter reached the final of the British U18 singles, Bertie Vallat won the U16 singles and Max Warner won the U14 singles. All three are extremely talented Real Tennis players.

In the club championship Jamie Douglas defeated Rory Giddins, while in the Ladies singles Tara Lumley defeated Izzy Candy. Bertie Vallat won the Drollas Cup (20-29 handicap), Rory Musgrove won the Broadwood (30-39) and Richard Henman won the Druce (handicap singles). We had two fantastic handicap weekends which saw over 200 entries in the A and B singles and doubles, necessitating the tournament to start on the Thursday evening. Thanks to the incredible organisational skills of Astrid Drayson, our fixtures secretary, we had a very full fixture list of matches against other clubs. We once again hosted The British Open, the Amateur Championship, and the Henry Leaf, as well as a number of other clubs/associations including the

It is sad to have to report the deaths of two of the most significant figures in the Club’s recent history. Bill Broadbent, a successful American banker died aged 70 in Florida. His two children Avery and William jr both played as students for OUTC, and as a mark of appreciation he made a generous benefaction to enable the club buildings to be modernised. Simon Stubbings, a retired lawyer, served as President of the club from 2009 until 2014. He was an enthusiastic player, supporter, and a great friend to many. The Broadbent and Stubbings names will live on in some new club competitions.

Finally I would like to thank both the Real Tennis Committee and the Board of The Queen’s Club for their continued support.

the mission of the club is to support and promote student Tennis. But we would like past student players to be more involved in the future of the game. So this is why we have relaunched the Railroad Club. Andrew Davis and Graham Harding worked tirelessly to establish lists and networks of all those who have both appeared for the University or just enjoyed playing. We had a fabulous evening at the Oxford and Cambridge Club in London in May with a good crowd and a particularly moving recorded speech from Spike Wilcocks, recovering from a serious road traffic accident, and describing how much playing Tennis in Oxford had meant to him. We hope it will be the start of a successful initiative. If reading this you would like more information about the

British Army, Hurlingham Pigeons, The Bar, The Dedanists and The Jesters. Congratulations to Jamie Giddins on winning the British Amateur Doubles for the third year running. A particular highlight of the year was winning the Pol Roger for the first time since 2016, defeating RTC in the final. Huge credit for this goes to our captain, Jonny Whitaker, ably supported by Matthieu Sarlangue, Rory Giddins, Henry Mullen, Harry Eddis, Nick James and Richard Elmitt. We had four teams in the National League, where we reached three finals (Divisions 3, 5 and 7), but sadly could not get on the winners podium. A huge thank you to Lesley Ronaldson for her brilliant organisation of the National League.

Annual Report 2021/22

The Queen’s Club

Simon Stubbings, on court on a chilly day

fter two years of covid disruption the courts at Queen’s saw their highest ever levels of utilisation. This is a reflection of both the energy and enthusiasm with which people returned to the game in September, and the outstanding job done by Ben Ronaldson, Bryn Sayers and Neil Mackenzie in encouraging members back on court. Perhaps the only upside of covid was that the club were able to bring forward a number of maintenance projects, such that we have had two courts in excellent condition throughout the season.

Tennis Club Reports

The Queen’s Club

Railroad Club please email Andrew at pros@outc.org.uk

By Alan Giddins, Tennis Chairman

The junior section of the club continues to flourish, with Max Trueman beating Bertie Vallat in the final of the under 24 Page Cup and Arthur Munn beating Gus James in the under 21 George Cooke Trophy. Gus playing with his father Tim won the Two Generations Tournament. The Godfray Racket saw three local prep-schools (Cottesmore, Westbourne House and Amesbury) play a very close contest , with each school winning the same number of matches and Cottesmore winning on count back , by one game, against previous winners Westbourne.

Annual Report 2021/22

The season finished in true Petworth manner with champagne and canapes with our annual summer party in the beautiful gardens of Champs Hill.

partner) being won by James Delliere and Tom Miller and the Secretary’s Cup (random partners) being won by Gus James and Ali Williams.

The court remains in good order (apart from the occasional leak) and our thanks go to club secretary Jon Petersen and the professionals for installing our excellent new streaming system so that we can not only watch our triumphs and disasters on YouTube but also watch matches from the comfort of the club room for those unable to tear themselves away from the lunch table. We have been keen to support the IIP programme and are delighted, through the good offices of the T&RA, to welcome Tim Armstrong (son of Simon) who joined us as an apprentice on 1 August.

On the competitive front, our Pol Roger team overcame Seacourt 3-2 at home in an exciting contest, but then succumbed to RTC in the semi-final. Encouragingly we have a young team, with Freddie Bristowe playing and the oldest team member being Nick Harris at age 41; this bodes well for the future.

All in all, therefore, a good Headmaster's report for the season!

PetworthPetworth

By Robert Dolman, Chairman

In the various club tournaments, Luke Danby and Adam Dolman resumed the next instalment of their long running club tournament finals with Luke triumphing in three close sets, reversing the result when they played in the Pol Roger match. In the other grades, the B section was won by Hereward Taylor, the C section by Phillip Nash, the D section by Hamish Porter and the E section by Thomas Prince. The club doubles (named the Ellis Rich Trophy) won by Adam Dolman and Nick Harris and the Robinson Trophy by Jon Petersen and Tim Armstrong. In the club handicap singles tournaments, the Penthouse Cup saw Gus James beat Tom Compton and the Smith Bingham Trophy was won by Dik van Lomwel beat Henry Russell. We held two handicap doubles weekends during the season, with the Hennell Plate (where you enter with a chosen

Apart from the professionals playing well in Division 1 of the National League, the club fielded three other National League teams (Division 5, 7 and 9) with our Division 9 heroes (captained by Adrian Warburton with variously Stuart Allison, Fergus Jenkins, George Andrews and Simon Armstrong) beating the combined team of Hatfield and MURTC in a closely contested final.

fter two mainly fallow years, Petworth House Tennis Court was delighted, and also relieved, to be back to business as usual for the 2021/22 season. Happily, we were able to support our two professionals (Tom Durack and Louis Gordon) during the pandemic so that they did not suffer financially, with members contributing a fighting fund of over £28,000 to assist with this. As a thank you to members Tom and Louis opened the season with an exhibition match ("the Battle of the Pros") and clinic to remind us all how to play followed by a splendid curry fest from David Fortune.

On the more social level, the Sunday Pennant saw ten teams play, eat and drink their way merrily through the season with the victors FSB (Simon Fisk, Richard Stables and James Carnegie-Brown) winning all their matches. The Eddie Harrison Trophy for the season's most improved player went to Richard Stables and the Ritblat Trophy (for the club member who has made an outstanding contribution to the club in the year) went to Carole Muir in recognition of her many years devoted service on the Board. Carole has now stepped down from the Board and has been replaced by Tim James. It was also splendid to see our evergreen member Nigel Draffan win the National over 70s doubles title and participate in the British team's triumph in the Danby Cup (over 70), as did Geoffrey Russell in the over 60s Bostwick Cup.

80 Tennis Club Reports

The court usage has fairly much returned to normal throughout the year and many enjoyable friendly matches were played both home and away. We remain keen to encourage these matches which give the chance for members of different standards to visit other clubs and meet and entertain their members.

So……Through the re-formulated 21/22 season we've hosted a number of TRA events: the Over 50 Doubles (winners Watson & Wright); the F-grade Singles (twice!!); the Over 40 Doubles (Wright & Packham); and the Prested Cup (the level Championship for amateurs under 20) won by Max Trueman. We also hosted the magnificent Seacourt group of a dozen or more, who have now been coming for over 20 years, twice a year. This milestone too had been postponed, and Celie and I were delighted to join Mike Cole and his group for a delayed anniversary dinner. The LRTA came in force, albeit with a bit less gusto than pre-Covid, as people were still being very cautious and every event, probably everywhere, suffered.

& Dixon. He also set up a much-enjoyed juniors’ daylong tournament won by Josh Pike.

It was also time to sort out the professionals’ structure which had proved to be not quite right, with hindsight. So, Mark Hobbs was put in overall change, while Lewis Williams, having flirted with padel, went back to his first love and has finished up in Leamington where we wish him well. And Ged Parsons, having cycled and commuted to NE Essex from southeast London, and helped out through good times and dark, finally accepted the journey was unrealistic. Thanks, Ged, for your many years with us!

And then, to actually and finally end the season, we hosted the East Anglian Cup, which we won!

PrestedPrested

By Mid-winter confidence was returning and more people were playing, but still not in the hoped-for and expected numbers. Hobbsy introduced the “Prested Hall of Fame” handicap doubles which we intend making into one of the must-do events of future seasons, won this year by Messrs

TennisClub Prested

s we crawled slowly out of lockdown in the summer of 2021, bruised, battered, confused and depressed, it was inevitable some major changes would be needed. Which events should we cancel? - (e.g., the Pro Invitation that should have started the year before); or postpone?(e.g., the World Championship Challenge, again, from 2020); or confirm with some trepidation? (e.g., the LRTA long weekend) It all took a lot of hand-wringing, fairly certain the plague had not entirely gone away.

Tennis Club ReportsWilson

beating Hobbsy in the final, while Chris Chapman had to rue the complicated missing-player rulings! (All this was off half handicap.)

By Mike Carter

Meanwhile the Pros Invitation had its own problems, when Nick Howell’s hamstring forced him to retire from a thriller with Rob Fahey at 10-10. The end result left Rob

The season’s finale was to have been our club finals combined with the inaugural Pro’s Invitation (twice postponed). Sadly, two of Prested’s top players were forced to withdraw at the last minute, and the level singles was won by Matt Potter, who partnered Colin Sprott to the doubles.

Annual Report 2021/22

By Maggie Henderson-Tew, Club Captain

We will now be able to stream live events or to watch recorded footage in the Gallery Café or the Clubroom, and the Stretching Area should help players reduce their

This has been a successful, if not stellar year, in terms of club and individual Tennis achievements in the revived fixtures programme. Our professionals, Nino and Josh, both finished their National League campaigns as the top player in their respective league and Nino obtained a single figure handicap for the first time. The Radley Brodie Cup side was forced to concede a rubber in its semi-final and our Field Trophy team had to do the same in its final, with both concessions proving decisive in tight matches.

The innovative wall coverings, that been have installed at Radley, four of Michael Do’s stunning images adorn the corridor.

Annual Report 2021/22

A report on an excellent year for the Radley College boys’ year has been submitted separately by Mick Dean. The Radley club juniors continue to do well. Henry Henman and his father, Mike, and Louis Manson and father, Chris, won, respectively, the Level event (again) and the Handicap competition in the National Fathers and Sons tournament. Clemmie Batstone and India Deakin continue to progress in their respective specialities of Real Tennis and Rackets, with Clemmie reaching the Final of the National Schoolgirls’ U15 Tournament. India, the Rackets 2021 British Open and World Championship Doubles title holder, played a 2022 Eliminator against Cesca Sweet for the right to challenge the holder, Radley member Lea Van Der Zwalmen, who retained her World Rackets title by defeating Cesca 15/2 15/0 15/9. Lea did not play in the LRTA British Ladies’ Open, sponsored by Peter Luck-Hille but concentrated her efforts on the Ladies’ World Championship Singles. She was rewarded by a run through to the Final, which was never going to be easy, and so it proved. Lea did her best but lost to Claire Fahey 0/6 2/6, despite strong support from the crowd in Fontainebleau.

Radley College Tennis Club is in good heart and facing the future with optimism, in the fervent hope that Covid shutdowns are now a matter of history.

he past year has been one of significant change and development at Radley, in personnel and appearance, although the success of the club has continued. We started the year with a professional team of two and have ended it with three, having hired Josh King and Victor Till to work with Nino Merola, which facilitated the secondment of our Head Professional, Chris Ronaldson, and Maggie Henderson-Tew, Club Captain, to the Bristol Real Tennis Club from October to March. Grateful thanks to Radley College for its unstinting and generous support of Real Tennis at the College and beyond. Josh is shortly to become IiP Level 1 qualified. We are very pleased that he has built so well on the start he has made as a coach, club professional and player.

82 Tennis Club Reports

strains and pains. The reaction to the changes has been very positive and we look forward, as always, to welcoming visitors and showing them around.

RadleyRadley

The off-court areas at Radley have had a complete facelift, courtesy of the generous support of many of our members and Radley College. The project was devised, and the funds were raised, by Maggie H-T, with the work being carried out (with thanks to the professionals, members and visitors for their tolerance) without having to close the club. We have combined the old and contemporary in a way that we feel echoes the T&RA’s strapline of ‘A Future Built On History’, and the stylish and bold appearance is more appropriate to one of the most successful clubs in the world. We now have the Real Tennis fanatic’s favourite quotation from Shakespeare: ‘Tennis balls, my liege…’ (Henry V, Act 1, sc ii) on the walls. These famous lines a just one of the innovative wall coverings, as we have installed four of Michael Do’s stunning images of Rob Fahey and Camden Riviere in action during the 2016 World Championship Challenge at Newport RI. These forehand and backhand shots from both players have made a striking addition to the link corridor between the court, clubrooms and the College’s Sports Centre, and they look particularly impressive when illuminated at night.

Thecompetitions.SeniorSchools

After the travails of Covid and the relatively mixed results of 2019/20, success once again was earned in the Schools

National Doubles was won by Magnus Garson and Ed Alder in a real nail-biter at Queen’s Club over Wellington, retrieving a 6/7 deficit to win the 2 final games. Our second pair was unfortunately torpedoed when George Acheson-Gray sustained a nasty hockey injury, leaving captain Jonty Duncan marooned. Toby Marriott & Tom Bailey won the B Grade event from Canford.

highly active season has again been orchestrated and supported by Nino Merola and Josh King, with Chris Ronaldson on sabbatical at Bristol for much of the College season.

The Club’s internal tournaments are in full swing again and we had four RTC teams in various National League divisions. The junior programme is in fine health with strong competition results and growing numbers playing. We have also been delighted to secure again the sponsorship of Mitsubishi Electric for the Champions’ Trophy, which will once again bring world-class Tennis to RTC in July 2022.

Much credit is due to Jonty Duncan, captain this season in significant improvement in his own game, but also giving much time to help coach the juniors and to organise competitions. Also to Mike Henman for his time on court, and to Andy Bishop for his energetic supporting admin role.

By Doug Sheperdigian, Chairman

In spite of the disruption, we closed our financial year in a sound position, thanks to members’ continued subscription support and prudent financial management. However, we have seen a net loss of over 40 full members over the two pandemic years and, in response, the Board has agreed a new strategy to re-build numbers. In our professional team, Josh Smith left us after eight years to be Head Professional at Holyport. After some months of searching, we were delighted to appoint Jack Josephs as our Trainee Professional. Jack was on the IiP Apprenticeship scheme at Middlesex University and made a strong impression there; we’re delighted to have him as part of the RTC team.

AnnualChairmanReport2021/22

shift has added another hour of available court time in extending our potential playing day from 0630 to 2330. Since the Autumn, normal competition has resumed at all levels. We hosted the RTC Development Tournament in September – an event designed to provide junior professionals throughout the country with an opportunity both for competition, as well as training and feedback. Nick Wood and Scott Blaber paired up for the first time at the British Open Doubles Championship where they had two excellent wins before succumbing to Fahey and Howell in the quarter-finals. In the Pol Roger Cup, RTC beat Petworth in the semi-finals before losing to Queen’s in the final. Peter Wright and partner Jamie Douglas were runners up in the 2022 British Amateur Doubles Championship.

fter Covid, this was a year of stabilisation, recovery and renewed optimism at RTC although it was not until July that normal social play could resume and September when the standard hourly rotation restarted. Since then, however, we have seen sustained recovery to a full playing and social programme with court usage back to 95%+ levels through the winter and spring. We are also delighted to welcome back Palace visitors to the viewing gallery, restoring RTC’s place as the only court in the world with regular public access.

In the U16 Doubles, victory was gained by Hugo AchesonGray with Ambrose Garson, beating our 2nd pair (Rory Acheson-Gray and Woody Walker) in a tight final. Rory &

and Hugo Stone finished a creditable 4th in the U14 event with little experience. The National Schools Singles was also won – Magnus Garson defeating Bertie Vallat (Winchester) for the A Grade title, while Hugo Acheson-Gray also completed his U16 double by winning the B Grade title from Canford. Elsewhere, regular matches have been played against Wellington, Canford and Oratory (good to see them back competing) and also with the Dedanists, Jesters, Queen’s Club and Hardwick.

83 Tennis Club Reports

Radley CollegeRadley College

By Mick Dean,

Another change made during the winter was to reorganise the daily court rota to change on the half hour. This simple

Michael Day CVO stood down after five years as Chair of the Board at the May 2022 AGM and was succeeded by Doug WoodySheperdigian.hadsurvived

a match point to beat Canford in the Georgesemi-final.Cadbury-Gosling

The Royal Tennis CourtThe Royal Tennis Court

Backcompetition.atSeacourt

A montage of highlights at Seacourt over the past 12 months.

t has been great to be back to a full season of competition, with plenty of Silverware secured.

In February we were excited to be able to hold the Seacourt Silver Racquet, once again our thanks to our sponsor Peter Luck-Hille. A superb display of Tennis across four days, with the return of some familiar faces and some new ones, both Amateur and Professional, including the Men’s and Ladies World Champions. The title was secured by Zak Eadle, defeating Louis Gordon in the final. We are working plans for the 50th Anniversary of the Seacourt Silver Racquet, which is scheduled for February 2023.

By Simon Flynn, Communications

In addition to the Under 24 Doubles, William won the Under 24 British Open Singles (Eric Angus Cup), the Under 21 Open Singles (George Wimpey) and also qualified for the main draw of Senior British Open Singles in his debut

Annual Report 2021/22

The Seacourt junior section continues to be successful both at grass roots level, but also with the more seasoned juniors / young adults. The Seacourt Peter Luck Hille Cup team, which included Evie Tambling, Alex Bolton, James Walker and Tom Wallace, secured back-to-back titles, defeating the Oratory at Wellington in June.

84 Tennis Club Reports

Max also won the Under 18 British Open singles at Queen’s, the Prested Cup for UK Under 20s and also the Under 24 British Open Doubles (Stephen Tayleur Trophy), with William Flynn at Middlesex.

Max Trueman has had a phenomenal season, closely shadowed by team mate James Medlow. Together they won the National league Division 5 title, defeating Freddie Dixon and Charles Defries of The Queen’s Club. With James also securing the MVP for the division, winning the coveted MVP Racquet.

SeacourtSeacourt

, the Handicap Singles was won by Olivia Boulton, who defeated Simon “No Show” Armstrong in the final. Olivia will represent Seacourt in the Chetwood at the Hyde next season.

By Simon Roundell, Chairman

WellingtonWellington

t has been wonderful to have the Court back to normal as usual post 2020 this season. We welcomed Alex Machin as our new IIP apprentice in late August. Alex has been a brilliant apprentice and has thrown himself into the club, coaching the students at the College whilst rapidly improving his handicap. We believe he will make an excellent professional.

Middle: John Amor winning the Chetwood Trophy

ManyAugust.thanks

Top:Photos:-IiPPro Am at Wellington

85 Tennis Club Reports

The College had a successful season too with three of the students being part of the Brodie Cup winning team. A particular mention must go to this year’s captain Cesca Sweet who has held the Schoolgirls National Singles and Doubles titles since 2019 when they were inaugurated. We also wish her twin brother Willem the best of luck in the upcoming Junior World Championship at Seacourt in

must go to our professional team of Danny, Adam and Alex for continuing to make WRTC a happy and successful club, as well as the Dedanist Foundation and Society for continuing to support out Junior programmes.

Bottom: Wellington Brodie Cup winners

The highlights of our season were winning the Brodie Cup for the first time. Captained by Tom Monk, who unfortunately could not make the final at The Hyde due to the imminent birth of his first child. Thanks must go to all the team for the campaign and to the excellent support from some of the members making it all the way down to Bridport to support on a Sunday. Also at Bridport John Amor won the Chetwood Trophy and in Fontainebleau Algie Nottingham won the French U15 Open.

Annual Report 2021/22

8686 Elite World Singles Rankings 2022 Effective Date 13 March 2022 Ladies’ Rackets World Rankings 2022 World Rackets Rankings 2022 RankPlayer Points 1Ben Cawston 642.13 2Tom Billings 474.00 3 Alex Duncliffe-Vines 214.00 4Alex 10Freddie9Christian8Richard7Ben6Will5JamesTitchener-Barrett193.94Coyne96.38Hopton94.06Bomford87.38Owen59.88Portz59.63Bristowe36.38 RankName Points 1Lea van der Zwalmen 280.0 2Cesca Sweet 253.0 3Tara Lumley 176.0 4Georgie Willis 174.0 5India Deakin 152.0 6Lauren Gooding 54.0 7Alice Vyvyan-Robinson 52.5 8Issie Thorneycroft 48.0 9Sophia Mordaunt 45.0 10Katie Baker 27.0 Effective Date 1 May 2022PLAY! Rackets Rankings

Rory Sutton, Chairman of the Rackets Committee

Our British World Champion Tom Billings showed his class again winning the Amateur Singles and the Brown Advisory British Open Singles (a draw that was at full capacity). In the doubles game, Tom Billings and Richard Owen had a World Championship Challenge, against the holders, James Stout and Jonathan Larken. This was a repeat of the 2018 challenge, but the result was very different this time. Tom and Richard played exceptionally well in the first leg at Queen’s Club to take a 4-0 lead over to New York, where in the second leg they won the second game, which they needed to take the title. Tom and Richard also picked up the Amateur Doubles and the Brown Advisory British Open Doubles titles.

The ladies’ game has continued to go from strength to strength. Queen’s Club has been sponsoring a ladies’ club morning on a Sunday morning and several tournaments were held throughout the season. Tara Lumley and India Deakin won the Brown Advisory British Open Doubles. Due to the high entry, we had to run our first qualifying event for the Brown Advisory Singles, with Georgie Willis eventually beating Cesca Sweet in a thrilling final.

Thank to next season… Play!

In the U18s, the RPA have managed to deal with record entries in the Brown Advisory Nationals Schools. Cesca Sweet (Wellington) winning the Senior Girls tournament, and with Lilly May Redshaw (Wellington) winning the senior Girls Doubles. Magnus Garson (Radley) won the Foster Cup, with Olly Hatfield and George Livesey (St Paul’s) winning the Doubles. Our thanks go to all the professionals for their hard work throughout the season.

Ben Cawston’s development has continued, and after winning the US Open, Manchester Gold Racquet, Western Open, the Invitational Singles, and the Professionals’ Singles, he has earned the right to challenge Tom for the singles World Championship in November 2022, with a two-legged match scheduled across Chicago and London. Good luck to both players. The ever-popular Manchester Gold Racket, Clifton Cup and Cheltenham Gold Racket were well attended and our thanks go to the organisers and professionals for making those a success.

The T&RA and Rackets Committee have been busy not only in running the tournaments but looking to preserve and develop this great game. We have been sponsoring U21 and U24 players evenings at Queens and Manchester, which have been hugely popular. We have continued our Scholarship Programme (formerly Fellowships), which has been greatly appreciated by the North American clubs. This year we also introduced a doubles ranking system which has helped to bring some science to the seedings of tournaments – much to the delight of the players. We also reinstated the Over 40s tournament to give a chance for old rivals to battle it out for bragging rights once again.

Lookingyou.forward

The top ranked players in the UK have been bringing the next generation of top players (both ladies and men) together in a series of development squads which have been a huge success.

I’d like to close with a few ‘thank you’s. Firstly, to the Racket’s Committee for your hard work throughout the season. Secondly, to all those involved in the Harrow court refurbishment, particularly Charles Hue Williams and John Prenn, and those working hard on supporting the Eton sports centre redevelopment. Thirdly, on behalf of the membership to the T&RA staff who have worked tirelessly – including ramping up our social media and press presence providing news and updates to our members. Fourthly, to the referees, markers, professionals, tournament organisers and the clubs for their efforts. Lastly, to our sponsors Brown Advisory, who have continued to shown unwavering support for the game.

In memory of Andrina Webb, who sadly passed away during the season, we renamed the Mixed Doubles in her honour. Andrina was a huge supporter of the game and she would have been delighted in the spirit in which the tournament was played, eventually won by Georgie Willis and Rory Giddins.

The top ranked players in the UK have been bringing the next generation of top players (both ladies and men) together in a series of development squads which have been a huge success. Thanks to Mike Bailey for taking this forward and to Tim Cockcroft and John Prenn for their sponsorship.

87 Rackets UK

e have had a fantastic Rackets season; the game is in a great place. We enjoyed a full fixtures schedule with many record entries: a sign of high participation and a thriving sport. This report highlights some of the on-court activity and initiatives that the T&RA have been supporting.

In the men’s game, the ever-popular season opener the ‘Noel Bruce’ – showed how keen players were to get back on court, with Haileybury (Tom Billings and Mark Farmiloe) beating the previous year’s champions, Winchester (Christian Portz and Mike Bailey) to win a very competitive tournament.

In the Ladies World Championships, the top four ladies battled it out in an eliminator series, with Cesca Sweet beating Tara Lumley in a tight contest for the right to challenge the reigning champion Lea Van Der Zwalmen. In the Championship match, Lea had too much experience and retained her title with a 3-0 win. Well done Lea.

Annual Report 2021/22

n Wednesday 27 April 2022, Harrow School held a long-awaited celebration for the official opening of The Prenn Hue Williams Court (postponed since 2020 by the pandemic), welcoming back a number of Old Harrovians, friends, professionals from other schools and contractors to the new look and very smart Rackets court.

Formerly known as the ‘Old’ court, the newly named court is a tribute to Old Harrovians, John Prenn (The Head Master's 1966³) and Charles Hue Williams (Bradbys 1956²) who were not only formidable players and champions but have been faithful supporters of the game for many years and, alongside the School and Harrow Development Trust, have spearheaded a campaign to fund the building of the new court, completed just before the pandemic in Spring 2020.

Annual Report 2021/22

Left: Presentations on the new court.

88 Rackets

Ahead of the official opening, exhibition matches were played between two OH champions, Harry Foster and Alex Titchener-Barrett and a pairing of Harrow boys. This was followed by speeches by the Head Master Alastair Land, Harrow’s long-serving Rackets Professional John Eaton, Charles and John. A celebration drinks reception was enjoyed by all.

Top: The new plaque. Above: John Prenn & Charles Hue Williams.

Top Right: L to R: Headmaster, Alastair Land, John Prenn, Charles Hue Williams, Doug Collins & John Middle:Eaton.

drinksBottom:Play!Celebrationreception.

The official opening of The Prenn Hue Williams Court at Harrow School

89 Rackets PLAY! Annual Report 2021/22

MATCH REPORTS

2021/22 RACKETS

Noel Bruce 2021

The main draw started in earnest in early September with some good contests in the first round which saw Winchester II take a game off Haileybury; and Malvern II working hard to overcome an inspired Eton II. The two top seeds, Winchester and Cheltenham, breezed through their quarter-finals. Haileybury started slowly against Westgate but eventually won 3-1, and Eton overcame Malvern by the same score in a close match.

The first semi-final saw a good battle between Winchester (Mike Bailey and Christian Portz) and Eton (Guy SmithBingham and Rory Giddins), with some determined play by the Eton pair, before Winchester won through 4-1. GSB played inspirational Rackets at times with his younger

he Noel Bruce attracted 54 pairs this year, the second highest ever entry, and ran over three weeks. Perhaps the lack of Rackets over the previous 18 months contributed, but huge thanks to Ed Hyde for his inspiration and organisation. In addition, Howard Angus marked the early stages virtually single handed, putting around 2,000 miles on his mileage in the process as he travelled to Queen’s from the far reaches of Bucks. Some good early performances with the qualifying played in great spirit. Also good to see so many young players still representing their schools and hope to see them all in future competition this season.

Haileybury beat Winchester 4-2 in the Noel Bruce Final.

‘21September

partner showing great maturity to make a great match. The second semi-final saw a close encounter between Cheltenham (Richard Owen and Nick James) and Haileybury (Mark Farmiloe and Tom Billings), with each game closely fought and the match swinging one way then the other. An early lead by Cheltenham was overturned before the match was level at 2 games all, including an epic 18-17 fourth to Cheltenham, but it was then that Haileybury dug deep and powered through the last two games to take the match 4-2.

The final saw Winchester, defending (2019) winners, against Haileybury, 2017 winners. An exciting game played in front of the Queen’s Club David Norman Gallery. Winchester started well and edged a hard hitting first game, before Haileybury levelled taking the closely fought second, 17-15. The third game also reached 14-all, but this time Winchester had the answers to take a 2-1 lead. But now the game changed as Haileybury found their length on service, combined with raw power, taking the next game to level the match and then again to extend a 3-2 lead. Winchester couldn’t respond to the ever-increasing ferocity of the Haileybury service, and the match was over, 4-2 to the third seeds. Thanks to marker, Ben Bomford, and referee, Paddy Sutton, who officiated the first final since lockdown, played in great spirit by both pairs. T&RA Rackets Committee Chairman, Rory Sutton, thanked the players and the gallery and Howard Angus, with a foot in both camps, presented the cup to the victorious Haileybury.

90 Rackets

Annual Report 2021/22

Brown Advisory Ladies British Open Doubles 2021

Tom Billings hadn’t dropped a game en route to taking on close rival Alex Duncliffe-Vines for the Amateur Singles Championship. Throughout the exciting match, Tom gradually wore his opponent down, winning 15/7 15/8 15/3. Tom had won the trophy on two previous occasions and added this prestigious title to a highly successful year.

91 Rackets

This was another well supported event and it great to see the ladies’ game thriving at both senior and junior levels.

In the plate competition the Queen’s pairing of Isabel Hunt and Isabel Candy were too strong for the Cheltenham pairing of Emilia Lewis and Bea Cornwell winning 15/4 15/6. They just had too much weight of shot for the schoolgirls and win a trophy in their first ever competitive outing!

final looked like a close affair, and this proved to be the case, with each game going into double figures. After winning two close games Lumley and Deakin let down their guard and lost the third game 13/15. This could have been costly as Willis and Sweet were visibly gaining in confidence, but the experience of Lumley and Deakin was vital, and they managed to edge the fourth game 15/11 to claim the trophy and title of British Open Doubles Champions.

Noel MasterBrettinCharge/Head Coach of Rackets

here was another great turn out for the Ladies Doubles Rackets Tournament at Malvern College at the weekend. The standard of play is ever increasing and this was shown in a fantastic final. In the semi-finals, Tara Lumley and India Deakin played incredibly well to beat Alice VyvyanRobinson and Tilly Wood, a young pair from Cheltenham College and in the other semi final, Georgie Willis and Cesca Sweet overcame the solid pairing of Abbie Whybrow and Fionnuala Dowling Membrado from TheCheltenham.

Tara Lumley and India Deakin beat Georgia Willis and Cesca Sweet 3-1 in the final.

Amateur Singles Championships 2021

Annual Report 2021/22

‘21November

PlayBrave sponsor, John Prenn, announced the sad news of the passing of former World Champion Geoffrey Atkins and the gallery observed a minute's reflection on his lifetime achievements. John then thanked the T&RA for its expeditious organisation of the event, the Queen's Club for providing the court in peak condition, marker Ben Bomford and referee Mike Bailey for their careful stewardship of the first leg, and then presented bottles of Vintage Pol Roger to the four players on court.

The match was now well poised. Billings continued to serve well and established a 4-0 lead. The Champions reversed their order and once again it was Larken's strength which swept them into a 5-4 lead. However, the Challengers were pushing hard to lead 9-5 on the next pair of serves. A couple of well placed Stout serves narrowed the lead to 7-9 before points became difficult to win. Billings edged his pair ahead to 12-7, but the Champions came back to 9-12, then 10-13. It was tight but once again the Challengers were able to see the game out, 15/10, and were now 3-0 up.

The fourth, and what was to be the final game, was a close run affair. After early exchanges it was the Champions ahead 1-0. Six points, mainly from the Owen serve, was matched by seven points, mainly from the Larken serve - 8-6 to Larken and Stout. Tight and tense rallies continued, but now the game swung towards Billings and Owen as they re-established a 12-8 lead. Larken in the box and the Champions played some astonishing Rackets to take the game to 14-12. All four players played a remarkable point which saw Stout on the floor, before a couple of lets were called. A huge Owen return won back the hand at the third attempt. A single point on the Billings serve and then another on the Owen serve brought the game back to 14-14, and the Champions called a set to three. Owen continued, winning two more points before the Champions had their chance, They could only bring the set to three back to 1-2, before the Challengers served out to win 17/15, and a huge 4-0 lead to take to New York in a week's time. The overall score from the First Leg is 4 games to love and 62 points to 40.

The second game started cagily, with Billings serving a small 2-0 lead, but this was quickly overhauled for the Champions to lead 3-2. Points were difficult to win, thanks to spellbinding recovery shots for all four players and the game reached 4-4. Larken remained rock steady, Stout agile, quick and spectacular, Billings lightning fast with astonishing pick up shots, and Owen with raw power and unerring accuracy; this was a great match. But now the Challenging made their play, scoring seven points on the next pair of hands to lead 11-4. The Champions tried to respond but could only muster a point to trail 5/11. A round of serves later, the score was 6-12. Billings into serve but a strong defence from Stout. Owen then served out the game, 15-6, to take a 2-0 lead in the First Leg.

92The

World Doubles Rackets Championship 2021 First Leg

The Queen’s Club, London Challengers, Tom Billings and Richard Owen, win the first Leg 4-0 against the Champions, Jonathan Larken and James Stout 15/9 15/6 15/10 17/15 WIN! RacketsAnnual Report 2021/22

World Champions elected to serve and Larken made full use of the advantage, building a quick 6-0 lead. The Challengers were unable to capitalise when they stepped into the box, with only a single point on the Billings serve, 1-6. The game settled down but it was Larken's serve which continued to slowly build up the points, into a 9-1 lead. The Billings serve needed to work and it did, narrowing the deficit to 7-9 on the next hand. Ably supported by partner, Owen, the Challengers drew level and then established a small 11-9 lead. Fabulous rallies, with Stout reminding the packed gallery the special talent he is - but now the Champions were unable to regain a foothold as they fell further behind 9-12. One last opportunity to claw back some points came and went, before Billings served out in his next hand, taking the first game 15/9, 14 points without reply. This was certainly the start the Challengers needed.

93 Rackets

The Champions, Jonathan Larken and James Stout, started strongly with Stout picking up the first two points. Tom Billings served a fault but partner Richard Owen gave the Challengers a slight 3-2 lead. But the Champions were back in the lead through Larken's precision service, 5-3, before the Billings serve levelled the game at 5-5. The champions then capitalised on their next time in the box, stretching out a 9-5 lead. With the momentum now with the Champions, the Billing and Owen partnership could only muster a point to trail 6-9. A superb return negated the Stout serve and then it was Larken in impervious form serving through, with six unmatched pointed to take the first game 15/6. Game on!

The second game started cagily with the Challengers quickly gaining the box but only managing a solitary point in their first pair of hands, to lead 1-0. Larken responded in his next hand, with Stout making some remarkable shots, to take a 5-1 lead. Billings and Owen responded, with superb positioning by Owen and supreme recovery shots by Billings, closing the gap to 4-5. As the game started to open up, some free flowing Rackets saw Larken and Stout extend their lead to 7-4. But now Billings and Owen found their length and started to turn the tables, taking a 10-7 in the next pair of hands. These points could all count in the longer term as once again the Champions closed the deficit to 9-10. With five points needed, a single point on the Billings serve gave the Champions hope. But then Owen served and edged ever closer to winning the necessary game - point by pointand then it was championship point. Superb length from Owen and Stout was unable to return - 15/9 - and new World Champions.

Second Leg New York Racquets Club

15/9 15/6 15/10 17/15 6/15 15/9 Second leg 6/15 15/9; Billings and Owen win 5-1 over the two legs ‘21November Annual Report 2021/22

One game all and the new World Champions are Tom Billings and Richard Owen

Incledon-Webber Cup 2021

Wellington (Cesca Sweet & Lilly May Redshaw) beat Cheltenham (Alice Vyvyan-Robinson & Tilly Wood)

Ben Cawston wins the 2021 Invitation Singles

‘21December

Bertie Vallat (Winchester) beat Jake HaraziWebb (Tonbridge)

Renny Cup 2021

Archie Sillars (Winchester) bt Peter ComptonBurnett (Eton)

Annual Report 2021/22

Invitation Singles UK 2021

Foster Cup 2021

Flynn Jennings (Haileybury) beat Flynn Gunston (Malvern)

Photo L to R: Richard Owen, Howard Angus & Ben Cawston

Richard Owen starter the stronger, taking a comfortable first game 15/5 and was ahead in the second, similar to his victory over Ben Cawston in the group stages. Hower, Cawston rallied and levelled the match, taking the second 15/9. He then won the next two games to take the prestigious Invitation Singles Cup. Final score 5/15 15/9 15/2 15/2. Howard Angus presented the prizes.

Robin Geffen Cup (Senior Girls) 2021

94 Rackets

Magnus Garson (Radley) beat Finn Kirkland (Tonbridge) Alex Brodie Cup (Junior Girls) 2021

Sponsored by Brown Advisory

National Schools' Rackets Doubles Championships First Round

15/4 Annual Report 2021/22

Brown Advisory Ladies British Open Singles Championships 2022

Cheltenham 1 bt Cheltenham 3 15/6 15/4 15/3

A. Duncliffe-Vines & A. Titchener-Barrett (3) bt H. Hardman & S. Navapurkar 15/3 15/13

St Paul's 2 (R Sarin & T.Jensen) bt Marlborough 2 (S Martin-Jenkins & H Campbell-Walter) 15/6 15/4 15/5 Cheltenham 3 (F Sanders & A Baker) bt Clifton 4 (J Naughton & S Koupparis) 15/10 15/9 15/7

Quarter-finals

E. Pitts (Wel) bt T. Birch (Che) 15/5 15/10

Second Round

Semi-finals

Radley 2 (A Garson & Radley Morgan Barnes) bt Clifton 1 (A Campbell & T Denner) 15/6 15/7 15/5

Harrow 1 (G.Stanhope & C.Hope) bt Wellington 2 (E Campion & M Lowrey) w/o Cheltenham 1 (J Richardson & F Moore) bt Charterhouse 1 (C Raeside & R Quinton) 15/4 15/5 15/4

L. Davis (Che) bt G. Culley (Clt) 15/11 17/14

B. Cawston & M. Bailey bt I. Utkin & J. Rossiter w/o T. Shields & A. Gourlay bt R. Spender & D. Wright 15/4 5/15 13/15 15/5 15/11 11/15 15/2

First Round

Malvern 2 (H Hardinges & T Cox) bt Wellington 2 (R Kirby & A Wyld) 15/7 15/6 15/12

Quarter-finals

L. Hue-Williams (Wel) bt C. Davies (Wel) 15/4 15/5

H.Oates (Che) bt G.Morris (Clt) 15/6 15/6

Round of 16

M. Fletcher (Che) bt N. Nissum (Clt) 15/2 15/1

M. Farmiloe & J. Lumley bt H. Hardman & S. Navapurkar 15/2 15/1 18/17 15/9

L. Compton-Burnett (Wel) bt T.Coley 15/6 15/0

National Schoolgirls’ Singles Championships 2022 Sponsored by Brown Advisory Senior Girls Singles: Judy Angus Cup

Harrow 2 (A Royle & J Nelson) bt Cheltenham 2 (F Warr & M Callon-Hine) 15/6 15/9 15/11

Brown Advisory British Open Doubles

A. Csenke (Hby) bt G. Barnes (Clt) 0/15 15/11 15/12

Tonbridge 3 vs Harrow 2 15/11 12/15 15/8 15/7

Final

Cheltenham 1 (J Richardson & F Moore) bt Harrow 2 (M Fulford & J Codrington) 15/3 15/2 10/15 15/6 Winchester 2 (A Harker & S Lam) bt Marlborough 1 (C Kirkwood & M Wyman) Tonbridge 1 (S Seecharan & J Hazari-Webb) bt Eton 2 (A.Varma & A.Karpe) 15/10, 15/1, 15/12

Tonbridge 1 bt Haileybury 1 15/12 17/14 2/15 17/16

A. Vyvyan-Robinson (Che) bt B. Cornwell (Che) 15/6 15/6

2 (K Dalwood & T Threlfall) 15/3 15/8 15/2

F. Sweet (Wel) bt G. Hornby (Mar) 15/0 15/1

Haileybury 1 bt Eton 1 15/8 15/9 17/14

St Paul's 3 bt Malvern 2 15/4 15/4 15/6

Malvern 1 bt St Paul's 2 18/13 15/7 15/2

A. Vyvyan-Robinson (Che) bt L. Nicholson (Che)

Radley 1 bt Cheltenham 1 15/6 15/9 15/0

S. Mordaunt (Mar) bt S. Purdom (Wel) 15/0 15/1

Radley 2 bt Clifton 2 (Z Shafi & A Moloney) 18/16 15/10 17/16

L. Greenwood (Che) bt I. Kennedy (Mal) 15/6 15/7

O. Holroyd (Wel) bt R. Spavin (Hby) 15/7 15/6

Rackets Championships 2022

T. Billings & R. Owen bt H. Don & W. Annetts 15/3 15/1 15/4 15/5

Winchester 1 bt Radley 2 15/0 15/5 15/2

Radley 1 (R Acheson-Gray & H Acheson-Gray) bt Harrow 1 (G.Stanhope & C.Hope) 15/2 18/17 17/15

Wellington 1 bt St Paul's 1 2/15 15/6 15/8 15/11

G. Hornby (Mar) bt O. Vyvyan-Robinson (Che) 15/10 15/6

L. Nicholson (Che) bt I. Yardley (Che)

Final F. Sweet (Wel) bt A. Vyvyan-Robinson (Che) 15/4 15/1 13/18 15/3

S. Trujillo (Clt) bt H. Genieser (Spsg) 15/11 12/15 15/9

Quarter-finals

Round 1

Malvern 1 bt St Paul's 1 15/11 15/4 15/10

Eton 1 (T.Smith-Bingham & H.Clarke) bt Haileybury

Eton 2 bt St Paul's 2 15/3 15/9 15/17 15/5

Second Round

First Round

L. Nicholson (Che) bt S. Trujillo (Clt) 15/10 15/12

F. Sweet (Wel) bt G. Cresswell (Mar) 15/2 15/1

N. Hopcroft & G. Loup bt J. Porter & H. Duncan 15/11 15/6 15/11 14/17 11/15 15/6

Eton 2 (B.Bratley & A.Duguid) bt Radley 1 (T Henman & H Donald) 9/15 15/4 16/13 15/0

Malvern 1 bt Winchester 2 15/1 15/4 15/8

Tonbridge 1 bt Harrow 2 15/7 15/9 15/12

Tonbridge 3 bt Tonbridge 2 14/15 15/10 15/12 15/9

Winchester 1 (H Nicholls & B Vallat) bt Cheltenham 2 (C. Worrall & W Staunton) 15/0 15/1 15/0

Winchester 1 bt Marlborough 2 15/1 15/7 15/0

St Paul's 1 (N Alizadeh & L.Massi) bt Eton 1 15/4 15/11 15/6

D. Tuthill (Mal) bt I. Maloney (Clt) 15/4 15/11

St Paul's 3 (A Sankaye & G Ashton) bt Marlborough 1 (T Morgan & Z Cooke-Priest) 15/9 8/15 15/7

G. Cresswell (Mar) bt A. Campbell (Clt) 15/2 15/2

O. Holroyd (Wel) bt D. Tuthill (Mal) 15/7 15/4

H. Don & W. Annetts bt J. Marshall & P. Baily 15/18 15/12 15/6 15/8 15/5

T. Bomford & P. Sutton bt H. Britton & J. Britton 15/4 15/2 15/6 15/4

Tonbridge 1 bt Winchester 2 15/1 15/3 14/17 15/2

Second Round

R. Hanbury (Che) bt M. Croad (Hby) 15/2 15/0

I. Yardley (Che) bt L. Davis (Che) 15/11 17/14

Winchester 2 (O.Oldenhove & O Frost) bt Harrow 1 (T Campbell-Johnson & H Porter) 15/4 16/13 15/12

Elliman (Che) bt C. Havisham (Wel) 15/8 15/1

Eric Angus Cup (U16 Boys Doubles)

Final Winchester bt Tonbridge 15/9 10/15 15/11 15/7

G. Cresswell (Mar) bt T. Barber (Mar) 15/12 15/6

K. Baker (Che) bt M. Fletcher (Che) 18/4 15/1

Annual Report 2021/22

St Paul's 2 (A Siniscalo & S Poddar) bt Harrow 3 (H Owens & M Herron) 15/5 15/0 15/4

107

L. Redshaw (Wel) bt M. Gispan (Clt) 15/0 15/0

S. Mordaunt (Mar) bt K. Baker (Che) 15/0 15/10

S. Mordaunt (Mar) bt L. Compton-Burnett (Wel) 15/0 15/0

Tonbridge bt Malvern 1/15 15/11 15/8 15/12

T. Stevens & B. Stevens bt D. De Silva & R. Horn 15/0 15/1 15/5 15/6

L. Hue-Williams (Wel) bt O. Holroyd (Wel) 15/8 15/6

A. Csenke (Hby) bt C. Mcnair-Scott (Wel) 15/5 15/8

Final

Marlborough 2 (A Munn & G Zawoda) bt Charterhouse 1 (A Loder & C Bromley) 15/7 15/1 15/8

St Paul's 2 bt Radley 2 15/8 18/15 15/11

T. Barber (Mar) bt S. Roma (Clt) 15/0 15/4 M. Jennings (Hby) bt A. Carter (Che) 15/4 15/7

K. Baker (Che) bt I. Elliman (Che) 15/9 15/8

L. Hue-Williams (Wel) bt M. Watson (Che) 15/3 15/3

Semi-finals

M. Fletcher (Che) bt R. Hanbury (Che) 15/9 15/10

Rackets Results

L. Sutton (Che) bt M. Jennings (Hby) 15/9 15/11 15/9

C. Davies (Wel) bt B. Willis (Clt) 11/15 17/14 15/2

M. Leslie (Che) bt A. Csenke (Hby) 15/7 15/6

Radley 2 (N Baggett & B Wateridge) bt Clifton 2 (J Brooks & Junsei Yasuda) 15/3 15/5 15/0

Tonbridge 2 bt Eton 2 10/15 13/15 15/0 15/5 15/3

L. Nicholson (Che) bt K. Marvin (Mar) 15/4 6/15 15/4

M. Leslie (Che) bt E. Pitts (Wel) 15/12 15/5

S. Mordaunt (Mar) bt A.Drayson (Ben) 15/7 15/3

Haileybury 1 bt St Paul's 3 16/15 15/11 6/15 15/10

St Paul's 1 (R Todd & A Hogben) bt Cheltenham 1 (S Moore & F. Biddulph) 10/15 11/15 15/2 15/5 15/5

T. Wood (Che) bt A. Buchan (Hby) 15/5 15/8

A. Vyvyan-Robinson (Che) bt T. Wood (Che)

A.Drayson (Ben) bt L. Greenwood (Che) 15/0 15/0

Quarter-finals

S. Mordaunt (Mar) bt M. Leslie (Che) K. Baker (Che) bt L. Hue-Williams (Wel)

I. Utkin & J. Rossiter bt R. Sutton & H. Prenn 15/1 15/10 15/0 15/12

First Round

Quarter-finals

O. Vyvyan-Robinson (Che) bt I. Colbourne (Rug) 15/0 15/2

Second Round

Semi-finals

Eton 1 (H Bridgeman & F Rich) bt Marlborough 2 (R Tate & T Chavasse) 15/2 15/5 15/2

Semi-finals

M. Leslie (Che) bt T. Huesges (Hby) 15/8 15/9

The Queen’s Club Mar 31 - Apr 12, 2022

F. Sweet (Wel) bt L. Redshaw (Wel) 15/3 15/2

St Paul's 1 bt Wellington 1 14/14 15/5 15/3 15/11

A. Duncliffe-Vines & A. Titchener-Barrett bt T. Astley & A. Rozier-Pamplin 15/8 15/7 15/1 15/3

Tonbridge 1 (F Jacobs & J Kirkland) bt Malvern 3 (J Harrison & A Edavalath) 15/0 15/4 15/0 Wellington 1 ( S Edwards & B Mallinson) bt Radley 3 (F.Barker & O. Southan) 15/4 15/6 15/8

St Paul's 2 bt Radley 2 15/11 15/1 10/15 15/4

Final

Malvern 1 (S Clements & F Gunston) bt Clifton 1 (G Herring & C Read) 15/4 15/2 15/3

Tonbridge 1 bt Winchester 1 15/8 15/6 15/7

Winchester 2 (A Harker & S Lam) bt St Paul's 2 (N.Prabhu & J.Wilson) 15/11 16/13 16/13

Junior Girls Singles: U16 Beryl Danby Cup First Round

Eton 2 bt Tonbridge 3 15/11 17/14 15/10

Eton 2 bt Harrow 3 15/2 9/15 15/10 15/4

T. Wood (Che) bt H.Oates (Che) 15/6 15/12

K. Baker (Che) bt L. Mangat (Wel) 15/0 15/0

A.Drayson (Ben) bt H. Taylor 15/4 15/7

Peter Gray Cup (U15 Boys Doubles)

Wellington 1 (S Strauss & F Thomson) bt Tonbridge 2 (O Bamford & S Pike) 15/12 4/15 7/15 15/6 18/6

Winchester bt Wellington 15/12 15/10 15/7 Tonbridge bt Radley 15/3 15/6 15/5

Semi-finals

St Paul's 1 bt Tonbridge 2 15/11 14/15 15/5 1/15 17/14

Tonbridge 2 (E Hector & F Mulder) bt Winchester 3 (W Hammerson-Jones & A James-Duff) 15/2 15/3 18/13

G. Hornby (Mar) bt L. Sutton (Che)

Winchester 1 (J Bristowe & L Brunner) bt Charterhouse 2 (O Webster & A Magliana) 15/2 15/10 17/15

G. Barnes (Clt) bt S. Lea (Wel) 15/9 15/4

Past and Present/Inter Services Doubles

The Queen’s Club May 21, 2022

Theo Taylor bt Harry Foreman 15/3 15/8

Final

Semi-finals

Rory Giddins bt Jack Foremans 15/10 15/3

Lewis Symonds bt Eamon Devlin 15/9 14/15 15/7

Valla Scott-Geddes bt Thomas Astley 15/11 8/15 15/12

Quarter-finals

Under 24 Singles Swallow Trophy

Jamie Porter bt Will Taylor 15/2 15/1

Giddins bt Annetts w/o

James Rossiter bt George Skinner 15/9 15/4

Tom Panto bt Theo Taylor (3) 17/15 15/4

Max Dymoke bt Edward Springett 15/7 15/11

Taylor bt Panto 6/15 15/5 15/6 5/15 15/12

Final

Archie Green & Hector Hardman bt Bristowe & Rossiter 15/1 15/4

Past and Present Singles S Yankson bt W Kenyon 3-0

Final

T. Billings & R. Owen bt B. Cawston & M. Bailey 18/13 15/0 15/12 18/15

Giles Hocking bt Thomas Astley 17/14 18/16 Alex Renwick bt Oliver Munn 15/6 15/7

Utkin bt Hocking 15/12 15/6

Cawston & Beard bt Green & Hardman 16/15 15 /7 Manton-Jones15/7 & Annettes bt Giddins & Taylor 17/16 15/11 6/15 2/15 15/11

Ladies World Singles Rackets

Final

Under 21 Doubles - Leonard Cup Quarter-final

Panto bt Symonds 15/7 15/10

Quarter-finals

Final

108

First Round

Igor Utkin & Hamish Duncan bt Oliver Munn &

N. Hopcroft & G. Loup bt T. Stevens & B. Stevens 15/12 15/11 0/15 15/1 3/15 5/15 15/7

Will Annetts bt Julius Manton-Jones 7/15 15/11 15/9

Lea van der Zwalmen retains her World Singles title

B Cawston & V Scott-Geddes bt E Distelbrink & A Stannard 15/1 15/1 15/10

C Fraser & C Marlow-Thomas (Life Guards) bt W Kenyon & H Akerman 3-0

George Bristowe & James Rossiter bt George Skinner & Lewis Symonds 15/10 15/8 Eamon Devlin & Toby Weale bt Valla ScottGeddes & Tom Price 15/4 15/8

Ben Cawston & Ed Beard bt Edward Springett & Eddie Gray 15/0 15/0

Taylor bt Utkin 15/4 15/12 10/15 15/11

U21 Singles - Christopher Green Cup First Round

Giddins bt Rossiter 15/2 15/3

Championship 2022

Milne Hue Williams 2022

Lea Van Der Zwalmen bt Cesca Sweet 15/2 15/0 15/9

Save the Dates Rackets World ChallengeSingles First leg Chicago - 19th SecondNovemberleg The Queen's Club - 26th November Tom Billings Ben Cawston V Annual Report 2021/22

Hocking & Porter bt Will Taylor & Theo Taylor 15/5 15/7 15/13

Oliver Taylor bt Tom Price 15/1 15/3

Giddins bt Dymoke 15/8 15/0 15/2 Annetts bt Panto 15/9 15/10 15/4

Final Eliminator

Giles Hocking & Jamie Porter bt Peter Colbourne & Ben Robinson 15/1 15/8

Eliminators

Championship Challenge

Quarter-finals

A. Duncliffe-Vines & A. Titchener-Barrett bt T. Shields & A. Gourlay 15/8 15/2 15/9 15/3

UK Combined Services Championships 2022 The Queen’s Club May 04 - 06, 2022

Rory Giddins & Oliver Taylor bt Giles Hocking & Jamie Porter 15/2 15/7

Annetts bt Taylor 15/4 10/15 15/5

Semi-finals

The Queen’s Club Apr 20 - 24, 2022

T. Billings & R. Owen bt M. Farmiloe & J. Lumley 15/4 15/7 15/1 15/6

The Queen’s Club Apr 30 - May 01, 2022

T. Billings & R. Owen bt A. Duncliffe-Vines & A. Titchener-Barrett 15/8 15/6 15/11 18/15 B. Cawston & M. Bailey bt N. Hopcroft & G. Loup 15/4 15/0 15/4 15/1

B. Cawston & M. Bailey bt T. Bomford & P. Sutton 15/3 15/7 15/7 15/3

Hocking bt Toby Weale 15/3 15/4

Julius Manton-Jones & Will Annettes bt Devlin & Weale 15/1 15/1

Cawston & Beard bt Manton-Jones & Annettes 15/9 17/14 15/6

Semi-finals

Tara Lumley bt Georgie Willis 15/8 15/10 Cesca Sweet bt India Deakin 15/4 15/12

Final

Igor Utkin bt Renwick 15/6 15/2 Tom Panto bt Porter w/o

Quarter-finals

Dymoke bt Scott-Geddes 15/4 15/8

Rackets Results

Utkin & Duncan bt Hocking & Porter w/o

Cesca Sweet bt Tara Lumley 15/12 15

Under 21/Under 24 Championships 2022

Under 24 Doubles - Sutton Trophy First Round

Alex Renwick 5/15 15/9 15/5 15/0

Semi-finals

Racquets in North America has bounced back strongly from the Covid 19 interruption. Our membership is traveling again, and the game is thriving at all of our seven club courts. Critically we were able to host a full season of tournaments and It was encouraging to see strong participation in quality and quantity of play. I am grateful for everyone’s flexibility when we needed to postpone the January 2022 tournaments to the springtime when the Omicron wave came through North America.

Our membership is strong and growing and we are beginning to attract more young players who are traveling to other clubs and participating in tournaments. Early in the season both the Kendrick Cup and our annual Under 35 event showcased exciting junior potential and we continue to support initiatives to grow this cohort.

pleasure to be writing this year’s review with a much more upbeat pen.

By Jonathan Larken

North American Racquets Association

Last November The Racquet & Tennis Club in New York hosted the second leg of the World Doubles Championship, and we would like to congratulate our new Champions, Tom Billings and Richard Owen who played exceptionally well over both legs and proved too strong for the incumbent pair.

In conclusion, we had a successful season on court, and it was wonderful to reconnect with old friends from our community. The North American Racquets Association continues to grow and support our game through several exciting initiatives. We remain grateful to all our club professionals for the time and dedication given to this Play!game.

Annual Report 2021/22

The Western Open produced a strong draw and in the singles Ben Cawston beat Alex Duncliffe Vines 3-2 and Will Hopton and Conor Medlow prevailed 3-0 in the doubles over Ben Cawston and Zach Sacks. Our flagship event, the US Open, was played in New York and congratulations must go to Ben Cawston who, in defeating Alex Duncliffe-Vines 3-0 in the final, secured himself a World Championship Singles Challenge. Ben has deservedly earned the right to challenge the current World Champion, Tom Billings. The first leg will be held in Chicago on November 19th during the club’s centenary year. James Stout and Peter Cipriano became US Open Doubles Champions with their impressive 3-1 victory over Ben Cawston and Mike Bailey. For the other tournament results, please head to the NARA website.

ItPresidentgivesmeenormous

109

all-white kit, and to a man they relished every moment on court. Whilst victories in regular school fixtures proved hard to come by, they were celebrated with gusto when they did arrive after Christmas, Winchester for the second pair and Eton for the Third Pair. The highlight, though, of the second pair’s season, was progressing to the third round in the Second Pair Competition at Queen’s.

110 Rackets Club Reports

In the Colts, Charlie Raeside and Rupert Quinton, worked hard at their respective games, but had the annoying habit of taking it in turns to play to their potential, and it wasn’t until we hosted Eton that they secured victory. Though it is worth mentioning that the match itself kept the spectators royally entertained and it was only after twelve hands in the set of the deciding game that they could punch the air in delight at the outcome.

Charterhouse Rackets Report – A Season of Firsts

CharterhouseCharterhouse

By Andy Johnson, Master-in-Charge

Cheltenham CollegeCheltenham College

By Matt Coley, Master-in-Charge

Now it is time to take stock, lick our wounds, and plan for the next season. September 2022 can not come round fast enough!

his year saw the return of school matches to the calendar meaning Cheltenham College Rackets Club has enjoyed an incredibly busy season in all areas. This has included a healthy fixture list for both boys and girls, intra-college competitions, a very busy one court training programme with over one hundred players and the welcome return of the Gold Racquet for its 20th year. Although there was some movement in the boys first pair, Robbie S (L6) and Max K (5F) cemented their places and played at first pair for the Spring Term with some success, hopefully they can use this experience and continue to improve next season. Robbie had a successful Renny Cup run, eventually losing to a fine Etonian in the semi-final. The second pair consisted of Captain Anay S (U6) and Theo N (U6) who have been great servants to the Rackets Club and unfortunately had a tricky draw in the second pairs competition. On the girls side, Captain Alice V-R (U6) and Tilly W (U6) represented College at first pair magnificently

and were deserving runners up in the Robbin Geffen U18 doubles. Alice also put in a superb performance of the Judy Angus U18 singles, losing 1-3 to a strong Wellington player. This year’s U6th of Alice, Tilly, Lily S, Lottie D and Annie C have been ever presents and have supported any and all tournaments, we hope they keep this up. Meanwhile in the Alex Brodie U16 doubles, a strong Cheltenham pair of Katie B and Mary L played superbly to become champions. Katie B also managed an impressive run in the U16 Beryl Danby Singles, eventually coming second to an excellent Malburian. Alongside the talented L6 of Lily N, Isy Y, Olivia V-R it looks like we will have some strong senior pairs. Behind the scenes the Cheltenham College Rackets Club strives to move in the right direction on and off the court, and our thanks go to Professional Mark Briers and Assistant Professional Rob Horn for providing the best pathway possible.

Annual Report 2021/22

t was with immense pleasure that we reopened the Rackets Courts at Charterhouse in September to, once again, start a season of competitive Rackets. Nothing beats the anticipation of the gallery as they await the first serve of the match, nor the hush, followed by an explosion of cheers, at the culmination of a high-tempo rally, and when you layer on top of that the pulse of the marker’s calling, you have the perfect sporting spectacle. As if this was not enough, it was also a season of firsts at Charterhouse with the inaugural fixture involving Yearling girls, against Wellington, and the first ever school match against Malvern, very kindly hosted by Marlborough. The first pair, in Charlie Bridges, Captain, and Toby Pascoe, certainly played their part with the competitive and highly entertaining style of Rackets they showcased on court. It also looked initially as if this would also be a highly successful season when they found themselves at match point up to secure a famous 3-0 victory away at Marlborough, having already triumphed, 3-0, over Haileybury in their first match. As we all know though, Rackets can turn in a trice, and who would have guessed that once that opportunity had slipped through their fingers that victory for the remainder of the season would prove so elusive, though Charlie Bridges thoroughly enjoyed reaching the third round of the Renny Cup at TheChristmas.second and third pairs saw Harry Baker, Jonty Postlewhite, Harry Lavelle and Tom Kinmont donning the

The Junior Colts were well served by Alex Loder, Charlie Bromley and Freddie Cowling, whose enthusiasm for the game was infectious and the inordinate amount of time spent at the courts will surely reap rewards next year. As mentioned previously we were delighted to be able to welcome our first intake of Yearling girls into the courts and they, along with a talented group of Yearling boys, have thoroughly enjoyed their first season of Rackets. The Yearlings A Pair, in Ollie Webster and Alex Magliana, have proved to be a force to be reckoned with, winning five of their six School Matches, whilst Summer Gratton has represented the School in both fixtures against Wellington. We look forward to these three, along with all the other boys and girls in their year, continuing to make swift progress in the coming years.

By Reggie Williams

The Colts pair, Archie Campbell and Toby Denner showed good promise, likewise the JCs A’s Zaman Shafi and Alfie Moloney. A good number of JC’s and Yearlings, both boys and girls, spent a lot of time on court working at their game. Sofia Trujillo, Millie Isaacs, Gwen Morris, Georgia Culley and Amelia Campbell all leave this year having played a big part in Clifton girls Rackets. Thanks very much to all of the Boasters. To the Monday Evening club which is great fun with a cheeky sherbert at the Port of Call afterwards. Thanks also goes to James Blackburn for all his hard work and passion for getting the Boasters and university boys in every night of the week playing silky Rackets. Also for his commitment and passion for the Clifton Cup which he runs. This year Ben Cawston won the singles beating Tom Bomford, and the doubles was won by Ben Cawston and Tim Armstrong beating Blackers and Tommy Shields.

Throughout the season, matches against all other schools have been closely contested, and we have enjoyed some great games against the Old Etonians and the Jesters, which provided some timely practice ahead of the Queen’s

The second pair of Will Windows and Marcus Allan, third pair Luke Sutor and Wilf Murphy and fourth pair of Joe Naughton and Simon Koupparis worked hard at their game and all put in good performances.

Henry Daly had a convincing win in the first round, and then proceeded to beat the second seed in the quarters, before losing in an incredibly tight semi-final to the eventual winner. Peter Compton-Burnett impressively won through five rounds of the Renny Cup to reach the final, but sadly lost in another remarkable match, going down 10-15 in the 5th game.

In the end, Henry Daly and Patrick McCourt got the nod ahead of Bill Baring and Wilf Walker who played as the second pair. We had a good win over St Paul’s just prior to the draw for the National Schools Doubles, which made Eton the top seeds in a year that had four exceptional school first pairs. After coming back from the brink of defeat against Harrow in the quarters, Eton lost to Radley 2-3 in the semi-final. Our second pair (Baring & Walker) played admirably throughout the competition, consistently improving after every round, and deservedly won the cup for an amazing ninth consecutive year.

On the home front, many congratulations to Wilf Walker who took the School Singles title, and further congratulations to Will and his partner, Peter ComptonBurnett, who were victorious in the School Doubles. We have been very fortunate to have Sam Northeast join us in his cricket off-season to help coach Rackets, as well as cricket and rugby two days a week. Sam has proved himself to be a great success and huge asset, and we all look forward to welcoming him back to the courts in AsOctober.ever,my

personal thanks to Richard Montgomerie for his support and enthusiastic work, on and off court, as Master-in-Charge. Thank you also to Patrick McCourt for being such a first-rate Keeper helping coach beginners, and marking matches during the many home matches.

By Peter BrakeAnnual

Notably,Championships.Eton,once again, managed to have four competitors playing in the prestigious Foster Cup in December. Wilf Walker drew the third seed in round one and despite playing well went down in three close games. Patrick McCourt took on fellow Etonian, Bill Baring, in the first round. Always difficult when boys are drawn against each other, Patrick prevailed this match with a 3 0 victory.

Jake Davies captained the side and was top draw in creating a good atmosphere. Jake and his partner, Joss Plummeridge, led from the front with their motivation, passion and had some good battles throughout the season. Jake, Joss and Luke leave this year having been good role models to the Rackets squad. I will miss their music on away trips and the amount they eat at Maccy D’s.

Patrick then suffered a close loss, going down in the final game of the quarter-final to the fourth seed.

CliftonClifton

111 Rackets Club Reports

t has been an enjoyable season despite the results. The enthusiasm and energy from the whole squad has been terrific. 31 pupils went to Queen’s in March for the boys doubles and girls singles, all competing well.

EtonEton

With four very fine players, deciding who would make the Eton first pair was an especially difficult decision to make.

Report 2021/22

I would like to thank Valla Geddes for his last three years while he’s been in Bristol. His time keeping at times has been questioned, but his enthusiasm and support is very much appreciated from the Boasters and the Clifton Rackets.

t is wonderful to be back playing school matches, and running unrestricted practice sessions, enabling boys of all ages to finally play together again.

It was perhaps fitting that it was this season that one of our players, Flynn Jennings, was the first Haileyburian to win a top-flight national singles competition at Queen's since Richard Ellis more than 40 years ago. Flynn's was a remarkably dominant performance throughout the tournament, dropping only 27 points in his 7 rounds. Most encouragingly, the club continues to go from strength to strength, led by our wonderful group of Lower 6th, who have created an atmosphere that has welcomed all comers, including a host of year 8s, who are loving the game and the environment.

At Junior Colts level we had three pairs entered. Tom Campbell-Johnson (Druries) and Henry Porter (Moretons) played well to create a chance to win but were narrowly lost their opening encounter. Algy Royle (Rendalls) and

HarrowHarrow

n April we had the official opening of the Prenn Hue Williams court. This was an excellent occasion with a great turn out and a fitting tribute to the unstinting efforts of John Prenn and Charles Hue Williams in supporting Harrow's Rackets over many decades. It was great to return to playing at Queen's. Tarquin Sotir (Druries), who was selected for the Foster Cup had a fine match in the first round and managed to hold off a spirited display from Macpherson (Tonbridge) to win a tight match 3-1. The next match pitched him against Kirkland (Tonbridge), who had beaten the first seed the day before. A classic match unfolded with a raucous gallery, packed mostly with Tonbridge. Tarquin played some excellent Rackets and fought through to a tense final game. He established an 11-6 lead before falling behind 13-12. Tarquin drew level at 13-13 but was just edged out 15/13 to lose 2-3 in games. Tarquin had shown determination, skill and character. He has another year to go and will be a contender to challenge for this prestigious title in December. Sam Owston (Moretons) and Veer Patel (Knoll) were our other senior representatives in the Renny Cup. Both boys underlined the improvements they had made in winning two matches apiece before losing in their 3rd Atrounds.Colts level we had two representatives. Jonny Codrington (Rendalls) was spirited but lost his match.

112

The National Schools Doubles took place at the end of March and we travelled with a strength in depth, especially at senior level. In the First Pair Doubles, Max Shirvell (HM’S) and Tarquin Sotir (Druries) took on Wellington in the first round and were convincing in a 3-0 win. The next match was against the first seeds, Eton. In a match full of twists and turns we overhauled a one game deficit to lead 2-1 and got 8-0 up in the fourth game. Eton turned the tide at this point and we were just unable to close out the match. Tarquin built on his fine display in the singles. He was the best player on court for long periods of the match and his fluent attacking play will live long in the memory to those who were there. Max served superbly, thriving in a high-pressure environment. Given the limited number of games they played together in the year this was an outstanding achievement. We had three pairs in the Second pair Doubles event. Federico Ghersi (HM’s) and Alonso Fontana (Grove) played well to beat pairs from Marlborough and Tonbridge and advance to the quarter final where they were eased out 1-3 by a Tonbridge pair. Federico has added more power to good footwork and Alonso volleyed well and showed a tenacious spirit. Sam Owston (Moretons) and Henry Oelelhafen (Lyons) also won two matches before playing the second seeds Eton. Both boys should be proud of their strong performance in a 1-3 loss where the result was in the balance for the majority of the match. Veer Patel (Knoll) and Stephan Baranov (Moretons) became our third pair to reach the quarter finals after two wins, the second of which was a gutsy effort against a strong Eton pair. In a nail-biting final game, they lost out to the First seeds Tonbridge. Veer built on his singles display to show great leadership and skill. Stephan made great strides to play at such a high level in one year of play.

At Colts level we had two pairs. Gus Stanhope (Moretons) and Charlie Hope (Rendalls) gave a seeded pair from Radley a tight encounter before losing 1-3. Both boys should be commended for the significant improvements they have made over the season. Mostyn Fulford (Knoll) and Charlie Nelson (Bradbys) performed very well but were edged out 1-3. Mostyn enjoyed the big stage and played his best ever match. Charlie has had an excellent year taking up the game at the start of the year.

By John

Report 2021/22

HaileyburyHaileybury

Gus Stanhope (Moretons) won a match before losing to a seeded player. Gus is striking the ball more cleanly to compliment his quick footwork. In the U15 event we had five removes playing and six shell boys. Though none of them progressed to the later stages, all played with passion and determination. Tom Campbell-Johnson (Druries) produced the strongest display by taking a game off a seeded player. Algy Royle, Harry Owens and Miles Herron (all Rendalls) along with Henry Porter (Moretons) should all be proud of their efforts as remove boys. Six Yearlings gained valuable experience with Peter Ballingal (Moretons) winning a round and Jack Nelson, Harry Lister (Both Bradbys), Filip Wiszniewski (Druries), Charlie Chambers (Rendalls) and Ben Hufford-Hall (Moretons) all showing plenty of potential for the future.

We must also congratulate our alumnus, Tom Billings, who continues his domination of the world game, winning every major tournament, singles and doubles, and with Richard Owen, defeating Stout and Larkin convincingly to add the world doubles crown to his singles title.

ost notably, this season, we said goodbye to former professional and legend of the game, Peter Ellis, who died in June at the age of 89. He was given a wonderful send-off by many of the Rackets community and we look forward to celebrating his life more fully in the autumn with a memorial service at Haileybury. We send our love to Lilian, Richard, Jack and all Peter's family and friends.

Rackets Club Reports

AnnualEaton

By Graeme Tyndall

Jack Nelson (Bradbys) showed real potential to get through a round before giving the eventual winners a competitive contest in the next round. Ben HuffordHall (Moretons) and Charlie Chambers (Rendalls) were outgunned by stronger, older opponents but have both done well in their first year. It was very heartening to see the efforts that all the boys made in preparation for the events held at Queen’s Club. They are very ably backed by Dan Escott as Masterin-Charge, Joey Snell as the new Assistant Rackets Professional and Graham Furber for his ongoing help and support. Four of our eight senior boys who played at Queen’s will return next year and with promising younger players we look forward to next season.

It was great to be at the doubles again in March and we took a strong team down to Queen’s. The first pair fought hard, but came up short and the Under 14’s played well in their first outing.

uring the season Malvern were competitive and this all we can ask of the players. We managed to have some excellent wins mixed in with some disappointing losses, but that is the nature of sport and lessons were learned along the way. With five players in their final year it was very enjoyable to be a part of this Atteam.the singles in December, Olly Cox (captain) was our sole entrant in a strong Foster cup. He played very well and represented the school excellently showing heart, determination and technical ability giving his all to the matches he played in, but unfortunately he lost to the eventual winner. I want to take this opportunity to thank Olly for all his efforts on and off the courts over the five years and he has become a true Rackets badger! The other outstanding achievement went to Flynn Gunston who reached the final of the Jim Dear, but lost to a very good Haileyburian, but I am sure there will be many more tight matches between them in the future.

The highlight was the outstanding performance of the Under 15’s Flynn Gunston and Sam Clements to reach the final. Although it was not meant to be it was a fantastic effort by the boys and very good experience.

The second pair rotated regularly throughout the season with Sam Martin-Jenkins, Jake Burnell, Harry CampbellWalter, Max Woodford and Sebastian Hebblethwaite all stepping up with considerable vigour.

Annual Report 2021/22

Charlie Kirkwood and Max Wyman struggled with inexperience initially, but improved significantly as the season went on. The Junior Colts showed the most promise with exciting performances from Theo Morgan, Zack Cooke-Priest, Arthur Munn and George Zawoda. Sophia Mordaunt played in Junior Colts Boys matches on several occasions. This was to great effect as she surprised her male opponents with her power and phenomenal Decemberserving.

A mention should also go to the Under 15 girls Bella Kennedy and Daisy Tuthill, who played in their first ever singles matches at Queens. Daisy managed to win the first round in very impressive style against an experienced player from Clifton and whilst Bella lost , she served incredibly well and the match was very close.

season good progress was made, although this was not always reflected by results. There were fine performances, including a memorable victory against Malvern (an extraordinary match lasting almost 90 minutes where two match points were saved), other wins against Clifton, Harrow and Charterhouse and a narrow loss against Eton.

MalvernMalvern

113

I would also like to thank OM’s Mark Hubbard and Tom Bomford for their court time with all the players it makes a huge difference and is much appreciated

at Queen’s produced memorable performances from Sam Martin-Jenkins who fought impressively to the quarter-final of the Renny Cup playing sparkling Rackets, narrowly losing to a talented Cheltonian. Not to be outdone, Donald Corbett reached the 4th round having won a marathon after 10pm the previous night against a tenacious competitor from Harrow. Charlie Kirkwood lost a fierce battle in the Incledon-Webber 3rd round to a hard hitting Tonbridgian. In the Girls Doubles, Grace Hornby & Tinka Barber put up a good showing against the No. 1 seeds from Wellington in the semi-final. Experience was the telling factor, but this bodes well for next year.

In November it was also great to host another Ladies Open Doubles event, which was again a huge success. Thank you to all the support from the schools and T&RA for helping to make it the fun tournament that it is.

In the Girls Singles, Georgie Cresswell fought bravely losing to the No.1 seed in the quarter-final of the Senior Girls tournament, and Grace Hornby also lost to the same opponent in the semi-final. Having recovered from a serious eye injury in November, Sophia Mordaunt swept through the Junior Girls tournament without conceding a game with devastating serving and ruthless ground strokes. Still a year younger than her opponents, her performance was widely acclaimed by all who witnessed it, spectators and professionals alike.

By Noel Brett

he season was eagerly awaited, being the first time fixtures were possible since before covid. A lot of catching up was required due to inexperience and lack of match practice. Donald Corbett & Monty PretorPinney became the established first pair. However, when fulfilling other sporting commitments, their places were filled by Jake Burnell, Max Woodford, and Sam MartinDuringJenkins.the

Rackets Club

The Boys Doubles at Easter produced very satisfying performances from Donald Corbett & Monty PretorPinney who lost a competitive match against eventual finalists Radley. Charlie Kirkwood & Max Wyman went down 2 3 to a talented Colts second pair from Winchester.

MarlboroughMarlborough

Reports

By Rob Wakely

Sophia, Junior Girls Championship Cup, Marlborough College.

Rackets

Club ReportsAnnual Report 2021/22

114

Marlborough College Rackets Club 2022

Wepeople.must

The U16’s continue to go from success to success and the first pair of Rory Acheson-Gray and Hugo Acheson-Gray, have come on leaps and bounds again this term. Following good wins on the school circuit during the term, they went into both the singles and doubles at Queens, full of confidence. They performed admirably and played well to get to the semifinals in the doubles, eventually losing to a strong Tonbridge pairing. Rory did exceptionally well to reach the semi-final of the singles. Losing to the Winchester top seed was tough, but Rory really took his play to new heights. Rory and Hugo were ably backed up by Ambrose Garson and Morgan Barnes. Both Ambrose and Morgan have huge potential and we look forward to them continuing their progress in the sixth form.

At Senior level, Magnus Garson, George Acheson-Gray and Jonty Duncan, have had a tremendous year at first pair. George suffered a terrible facial injury playing hockey in January and Jonty proved an excellent replacement during a tough period of fixtures. Jonty had reached the Renny semi-final earlier in the year and he put that experience to good use in the school fixtures. George thankfully recovered in time for the National Doubles and sporting the infamous “ski mask” went into battle

RadleyRadley

By James

give a special mention to captain Magnus. For the last three years he has worked incredibly hard at his Rackets. The fact he has been able to balance Rackets, Real Tennis, squash, music, Oxbridge and a number of other commitments has been remarkable. A superb captain of the club, he has led from the front throughout and winning the Foster Cup was a phenomenal achievement. The first Foster win for 40 years was massive for Radley, and we are extremely grateful to Magnus and his Theefforts.Summer

Rackets Club Reports

115

he squad continued to build on their success and results from previous years. The new U14 players shined on the main stage at Queen’s, with Nathan Baggett reaching the quarter finals and his partner Benedict Wateridge progressing to the 3rd round. Inevitably, healthy competition is driving up standards and whilst they are still learning about how to read the game, especially when it comes to doubles, their eagerness to get on court and improve is an invaluable commodity.

term offers some respite, with no school fixtures. However, with the developing wider love for the game in the school and the insatiable appetite for improvement of many of the boys, the court will not be quiet for long!

Our U15 pair of Hugo Donald and Theo Henman fought hard at Queen’s in the National Schools Doubles, but sadly went out to a solid Eton pair. However, next year as Colts, they will be well placed for a strong run.

despite clearly not being 100%. Reaching the final was a tremendous effort. Beating the Eton 1st seeds 3-2 in an epic semi-final was testament to how far Magnus and George have come not only as Rackets players but as

AnnualRock Report 2021/22

Hatfield and Livesey make Rackets History

By Will Nicholl & Howard Angus St Paul’s St Paul’s

It must be added that while Olly & George won the First Pairs event at Easter, it was fitting that Charles Hue Williams was part of the presentation party as it was he, that was hugely instrumental in having the court built in 1999/2000 along-side the donor, Old Pauline, John Clay (1947-1952) in the memory of E.P.C. Cotter (1928-1965). The National Singles event in December was also a success for St Paul’s seniors in that four boys, Olly, George, Rana, & James, represented the school in the Foster Cup. James, as 4th seed, reached the semi-final, where he tore apart his Tonbridgian opponent in the first two games, 15/4, 15/3, and served for the match at 14-13 in the third game, however, unfortunately, to lose the momentum at that point can have catastrophic results, which was sadly the case here as James lost that game 14/15, and the next two games 8/15 9/15 and therefore, after a great battle, lost 2-3.

116 Rackets Club Reports

This year Rugby School asked the T&RA for assistance in assessing what refurbishments would be needed to restore the two courts to tip-top condition. At the same time, on-going efforts are continuing to be made to find an enthusiastic new professional, following the retirement of Phil Rosser. On behalf of the T&RA I have already had two meetings with the Director of Racket Sports, Chris Folker, and one with the Director of Sport, Debbie Skene, to discuss court repairs, and the hope to have an enthusiastic new professional and two fully refurbished courts for the start of the new academic year in September. It would be grand to see Rugby once again amongst the top Racketplaying schools in boys’ and girls’ school matches and all National Schools

The U16s Are a talented group of boys, however, with the conflict of juggling other sports, practices are unfortunately limited for some. For the most part, Nabil Alizadeh and Darshy Pandey played as the A pair with reasonable success through-out the season, though when it came to the National Doubles at Easter, Darshy was

RugbyRugby

By Steve Tulley

AnnualChampionships.Report2021/22

o begin, I have to comment firstly about how wonderful it has been this academic year that, at last, we’ve returned to some semblance of normality regarding day to day play, weekly fixtures, and National Schools events, not to mention the fantastic club gatherings at the court during morning break that is so vital to the success of our Rackets - boys once again swarmed into the building looking for extra court time and/ or the comfiest couch!

The seniors had a spectacular season both individually, and through-out their doubles play, which ultimately culminated in the most outstanding, history making, National Schools First Pair Doubles Championship victory by Olly Hatfield & George Livesey. To win this most prestigious of National Schoolboy Rackets events for the first time in St Paul’s relatively short history, and in such great style, dropping just one game throughout the entire event, is not only great testament to the talent and dedication Olly & George have shown during their 5 years playing Rackets at St Paul’s, but also to the other seniors who have contributed in helping Olly & George reach their potential including, Rana Sarin, James Rossiter, Tom Jensen, Vikram Bhamre, Arjun Rajkumar. In fact, Rana & Tom had a great run themselves in the Second Pairs event as 3rd seeds, comfortably reaching the semis where they unfortunately lost 0-3 to second seeds, Eton.

In 1937 Old Rugbeian David Milford won the World Rackets Championship. In the 85 years since, the World Champion has been an Old Rugbeian for 34 of those years, 40 %! (David Milford 1937-46, Geoffrey Atkins 195472, Willie Surtees 1972 and 1975-81.) No other School in the 20th Century had 3 World Singles Champions, so Rugby has an outstanding Rackets history. But in the 21st Century Rugby School Rackets the production of School Champions or winners of National Amateur or Open Tournaments has been in decline.

fter a few quiet years, it has been great to see more boys and girls grace the Rugby Rackets courts. Whilst the search for a professional goes on, significant progress has been made behind the scenes, not least in Howard Angus' visit to assess the condition of the courts, plans to host an exhibition match and the development of an enthusiastic three-man staff team to support a professional when an appointment is made. To that end, we are excited to add the experience and zeal of Paul Gillam to our number in September. Meanwhile, a small but committed group of U16s have enjoyed regular court time and every Year 9 student has been introduced to the sport as part of their enrichment programme. The Advent term fixture against Clifton afforded some their first taste of competitive action, while making an appearance at Queen's in December, however brief, represented a step in the right direction. With the support of the schools' Rackets community, we hope to be in a position to run a fuller programme of fixtures next year. The combination, inopportunely timed, of pandemicenforced restrictions and Phil Rosser's retirement has disrupted the growth of Rackets at the school, but we are excited to be beginning the process of recruiting a new Rackets professional and to seeing the game thrive here once again.

with Rory and what a great job he did, Adrian is a talented Squash player therefore transferring those skills on to a Rackets Court can sometimes be quite easy, and he did just that . In his first U15 match with Rory, against National Champions, Tonbridge, in November they won 3-1, and away against at Cheltenham won 2-0. But it was during the National Schools doubles at Queen’s Club, where Rory & Alex proved themselves as after having a magnificent run to the semis, defeating 3rd seeds, Wellington, in the 2nd round, and only losing to 2nd seeds, Malvern, in the semi-final.

unavailable so Lorenzo Massi stepped in with Nabil and performed well only to be beaten by 4th seeds Wellington in the quarter-final.

The Senior David Tate Cup was won by Rackets Captain & National Schools Doubles winner, Olly Hatfield, who defeated his partner, Rackets Secretary, and National Schools Double winner George Livesey 2-0.

The David Tate Cup (Internal School Singles)

The Junior (U-16) David Tate Cup was won by Nabil Alizadeh (6th) who defeated Adrian Siniscalco (4th) in the final 2-0.

SPGS Helen Genieser makes Rackets history

National Schools First Pair Doubles Champions, Olly & George, St Paul’s

For the very first time in St Paul’s Rackets playing history, SPGS pupil, Helen Genieser (U8th) took part in the National Schools Rackets Senior Girls Singles, at the Queen’s Club last December. Hazel, a very competent squash player, and younger sister of Old Etonian, and 1st class Rackets player, George Genieser, first started playing casually at Queen’s with George Livesey & James Rossiter, who then brought Helen to SPS for further training just two months before the Singles event at Queen’s Club. Talented & technically sound, Hazel, had to be fast tracked into serving & taking serve, as her experience on the squash court enabled her to rally & construct points very well. However, unfortunately, her Cliftonian opponent knew her way around the court better thus having the edge, and although Hazel won the first game, her opponent was vastly more experienced and knew how to change-up her serve effectively which, in the end, made the difference and sealed her 2-1 victory.

Finally, it’s that sad time of year to say goodbye to several top guys who have served the Rackets Club spectacularly in every way possible. Oliver Hatfield, George Livesey, Rana Sarin, and Thomas Jensen, have not only been hugely successful on the court through-out their five years at SPS, but their contributions and characters off the court

The U15s: Having been somewhat thwarted by the restrictions of covid, the U15-year group found it hard to get going simply because, as U14s the previous year, they had had such little practice that their level was greatly compromised, however, fortunately, this was mostly the case with other schools therefore, although the overall level was down, it was entirely relevant to the entire year group on the circuit. Rory Todd and Alex Hogben were our main pair although, U14 Adrian Siniscalco, had to step in to play

The U14s : Are an outstanding group of boys both on and off the court, and these boys are very likely to have been one of the strongest U14 form groups in terms of enthusiasm, commitment, dedication, St Paul’s has been fortunate to have had, and they are showing signs of potential great success in future National Schools events. Adrian Siniscalco led the way in terms of natural talent where he played many successful fixtures as an U15, and during the National Schools U15 Championships as 4th seed, reached his semi-final place comfortably, however, this match proved one level higher for Adrian as he came out second best losing 0-2 to Haileybury’s top seed and eventual winner, and one of the most exciting prospects for a generation, Flynn Jennings. As U14s, we were unbeaten playing several fixtures against schools on the circuit. At the Nationals Schools U15 Doubles Championships we entered two strong U14 pairs (A. Siniscalco/S. Poddar) and (A. Sankaye/G. Ashton) who excelled in everyway reaching the quarter-finals after defeating the likes of Harrow, Malvern, Marlborough, Radley, and only losing to both the 1st & 2nd seeds respectfully.

Rackets Club Reports

Annual Report 2021/22

117

118

Rackets

By David Makey

By Charles Oliphant-Callum

Annual Report 2021/22

Finally, I’d like to say thank you to Dr Beesley for all his support & guidance in times of great need, hopefully we can have as successful 2022/23. And to all the parents who are so understanding of their sons late returns from fixtures as far away as Tonbridge & Cheltenham, not to mention their wonderful support during the National Championships at Queen’s Club.

WellingtonWellington

Wellington’s boys did not achieve quite the same success as teams of recent seasons, the girls possibly had their best year yet in 2021/22. Beyond doubt was the level of enjoyment experienced by all in the very welcome first full season of play for two years. The star of the season was Cesca Sweet: in March she finished her school career by winning the Judy Angus Cup, having won the Robin Geffen Cup in December with her partner Lilly May Redshaw. In addition to these successes she reached the finals of three senior events: British Open singles, British Open doubles, and, most impressively of all, the World Singles, getting through the toughest matches

Though

n the Foster Cup a tricky 1st round match was served up when non seeded Finn Kirkland was drawn against the top seed - the big, strong, mighty Ollie Hatfield of St Pauls. The gallery at Queen’s was heaving. Tonbridge supporters, in full voice, cheered Finn to an amazing victory by three games to two, 15/12 in the decider, in as close and exciting a match as you could possibly ever see, or so we all thought!

were outstanding, with impeccable manners & good grace, that set the standards for all the boys coming through. It’ll be a great loss to the Rackets club, and the school in general, however, I’m sure they’ll take these skills & attributes wherever they go.

Club Reports

TonbridgeTonbridge

In the doubles at Easter the first and second pair reached the semi-finals and three of our other pairs, the third pair, U16 and U15, all reached the final of their respective events. This meant that Tonbridge had reached five of the Boys Finals in the eight tournaments at singles and doubles and had won the Mark Faber Cup, presented to the top allround school in the country at the end of every season. We were delighted to have won this prestigious cup, and our whole squad, team players and non-team all played their part in pulling off this remarkable feat. A truly magnificent effort by the boys in the Tonbridge School Rackets Club.

What a week of extraordinary Rackets and drama that will long live in the memories of all who were lucky enough to have witnessed that astonishing semi-final victory by Finn Kirkland, in what was the comeback of all time.

ensuing rally. Back in the service box, Finn thumped a couple of wonderful serves to win the game. Queen’s was now rocking, Tonbridge fans in roaring voice. Still requiring the next two games, much work was still necessary, but Finn gradually wore down the impressive Rossiter, winning the fourth game 15/8. In the final game Finn reached 14-7 and match point, then served a beauty and the roof nearly blew off! It was incredible! Our fans were jumping, shouting, unable to believe what they had just witnessed. The St Paul’s supporters who were in the front row in the gallery were dumbstruck and in shock. The score was 2/15 1/15 15/14 15/8 15/7

years of watching thousands of matches at Queen’s, and many have been epic, this one was the most exciting, unbelievable, and amazing I have ever witnessed. James Rossiter has a huge forehand serve and thumps winners from everywhere. Finn was hammered off court in the first game, losing it 2/15, and the second was similar, 1/15. Two games to love down and obliterated is the only word one could use to describe it. The huge number of Tonbridge supporters, mainly current schoolboys but also parents, staff, and several OTs, had almost been silenced, and were in awe of Rossiter’s demolition job! However, in the early stages of the third game, Rossiter hit a monster shot into the top of the board! Error free until this time he then hammered another huge missile into the board a few points later. Finn started serving aces, hitting winners, and it was game on. The match had suddenly changed. Rallies were now ferocious, with incredible retrieving from our man, before despatching any loose balls with venom. The match ebbed and flowed one way and then the other until the score reached 14-13 and match point in Rossiter’s favour. Finn returned the serve and won the

Finn then played another 5-gamer, beating the impressive Harrow No.1, Tarquin Sotir, in his quarter-final. Finn won the first two games, lost the next two, then won the fifth and final game 15/13 to set up an eagerly awaited semi-final against what many aficionados regarded as potentially the likely Foster Cup winner, 4th seeded James Rossiter (St InPaul’s).my42

Finn had to stay mentally tough in preparation for the next day and the Foster Cup Final against Radley’s No.1, and Foster third seed, Magnus Garson. This was sadly too much. The emotional rollercoaster of not only winning all of his matches by 3 games to 2, and in particular the amazing semi victory, had taken their toll and Finn could not find his rhythm or anything else much, hard though he fought. Garson had been the outstanding junior, with superb athleticism and technical ability in this age group, but always lost in finals. Now two years later he was much stronger in his head, all signs of previous brittleness under pressure had disappeared. Garson won the Final by three games to love. 15/1 15/5 15/10, and deservedly so. Finn could not have lost to a more popular player.

Photos: Top Left: Robin Geffen Cup Middlewinners.Left:U16 Girls Doubles finalists, lila & Liv

Annual Report 2022/22

enjoyed two extra events in this latest season. In January we hosted the Professional Singles over an extremely enjoyable weekend which saw Ben Cawston beat Ben Bomford in a high-quality final. One week later saw the inaugural OW Rackets Weekend. Every decade from the 1970s to the 2020s was represented, and in a thrilling final Adam Dewes and Lewis Symonds beat Nick Hopcroft and Noel Brett 18-17 in the third for a 2-1 win to delight the packed gallery. Analysis of the final point lasted well into the evening!

Rackets Club Reports

of her career to challenge Lea Van der Zwalmen in the final. The women’s game in schools and beyond is wellestablished, and Cesca looks to be an exciting prospect for the forthcoming seasons. Other notable performances include the Colts Pair of Sam Strauss & Fergus Thomson reaching the semi-final of the U16 Boys Doubles, Lila Hue Williams and Liv Holroyd reached the U16 Girls Final, losing 1-3 to Cheltenham, and Seb Edwards who reached the semi-final of the boys U15 singles.

In addition to the regular fixtures and two weeks at the end of each term at Queen’s, Wellington College Rackets Club

Left: Wellington v Cheltenham, October 2021, Queen’s Club

119

Above: Lewis Symonds & Adam Dewes with the OW Doubles Cup

t’s been fantastic to see Queen’s back up to full strength post pandemic. Queen’s hosted the Mens Doubles World Champs and Ladies Singles. Lea Van Der Zwalmen beat Cesca Sweet in the Ladies Singles World Championships. Tom Billings and Richard Owen brought home the World Championship Doubles Title beating James Stout and Jonathan Larken.

The Ladies section has gone from strength to strength with regular Sunday sessions which are open to non members. We have seen tennis, Real Tennis and squash players convert to Rackets which has been very positive. We had seven ladies in the Spring Handicap weekend and many Queen’s members representing in the various national competitions, as reported by the T&RA. Queen’s also hosted a mixed doubles tournament around the Ladies World Championships which was well supported. There is no doubt this will continue to grow.

Finals day was well supported across all four sports although, as ever, the Rackets Gallery was the most vocal. In the mens singles, Mike Bailey beat Rory Giddins. Richard Owen & Will Morse beat James Coyne & Alastair Gourlay. Ladies Singles saw Tara Lumley beat Georgie Willis. Jamie Burnett had a great season winning the Handicap Singles beating Simon Robert-Tissot. Jamie paired up with Julius Manton-Jones who overcame Simon Robert-Tissot and Charlie Horrell to win the handicap doubles. Monday night legends James Marshall and Henry Knox took home the highly coveted Parker Vase.

By120Ben

We have introduced an U28(ish) club night on Wed/Thurs in addition to a mixed doubles club night. The Ladies sessions on Sundays are open to non members and beginners are more than welcome. Please contact Ben Bomford on ben.bomford@queensclub.co.uk or 0207 386 3405 for more details.

The Queen’s ClubThe Queen’s Club

‘A Queen’s Sweep at the Ladies Doubles (at Malvern)’

Rackets Club ReportsAnnual Report 2021/22

(Left to right - Georgie Willis, Cesca Sweet, Tara Lumley, India Deakin, Izzy Candy, Izzy Hunt)

Bomford

All the ladies are regulars at the Sunday Ladies sessions.

Wykeham Monday ClubWykeham Monday Club

Rackets Club ReportsAnnual Report 2021/22

The Winchester tournament took place in March and once again we were delighted to welcome not only players

from around the UK - including Marlborough, St Paul's, Clifton and Wellington - but also from the USA! Despite ongoing travel restrictions Manny Tancer yet again made the trip from Detroit to grace us with his presence and it was fitting that after a group stage and three rounds of knock-out, Manny and his partner Adam Kula-Przezwanski emerged as the winners, beating Peter Atkinson and Valla Scott-Geddes in the final. I am grateful to everyone for helping to keep a challenging schedule to time, for marking without being asked and for making the tournament dinner such a pleasure. Colin Astridge and Tim Cawston deserve special thanks for the hard work behind the scenes without which the day simply would not happen.

impressive achievement. In addition, Archie Sillars battled his way through his field of 72 competitors and came away with the Renny Cup (one of the two senior trophies). Both Henry Nicholls and Jack Bristowe had also done well reaching the quarter finals in their respective events. In the Doubles at Queen’s at Easter, Archie and I fought hard but lost to an accomplished Eton pair although we both felt we had presented our best. The Eric Angus trophy (under 16) was unsurprisingly brought home by Bertie and Henry who, as a pair, never really looked like any other result were possible. They should prove a powerful force in the seasons ahead.

By Neale Turner

In December, during the National Schools Singles at Queen’s, Winchester managed to win two of the four cups. Bertie Vallat sailed through the Incledon-Webber (Under 16) tournament without the loss of a single game, an

The courts saw a lot of activity this season with all years coming to the courts in high numbers. Our new intake shows promise and, with more court time, should develop into exciting prospects.

We look forward to next season.

WinchesterWinchester

With covid restrictions being eased over 2022, Winchester has also been able to go back to hosting evening sessions for local Rackets players outside the College, allowing many to continue playing Rackets beyond school. Some boys have also been getting involved with these sessions, enjoying the new competition and humour that is brought to the court.

During the season, other pairs enjoyed some successes including the Junior Colts pair in which Jack Bristowe (A) teamed up with differing partners and with Rupert Balmain (K), managed a convincing win against Eton.

By Ollie Gibbon (captain)

121

However, our most exciting pair were our Senior Colts in which Bertie Vallat (F) and Henry Nicholls (A) enjoyed a faultless season, winning every school match decisively, both home and away.

appily, things appeared back to normal after an eighteen month absence of matches. Archie Sillars (A) and I - Ollie Gibbon (I) - had the privilege of forming the Prince's Pair and we managed to win most school matches during the season, including a tightly fought contest against Harrow at home. In the reverse fixture on their impressive, newly refurbished court, we only just failed to come away with the victory after taking the match to the set in the final game.

t was with great excitement that we gathered at the Winchester courts on 13th September 2021 for the first time since covid had brought Rackets in the UK to a grinding halt almost exactly 18 months previously. Our racquets were dusty and our Rackets was rusty but it was great to be back and I would like to thank Tim Cawston and the College authorities for making our return to the court possible. To commemorate this small step back to normality, in early December Nick Hubbard very kindly hosted a pre-Christmas dinner in his barn for around 25 current and former Wykeham Monday players. Thank you Nick for a super evening, greatly enjoyed by all present.

Geoffrey Atkins (November 2021)

A Great World Champion

sends its condolences to his son, Nick, and his daughter, Lucinda, and their respective families, including Geoffrey’s seven grandchildren.

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.

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

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

Theplayers.T&RA

122 Obituaries

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.

Annual Report 2021/22

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.”

123 Obituaries

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.

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.

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.

“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.”

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.

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.

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

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

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.

Annual Report 2021/22

Oxford

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

Wellington

Whilst never in the top rank of amateurs, Murray had a few successes over the years.

Royal Tennis Court

124

In the early '80s he captained the RTC team which won the Field Trophy, for the inter-club championship, on several occasions.

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.

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 Inexperience.1958Murray was recruited by Tony Negretti to join the Royal Tennis Court Club at Hampton Court, of which he was President.

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 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

Around the same time he partnered Mike McMurrugh to win the Combined Services doubles at Queen’s.

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.

Annual Report 2021/22

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.

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.

Murray Glover (November 2021)

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!

Obituaries

In 1976 he partnered Howard Angus to win the Cockburn Cup, the British Pro-Am championship.

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.

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.

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.

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

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

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.

“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 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

125 Obituaries

Annual Report 2021/22

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.

(1946 -2021)

David Seelig adds...

Finale

Temple Grassi

Old Wellingtonian Real Tennis

Andrina Webb (March 2022)

In that chrysanthemum delight. This is not the end

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.

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.

Dance upon a shadow And wander as a kite No longer is there you or me, The bliss to be a soul at ease

Annual Report 2021/22

126 Obituaries

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

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 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.

Nor is it the start

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.

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.

This is not the end

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.

(March 2022)

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.

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.

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.

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 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.

Adrian Snow

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.

Annual Report 2021/22

127

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.

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

Obituaries

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.

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.

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

128

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.

Colin Dean (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.

Colin Dean (left), with great friend Howard McMorris

Annual Report 2021/22

Obituaries

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!

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.

Chris Ennis (1953-2022)

Annual Report 2021/22

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

129 Obituaries

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

Francis Hamilton (1940-2022)

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.

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.

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.

Geoffrey Heap (2021)

Freddie Such (June 2022)

ObituariesAnnual Report 2021/22

130

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

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.

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.

Chris Cowdrey presents "the Pavilion" to Peter Ellis

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, Haileyburytheyspell,throughwentabarrenandthoughappeared 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 HaileyburyProfessionalthe,reached another nine finals – winning three more cups! This completed a truly wonderful

131

Peterwith.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

son, was his finest player, RobertthoughWakely may disagree! Richard won three cups including an incredible three Foster Cups and the super coach/father was rightly as proud as punch.

ObituariesAnnual Report 2021/22

(June 2022)

Richard,reignmiddleuse,atherePeter,innumeroustermIasoutstandingandrecordacoach.haveusedthepurplepatchtimesthistributetoandthoughisprobablybetterphrasetoIlikeit!IntheofPeter’sascoach,Peter’s

Our thoughts are with his widow, Lillian, son, Richard and grandson, Jack.

Tribute by David Makey, RPA Chairman

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

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.

132

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.

Annual Report 2021/22

(July 2022)

ObituariesGeorge

Pete Bostwick

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.

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.

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.

“Long Island's Pete Bostwick - may be the greatest athlete you've never heard of”.

American Sportsman...

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.

133

Obituaries

Anthony Bacon Fiona Brown Martin Cooper

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

Peter Probyn Chris Sampson

Annual Report 2021/22

Attendees: David Norman (President, in the Chair), David Watson (Chairman), Fred Satow (Chairman elect), Chris Davies (CEO & Secretary), Andrew Power (Treasurer), Chris Vigrass, Rory Sutton, Mark Farmiloe, Charlie Foreman, Katie Leppard, Simon Talbot-Williams, Sue Haswell, John Prenn, Charles Hue Williams, Andrew Myrtle, Howard Angus, Richard Dalzell

a. Mr DK Watson stated that 2020/21 has been an extremely difficult year for many. We suffered the virtual wipe-out of the entire competitive program across both games. No schools’ championship was held for the first time since the war years and for large periods no play was permitted in either game. Despite all this the Maltby Salver winner - Paul Weaver - managed to organise the British junior championships and get significant participation and energy from our youngsters. But sadly, the world championship and the opens were all cancelled or much delayed as were virtually all Amateur inter and intra club events. b. Despite all this there is, in my view, much to celebrate. First of all I want to express my thanks and appreciation for the Clubs, Boards Committees and Professionals who put up with a continual change of permissions and rules dictated by our government and their advisors and as a result planned, re-planned scheduled and rescheduled events and games pretty much continuously through the year I also want to commend the creativity and generosity of many of our members who have supported their profesional teams and courts through a prolonged period where income was in short supply - the fact that we emerge with all clubs and employees still fully functioning is a huge tribute to the generosity and commitment of all concerned. Lockdown deprived us of play but happily not for our love of the games - indeed in some respects it liberated time and energy from play on court to allow professionals and amateurs to contribute as volunteers to the IIP program causing training protocols and modules to be completely reworked and rewritten and it’s very pleasing that professionals old and new have taken this opportunity to prove and enhance their skills and achieve full accreditation We are training a new generation of IiP youngsters - many of you will have seen them

d. Finally, however and - whilst not wishing to end on a down note - financial and syllabus pressures in schools make me anything but complacent about the future of Rackets in our schools. Participation at too many schools is low and we are not always able to engage the elite sportspeople that this fantastic game needs. Rugby school - where our new Chair honed his skills - has been without a full-time professional all year although we are working hard behind the scenes and hope to remedy this soon. The worrying age profile of our school professionals demands that we commit similar resources to recruit and train a new generation of Rackets professionals equipped not only to inspire and train young players but also to play the broader role in the schools and communities that the next generation will require.

3. The Minutes of the Annual General Meeting held via zoom on 25th November 2020 were approved unanimously.

Patron HRH The Earl of Wessex KG KCVO ADC

e. The T&RA will play a full part in this but I ask you all for your engagement and help - as players, enthusiasts and alumni to protect and demand a vital future for Rackets in our schools … thank you

b. In terms of the T&RA profit and loss statement, for the year 2020/21 we posted a gain of £76k compared to a loss of £22k the previous year. This primarily was due to delays in the start of the Investing in Professional programme (IiP) and limited grants for court development or refurbishment. Both

The meeting was held in the Centenary House Meeting Room at The Queen’s Club on Wednesday 24th November 2021 at 1800

5. The Chairman’s Report and to adopt the Annual Report for 2020/21 by the passing of Resolution 1 in the Notice of Annual General Meeting.

1. Apologies for absence:

134

Mr DM Norman thanked and was grateful to all attending the meeting.

perform at the recent real championsclub event. I am hugely proud of the T&RA IiP initiative and very grateful for the financial and operational support given by so many volunteers and donors. This program will need to run for a decade in my view to rebuild our professional ranks and protect the future of Real Tennis in this country.

2. Notice of the calling of the meeting.

c. Turning to Rackets, Tom Billings claimed the vacant world singles title in 2019 and in the last few weeks he and Richard Owen wrestled the world doubles crown back from the USA. Encouragingly the Noel Bruce old boys (or is it now old persons) tournament saw a record entry while the Amateur singles concluded last night with a win for Tom Billings.

The President thanked Mr DK Watson for his review and stated there was much to be proud of during his tenure as Chairman. In accordance with Article 32.2.2, the Annual Report of the Company for the 2020/21 season was adopted with alacrity. (Ordinary Resolution 1 in the Notice of Annual General Meeting).

On-line: Giles Stogdon, Howard McMorris, Graham Findley, Nigel Kenyon, Nick Case, Norb Madison, Carl Snitcher, Brian Sharp, Mark Bellis

Annual General Meeting 2021

There were no matter arising not covered later in the meeting.

The Notice was issued in September 2021 and promulgated to Members along with the Annual Report.

6. To adopt the Trustees’ Report and Financial Statements for the year ended 30 June 2021 by the passing of Resolution 2 in the Notice of Annual General Meeting. Mr A C Power reported on the financial status divided into the management of three discrete areas:

Annual Report 2021/22

Alan, Giddins, Alan Lovell, Owen Saunders, Roger Pilgrim, William Maltby, Jonathan Potter, Matthew Pugh, Nigel Mercer, Maggie Henderson-Tew, David Godfray, Clive Picton, Richard Langley, Christopher Johnstone, Mike Hayes, Henry Tudor, Lesley Jowsey, James Male, Marquess of Zetland, Andrew James, Iain Park-Weir, Barry Aitken, Ronald Paterson, Simon Mansfield, Jill Newby

a. The T&RA has weathered the covid 19 storm well financially. As at year end 2020/21 the T&RA had £2.8 million in funds under management – £2 million in unrestricted funds, £0.6 million in restricted funds and £0.2 million in endowment funds. This represented a rise of 17% in the value of funds over the past year reflecting a rebound in world stock markets after the initial worries about the impact of the pandemic. As a reminder, the unrestricted funds are held to ensure adequate income generation and to provide a firm foundation for future grants; there are seven restricted funds, these funds having been donated for specific purposes e.g. for the training and development of professional coaches. We can only use the income from the endowment fund for development of the games. Total funds on the balance sheet have risen to £2.9 million by the end of the first quarter of this financial year.

4. Matters arising from the Minutes

c. We manage the finances in three sections:

were significantly delayed due to the pandemic and the closure of courts and lack of games. Grants totalled £35k compared to £124k the previous year, a difference of £89k.

f. Turning to the outlook for 2021/22, we expect a lower net income this year as we invest into the games, most noticeably, investing in our professionals both in Real Tennis and Rackets. Membership is expected to continue to increase, albeit marginally, and staff costs will revert to planned levels following the end of furlough. We will continue to spend on upgrading RTO, with this due to complete in January 2022. Tournaments have restarted and our sponsorship income from Brown Advisory will thus resume. We will continue to invest heavily in professional development. The immediate level of grants expected for courts will be relatively modest, as there are no major planned developments on the short-term horizon, partially reflecting the very high level of spending on court development in the 2019/20 year. However, we have upped our investment in professionals as they are the lifeblood of the games. The T&RA has committed to support the IiP programme to the tune of around £50k annually for the next three years, and this money, in conjunction with the donations from others, especially the Real Champions Club, will really get this programme on a strong footing. Finally, we expect interest and dividends to continue to rebound to pre-pandemic levels.

11. The Board’s proposed increases to Individual, Associate and Affiliated Club subscription rates in accordance with the schedule (below), by the passing of Resolution 7 in the Notice of Annual General Meeting was carried unanimously.

2. Tournaments; for 2020/21, only a few amateur tournaments took place hence there was negligible income and expenditure.

135

2. Efforts made to generate new income via patrons and benefactors in the absence of securing a new corporate 3.sponsor.Thecreation of the Investing in Programme, involving over 40 volunteers across Real Tennis. This is far reaching initiative which will protect the game and the initiative is expected to run for at least ten years.

e. While we seek to break-even on Regular activities and Tournaments over time, in contrast, development costs are expected to be funded by the returns on our investment portfolio - interest, dividends and capital gains. Development expenditure, particularly on courts is lumpy in nature, and investment returns will vary depending on stock market conditions.

In accordance with Article 32.2.2, the Trustee’s Report and Financial Statements for the twelve months ended 30 June 2021 were adopted unanimously. (Ordinary Resolution 2 in the Notice of Annual General Meeting).

Subscription or Corporate Club Subscriptions Individual Full Membership Subscription Rates at the age of joining 2020/212021/22 70 and over £36.50£37.00 28 -69 £65.50£66.50 21 -27 £39.00£39.50 Under 21 or Full Time Students and under 28 £15.50£15.50 Associate Membership Subscription Rates All ages £29.00£29.50 Corporate Club Subscriptions Clubs/Schools/Universities with own court (all full time students) £160.00£162.00 Nomadic/Evening clubs (without court) £80.00£81.00 Annual Report 2021/22

Mr DK Watson stressed there were two key recent factors which had bolstered the T&RA’s funds; the creation of the benefactor scheme and the achieving of charitable status. Both of these had significantly increased the ability of the T&RA to provide vital funds to the two games.

d. Dividends on our investments are used to help fund Development, and these dividends held up better than expected. At the beginning of the pandemic, companies quickly cut dividends to preserve cash, but these began to be reinstated as the financial impact of the pandemic proved less severe than expected for many companies.

10. To confirm, in accordance with Articles 20.2 and 23.2, the re-election of Mr AC Power and Mr MKM Farmiloe as Directors of the Company, by the passing of Resolution 6. Both were re-elected with full approval.

Mr DM Norman asked about the projected income at the end of the year, to which the Treasurer responded approximately £20k. Mr CS Davies stated that the T&RA intended to deploy

9. To confirm, in accordance with Articles 14.1, 23.2 and 23.3, the re-election of Mr FC Satow as a Director, having been appointed Chairman by the Directors, by the passing of Resolution 5. This was passed enthusiastically by the membership which looked forward to the next three years under the leadership of Mr FC Satow.

8. To announce the retirement of Mr DK Watson in accordance with Articles 23.1 and 23.3 having served as an Elected Director for three years and as Chairman for six years, by the passing of Resolution 4. Mr DM Norman expressed his thanks to the outgoing chairman and wanted it recorded the three major achievements of his term of office.

1. The transformation of the T&RA into a charity

7. In accordance with Article 50.4.1, haysmacintyre were appointed as registered auditors to carry out an Independent Examination of the Company’s accounts for the financial period 1st July 2021 to 30th June 2022. (Ordinary Resolution 3 in the Notice of Annual General Meeting). This was carried unanimously.

3. Development: This covers court & facilities building and refurbishment, the recruitment and training of professionals and encouraging participation in the two games. The expenditure that took place was mainly due to the IiP programme, albeit at a vastly reduced scale to pre-pandemic plans. Grants were down from £95k the previous year to £5K. Grants for professional coaches were maintained at the same level as the previous year despite the restrictions on play. We also invested substantially in RTO.2 the upgrade of the Real Tennis Online Booking and handicap system.

funding to act as a catalyst for new projects, subject to certain conditionality. Mr DM Norman asked about the prospect of a Tennis Court Lite being built and how much had been invested to date. Mr DK Watson stressed this option had been discussed with recent court projects but they preferred traditional construction methods. Much of the funding to date had been provided by the generosity of a small number of patrons, especially Mr RG Pilgrim with donations for this specific Separately,purpose.

1. Regular expenditure, this covers principally subscriptions less the cost of supporting members, including the hardworking office staff, marketing, IT & communications. In 2020/21 we showed a modest excess expenditure over income of £16k. Membership have kept up well, despite the inability to play the games for long periods, although subscriptions were down by 7%. Staffing costs were flat compared to the previous year, but down from plan as some staff were furloughed as part of the government’s scheme. Communication costs were up as we designed and implemented a new branding approach, which was launched in Q1 this financial year.

All in all, we manage our finances prudently, while being able to invest back into the games. We expect this to continue.

Withhelpful.no

further business the meeting closed at 19.06.

Mr DK Watson commented that there was now a real expectation that all events would be streamed to raise a wider awareness of the games and that we had fallen short this year for a variety of reasons, including a West London broadband outage on one of the days. Mr C Vigrass thought we needed to look at how this might be better co-ordinated between the clubs, and chairmen were certainly interested. Mr CS Davies had said the cost to stream professionally this year would have been astronomic due to the short notice and the problem that key experts were already deployed elsewhere, and not yet returned from COP26. A specialist had been brought in for a day to make sense of the QC equipment , used for the World Championship in 2018. He had managed to reboot but didn’t think he could supply anything better with limited equipment. Furthermore, the efforts to use the GoPro had yielded 1080p quality streaming, overcoming other technical difficulties. He acknowledged there were issues and had spoken to Ryan Carey and Ben Geytenbeek during the Open (the latter was attending) to discuss alternative strategies. Both agreed that the maximum output had been achieved within the limitations of the QC environment. He planned to gather together experts and discuss an overall concept for Real Tennis, and to evaluate a professional streaming company or other options for 12 months’ time. Given six months’ notice, the cost of the former would be considerably reduced.

considered increasing the age at which annual subscriptions reduce due to age from 70 to 75 or 80. We are living longer (than when this rule was first brought in) and I'm sure the number of tournament entries from those in this age group grows every year. I suggest 75 then rising at the Boards discretion. This benefit must have been brought in to maintain membership levels for those who had become inactive. 70 is no longer this age. Mr CS Davies responded that it was this was a sensitive issue and the current policy was to invite those members reaching 70 to retain their subscription at the current level (or even consider becoming Benefactors). However, this was a subject which the Treasurer and Secretary would consider.

Ms S Haswell asked as an ageing Member please can I swim against the flow of time and ask whether the Board has

It is envisaged that this programme will operate through the 2020s and beyond to ensure that we have a group of highly trained young professionals to inspire players and enhance the game for the next 100 years.

The third priority will be to preserve all the courts we have in both Tennis and Rackets, with the help of Simon Talbot–Williams, our Court Development Director. As some of you will know, Simon is currently helping a number of clubs with various However,issues.

if the opportunity arises to develop a new Tennis or Rackets court and we have the appropriate resources to do so, we will of course seize the chance to do so.

Firstly, to continue the excellent Real Tennis Investing in Professionals programme to recruit and train new professionals to support the game of real tennis, which was instigated by and is principally supported by the T&RA and David Watson, but has also been facilitated by John Whiting, Carl Snitcher and many others, including many professionals.

Mr Norb Madison added: Thank you for adding the zoom component to the meeting. I have been a member for over 20 years and this is the first meeting I have been able to attend. As a NARA and Foundation board member, I find this meeting very

We currently have three young men at Middlesex, Wellington and Cambridge, who are centrally funded and one at Seacourt, who is club funded, who we hope will be leading professionals of the future. We also have at least three candidates coming up behind them and being interviewed as well as a number of clubs keen to recruit and train these aspiring professionals.

Mr DK Norman then asked the two Games committee Chairmen for their priorities.

15. Any questions

As some of you may know we have recently been helping Rugby School improve their Rackets offering.

Mr S Talbot- Williams raised the desire to proactively support rejuvenation of the clubs’ facilities over time.

13. The Tennis Committee Chairman, Mr C Vigrass, said that key elements are a support of IiP, and a rewrite of RealTennisOnline (RTO), the software which runs the handicap system. The Tennis Committee have also reached out to clubs and found little commonality with their ongoing concerns, although many are eagerly awaiting RTO2. Good to see the return of the games post covid lockdowns.

My second priority will be to replicate a similar programme for Rackets, where the succession issues are at least as significant and urgent and in some ways the challenges are greater, because Rackets players have less influence with the schools, where most of the courts are. Whilst we are progressing this with the help of Rory Sutton and the Rackets committee, we are seeking to identify a volunteer to lead this programme. So do please step forward if you would like to help.

Mr S Talbot-Williams thought this might encourage youngsters into the game if they saw they were being supported by members of all ages.

Mr DM Norman concluded by acknowledging the contributions of the T&RA core team as it battled through the travails of covid and, together with the Games Committees, had launched many exciting initiatives. He considered the organisation was vibrant and was being rebooted moving forward. The contribution of Mr DK Watson should be acknowledged and it was hoped he would remain closely engaged. The member clubs had stayed focussed and the focus needed to be on schools to ensure their future success. He finished by wishing the incoming chairman the very best for the years ahead.

The programme has also re-energised professional training in Tennis and we also have ten professionals who are in the process of being accredited at IIP level 2*.

16. Any other business

136

REAL TENNIS INVESTING IN PROFESSIONALS

PRESERVATION OF EXISTING AND DEVELOPMENT OF NEW COURTS

Mr M Streets thought the streaming coverage of this year’s British Open from Queens was poor. The feed dropped regularly, the default resolution was low, and there was either no sound, or substantial background noise. There are no titles, so it was impossible to know who was playing, unless you know the professionals personally. Given that this could be an important tool in introducing new players to the sport, what steps will the T&RA take to ensure that there is adequate bandwidth to support the necessary cameras, and ideally the ability to add score captions?

12. Mr FC Satow outlined his future priorities as the new Chairman and envisaged that we will have three main priorities over the coming three years:

RACKETS INVESTING IN PROFESSIONALS

14. The Rackets Committee Chairman, Mr RD Sutton thought that much had been covered previous. Very encouraged by the current state of school leavers and the growth of the ladies’ game. The next generation of professionals remains a concern and this will be a top priority as the T&RA reaches out into schools over the next 12 or so months.

Annual Report 2021/22

Photo Credits: Jean Deschamps (@thebokeh_effect) Enquiries: office@tennisandrackets.com Afuturebuiltonhistory.

Haven Pell first stepped on a real tennis court as a small child in Tuxedo Park, New York, where he was taken for Gold Racquets weekend to watch his father play. He learned to play (never notably well) at Greentree in the 1950s and 1960s and, with a quarter century gap, has continued for nearly seven decades.

Around the World in Fifty Courts is both a travel story and a series of thoughtful observations about the future.

Around World in Courts

the

Along the way, he has served on the board of the United States Court Tennis Association and as Chairman of the United States Court Tennis Preservation Foundation, where he learned a good deal about how the game is run throughout the world.

Fifty

He has had a guiding hand in the building of two real tennis courts, Prince’s Court in 1997 and its replacement, at Westwood Country Club, due to be completed in August 2022.

Get a hardback edition for £35 +pp. Email orders/enquiries to: kathryn@ronaldsonpublications.co.uk

by Haven N B Pell Get a copy of our leather-bound signed limited edition for £140 Ronaldson Publications, 13A Linkside Avenue, Oxford, OX2 8HY www.ronaldsonpublications.co.uk

By the time of publication, he will have played in all the real tennis courts in the world, some of which no longer exist, and on one built temporarily as a movie set.

Here are the benefits of becoming a full member:

T&RA HandicapOnlinePassportBookingSystem&MatchMonitoring

The T&RA is an independent charity, which relies on annual subscriptions, sponsorship, donations and its investments

YOUR

THE

The purpose of the T&RA is to promote and support Play, Places & Professionals:

Places

Professionals

Play

Receive regular E-Newsletter Receive Annual Report Public Liability Insurance Voting Rights Tournament Eligibility

Our mission is to create a sustainable and vibrant future for Real Tennis & Rackets. Enabled by progressive governance and innovation, the T&RA is dedicated to a long future for our games, to match their illustrious history.

Our Mission

T&RA

The T&RA promises to protect & grow the games we love. We believe in the power of our games to engage and entertain. Tennis & Rackets players are the greatest advoactes of the games whether playing or watching.

We provide grants for court protection & restoration; new court development projects; and protecting the traditions of the games.

We support the next generation professionals;of sustaining the professional game; and work with them to create opportunities.commercial

Scan to Join the T&RA ANNUAL REPORT 2022 COVERS.indd 3 05/08/2022 09:31:41

We promote the sports to all, organise tournament play, encourage new players from backgroundsallwith an emphasis on the junior game. ASSOCIATION

The T&RA is the governing body for the sports of Real Tennis & Rackets and responsible for the promotion, growth and governance of both sports in the UK. The association works specifically to advance amateur sport for the benefit of the public by encouraging participation in both sports.

+44 (0)20 3301 8130 • WWW.BROWNADVISORY.COM The value of investments can fall as well as rise and you may not get back the amount originally invested. Issued by Brown Advisory Limited, authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority. BROWN ADVISORY IS PROUD TO SPONSOR THE TENNIS & RACKETS ASSOCIATION Brown Advisory is an independent investment management firm offering a wide range of solutions to individuals, families, charities and institutions. We are committed to delivering a combination of first-class performance, strategic advice and the highest level of service.

Digital T&RA Annual Report 2021/22

Articles inside

AGM

Obituaries

Rackets Match Results

Rackets Club Reports

The Prenn Hue Williams Court

Real Tennis Club Reports

Review by the Chairman of the Rackets Committee

T&RA Real Tennis Awards

Real Tennis Match Results

The Bathurst Cup

International Real Tennis Reports

The World Masters

The FLM IRTPA National League

Junior Real Tennis

The Ladies Real Tennis Association

The Dedanists’ Foundation Report

Review by the Chairman of the Tennis Committee

Rackets Courts UK

Tennis International Associations

Tennis Courts UK

Tennis & Rackets Courts around The World

Benefactor Scheme & List of Benefactors

The Chief Executive’s Report

Court Development

The Treasurer’s Report

Tennis & Rackets Association Board, Consultants & Committees

The Chairman’s Statement