t&ra newsletter 2014 c
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Christmas Newsletter 2014TRANSCRIPT
T&RA Newsletter –Christmas 2014
hief Executive Update Probably the most exciting development for this
season is the establishment of a new Rackets
World Challenge Process for both Singles and
Doubles. The elite players now have a dynamic
ranking process and also a transparent system for
collecting race points (towards a potential challenge).
The result has seen all the top players in action, with
every competition bulging at the seams with talent.
The top three singles players have all collected titles in
the UK with Will Hopton winning the Manchester Gold
Racquet, Jamie Stout the Invitation and Alex
Titchener-Barrett the Amateur. Rackets continues to
thrive; the next step is to work and retain the current
players in the Schools’ Championships.
In Tennis, the British Open saw Camden Riviere win
the title for the first time and become the fourth
different winner in the last four years. He also teamed
up with the evergreen Tim Chisholm to win the
Doubles, so a good week’s endeavour. The event saw
the current World Champion, the World Number One
and the Rackets World Number One. The
implementation of the Markers’s Protocol has also
dramatically improved the standard and consistency of
this important aspect of the game – and further
strengthened the Club Professional Development
programme.
The other significant development is ladies
participation in Real Tennis. Claire Fahey applied and
was admitted to play in the British Open. Her entry was
accepted for this year with entries in subsequent years
subject to a review involving full consultation with
interested stakeholders – a process which is
underway. Claire’s handicap was good enough to
make the main draw, where she acquitted herself
admirably. More to follow before the end of this
season.
Finally, the prospect of a new court at Wellington is
edging ever closer. Fundraising has been very
successful, although there is still a short bridge to gap.
The project has secured its planning permission from
the Council and represents the greatest opportunity to
see the first new Tennis court since Radley. These are
exciting times and I’d urge anybody thinking about
donating to contact Eleanor Marsden, Deputy Director
of Development [email protected]. Further
details on the T&RA website.
THE T&RA SENDS WARM WISHES TO ALL ITS MEMBERS FOR A VERY HAPPY CHRISTMAS AND NEW YEAR
unior Open Singles Champ’ships
....31 August 2014 Paul Weaver and winners
Howard Angus writes…..
The weekend went really well, impeccably organised
by Paul Weaver as always! The final of the Under 12s,
an all-Seacourt affair won by Max Jones, was played
on Saturday evening, after the U16 Girls Plate.
Perhaps the most interesting of the finals was the U14
contest between twins Fin and Zak Ramjane, from
Prested, which the elder, Fin, (by 1 minute!), won 6/4
6/4, both playing some very stylish, if erratic, Tennis. In
the U16 final Alex Dyter was steadier than Nick Milton,
and in the U18 final Sam Willis did not have enough
guns to trouble the more complete game of Charlie
Braham.
he Over 60 Amateur Doubles Real Tennis Championships
Duncan Colquhoun & Paul Weaver eventually
prevailed in a splendid final, beating John Prenn &
Richard Moore 6/0 4/6 6/4. Both had been unbeaten in
the round-robin stage, surviving a strong challenge
from Philip Shaw-Hamilton and Sir Andrew Hamilton
(both by 6/4). Vern Cassin and Mick Dean just lost 3/6
to Prenn & Moore, thanks to Prenn’s court coverage
and despite Vern Cassin’s fine serving and aggressive
volleying. A potentially crucial match, poised at 3-3,
was halted as Mick Dean pulled a calf muscle against
Shaw-Hamilton & Hamilton but probably did little to
affect the eventual result of the tournament.
Both Marek Stefanovicz’s volleying & Jonathan
Fisher’s elegant floor play provided a stylish
combination without the success they perhaps
deserved while David Bryant’s experience combined
with William Donger’s power to provide stiff
competition for everyone. They played especially well
to defeat Stefanovicz & Fisher 6/5, coming from 1-4
down.
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The final was a see-saw affair. Colquhoun/Weaver
raced through the first set before Prenn assumed more
control, and started to switch positions mid-rally to
claim more of the play. This was enough for the 2nd
set, but Weaver and Colquhoun proved too strong in a
tense final set.
ategory B Tournament ....Handicap 10-19
A mixture of old and wise with young and steady took
to the court in Bridport for this annual T&RA
tournament.
It was a pleasure to have Steve Brockenshaw down
from Manchester, but it was short lived as Adam
Player managed to dispatch him in the semis after a
close first set.
John Prenn was down once again (every year it has
been held at the Hyde), but despite practising well with
the home professional the day before the tournament,
he was upset by the young and talented Edmund Kay.
This proved to be a trend as the Cambridge/RTC man
managed to secure the tournament without losing a
set, beating Leon Smart in the semis and Adam Player
in the final. The final was certainly a contest though as
Adam only just lost 6/5 in the second, but the brilliant
engineer dazzled everyone with his sharp volleys,
speed and tenacity.
The 15-19s:
The semi-finals of this tournament were both nail biters
as they both finished 6/3 in the third with the victors
losing the middle sets. On the one hand it was Philip
Dunn squeaking past Alex Evans 6/3 5/6 6/3 with his
steady play-style and curious serving. On the other
hand, it was Charlie Harries-Jones who tore through
David Watson in the first set, only to be demolished in
the second. The third set was more of a contest
though, but with a three love lead Charlie kept his
head above water and finished 6/1 0/6 6/3.
The final was probably the longest match of the whole
weekend as these two players seemed to have
endless stamina despite having played the semis
earlier in the day. Phillip Dunn managed to clinch the
first 6/5 and was leading 4-0 in the second when
suddenly everything changed. Well, two things
changed: Phil seemed to hit a bit off a wall and Charlie
must have taken some pills or something such was the
metamorphosis that happened to his entire game. Phil
was still running hard but his shots were a little tired,
but Charlie started playing some tight and intelligent
tennis that had eluded him to this point all weekend.
The final score was 5/6 6/5 6/3 to Charlie Harries-
Jones.
ategory C Tournament ....Handicap20-29
Winner – Mike Henman (right) being presented the trophy by Sir Andrew Hamilton
ategory D Tournament ....Handicap 30-39
Hatfield once again had the honour of hosting the
Category D Singles event for players between 30-39
and as in previous years the event was split into two
divisions 30-34 and 35-39.
In the 30-34, section we had a new winner of the event
and someone who is very likely to go on to bigger and
better things in Real Tennis. James Green who has
recently become a Trainee Professional at Seacourt
managed to see off two Hatfield players on his way to
the title, first beating Silas Manhood in a very tight and
at times brutal semi-final 5/6 6/4 6/2. James started at
Seacourt as a Lawn Tennis coach and has a
phenomenal volley which Silas decided to attack at
every opportunity, leading to some long rallies where
the floor didn’t get much of a look in. In the end youth
and fitness won the day as Silas visibly tired in the
middle of the 2nd
set and James progressed. In the
final James would face another Hatfield player, John
Savage, who had himself come through a tight tactical
battle with Matthew Webb from RTC 6/3 6/4 and the
final was to prove another very close match. John was
trying to keep the ball on the floor but James was
getting more used to the court and took the 1st set
reasonably comfortably only for John to battle back
really well in the 2nd
set to take it to a decider. In the
final set there were many long deuce games and the
match was always in the balance until the end but
finally James ran out a worthy winner 6/2 5/6 6/3.
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In the 35-39 section play started on the Friday where
Sav Cremona, over from Australia, failed to get value
for his flight losing 6/0 6/0 to James Hay of Hatfield
and on the way managed to take a memento of his
visit in the form of a bloody and potentially broken
nose after an attempted boast off the back wall went
slightly wrong and ricocheted back into his face.
Happily that was the only bloodshed in the tournament
as last year’s winner Martin Richards of Hatfield
managed to defend his title with tight 3 set victories
over 2 other Hatfield members firstly David Hudson 3/6
6/5 6/4 in the semi-final and then Johnny Borrell 4/6
6/1 6/3 in the final. The final in particular saw two very
different styles of play with Johnny playing a very
classic style by cutting the balls into the corners and
Martin taking a slightly more brutal approach, forcing
well for the targets along with some extremely powerful
boasts. It was a really entertaining match for the
crowd and both players deserve full credit for a really
competitive match.
ver 50 Amateur Doubles
In early October players gathered at Holyport to
play in the group stages of the Over 50 Doubles. The
format was two groups playing on Saturday with the
winners going through to the Sunday semi-finals
against the top two seeds.
Sunday started with some plate matches followed by
the two semi-finals. The first semi saw Steve Calder-
Smith and Nick Chambers take on the defending
champions John Prenn and Mark Nicholls. Despite
battling and playing far better than their handicaps,
Steve and Nick could not stop the heavy hitting and
accuracy of John and Mark – 6/3 6/4 to the holders.
The second semi saw an even more impressive effort
from Sue Haswell and Simon Talbot-Williams against
Mark Drysdale and Nick Jones – the number 2 seeds
were under the cosh from the off, with Sue and ST-W
going 3-0 up! Mark and Nick managed to claw their
way back and just closed out 6/5 in the first. Despite
Sue and particularly ST-W playing some awesome
tennis and coming back after Mark and Nick took an
early lead, the number 2 seeds just managed to take
the second 6/4.
So the final promised to be lively, with John and Mark
Nicholls being heavy hitters and Mark Drysdale being
capable of volleying almost anything – and so it was.
Mark and Nick took an early lead with some tight
serving and very crisp returns of serve and with some
long tight games took the first 6/1 – it must be said that
the score-line does not do the holders justice! The
second started in much the same way, with Mark D not
letting anything get to the back wall and Nick cutting off
various attempts at the galleries. With a match point at
5-2 the number 2 seeds looked home and dry, but
John and Mark were having none of it. Despite a
couple more match points against, the holders got
themselves back to 5 games all – tense stuff – and
with Mark and Nick at the receiving end, they took the
decision to attack everything, which gave them the
upper hand again and the match 6/1 6/5.
Winners Nick Jones (left) and Mark Drysdale National Over 50 Doubles Championship – Scott Hurley Cup
anchester Gold Racquet
The 2014 Gold Racquet was the first Rackets
Tournament to be held in the United Kingdom
since the introduction of the new World Championship
Procedures and the designation of the MGR as a Tier
2 Qualifying Tournament. Unsurprisingly, it attracted a
strong field. Will Hopton and Alex Titchener-Barrett
were seeded to renew their rivalry in the Singles final;
and the current holders of the Open Doubles title, Alex
Titchener-Barrett & Christian Portz, were seeded to
meet Nick James and Ben Snell, last season’s winners
of the Open and the current holders of the MGR
Doubles.
In the Singles final, Hopton started strongly, taking the
first game 15/2; and then followed up in the second
game, despite a strong recovery from ATB eventually
securing the game 15/11. ATB responded well and
took an early lead in the third; Hopton pulled back but
ATB just had enough to win 15/12. This spurred
Hopton who took an early lead in the fourth, eventually
securing the game 15/6, and the Manchester Gold
Racquet. The match lasted a little under two hours,
with much excellent Rackets. Neither player was able
to put the ball away with any consistency on the lively
Manchester court; and both made the occasional
unforced error. ATB was at his best when moving
forward and demonstrating his ability to strike the ball
cleanly and forcefully. But Hopton thoroughly deserved
his win, drawing upon his remarkable powers of
retrieval, varying his service, using the angles and
mixing in some well-judged drop shots in the final
game.
O M
The Doubles final saw James & Snell built up a
formidable lead until their opponents got in hand at 11-
2 and clawed their way back to 11-6. After putting out
their opponents without scoring, they then reduced the
lead still further to 11-9. But James & Snell could not
be denied and, having regained service, closed out the
game 15/9. Portz & ATB fought hard in the second but
again James & Snell were too strong taking it 15/5.
However, Portz & ATB weren’t defeated and fought
back from 5-13 in the third to take the game into a set
to five. But that was the end of their resurgent
challenge. James & Snell immediately regained
service as James intercepted the ball and put it away
cross-court into the side-wall nick. Some fine serving
by James then took him and his partner safely home to
win the third game and the match 15/9 15/5 18/13.
Alex Titchener-Barrett
The prize-giving followed shortly afterwards, with Will
Hopton receiving the Gold Racquet Trophy, formerly
the Manchester-Liverpool Rackets Challenge Vase, for
his victory in the Singles.
Will Hopton winner of the Manchester Gold Racquet
nvitational Singles Jamie Stout dominated his group, although did drop
a game against an inspired James Coyne. Tom
Billings took second spot after a tense tussle with
Coyne. Ryan Tulley played well after qualifying and
gave Coyne a close run. In the other group, Alex
Titchener-Barrett and qualifier Richard Owen were the
top two, with ATB winning the decider in four games.
Ben Snell beat Christian Portz but neither progressed
any further.
Saturday's semi-finals saw the all-Cheltenham match,
end with Stout easing into the final; whilst a resurgent
Billings proved too strong for ATB - both matches
ending in three games.
The Sunday final produced an incredible match. Tom
Billings started strongly before Jamie Stout responded
and surged ahead. Long rallies and impossible winning
shots abounded, which kept the packed gallery
engaged. Stout took the first game to 11 and then a
tighter second game to 7; then Billings' persistence
paid off. Covering the court with ease, he nudged
ahead in the third before closing out the game to trail
one game to two. There was no let-up in the fourth
with the scores remaining close, with long rallies
becoming the norm. But it was Stout who held on to
win the game and the championship.
Tom Billings left and Jamie Stout right
I
Taking a breather
John Prenn presented the Invitation Cup, thanking
Neptune's very generous sponsorship. Jamie Stout
paid tribute to Tom Billings, and suggested that more
close matches would certainly follow.
ategory F Tournament - ....Handicap 50-59
Prested Hall had the pleasure of hosting its very first
National Category F competition, which meant a new
crowd of visitors, many of whom had never been to
Prested. It's always a great pleasure to see some new
faces!
The event was in the format of two round robin groups,
with the top two in each going through to the semi-
finals. Both groups were very close, one group even
leading to game difference to decide who went
through. The eventual semi-finals were set as - Zak
Ramjane (Prested) Vs Ian Hawkey (Prested), Melvyn
Keen (MURTC) Vs James Bargent (Prested).
The Prested players used their knowledge of the home
court well, however this wasn't going to help Zak or Ian
in the first semi-final. Zak had been playing well
throughout and seemed particularly focused on
winning this one. Ian too had played some great tennis
to get thus far, but couldn't quite step it up enough
against the young and fast improving Zak Ramjane,
who won 8/1.
The next semi-final saw another one of our young
stars take to the court, James Bargent, who crept in
the event with a handicap of 59 with Melvyn Keen as
his opponent. Melvyn found his range on his
underarm twist to devastating effect in the group
stages, but the next morning in the semi-final he was
struggling, with James placing everything into the
corners so well, the match was his, 8/1.
With both Prested youngsters playing well in their
respective semi-final matches, the final was sure to be
a good. It certainly delivered... fantastic tennis was
played by both players, aged only 13 and 15. It was
very impressive to see how they have come on in the
past few years. James was finding the corners well,
causing Zak some issues, but he managed to stay in
the rallies well, and more often than not put the ball
away. This lead to him winning the tournament, final
score was 10/5. Well played to all involved. From left to right Zak Ramjane (winner) Lewis Williams, James Bargent
ategory G Tournament - ....Handicap 60+
New British Real Tennis Champion
From Our Own Correspondent
After 40 years of playing squash and thirty years
playing Real Tennis, Martin Bronstein, a retired sports
writer, has won his first ever tournament.
At the British Open Category G (Handicap 65+) Real
Tennis Championship played at the Leamington court
on Sunday (Sep 28), Bronstein took the title without
dropping a set.
In the final he beat local player Ben Compton a 21-
year old student. Bronstein, who celebrated his 79th
birthday this year, came from 7-5 match point down to
prevail 8-7 in the one set match.
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Martin Bronstein
“My 30 years experience just about tipped the balance
against Ben’s very fast legs,” said the new champion,
and added: “I was lost for words. I am so used to
losing I didn’t know what to say when I won.”
Bronstein, from Weybridge in Surrey, is a member of
the Royal Tennis Court at Hampton Court Palace and
started playing the game in 1984 after interviewing the
then world champion Chris Ronaldson for a magazine
article.
OTHER RESULTS:
60-64 HANDICAP: Felicity Sergeant bt Mark Bellis 8/7
60-64 Plate: Isabel Candy bt Jo Hunter 8/7
65+ Plate Martin Hornby bt Julie Levy 8/7
he Noel Bruce Cup Harrow retain the Noel Bruce Cup
Harrow I (Alex Titchener-Barrett & Charlie Danby)
beat Wellington I (James Coyne & James Fuller)
The gallery witnessed two great semi-finals with
Harrow defeating Marlborough four games to one in a
great match. Harrow showed why they have been so
successful in this tournament with some clinical
finishing and managed to keep an, at times, formidable
Marlborough pair at bay.
In the second semi-final, Wellington took the first game
but then Cheltenham fought back to lead three-one. An
inspired Wellington then dug deep, fighting back from
the brink of defeat in a mammoth battle, saving match
points when 7/14 down in the sixth game, before
clinching the match in the seventh.
Harrow surged in a 9-1 lead before taking first game
15/2. Wellington recovered to draw level securing the
second game 15/9. Back came Harrow, re-established
their lead 15/11 but once again Wellington were level,
15/10. A gripping fifth game went to Harrow 15/13,
who then held on to their trophy, winning 15/11 in the
sixth.
L to R Charlie Danby, Jamie Bruce, Alex Titchener-Barrett
Harrow beat Wellington
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rowning Cup
Rod McNaughtan (L) Ben Ronaldson (R)
In the quarter-finals, Josh Smith caused arguably the biggest upset in this year’s tournament by defeating Lewis Williams 3/6 6/4 6/4. Mark Eadle, playing in his first competitive tournament for over 5 years came up against the ever improving Women’s World Champion Claire Fahey (Vigrass at the time, congratulations by the way). Sadly Mark had to retire in the deciding set, trailing 2/0. Rod McNaughtan beat Craig Greenhalgh 6/5 6/4 in a very close match where each player exchanged blows, never establishing more than a one game lead, until Rod played a very solid final game from the service end to see out the match. Darren
T
B
Long, the defending champion, came up against another old timer in the form of Ben Ronaldson. Ben showed that “old school” still has its merits by beating Darren 6/4 6/3. In the semi-finals Claire struggled to find her rhythm against those old school tactics, with Ben seeing out a very close match 6/5 6/3. Rod had looked very solid on court all weekend and he needed to be when playing against a consistently improving Josh who couldn’t quite convert some big 40-all games in this match and eventually losing 6/4 6/3. The final was a match that swung in many different directions; Rod flew out of the blocks taking a commanding lead in the first set (4/1) before finally closing it out 6/3. Ben then stepped up in the second set retrieving some great balls finding the courts openings at will, Ben won the second set 6/4. Ben began to tire in the final set and Rod took full advantage of playing at a high pace and never letting Ben rest. Rod won the Browning Cup by winning the final set 6/1. Canford would like to thank the School for allowing them to host the Browning Cup. Also Savills Real Estate services and Steele Raymond Solicitors for their generous sponsorship that allowed Canford to host the Browning for two consecutive years.
ritish Over 50s Amateur
Championship The Bridgeman Cup sponsored by Neptune Investment Management – David Watson wins for the fourth time The British Over 50s Amateur Championship (the Bridgeman Cup) was held at Lord’s for the first time between 28 and 30 November 2014. The tournament reverted to a straight knock out format with a plate competition and all matches in the main draw were the best of three six game sets. This format produced several competitive matches throughout; Ronald Paterson led 6/3 4-2 against Sue Haswell who eventually won 3/6 6/4 6/0. Simon Talbot-Williams had match point against James Rothman who just got over the finishing line 6/2 0/6 6/5. In the semi-finals William Maltby beat James Rothman 6/1 6/1 in a match that was closer than the score suggests and Simon Barker led 3-1 in the second set against David Watson, the eventual winner by 6/2 6/4. This set up a final between Maltby and Watson seeded 1 and 2 respectively which proved to be a fitting finale to this championship. Maltby was well on top in the first set which he took 6/1. Watson raised his level, began serving the railroad really well, fought back to take the second set 6/2 and got off to a good start in the third set to lead 3-1. The fifth and sixth games of the third set were heavily contested with numerous deuces before Watson took both to lead 5-1 and ran out the winner 1/6 6/2 6/1 winning the British Over 50s Amateur Singles for the fourth time.
David Watson (left) Winner and William Maltby
nnual Lunch and Awards .… 22 November 2014
Real Tennis
Greenwood Trophy for Most Improved Player
For an outstanding season and reducing his handicap
3.8 points to +6.6, the prize was awarded to Ben
Matthews.
Baerlein - Best performance by a British Amateur
After considerable debate the prize was awarded
to Charlie Braham for his outstanding performance in
winning the British Under 18 Championship for two
consecutive years, a notable achievement which is
extremely rare. Conor Medlow was a close contender
winning the MCC Gold Racquet against long-term rival
Jamie Douglas.
B
A
Warburg – Best performance by a British
Professional Ricardo Smith’s success in the British
Challenge was the stand-out professional performance
of last season.
Rackets
Latham Cup - Best Performance for a Professional
The award went to Will Hopton for his outstanding
season and notably his victories in the Invitation and
British Open. Jamie Stout was a close contender.
Collected by Will's father, Christopher.
Negretti Cup - Best Performance for an Amateur
The decision was made to make the award
to Christian Portz, winner of the Open Doubles and
magnificent victory over WEL Hopton in the
Manchester Gold Racquet. Alex Titchener-Barrett was
a worthy nominee.
Renny Trophy - Most Improved Player
The final decision left two outstanding candidates: Ben
Snell and Ryan Tulley. It proved difficult to separate
their relative improvements and it was decided to
make a joint award.
General
Maltby Salver
For his outstanding contribution leading the Rackets
World Championship Review, the award was given
to Patrick Maxwell. Patrick couldn't be present but
asked for his small team to be acknowledged,
including Alan Lovell, John Prenn and Tim Cockroft
(with Jonathan Larken and Neil Smith in the US). The
award was collected by Alan Lovell. The
transformation of the World Championship Challenge
process has galvanised the players into participating
with ten Singles Qualifying Tournaments and four
Doubles Qualifying Tournaments, where each player
or pair can monitor their progress via their Elite
Ranking and gather Race points towards a possible
challenge.
ritish Open 2014 Singles Final This proved to be an
interesting final where differing tactics created a
tense, five set finale. World Number 1, Camden
Riviere, started the stronger against defending
champion, Steve Virgona. After exchanging the first
pair of games, it was Riviere who stepped ahead.
Winning the vital points, he closed out the first set 6/3.
In an almost complete reversal, it was Virgona who
raised his game in the second set; nudging ahead and
then sealing the set 3/6 with pace and athleticism. The
packed galleries knew they were in for a long
evening's entertainment.
Champion in waiting
B
The third set belonged solely to Virgona, who seemed
to have an answer to anything Riviere could muster.
The two players covered the court with astonishing
speed, but it was the pace of Virgona which drove
home the advantage - winning the set to love. With his
back against the wall, Riviere then fell behind 1-3 in
the fourth set; and a couple of key points could have
increased Virgona's advantage. But the top seed held
his nerve, clawed back the next two games to level the
set, and then carried the momentum for the next three
games to take the set 6/3 and level the match. Supper
plans were on hold!
The final set saw more of the same cat and mouse
Tennis, breath-taking at times but always engaging.
Riviere nudged ahead, using a little more pace, but
Virgona came back again. Neither player was tiring,
but it was Riviere who came through this tightest of
sets, punching the air as he claimed the set 6/3, and
the British Open Championship for the first time.
Steely determination from Camden Riviere
Robin Geffen, of Neptune Investment Management, presented the prizes; Camden Riviere responded acknowledging the generous sponsorship which has been graciously extended for the next five years. Camden Riviere (1) beat Steve Virgona (3) 6/3 3/6 0/6 6/3 6/3
Doubles Final Last year’s winners (Tim Chisholm and Bryn Sayers) were teamed up with different partners this season. World Number 1, Camden Riviere, reformed his traditional partnership with Chisholm, whilst Sayers played with World Champion, Rob Fahey.
The first set was a routine Chisholm/Riviere onslaught,
losing just one game. However Sayers/Fahey came
out fighting in the second and started to find their
targets. However, the Chisholm/Riviere partnership
held firm and took the set 6/3. The third set saw both
pairs play their best Tennis and the game scores
reflected the close contest. At 5-all the match could
have been all over, but it was Sayers/Fahey who stood
tall, winning the vital eleventh game. But now the most
established pair picked up their game again and
starting ruthlessly closing in on the title and it was
Chisholm who struck a wonderful shot into the winning
gallery to seal the match.
Tim Chisholm (left) Camden Riviere (right)
This proved to be a fitting game for the final and Robin Geffen was present to award the spoils to Chisholm and Riviere.
Tim Chisholm & Camden Riviere (1) beat Rob Fahey &
Bryn Sayers (2) 6/1 6/3 5/6 6/3
No way past this dynamic pair
mateur Singles Championship ATB wins seven in a row
Tom Billings started the stronger, establishing a
healthy lead in the first game. Alex Titchener-Barrett
fought back but too late to save the game and give
Billings the advantage. However, ATB reversed his
fortunes in the second game, with Billings always
playing catch up, allowing ATB to level the match one-
game all. ATB carried the momentum into the third
game dropping only two points, before taking an early
advantage in the fourth (and final) game. With Billings
on the back foot, it was ATB who stayed clear of his
opponent the take the game and the Championship. It
was ATB's seventh successive Amateur Singles title,
matching the achievement of James Male in the 1990s
and HK Foster in the 1890s - nobody has ever won the
event for eight years running. Tom Billings runner up, Alex Titchener-Barrett winner
chools’ Championship
Charlie Braham wins the Foster Cup in four
games at The Queen's Club.
The 2014 Schools' Championship saw 250 boys start
the four competitions on Saturday 6th December,
narrowed down to just eight finalists a week later, with
six different schools represented on the day. The
competition was kindly sponsored by the Jesters' Club.
In an all-Eton final, Charlie Braham beat favourite Toni
Morales in four games to win the Foster Cup. Quite a
year for young Charlie who won the Under 18 Open
Tennis Championship at Queen's in August. 1965
Foster Cup winner, AHV Monteuuis (Tonbridge),
presented the prestigious trophy.
Charlie Braham (Eton) receiving the Foster Cup from Anthony Monteuuis
In a strong field, Jamie Jordache (Harrow) beat Jamie Jamieson-Black (Cheltenham) in three tight games to win the Renny Cup. The Incledon-Webber was won by Alex Engstrom (St Paul's) who beat Ben Cawston (Westgate) in a reversal of last year's final.
Renny Cup winner Jamie Jordache (Harrow)
Steve Tulley with Incledon-Webber Cup winner Alex Engstrom (St Paul’s)
Finally, the Jim Dear returns to Marlborough for the first time since 1984 as Dom Coulson came from behind to beat Matteo Perper (St Paul's).
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Jim Dear Cup winner Dom Coulson (Marlborough)
IN a year’s free membership. Take the T&RA Christmas Quiz
When was the famous painting of the Leamington Dinner Match unveiled? A 1984 B 1982 C 1980 D 1986 Who unveiled the painting of the Leamington Dinner Match? A Dick Bridgeman B Henry Johns C Howard Angus D Chris Ronaldson How many Racquets Professionals have there been at Charterhouse from 1877 to 2014? A 12 B 8 C 6 D 13 What English Real Tennis court has a chase 8? A Seacourt B Canford C Manchester D Jesmond Dene Who built the Canford Real Tennis court? A Sir Ivor Guest B Sir Walter Raleigh C Duke of Monteacute D Lord Salisbury What is height of the battery wall on the Canford Real Tennis court? A 107cm B 109cm C 111cm D 113cm
The court at Jesmond Dene opened in 1894 with a match between then champion Charles Saunders and A Sir Andrew Noble (1831-1915) B Sir Edward Grey (1862-1933) C John Meade Falkner (1858-1932 D Rudyard Kipling (1865-1936) When was the first court at Hardwick opened A 1894 B 1896 C 1901 D 1907 Who was the only man to finance and have built three A Sir Charles Rose B The Witney Family C Mike Carter D Peter Luck-Hille Which year did the Royal Tennis Court at Hampton Court become a members’ club? A 1661 B 1702 C 1818 D 1896 Sir Andrew Noble, who built Jesmond Dene in 1894, was is involved in which industry A Coal Mining B Ship Building C Steel Manufacturing D Farming What year was the first Lady Member at Holyport Real Tennis Club elected? A 1981 B 1982 C 1983 D 1984 Where was the first meeting of the Ladies Real Tennis Association held? A RTC B Seacourt C Moreton Morrell D Queen’s How many players have won the Amateur Rackets Singles seven years in a row A 1 B 2 C 3 D 4 Please submit your answers to Andrina Webb at
[email protected]. The winner will
be announced in the Easter Newsletter. GOOD LUCK!!
W
Gift Ideas for Christmas 2014
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This is a A3 limited edition signed print of the Queen’s Club by James Hart Dyke.
The A3 print of the Club House costs £100 + P&P and may be purchased from the T&RA’s online shop
http://www.tennisandrackets.com/NewsItem.aspx?id=1190 or by contacting the T&RA on 0207 835 6937.
THE NEPTUNE BOOK OF TENNIS & RACKETS by James Bruce will be published in February 2015
The book contains comprehensive and completely re-
written chapters on the history and present situation
of every active court in the world (over 200 new
pages) covering all that is new in the games-people,
places, clubs and achievements.
The author has also scoured the records of the UK,
Australia, Canada, France and the USA to bring the
statistics of all major tournaments up to date.
This large format book has over 450 pages.
The order form for either the £35 standard edition
or the £350 leather-bound limited edition (100
copies) can be provided by sending an e-mail
(with your mailing address) to [email protected]
This is a complete revision and update of his father
the late Lord Aberdare’s earlier books, which have
long been internationally regarded as the most
authoritative works on the games of Real Tennis and
Rackets. It provides the reader with a
comprehensive account of everything that has
happened in the games from their inception hundreds
of years ago to 2014.
This new edition is bursting with over 300 new photos
all in colour covering not just active courts and
players but also every known court still standing in
the UK, Ireland, USA and Australia.