T&RA Newsletter – Christmas 2011

essage from the CEO I am now in my second season and writing from a frosty morning at The Queen‟s Club in

what may be the first of many cold periods this winter. The season is in full swing and we have already seen many events, starting with the increasingly popular season opener, the British Junior Open, in August with a record 62 participants. The country-wide category tournaments encouraged players from across the handicap range to take part. Team Tennis has also proved to be popular with the early rounds of the Brodie Cup completed as well as the first rounds of the Pol Roger and Field Trophies. The highlight of the season so far has been the British Open and although the history books will show Rob Fahey winning yet another title, he was pushed very hard in a five-set final by local Queen‟s professional Bryn Sayers. The Rackets season always looked like a challenge with the Championship Court gallery rebuild deflecting many tournaments out of W14, although the finals have been played in some cases on the Bridgeman. The Noel Bruce and the Invitation Singles have still been played at Queen‟s and note should be made of the spectacular arrival of Will Hopton at Manchester, and a highly successful Gold Racquet and Amateur Singles. The highlight to date, was unquestionably the Invitation Singles, which attracted all the top players and resulted in World Champion Jamie Stout defeating his closest rival Alex TB in an entertaining final.

The Club Professional Development programme has produced its first Tennis graduate in John Lumley, working under the close guidance of Chris Ronaldson at Radley. All four of the level one modules were completed last season, with formal assessment days completed in September. Not wishing to rest on their laurels, Nick Wood and Graham Tomkinson have now largely developed the next phase of the programme and delivered the first two modules, which saw many more senior professionals return to the classroom for a day‟s management and marking training. Although still under development, Graham has been working closely with Peter Brake and is intent on transferring some of this training to the Rackets professionals this season, which will give them something back from the game.

Many congratulations to Matty Ronaldson, the new Head Professional at Middlesex University RTC. Meanwhile Ryan Tulley has returned from across the Atlantic to take up the post at Wellington, with Will Hopton now operating at Manchester. At the other end of the scale, David Johnson retired and Howard Angus went into partial retirement, both after long and distinguished careers.

The priority for the T&RA is to give the membership value for money. Each Tennis playing member has their handicap maintained on Real Tennis Online (RTO); the global database which allows for play against opponents anywhere in the Tennis playing world. The Rackets Ranking System brings a more accuracy to tournaments seeding – and has been expanded so all matches can be recorded.

Increasing participation requires new courts, improving professional training, and encouraging the juniors – all three items are very much on the T&RA priority list. The current Tennis court projects include Guildford, Harrogate, Sutton and Wellington. The second Tonbridge Rackets court will open early in March 2012, and the Association is hoping to support the courts at Dartmouth and Rossall School. The junior programme continues to move forward thanks to the efforts of Paul Weaver, Mick Dean, Christopher Griffith-Jones and many unsung others at the clubs around the country. There are also students being supported at Exeter University, Manchester and Newcastle/Durham.

One farewell of significance to the Tennis Community is the retirement of Sir Andrew Hamilton as Chairman of the Tennis Committee. After six years, and redesigning the TC into its present form, Andrew hands over the baton to Roger Pilgrim. Last but not least, the T&RA said farewell to Aggie Hudson-Evans who most of you will have probably spoken to when calling the office. Rosie Brown has already taken over this important role as Office Assistant and I‟m sure you‟ll find her just as approachable.

unior Open The British Junior Real Tennis Championships were held at Queens Club over the weekend of

19th-21

st August. 62 young players from many different

clubs plus two from France competed against each other for the coveted titles. The results were as follows:-

U/14 Girls Plate Georgie Willis (Seacourt) bt Felicity Sargent (Moreton) 8-0 U/18 Girls Plate Tara Lumley (Holyport) bt Jess Garside (Seacourt) 8-3 U/12 British Championship Nicholas Milton (Hyde) bt Tatham Harper (Cambridge) 8-2 U/14 British Championship Charlie Thompson (Seacourt) bt Murray Lane (Prested) 6-2 6-1 U/16 British Championship Giles Gunning (Seacourt) bt Charlie Braham (Petworth) 6-2 6-5 U/18 British Championship Lewis Williams (Prested) bt Ben Wall (Seacourt) 3-6 6-5 6-2 The other prestigious award was the Nat Duncan Trophy, and once again James and Laura Duncan (formerly of the Harbour Club) visited from New York to present the racquet in memory of their son, Nat. This year, Lewis Williams, produced the stand out performance both in terms of his Tennis skills but also his general attitude to the game. Lewis is now working with Ricardo Smith at Prested with the aspiration of becoming a professional The photos below in order of appearance: 1. U16 Charlie Braham and Giles Gunning 2. U18 Girls Plate Jess Garside and Tara Lumley 3. U12 Tatham Harper and Nicholas Milton 4. U14 Murray Lane and Charlie Thompson 5. Lewis Williams, James and Laura Duncan

M

J

6. Tatham Harper and George Charlton 7. U18 Lewis Williams and Ben Wall

eptune British Open Singles Rob Fahey, the top seed and World Champion, narrowly beat Bryn Sayers, seeded 3 and in his

first Neptune British Open Final, in a tense five set marathon. The entire match lasted three and a half hours, with Bryn surviving no less than 10 championship points.

The first two sets were, in their own right, superb Tennis, with first Bryn on top winning 6/2; and then Rob responding 6/0 - virtuoso Tennis by the two players in turn. But the last three sets were played at a breathless pace, with the highest standard reached by both players, each trading virtually impossible serves with main wall dedan winners. Both players volleyed with perfection and the chases were very often around the yard mark - and beaten! Bryn closed out the third set 6/3 to restore his lead; and again Rob responded in the fourth, winning 6/4.

The scene was set for a brilliant fifth and deciding set. The early exchanges saw both players at the height of their game, but it was Rob who made the break through, beating a 1 and 2 chase by inches and take a 4-1 lead. Two games later it was 5-2, and Rob was almost unstoppable reaching 40-0 on serve - the first of three championship points. Bryn dug deep and recovered in spectacular fashion, the most memorable point being three dedan forces, the first two impossibly defended by Rob; and then going on to pull the game back. In the next game Rob reached 40-15 with Bryn again hitting the grille to recover to 5-4. It was the same story in what became the deciding game 40-15 Rob, back to deuce, followed by a further three championship points before Rob made it count on the eleventh.

Robin Geffen, Neptune, presented the prizes - to Rob a twelfth British Open, and ninth consecutive victory - but Bryn has announced he is a force who will be in contention in next year's World Challenge. Rob Fahey (1) bt Bryn Sayers (3) 2/6 6/0 3/6 6/4 6/4

eptune British Open Doubles The match followed the form book with the combination of the best Tennis player ever to

pick up a racquet (Rob Fahey) with the best doubles player in the world (Steve Virgona) too strong on the day for the valiant challengers, Bryn Sayers and Kieran Booth. The first set was probably the tightest and 6/2 did not tell the whole story, but then Steve worked the court, effortlessly covering the corners whilst Rob waited for the kill. The world champions regained the Neptune British Doubles title and were presented with the silverware by Robin Geffen.

Fahey & Virgona (1) bt Sayers & Booth (2) 6/2 6/1 6/0

One final award presented on the night was the most improved Tennis player, Giles Gunning, nominated by Junior‟s supremo, Paul Weaver. This is an annual award provided by Grays, lifelong supporters of Real Tennis (and rackets). Rob Fahey added his own congratulations to Giles, who plays his Tennis on the south coast at Seacourt, Hayling Island.

N

N

Giles Gunning collects the prize for most improved Junior from Rob Fahey and Robin Geffen

ridgeman Cup David Watson beat William Maltby in the final.

David Watson defeated Chairman William Maltby – injured ankle clearly on display

The Oratory was the venue for this year‟s Bridgeman Cup. The Bridgeman Cup is a level tournament for any amateur over the age of 50 and a very high standard of entrees from all over the country was achieved.

The early rounds saw some excellent and very close matches with Acklam winning in 3 sets over Danby and Talbot-Williams, beating Paterson in 2 sets. The first semi final saw Fisher take on last year‟s champion Maltby, Fisher played some excellent tennis but Maltby was just too strong. The second semi was always going to be a close match between Prenn & Watson. Prenn took a 5-4 lead in the first set but Watson fought back to win the 6-5, with the momentum on his side Watson went 5-2 up in the second set. Prenn kept it simple and worked his way back to 5-5 and 30-0 before Watson stepped it up a gear and took the second set and the match 6-5, 6-5.

The line up for the final was the same as last year, Maltby vs Watson. Watson was ready to reverse last year‟s score as he took an early 5-1 lead. Maltby steadied himself but lost the first set 6-2. The second was a closer battle with Maltby able to control more points, but Watson kept the work rate high and got the set to 4-4 with Maltby on top of the game before Maltby had to retire with an injury which he picked up earlier during the tournament. Never a nice way to lose a final, but hearty congratulations to David Watson!

chools’ Initiative The T&RA-sponsored Schools‟ Initiative now supports 15 schools enabling broader

participation across a broad spectrum. Last year saw this scheme extended to universities and it is hoped we can continue to do more and support our youngsters. Thanks, as ever, to the prime architect –Christopher (Bomber) Griffith-Jones.

There are many other schemes being run across the country by countless volunteers. The Association is always delighted to publicise your excellent works which may bring more youngsters into the game.

niversity Tennis (Cambridge) CURTC‟s successful tour to the US.

Prince‟s Court, Washington: CURTC won 6-3, Fowler-Hamilton Cup Racquets Club of Philadelphia: CURTC won 6-3 Racquet and Tennis Club, New York: CURTC won 3-2 The Tuxedo Club, Tuxedo Park: CURTC won 4-2 National Tennis Club, Newport: CURTC won 9-3 Tennis and Racquet Club, Boston: CURTC won 4-1 Touring players: Ali Hakimi (Capt), James Watson, Ed Pearson, Jules Camp, Ed Granger, Lucie Browning Tales of copious hospitality, constant merriment, club grandeur and tradition travelled far, prompting a visit to the USA by an enthusiastic band of students from the Cambridge University Real Tennis Club. Except for Aiken, South Carolina, the other seven major clubs along the east coast of the USA were visited with a busy match schedule in the waiting.

A common theme on the tour was the impressive way in which the team took to each of the foreign courts as if they were playing at home. The added sharpness gained from the touring experience gave the team an extra edge. Excellent tennis from each of the touring members ensured a complete clean sweep, winning all six of the tour fixtures against the American club opposition which also included adding more silverware to the CURTC trophy cabinet by winning the Fowler-Hamilton Cup at Prince‟s Court, Washington. In between the competitive tennis we also managed to make a trip to the Georgian Court, Lakewood, part of the estate built and once owned by the famous Jay Gould.

Overall the trip was a fantastic experience both on and off the court. It was an excellent opportunity for all of our players to get more match experience and improve on different aspects of their game. We thank all of those from the USCTA as well as the club professionals and members for their enthusiasm in hosting us and willingness to organise so many enjoyable and competitive fixtures. We were looked after extremely well and made to feel most welcome at all times. We are also very grateful to Harrow Sports and the Cambridge University Giraffe Club fund for their generous sponsorship.

Ali Hakimi

B

S

U

adies Tennis Claire Vigrass won the 2011 Ladies World Championship Singles and captured the Doubles with her sister Sarah.

Claire defeated Karen Hird 6/1 6/4.

There is a new dawn for Ladies tennis. Claire and Sarah Vigrass played power tennis the likes of which is usually reserved for top male professionals to win the 2011 Ladies World Championship Doubles Final. The pair showcased their wonderful talents as well as illustrating the positive direction that ladies tennis is moving. The match itself was a mixture of power hitting from the Vigrass sisters and courageous defensive play from Karen Hird and Melbourne‟s Rosie Snell. Rosie in particular made a number of volleys at the net and displayed “Courage under Fire”. Karen also made Claire and Sarah work hard as she swept the back court resulting in many long rallies. Karen‟s competitive traits have been at the forefront this tournament (she won her singles semi-final in 3 sets after dropping the first) but on this occasion they were not enough to deny Sarah and Claire. Sarah‟s excellent Railroad serve mixed with Claire‟s Drag complemented each other perfectly and ensured that they started most points on the front foot and once the rallies started both proved capable of ending a point with a thundering drive to either the Dedans or Grille.

Claire & Sarah Vigrass defeated Karen Hird & Rosie Snell 6/2 6/1 Photos by Doug Grant

Ladies US National 2012 - World Champion Claire Vigrass had breezed through her earlier rounds before taking to the court today at the National Tennis Club to defend her singles and doubles titles.

In the singles, she faced Karen Hird, a fabulous retriever who nudged ahead at first against the defending champion. But Claire soon found her dominating game and while Karen pushed the champion throughout, it was Claire who won the 2012 title, 6/2, 6/3.

Both players had the luxury of a half hour break before finding each other on opposing sides of the net once again in the doubles final. Karen paired up with Freddy Adam, an impressive ball striker who has competed successfully at the highest level for many years. Claire paired up with local player, Amanda Avedissiana, although relatively new to Tennis, has an outstanding lawn tennis pedigree. Amanda's powerful volleying complemented Claire perfectly, and they overcame Freddy and Karen in straight sets, 6/3 6/1.

oel Bruce Eton first pair Will Hopton and Guy Smith-Bingham were triumphant beating a strong

Harrow pair (Alex Titchener-Barrett and Charlie Danby) 4-1. This was particularly significant for Guy, who returned to the Rackets court in spectacular fashion.

Will Hopton

Guy Smith-Bingham

L

N

nvitation Singles In both the first two games Alex Titchener-Barrett pulled out a lead forcing World Champion Jamie

Stout onto the back foot. In the second game, ATB had a number of game points but on each occasion Jamie returned with interest and snatched back the serve. Once Jamie levelled at 14-14, he looked strong, and closed out after a fierce struggle in the set to three. The third game was one-way traffic although ATB never gave up the challenge, running after impossibly cut shots. It was a triumphant return to Queen's and Robin Geffen of Neptune presented the prestigious trophy, which Jamie had won previously in 2009. Jamie was also presented with the Latham Cup denoting his outstanding achievement as a professional in 2010/11.

James Stout bt ATB 15/12 17/15 15/3

Jamie Stout and Alex Titchener-Barrett, presentation

by Robin Geffen and Guy Smith-Bingham

Excellent performances from many others, notably the two losing semi-finalists, Will Hopton and James Coyne – and Nick James who battled through the qualifying event at Marlborough and gave some of the long established players a fright.

anchester Gold Racquet There has been a record entry of no less than 32 contestants for the Manchester Gold

Racquet 2011 resulting in virtually continuous play packed into the three days of the tournament.

The 2011 version of the Manchester Gold Racquet will certainly go down as a memorable weekend. There were over 60 matches played and the action continued into the small hours on both Friday and Saturday nights. Unfortunately the number 1 seed in the singles, Alex Titchener-Barrett, had to withdraw due to a niggling knee injury but this allowed Nick James to take advantage of the void Alex‟s absence left in the top half of the draw. He reached the final by overcoming 18 year old Richard Owen in a thrilling 5 game semi-final match. In the other semi-final Will Hopton got the better of Christian Portz in another fine encounter between these two young talents. The final started at a high level of intensity and was very closely fought throughout the 45 minute long first game. However, once Will Hopton secured the initial advantage he never let Nick back into the match and won in straight games.

The doubles draw contained plenty of good Rackets. The Bailey brothers (Mike and James) mounted a good run and reached the final. They met Will Hopton and Tom Billings at this point. Will and Tom had got passed Ryan Tulley and Nick James in a very tight semi-final. The final proved to be rather one-sided as Hopton and Billings won 3/0 but there were still a number of great rallies for the full gallery to enjoy. There were plate draws for the first round losers in both the singles and doubles. In the plate singles final young Chris Stout beat James Rowland Clark in a hard-hitting affair and in the plate doubles Ben Stevens and Henry Britton overcame Chris Atkins and David Dundas. David was forced to retire during the second game of this contest after receiving a blow from a shot struck by his own partner. Thankfully no lasting damage was done!

Brendan Hegarty and Will Hopton deserve great credit for their organisation of the event, with Brendan ever present during the tournament! Derek Barrett marked with his usual skill and never once complained about the large volume of matches. Manchester Rackets is really back on the map and we can expect a similarly exciting Amateur Singles tournament in the north of England from 8-11

th December.

I M

Congratulations to the winners; Will Hopton is his first official singles tournament as a professional for winning the Manchester Gold Racquet and for taking the doubles title with partner Tom Billings.

mateur Singles Championship This year's Amateur singles was held in Manchester for the first time in over 70 years. It

was refreshing to see a major tournament being played away from The Queen's Club. Manchester put on a whirlwind show as play was almost continuous from early on Friday morning right through until Sunday afternoon's final. Friday's action saw all the first and second round matches completed. Richard Owen put out 7th seed Dan Shiner in a high standard affair although it could have been a different story if Shiner had converted an opportunity at game ball in 2nd. The other highlight of the opening day was Bertie Graham's marathon win over Ian Finlayson - Bertie finally emerging 15/11 in 5th game. The remainder of the seeds progressed comfortably and the scene was set for some exciting quarter-finals on following morning. Saturday marked the start of Real Tennis TV coverage of the event. Paul Brown and his team did a superb job streaming the matches live and a number of players enjoyed the chance to commentate on the action. Nick James and Tom Stevens proved to be a particularly entertaining duo! On the court there were easy quarter-final wins for James, Alex Coldicott and Alex Titchener-Barrett. However Richard Owen caused an upset by defeating number 2 seed James Coyne in four games. Coyne was a little under the weather but Owen's performance was still very impressive for someone who only left school this year. Saturday afternoon saw some less serious action as plate doubles events were held on both the Rackets and Real Tennis court. His Honour Judge Brendan Hegarty QC kindly agreed to participate on the condition that his matches were not streamed live to a potential audience of billions (or 95)! Alex Rozier-Pamplin/Ed Stoner were successful on the Rackets court and Jamie Bebb/Ian Finlayson swept aside all before them in the Tennis event. The semi-finals of the main Amateur draw took place on Saturday evening before the tournament dinner and were watched by an enthusiastic and full gallery. In the first semi Alex Titchener-Barrett had too much power and precision for Alex Coldicott. Coldicott did have his moments but couldn't match the relentless hitting of the victor and succumbed in straight games. The second match of the evening saw a titanic tussle between Richard Owen and Nick James. They had met at the same stage of the Manchester Gold Racquet back in October and served up a classic five game encounter. This match lived up to and even ultimately surpassed their previous meeting. Owen roared into a two game lead hitting a succession of winners off both wings. James was constantly on the defensive and had no answer to his young opponent's play. Owen led 12-7 in 3rd and perhaps with a little more experience would have closed the match out. However James refused to lie down and surged back into the match by winning the game 15/12 and then racing through 4th without dropping a point. The gallery was in raptures throughout 5th game as the advantage shifted from one player to the other. The

match ultimately was decided in the 5th set as Nick

James' determination saw him through to his first Amateur Final. Richard Owen deserves huge credit for his performance and the Rackets world will certainly be hearing a lot more from him in the coming seasons. The dinner following the semi-finals was well attended and Brendan Hegarty entertained the diners by recalling tales of past Amateur Championships. The tournament organiser, Ali Gourlay, thanked the Club and Rackets professional, Will Hopton, for hosting the tournament and the players in such a splendid fashion.

Photos by Brendan Hegarty Sunday's final was sadly a relatively quick affair. Alex Titchener-Barrett never looked back after storming into a 13-0 lead during the first hand of the match. Nick James competed well at times after that but he was always fighting a losing battle against a defending champion in top form. Alex was very complimentary to his opponent in his remarks after the match and Nick can certainly look back on a successful event. Ultimately the weekend belonged to ATB as he won his 4th successive Amateur championships. Thank you to Manchester for being such wonderful hosts and in particular to Stella Heap, Will Hopton, Steve Brockenshaw and Brendan Hegarty. Rackets really has been revived at the club and hopefully the tournament returns again in 2012.

M Bateman Cartoons

©H M Bateman Designs

The original cartoon, seen above, together with a Rackets cartoon which is equally finely-observed was commissioned by retired T&RA President Richard Greenwood. Richard took H M Bateman to Canford to watch him play the professional at Tennis, and then

A

H

they went on to Dartmouth to watch Rackets, not in front of the depicted huge crowd but in front of a few midshipmen! As a result of the interest shown it has been decided to make copies of both cartoons more widely available.

They can be ordered in A4 size by visiting the website

www.hmbateman.com. Richard will continue to offer

his A3 (original) versions of the prints for sale, please contact through Rosie in the T&RA Office at office@tennisandrackets.com Proceeds from the larger prints go to the OER&TC. The OER&TC donates funds equally to support young Rackets and Tennis players, and to support the T&RA Young Professionals Fund, so whilst you enjoy the cartoons you are contributing to two very worthy causes.

he T&RA MCC

The weekend of 22 July saw the inaugural get

together of the T&RAMCC. There were a few

last minute drop-outs due to family duties and this

reduced us to a select 4 from an original 10. We: John

Whiting (Lord‟s, Yamaha), Richard Yorke-Long

(Leamington, Honda), Norman Hyde (Leamington,

Triumph) and myself (Hyde, Honda), convened at

Bovingdon Tank Museum for a couple of hours where

we saw and learnt much about the history of tanks. We

then rode west to the pub in Nettlecombe which

provided us all with the necessary nourishment to build

us up for the following day which promised much

excitement in the form of 2.5 hours of tennis and an

afternoon of riding the glorious roads of Dorset,

Somerset and Devon. Between these two happenings

took place a lunch at Rachel‟s, an excellent seafood

bar beside West Bay harbour which proved most

popular and was declared the T&RAMCC‟s food base

(when in Bridport anyway).

The morning‟s Tennis at the wonderful Hyde Tennis

Club was very competitive and it seemed only natural

for the Leamington pair to take on the Lord‟s pair. So

after posing in our new Club shirts for a photo outside

the court, we swung into action and enjoyed a great

game which was won by the Lord‟s pair after an

exciting tussle. Leamington looked the better pair,

particularly with Richard‟s stylish play but somehow

they were unable to prevail. We then embiked and

rode over much of the West Country for an afternoon

of thrills and no spills. Incidentally, the prize for best

exhaust sound had to go to Norman Hyde with his

specially modified Triumph – we all wanted to be

behind him so we could listen to its notes. Incidentally,

since Norman is a famous name in the motorcycle

world, other bikers were thrilled to meet him at our

various stops when he was more than happy to advise

other bikers on how to modify their machines and

supply business cards! John Whiting won the most

colourful bike award and Richard Yorke-Long won

furthest distance travelled.

It was decided that a change of scene was a good idea

so dining in Bridport was the answer on Saturday

night. We duly repaired to the Thai restaurant in East

Street, the scene of many a fun night when touring

Tennis players have confused the locals with their

increasingly loud tennis chat – we didn‟t disappoint.

Sunday morning found us riding up to Eggardon Hill,

the Roman Hill Fort with stunning views over Lyme

Bay, where we enjoyed a bracing walk. Richard felt the

Roman vibrations that are most definitely there and

stood with his fist to his chest and shouted the Roman

generals‟ pre-battle mantra „Strength and Honour‟.

This was clearly to encourage his partner Norman,

before their match against John and myself, which was

taking place after the little matter of lunch at Rachel‟s.

Richard confidently tucked in to the sublime scallops

and a large crab salad which might possibly have lost

him the subsequent match but. Although the

Leamington boys went up a gear when they realised

they were in trouble and Norman played out of his

skin, the winners‟ lighter lunch, dogged defence and

returning won the day for Lord‟s.

It was then time for the three guests to depart with promises of return matches and rides to all parts, including France, for 2012. These will be in addition to another visit to Dorset when we four hope to catch up with those who were unable to be with us this year. It was a truly splendid first T&RAMCC weekend and motorcycling on the weekend of 22 July. 10 have committed so far – more T&RA members are very welcome to join the fun in and around the Hyde Tennis Club. Contact Jamie Turner for more information.

jt@jtbiz.com

Jamie Turner (and photographs)

T

resentation of T&RA Awards for

the 2010/11 Season

These were awarded at the T&RA Annual Dinner on Thursday 27

th October 2011, where T&RA President

Richard Greenwood presented the trophies

Baerlein Cup Best Tennis amateur performance - Conor Medlow – British Amateur Champion and represented UK in Bathurst Cup.

David Warburg Salver Best Tennis professional performance - Bryn Sayers – superb performance in the European Open (and other events). Greenwood Trophy Most improved Tennis player - Tom Durack – who improved his handicap significantly at Petworth (and Holyport). Henry Johns Cup Best all round performance by a young Tennis professional - Andy Chinneck – Head Professional at The Oratory. Negretti Cup

Best Rackets amateur performance - Alex Titchener-Barrett – World Champion in waiting? British Open Champion.

Latham Cup

Best Rackets professional performance – Jamie Stout- World Champion who successfully defended his title in November.

Renny Trophy

Most improved Rackets player - Christian Portz – won the Under 21 Singles and Doubles and the Under 24 Singles.

All photographs Tim Edwards except where labelled

Wellington Headmaster, historian, distinguished writer and guest speaker, Anthony Seldon, spoke eloquently about the importance of the professionals in the modern game and his enthusiasm for a Tennis court at the school.

ichard Greenwood stepped aside as

President of the T&RA following the Annual General Meeting. Richard has been a loyal

servant of the Association since he first took office in 1961 – and in these last 50 years he has served unflinchingly to make the Games what they are today.

Richard was first co-opted onto Council in 1961 when the T&RA income was under £600 a year with 320 members. He became Joint Honorary Secretary alongside Nigel Rennie in 1963 and then added the title Honorary Treasurer two years later. In 1972 he became the sole, undisputed Honorary Secretary and Treasurer – a position he ran until 1989.

Indeed the work of Richard as meticulous Treasurer and unrelenting Membership secretary over these 25 years represents the greatest single contribution ever made in the distinguished history of the T&RA. By the time Richard “retired” in 1989, there were 1900 members – almost six-fold his starting position.

In Richard‟s years at President he has overseen the magnificent Centenary celebrations, the recent “troubles” and always managed to conduct business in a highly efficient manner, and often managed a little wry humour, especially when cornered by the Brig on the odd Constitutional matter like proposers and seconders – all very serious business.

Never one to miss a marketing opportunity, Richard is keen to publicise The First Fifty Years by John Ford.

Sold at a bargain of £10 + p&p – all enquiries to jrg@stone-hall,co.uk

P

R