Upload
chris-davies
View
218
Download
0
Embed Size (px)
DESCRIPTION
Christmas Newsletter 2012
Citation preview
T&RA Newsletter – Christmas 2012
hief Executive Update A new season and a new set Champions. The
Junior Open at Queen’s in August showed a new
depth to the game and Levi Gale (Hyde) extended his
earlier triumphs in Fontainebleau to win the Under 18
Champonship, after a close tussle with Lewis Williams
(Prested). The category tournaments around the
country had a total of 98 players taking part, 10% up
on last year; good news for the amateur game. The
professional circuit started in earnest with the return
of Cam Riviere, who dominated both the European
Open and the Professional Singles, beating Bryn
Sayers in both finals. However, Bryn’s moment came
in the British Open when he came from behind to
defeat the World Champion, Rob Fahey, in four sets. A
fabulous event with some notable performances from
the usual suspects – and a few new guns such as
quarter-finalist Andy Fowler. For Rob, his first defeat
in the British Open since 2002 – a remarkable
achievement for the top player.
The Rackets season started well for Harrow who
narrowly defeated Cheltenham 4-3 in a close final of
the Noel Bruce; although Cheltenham proved to have
the more vocal support. The ever popular Invitation
Singles had its usual strong entry, but when it was
narrowed down to the final eight Will Hopton, the
eventual winner, was the second oldest at 23.
Christian Portz ran Will close in the Final, and
tremendous performances from Richard Owen and
Tom Billings to reach the semi-finals. The Masters saw
sports supremo David Makey triumph in both the
Over 40 and Over 50 Doubles and runner up to John
Spurling in the Over 50 Singles, no mean achievement
for the Tonbridge supremo. ATB returned to win the
Amateur, defeating rising star Tom Billings in the final.
On a busy weekend, the T&RA also held its AGM with
the Annual Awards presented to the top achievers in
both Games; more about the winners elsewhere.
The Public School Singles is ongoing, with all events
reaching their finale. The standard continues to be
impressive, a positive sign for the future of Rackets
and testament to their professionals.
A sad farewell to Richard Williams. A long time
supporter of Tennis, the Brigands and Holyport.
ritish Junior Championships
Under 12 Final:
Z Ramjane bt H Thomas 8/7
Under 14 Final:
A Dyter bt C O'Donnell 6/0, 5/6, 6/3
Under 16 Final:
C Braham bt H Mullan 6/1, 6/3
Under 18 Final:
L Gale bt L Williams 6/5, 6/3
C B
Results: Girls Plate
Under 12:
A Pye bt A Paterson 6/3
Under 14:
A Willis bt A Messer 8/3
Under 16:
G Willis bt F Sargent 8/3
Under 18:
T Lumley bt J Garside 6/0 6/3
ver 70s Amateur Singles and Doubles
This event puts our sporting lives into perspective and
shows the stamina still left in a generation that are well
past their sporting prime. It was a strong field which
made for a great tournament. With a bit more “young
blood” qualifying this year the competition, with
defending champion John Ward awaiting a challenge.
The first day of singles went without upset yet still
producing great matches with all players looking as
though they should be playing at least a decade below
this category. Sunday was down to the serious
business with all four semi-finals. In the first John
Ward came through victorious against Willie Wilks,
who played exceptionally well in the first half of the
match and then Robin Barlow defeated Mike Seymour
so both the top seeds reached the singles final. There
was no rest for these finalists as they were back on
court straight away for the doubles. John being
partnered by David Bevan-Thomas (aged 80) and
Robin with Willie by his side. This again was a close
contest, sharing games most of the way; but John
Ward’s uncanny consistency at the back of the court
and David volleying well finally won the day 8/6.
After a short rest Robin and John competed in the
singles final. On paper John was the stronger player
and when they got on court his class shone through
and there was only really ever one winner and John
took it 8/3.
oel Bruce The Noel Bruce Cup always starts the Rackets
season with a bang. This year saw a high quality
entry of twenty-three pairs from twelve schools. Four
pairs were seeded, the 2011 finalists, Harrow I (Alex
Titchener-Barrett & Charlie Danby) were seeded one,
with Cheltenham I (Ben Snell & Nick James) the
second seeds. Eton I (Guy Smith-Bingham & James
Rowland Clarke) and Winchester II (Patrick Maxwell &
James Bailey) made up the third and fourth seeds.
The rest of the field enjoyed a group qualifying round,
with some intriguing Rackets. In Group A, Harrow II
(Joe Bone & Alaister Orchard) won all their matches
easily however the closest match of the group was
between Marlborough I (Fahad Roumani & Sam
Barclay) who narrowly lost to Winchester II (Will Morse
& B Philbrow) 13/18 17/14 15/6. Group B provided a
tantalising final game between two unbeaten pairs,
Charterhouse I (Alastair Gourlay & Rupert Ramsay)
and Malvern II (Ryan Tulley & Tom Seymour Mead),
fighting to be group winners. Malvern II proved too
strong for Charterhouse, deciding the group order. The
return of former top player Rupert Owen-Browne
partnering Nick Hutton for Tonbridge I was a terrific
sight to see as they powered themselves through the
group matches until they encountered Cheltenham II
(Andrew Stout & Alex Coldicott). The former world
singles challenger upped his game in the 3rd
to take
the winners spot for Tonbridge; with Cheltenham II
qualifying as runners-up. Group D provided some
fascinating games with Malvern I (Ben & Tom
Bomford) fighting it out against Wellington I (Mark
Penna & James Fuller) and Eton II (Charlie Braithwaite
& Max Seely) in the third spot. Wellington I went down
fighting, putting in a terrific effort against Malvern I,
taking them to three games, before losing valiantly.
The final group, consisted of Radley I (Mark Silcox &
Simon Higson), Malvern IV (Olly Sloane & Hylands),
Tonbridge III (J Maltz & Alex Judd) with Sevenoaks
(Oli Harris & Simon Mansfield) making up the group.
Radley proved too strong for all of their other
competitors with Tonbridge III securing runners-up.
History was made with Sevenoaks recording their first
ever victory – albeit a walkover but it is the
participation that counts.
O
N
Quarter-finals saw Cheltenham I & II fighting against
each other. But Snell and James proved too strong for
Coldicott and Stout. Harrow I beat Tonbridge I, fairly
easily, but it was Harrow II who shocked the number
four seeds Winchester I and advanced to the semis to
face their first pair. Eton I dispatched Malvern I, three
games to love, although they were pushed in the first
game to a set to five. The semi-finals were set and
Harrow I beat their second pair by four games to one
and Cheltenham dispatched Eton I four games to love.
The final saw Cheltenham certainly having the vocal
support of a packed gallery as they vied for their first
ever Noel Bruce cup. Within the first minute, the crowd
knew that they were in for something special as the
ball was hit with ferocious pace around the walls. Nick
James and Alex Titchener-Barrett exchanged powerful
shots, both utilising the angles to great effect.
Cheltenham took the lead 14-11 but were both put out.
ATB served first and at 12-14, a tense three lets were
called on his serve. On his forth try, ATB aced Snell to
reach to 13-14. Serving to James, he faulted his first
serve and on his second was duly punished by
James’s classy double handed backhand. As the
second string, Danby took to the service box, Snell
easily returned serve and fierce rally ensued finishing
with an unforced error by Danby. Cheltenham were
back in the box, serving for the game 14-13. Nick
James was put out immediately and it was Snell to try
and close the game. His first serve, a fault, on his
second serve the rallies began and after an exchange
of more than twenty shots, Snell forced the ball in the
back left hand corner which subsequently died on the
floor. Cheltenham were one game up. The second
game saw Harrow's turn to take control and the game
finished 15/7 - one game apiece. In the third game
Cheltenham raced to 8-0. Harrow rallied but couldn’t
capitalise on their serves and in no time Cheltenham
took the third 15/5. With the clock reading 2045, the
match was proving to be a real test of mental and
physical fitness and the fourth game proved to a real
cracker. Harrow now took an 8-0 lead but Cheltenham
answered their serves and managed to pull back to 7-
8. Some ferocious points were then exchanged, both
pairs failing to capitalise on getting each other out
however it was Harrow who took the initiative and
closed out the game 15/10. With over two hours
played the game was all square at two games all. The
crowd were boisterously supporting Cheltenham, but
Harrow took the fifth game with ease, 15/2. Some
closely fought rallies brought the sides to 12-12 in the
sixth before James who was quite literally exhausted
managed a cheeky back hand drive down the side of
court to get the Harrow pair out. Cheltenham stepped
up and served the game out - three games all. With
physical exhaustion evident on both sides. ATB
stepped up and using all of his experience served
point after point to race to 13-0. The final nail was in
the coffin and Cheltenham tried everything to get back
into the game, but could only manage two further
points. Harrow had the won the Noel Bruce Cup four
games to three.
ategory Tournaments The Category tournaments provide fantastic opportunities to play competitive Tennis within
your own handicap bracket. As always, all the tournaments were well subscribed with great Tennis along the way. Congratulations to all winners and all participants. Winners:
Category B - Hyde - Mark Mathias (10-14) Lewis Williams (15-19)
Category C - Moreton Morrell - Tom Lewis (20-24) Patrick Sutton (25-29)
Category D – Hatfield - Silas Manhood (30-34) Robert Shenkman (35-39)
Category E – Holyport – Simon Armstrong (40-44) Keith Beechener (45-49)
Category F - Leamington - Will Todd (50-54) Fiona Harrison (55-59)
Category G - Prested - Vicky Ward (60+)
uropean Open 2012 Camden Riviere is the new champion
The European Open was decided in 67 minutes -
Camden Riviere was utterly ruthless hitting the grille
with regularity.
Bryn started well taking the first game but was then
mesmerised by Camden taking the next ten games in
a row. Cam's touch was remarkable and he looked to
be playing relaxed yet purposeful Tennis. At 6/1 4-0,
Bryn dug deep to pull a game back but Cam took the
next two games and a two set lead.
Bryn rallied well in the third set with the pair
sharing the first four games. But then Cam once again
starting hitting the grille with alarming frequency. Bryn
never stopped exploring ways to overcome the
whirlwind speed of his opponent, but Cam carved out
the remaining four games to take the European Open
title.
The final score was 6/1 6/1 6/2
C
E
anchester Gold Racquet This year’s event was well attended, despite
the counter attractions of the opening of the
new Tennis court in Chicago. In the absence of ATB
and an injured James Coyne, there was a great
opportunity to the younger guns of the Rackets world.
Despite the Chicago distractions, the tournament
would not be complete without its Detroit challenge,
this year in the form of Steve Toseland & Nick Harding.
Seeding went to form in the early stages, although an
early upset was caused by Jonny Maltz taking out the
number six seed, Chris Atkins, in the first round.
The top semi-final saw Nick James coming across an
inspired Richard Owen, who played immaculately –
keeping his head at the right moments, using a variety
of accurate services to keep Nick on the back foot and
winning by 17/18 15/5 15/8 15/1.
No upsets were forthcoming in the doubles, the top-
seeded pairings of Nick James & Alex Coldicott and
Christian Portz & Simon Shenkman gaining their
appointed places in the final. The final went the way of
the top seeds who were more at ease as a partnership
and demonstrated fabulous reflexes mid-court to win
15/2 15/3 9/15 15/3.
In the singles final, the first two games were fantastic
affairs. Richard was playing to a very high standard
and putting Christian under a lot of pressure. At 12-12,
Christian served a gimme off the back wall which
Richard put away and went on to serve out the game.
Richard made the early running in game two, taking an
8-4 lead. By this time Christian was retrieving
magnificently, however, and he kept the scoring tight
and from 11-11, apart from one blemish, served out to
15/12. Unfortunately, Richard’s mobility had become
impaired on account of blisters and, despite a couple
of medical time-outs to try and rectify the problem, he
succumbed and Christian took the last two games in
rather anticlimactic fashion 15/1 15/1 to put his name
on the trophy.
Mention should be made of Rod MacNaughtan who
spent a great deal of the weekend chained to a vice
stringing a succession of racquets and Jonny Maltz
who supplemented the organisers’ marking admirably.
Stella and her staff provided meals and an excellent
dinner on Saturday night to a well-entertained group of
players (in various dress codes), wives and
supporters. Oh yes, the Detroit Challenge was won by
Detroit!
eptune British Open Champ’ships Bryn Sayers overcame the phenomenon which
is Rob Fahey to win the Neptune British Open
2012. Starting slowly, Bryn lost the first set 2/6 before
a remarkable comeback from 0-3 in the second,
winning 6/5 to turn the tide. The flow became a flood in
the third as Bryn raced through 6/1 - a two sets to one
lead. Rob then responded in the fourth, taking a 4-0
lead but his tenacious opponent fought back to 4-all,
and then 5-all, before winning the all-important
eleventh game.
The match was a remarkable feast of high class
Tennis. Rob showed his traditional power and
anticipation, but at times lacked his penetrating
railroad service. His younger opponent covered the
court, returning seemingly impossible shots, in turn
pushing Rob to even heights to put the ball away.
Bryn’s high serve dropped steeply, tight to the back
wall, testing Rob’s cut volley return. However, the
World Champion fought hard and kept himself in the
game with fabulous anticipation to defend the grille
and the galleries. Both players hit powerful main wall
boasts, punishing any loose serves.
As Bryn collected his prize from Neptune’s Robin
Geffen, he acknowledged the contribution made to the
game by his childhood hero, Rob, who has been at the
top of the world order in Tennis ever since Bryn first
picked up a racquet at Seacourt, on the south coast.
Bryn is testament to the Junior coaching programme
and the Academy, every inch a true British Champion.
M
N
Bryn Sayers bt Rob Fahey 2/6 6/5 6/1 6/5
British Open Doubles
Rob Fahey partnered by Steve Virgona, the world
doubles champions proved too much on the night for
the valiant pairing of Bryn Sayers and Kieran Booth.
The contest was defined by ferocious ground shots
and devastating volleys, although Bryn and Kieran
held their own through the first two sets.
Both pairs quickly settled into the first set, but it was
the defending champions who made the first move.
Once they had the momentum, they closed out the set
6/2. They carried this forward into the second set but
Bryn worked the back walls with his usual tenacity, and
Kieran volleyed imperiously, often against venomous
deliveries heading for the grille or galleries. However,
with Rob on fire picking out the winning gallery and
Steve in breathtaking form, the second set headed
towards its conclusion, with the champions winning
6/3; a two sets to love lead. The third set sounds one-
sided, but Steve in particular was playing a mixture of
raw power and delicate cut which proved irresistible.
As the championship was sealed without further loss of
any games, the watching supporters clearly could have
watched more. Robin Geffen of Neptune Investment
Management presented the stunning trophies and
commented that he could easily have watched a best-
of-seven encounter! In summary, magnificent Tennis
by all four combatants, who each played their role
impeccably in an unforgettable finale.
Fin a
Fahey/Virgona bt Sayers/Booth 6/2 6/3 6/0
nvitational Qualifying Tournament Tom Billings beat Mike Bailey 3-0 in a great display
of Rackets to be the first qualifier for the Invitation
singles. Some excellent retrieving from Billings left
Bailey a bit perplexed in the first two games but the
third game Mike found his length and took a
commanding lead. Billings came back into the game
and drew the scores level at 14-14. Set to three was
chosen and after a few hands by each player Billings
took the game, and the match 3-0, 15/8 15/8 16/13.
Richard Owen continued his fine form from
Manchester to also qualify by beating Will Morse, who
played strongly to qualify from his group. Richard was
a little strong for Will from the outset but there were
some tremendous rallies and the gallery got a real
show but Richard prevailed 3-0, 15/8 15/7 15/2.
In the final, Richard played exceptionally well to fend
off Billings’ challenge and secure a 3-0 victory in just
over an hour, winning the match 3-0, 15/8 15/10 15/13.
nvitational Singles Championship Christian Portz qualified as Group B winner over
the first weekend but then the other places were
decided on the last day. Richard Owen had already
qualified from Group A by beating Nick James, having
given Will Hopton something to think about earlier in
the week. But the final places were only decided once
Will had beaten Nick to take the top spot, leaving
Richard as runner up – lining up Christian in the semi-
final. The final match saw Tom Billings and Ben Snell
go head to head to secure the runners up spot in
Group B – Tom won through and will play Will in the
first semi-final
In the final, the first two games were won by Will
Hopton at the cost of extremely few points because he
did not make a single unforced error! He was
retrieving well as ever and pouncing on any short balls
and placing them well down the lines. The third game
saw his first mistake on a backhand volley and most
players would have seen this as a blip but Christian
Portz saw this as a chink of light and worked harder,
pulling out all the stops for a comfortable 3rd
game win;
and then capitalised on this to secure an even more
comfortable 4th game. Christian was retrieving well and
was finding a much better length with his powerful kills.
All was set up for a 5th game showdown as all knew
Hoppy would not give in easily but given his 4th game
performance it was hard to see how he could turn back
the tables. Will took an early lead but the scores
remained within a couple of points of each other until
Will reached 10-8 and he scored a run up to 13.
Christian could not score with his last opportunity so
Will was home and dry. Will Hopton bt Christian Portz
15/1 15/4 11/15 1/15 15/9.
This was a great final, which summarised the nature of
the tournament. An extremely young field with all four
semi-finalists (including Richard Owen and Tom
Billings rocketing up the world rankings to 9th and 11
th
respectively) aged under 24 and some high quality
Rackets. It shows much promise for the future.
I
I
.
asters – O40s, O50s & O60s
Over 40s Singles winner: J Male
Over 40s Doubles winners: D Makey & R Owen-
Browne
Over 50s Singles winner: J Spurling
Over 50s Doubles winners: D Makey & R Wakely
Over 60s Doubles winners: C Hue Williams & D
Norman
nter-Schools Singles Tournament The event was divided into 2 grades.
The two groups in the B grade were won by Felix
White, who beat Ollie Dernie (Radley) and Ben Irwin
(Warwick) and by Rupert Boddington who got past
Charles Hamilton (Warwick) and David Parry (Clifton)
in a very fine 6/4 set. Irwin beat Hamilton 6/4 for 5th
place while the deserving David Parry beat Ollie
Dernie for 3rd
. The all-Radley B grade final failed to
live up to its considerable potential as young Felix
White swept Rupert Boddington aside, finding his feet
quickly as Rupert failed to recapture his outstanding
form of the group matches.
The A grade group matches threw up some superb
matches, and upset the handicap form considerably.
George Buckley (Radley) by far the highest
handicapper at 37, played with great effect to give
close games to Ben Robinson (Radley 29), though
struggled to make much impact on Levi Gale (Hyde
17). He finally gave Henry Mullan (Clifton 25) a
wonderful match, narrowly failing to gain 3rd
place. Levi
Gale beat Henry Mullan comfortably before the major
upset of losing to Ben Robinson 3/6, who then in turn
lost 5/6 to Mullan in another superb contest. This
effectively deprived Henry Mullan of a final spot, and
he had to content himself with 3rd
place after just
shaving past George Buckley 6/5 in the play-off. The
final saw Gale gain revenge on Robinson but only by
6/5 after having to save a match point at 4-5 attacking
a hazard chase in a truly memorable match.
mateur Singles Championship In the final Alex displayed his dominance on
court whilst Tom Billings showed us a glimpse of
the future. After a nervy start Alex made the first
break, with a run on serve. His lead couldn't be broken
and a quick first game went to Alex. The second game
saw a real fight from Tom. ATB went 9-0 up and the
crowd thought we were heading for an early finish, but
Tom dug deep and showed the skill and determination
that got him to the final. The crowd, at this stage
heavily backing the underdog, were on edge as Tom
came back to 9-all. This is when Alex really showed
what makes him one of the best players in the world.
After a few tight points and long rallies, Alex broke
Tom's run and managed to secure the second game
15/9. The third game saw much of the same. Tom
was retrieving fantastically well but only to be punished
time and time again by Alex's pace and angles.
A first major final for Tom, at age 19 is a fantastic
achievement. He is certainly one to watch for the
future and many more finals to come no doubt! For
Alex, his 5th consecutive Amateur Singles title,
incredible. His dedication and determination keeps
him at the top. Next for Alex is the British Open in
January and seeing his performance this week, he'll
certainly be the one to beat.
Rob Fahey
presented prizes on
behalf of Neptune.
He thanked Queen's
Club, tournament
organiser Alistair
Gourlay and all those
that made the
tournament possible.
The players thanked
Neptune for their
sponsorship and
continued support to
Rackets.
rodie Cup
Quarter-finals
Seacourt beat Jesmond Dene 5-0
Hatfield beat Hyde 5-0
Radley beat Newmarket 4-1
Holyport beat Prested 4-1
ield Trophy
Quarter-finals Holyport beat Middlesex RTC 5 – 0 Moreton Morrell beat Prested 3-2 Jesmond beat Manchester 3-2
Cambridge beat Radley w/o
M
I
A
B
F
ol Roger
Quarter-finals
Queen's beat Seacourt w/o
Oxford beat RTC 3-2
Petworth beat Leamington 5-0
MCC beat Hatfield 5-0
&RA Annual Lunch & Awards Another year has passed by and another T&RA
Lunch and Awards. A well-attended event,
which everyone enjoyed in a relaxed atmosphere. The
lunch was well positioned on ‘Super Saturday’ so
plenty of high class Tennis and Rackets on offer too.
Warburg Trophy - Claire Vigrass
Claire was selected to receive the award for the best
British men’s or ladies professional performance
during the season based on her outstanding
achievements including the Ladies Grand Slam in
Open Singles and Doubles 2011/2012, Ladies World
Champion May 2011, LRTA International May 2012.
Baerlein Cup - Levi Gale
In difficult contest, the decision was made to select
Levi to receive the award for the best British men’s or
ladies amateur performance during the season. Levi
was winner of the Under 18 Open at Fontainebleau
and the Under 18 Junior Open.
Greenwood Trophy - Miles Jackson.
This trophy is awarded to the most improved men’s,
ladies’ professional or amateur player. Miles recorded
a vast number of results meaning his handicap
reduction has been hard work and effort, effectively
halving his handicap (29.5 to 14.7)
Henry Johns Cup - John Lumley
John has reduced his handicap, won the Under 21
Singles and Doubles and the Under 24 Singles and
Doubles. John was also the top student on last year’s
Club Professional Development.
Negretti Cup - Alex Titchener-Barrett
The best Rackets performance by an Amateur,
awarded to Alex as winner of Amateur Singles and
Doubles.
Latham Cup - Will Hopton
This is awarded Will on the basis of his seminal
performance against ATB to win the British Open, a
result which upset the rankings and was considered to
be the best single performance by a professional
during the season. In addition, as a first year
professional, he won the British Open Singles, UK Pro
Singles, Under 24, Noel Bruce, MGR, Clifton Boasters,
British Open Doubles
Renny Trophy - Nick James
Nick was awarded the Renny Trophy as the player
making the most progress in the season, notably the
winner of the US Open Doubles, British Open Singles
semi-finalist, Amateur Singles finalist and Open
Doubles finalist.
P
T
rom two wheels to four legs There is a sporting group of Tennis (including a couple from Rackets) players that are founder
members of a horse racing partnership called ‘Hazard Chase Racing’. They have purchased a three year-old gelding at Newmarket’s ‘Horses in Training’ sale at Tattersalls and his name is Vexillum. He was trained by Mick Channon in Lambourn where he won two races on the flat and he is now in the same yard as this year’s Champion Hurdle winner Rock on Ruby who is handled by Harry Fry in West Dorset.
The partnership is hoping that some of the champion’s brilliance will rub off on Vexillum when he has his first outing over hurdles in December. He has been schooled over jumps and is ‘a natural’ according to his trainer who is also very impressed with the fact that the partnership’s Treasurer John (Clipperty) Whiting is spending much of his spare time reading Thoroughbred Owner & Breeder magazine!
&RA Motorcycle Club The T&RA Motorcycle Club had an early get together to kick the summer off and, like last
year, we did not have a full complement but we had a terrific weekend and it was made so much the better by a visit from the Manchester chapter of the T&RAMCC. Richard Yorke-Long (from Towcester), John Whiting (London) and Jamie Turner (no Norman Hyde this time) met up on the Friday in Coombe Bissett which is just south of Salisbury. We were going to go to the Bovingdon Tank Museum but decided to go to the pub instead! The next day, Saturday, we went to Street where we met up with a team from Manchester. As we drove into the garage car park, we were confronted by three large gleaming bikes made up of two BMW’s and a Yamaha whose owners turned out to be Ian Crawford, Bob Howe and Richard Dyson. These three had ridden down from Manchester the interesting way which was through Wales. This, of course, makes sense when you consider that Wales has wonderful sweeping roads and the only alternative is the M5. We rode the scenic route to Bridport: This means I took them through the longest and prettiest route I could think of to their pub. We enjoyed some much needed refreshment (Doombar) and went on to dinner.
The next morning was the big match day and I admit I half expected the Mancunians to be a little ‘out of nick’ but it was clear that they were in fine fettle from the off. They were treating Richard Y-L’s cuts to the corners and his forces to the dedans with no respect and ran out worthy winners. Lunch was taken at Rachels, our adopted seafood restaurant in West Bay, whose scallops are famous. This delicious break was followed by a run to Weymouth where we enjoyed the best Italian Ice Cream from Sr Rossi whose family have been there since 1937. There was only one thing for it then and that was a long ride towards north Dorset and then the most stunning run west again to Bridport via Minterne Magna and the timeless Roman Hill Fort, Eggardon Hill, as the sun went down. This was followed by a most convivial evening which was necessary as Ian, Bob and Richard left early for Manchester by the Severn Bridge into Wales and another 350 miles and a good few chocolate cream eggs to keep the energy up. It was a marvellous weekend - many thanks to all. Please remember, any T&RA members who are motorcyclists who might like to join us or has an idea for a bit of biking and tennis, please get in touch with me at [email protected] – France anyone?
orpse on Court
F
T
C
A novel by
Simon Brett
The genteel
game of Real
Tennis takes a
murderous twist
in Simon Brett's
witty and
entertaining new
Fethering
mystery.
nique Christmas Cards
Real Tennis Christmas Cards in support of the Dedanists’ Society. For more info please email [email protected]
imited Edition Tennis Court Prints Fantastic modern prints of Real Tennis courts in use in the UK up for sale. Only 250 available,
framed or unframed. £10 from each sale is donated to Junior Real Tennis. Don’t miss out, email [email protected] for more info.
&RA Passport New T&RA Passport Scheme. As a T&RA member, play any court in the country* without
paying the guest fee (max 4 times a year per club). See our fantastic new poster below designed by Tory Wall promoting this new scheme.
*conditions apply
&RA New Membership Deal Brand new deals and discounts to
encourage new membership This year we are offering a substantial discount in the
first year for all new members. We are offering 40 per cent off this year's subscription to encourage players to join. This is the equivalent of £22 per full member,
that joins and signs up to direct debit. The T&RA are also going to give a further 30% of the
subscription back to their primary club; which per full member works out as £16.50. New members will also receive a much desired T&RA sports towel.
If you are a new member and have joined since August 1st 2012, then we are honouring the benefits of
this scheme, on the basis that you have joined & filled in a DD form for future payment.
If you are already a cash paying member and feel like you are missing out, sign up to DD and receive £10 off
your next subscription. For more information contact our membership secretary, Claire Vigrass, at [email protected]
U
L
T
T