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

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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 jt@jtbiz.com – 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 angusdavidwilliams@yahoo.co.uk

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 torywall@hotmail.com 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 membership@tennisandrackets.com

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