August 21, 2017
Sign-up, Sign-Up, Sign-Up
Follow links in the Fixtures list (leftmost in menu above) or link as follows to sign up for the 2017/18 Season Inter Club Matches or Club Tournaments. After sign-up you will receive a confirmation e-mail from curtc.fixtures
The 2017 Earthworks Cambridge Doubles League
Please let us know if you are interested in playing in the Earthworks doubles league (details below).
The 2017 Earthworks Cambridge Doubles League will commence at the start of October and finish early December. The team format will be the same as the Tayabali & White singles League except each team will only play each of the other teams once (i.e. not home and away) and as each evening will be for a total duration of 2 hours (6 p.m. to 8 p.m.), with each player on court for 1 hour 20 minutes, we suggest the provision of food and beverage will not be necessary.
The scheduling of match days for the various divisions is below.
Monday – Division 1 (Below 45)
Tuesday – Division 2 (45 – 55)
Wednesday – Division 3 (55 -65)
Thursday – Division 4 (65 -80)
Each team will play in 4 matches. On a given match day 3 of the 5 team members will be selected (by their captain) to compete. Each player will compete in 2 doubles matches ie with each of his/her two team mates against his/her opposite number. Each match will be off handicap and will be “the first to win a set to seven games”. All matches will be marked, the cost being £14.50 per person per evening includes marking & court fees
Please sign up HERE
With best wishes,
The CURTC Pros
A Fond Farewell to Scott & Kerry
An amazing array of cakes made the Hazard end of the Blue Court even more hazardous than usual on Saturday as we said farewell to Scott who is off to take up the position of Head Pro at Jesmond Dene. Of course we are sad to see Scott and Kerry go but it is great to see the progress that Jesmond are making to safeguard the future of their wonderful Court and Club.
Click on the image below for a better view…
ps We will be visiting Jesmond over the Bank Holiday weekend at the end of May to see how they are all getting on!
The Green Court in a New Light
Our fearless Senior Treasurer has installed an LED light on the Green Court. Note the the way the colour of the wall above the Penthouse changes from left (old lighting) to right (new light).
Farewell to Scott, Saturday 5th August 2017, 10:30 am – 12 noon
Please come and say farewell to Scott and wish him well as he and his family move to the most northerly of England’s RT Clubs, Jesmond Dene where Scott will be the new Head Pro. Tea and cakes will be served on court at about 10:30 prior to George Pearson, the CURTC President, wishing Scott and his family well, at around 11:00 am.
Please try and come along.
Tayabali & White League, 2017
Around 120 people from Handicap 11 to 93 played in The Tayabali & White League between January & July 2017.
We would like to congratulate you for making the T & W league so enjoyable over the season with the hosting of meals after the matches.
Furthermore, we would like to thank the Captains for their organisation of their teams & extend our gratitude to Simon White and to Imran Tayabali of T & W for their sponsorship.
Congratulations to the division winners (listed below) who will now have the opportunity to battle against each other in the Champions’ League in the last 3 weeks of September.
Division 1
Kings,
Julian Stafford, Jimmy Campbell & Andrew Petrie
Division 2
Grillers,
Robin Faux (c), Howard Mason, Grattan MacGiffin, Peter Morrison & Nigel Parslow
Division 3
Tayabali & White 2,
Simon White (c), Guy Kirk, Duncan Hannay-Robertson, Tom Hartley & Stuart Miller
Division 4
Hit n’Hope,
Richard Bowers (c), James Dowson, Simon Hirtzel, James Stevens & Richard Brown
Division 5
Mainwallers,
Tony Peckham, James Keatley, Peter Cowley & Alex Peake
Apologies to anyone we have missed out who filled in for these teams
Peter
ps On behalf of all the players, many thanks to Peter for his tireless organization, all the Pros for their expert marking and T & W for making it all possible.
Farewell to Scott
All members, past and present will be sad to know that Scott will soon be leaving CURTC to take up the position of Head Professional at Jesmond Dene, Newcastle. Although he will be missed by all who know him, this is a very exciting move for Scott and his family. His last day at work will be the 4th of August.
We hope to have a farewell event for Scott at the end of the Autumn term, when the students are back, in the meantime you may wish to say your own farewells.
East Anglia Cup
Cambridge need a bit of help. Go Ian!
First up was Vix against Richard Dunn of Newmarket and a crucial game it turned out to be. Vix dug herself out of a hole at 4-1 to get back to 6-all before Richard edged it 8-6. Vix had another tough loss against the experienced Grandpa Vigrass but came storming back against Hatfield’s Richard Williams. Andy Smith was in fine form winning his three matches and the Doubles combo of yours truly defeated the Hatfield and Newmarket pairs, the latter match being interrupted by a visit from the fire brigade following a direct hit on the alarm from an errant forehand. But alas we came unstuck against the Rose Bowl winning pairing of Prested’s Ian Hawkey & Bryan Eaton. In fact, we did a reverse Vix by letting a 4-2 lead slip before getting back to 6-all and then losing the last two games. This proved to be the difference in the tally which saw Prested retaining the EAC with the final Score being: Prested 14, Cambridge 12, Hatfield 8 & Newmarket 2. Congratulations to Prested! We look forward to next year when we are off the Hatfield.
Click on images below for larger versions where you can actually see…
On Court from the EAC
2017 EAC Winners: Prested
This year we expanded the EAC to two days with the EAC Plus for 60+ handicappers on Sunday. This proved to be a three way match up with Hatfield pipping Prested to be the inaugural winners.
Double Header!
CURTC 1+ – 2+, The Dedanists
Previously, the G men (Guy Kirk & Gratts MacGiffin) and Andy Smith had showed exemplary hospitality by letting our visitors win the 2nd set having comprehensively won the first. That was enough for Andy who promptly won the deciding set. The G men seemed determined to get to a 5-All, 40-All finish but were thwarted after probably the best rally of the match ended up in the Dedanists favour with the score only ’40-30′. Amanda then took an even more generous approach by letting her opponent recover from 4-0 in the 1st and 4-1 in the 2nd.
Click on the images below for larger versions of some on-court shots
CU Ladies vs RTC, Doubles
CURTC vs The Dedanists, 17/6/17
And then of course there was lunch….
Lunch…
Did someone say Lunch?
CURTC Ladies vs RTC Ladies (& Nick)
To finish off a gruelling term of exams, the CURTC ladies took on the RTC Ladies in Cambridge on Saturday. Ellie McAleese debuted for Cambridge at 9:00am on the Green court against Alison Cryer of RTC (don’t worry… the wonderful new 2017/18 Ladies Captain, Olivia Chesser, was also at the courts at the start of that early May week hour). Unfortunately McAleese was unable to hold off Cryer, going down 8-5. Cambridge’s Linnea Gradin played Nick Hyams and engaged in a very tight tussle, going game for game. Unfortunately Gradin finally went down 8-6. Gradin and McAleese then teamed up for doubles, but the singles results were repeated and they lost 8-4 to the RTC pair.
In sweltering heat, the afternoon session kicked off with a doubles match between Carina Mouritsen-Luxhoj and Lucy Barrett of CURTC vs Sarah Lambie and Alex Soltynski of RTC. The RTC team took no time to warm up winning 8-2. Mouritsen-Luxhoj then took on Soltnski on the Green court, while Barrett took on Lambie in the heat of the Blue Court. A lack of court time over the exam period showed for Barrett, losing 8-4 to a very tough opponent in Lambie. Unfortunately Mouritsen-Luxhoj shared the same fate, despite producing some incredible shots into the dedans and being a point away from a game on several occasions, she went down to Soltynski 8-0.
We would like to thank the RTC team for making the journey to Cambridge and to Nicola Doble for all the organising that made it possible for this to happen (I hope we see you next time and maybe even reverse the results!) . Also thanks to Christie and the Pros for miraculously fitting us into a very tight schedule on Saturday.
CURTC get Stuck on M4 and come Unstuck on Court
Lo-Tech
Hi-Tech
We didn’t do much better as we raced to a 6-1, 5-1 deficit. We clambered back to 5-all but that was it and we were left with the thought that we had doubled CURTC’s games won even if we had done nothing for the sets won. Guy and Kate also managed a 6-5 but we were facing a whitewash as Kate took to the Court for the final match. While I consoled myself with some lunch Kate got serious and I looked up to see a 5-0 lead. Returning to the Dedans to support in person did cause a slight hiccup, but Cambridge finally won a set! And then another to at least get Cambridge to 1 in the Win column.
Many thanks to our hosts, especially Colm O’Shea the HRTC MM amd John Evans the HRTC Pro for marking. We look forward to doing a bit better when HRTC visit next year!
Click on the image below so you can actually make out what is going on…
Kate Kirk, Julian Stafford, Jules Camp, Guy Kirk -CURTC vs HRTC- Chris Figg (playing Kate), John Evans (Marker), Colm O’Shea (MM)
CURTC Overcomes all from North & South
May 20th saw the Eggs & Bacon team (MCC) arrive in Cambridge for the first leg of their ‘Fens weekend’. In spite of a last minute hiccup due to a missing bottle of white*, CURTC came out on top 5-4 after an excellent afternoon of tennis and extended lunch.
The following day, the recently reinvigorated Jesmond Dene squad were in town on the second leg of their ‘Fens weekend’. BTW, the uncertainty about the Court at Jesmond has been resolved as the Club has a long term lease on the Court and the attached house. Great news!
And last, this Bank Holiday weekend, our intrepid travellers visited Queens and came out on top 3-1, again after some splendid tennis on a Court which plays surprisingly (to me at least) differently to our trusty Green & Blue.
Results as far as I can remember, apologies for any errors…
CURTC 5 – 4 MCC @Cambridge
Gary Weller lost to Tom Carew Hunt 6/5 5/6 4/6
Guy Kirk lost to Robert Kilgour 0/6 4/6
Vix Harvey lost to Graeme Marks 2/6 6/4 3/6
Mark Perriton def Ben Pilgrim 6/2 6/5
Alex Wright def Nick Jeffery 2/6 6/2 6/5
Nigel Parslow lost to Tony Friend 6/3 2/6 6/5
Gary Weller & Mark Perriton lost to Tom Carew Hunt & Ben Pilgrim 4/6 4/6
Anthony Bailey & Vix Harvey def Robert Kilgour & Graeme Marks 6/0 6/0
Anthony Bailey & Guy Kirk def Tony Friend & Nick Jeffery 5/6 6/2 6/4
CURTC 4 – 3 Jesmond Dene @Cambridge
Fiona & Simon (KK photos)
Anthony Bailey def Tony Harrison 6/3 6/3
Simon Hirtzel lost to Fiona Harrison 3/6 6/5 4/6
Nicholas Heath lost to Nick Thompson 6/1 5/6 5/6
James Thomas def Richard MacAlister 6/2 6/4
Anthony Bailey & Julian Stafford def Alan Douglas & Nick Thompson 5/6 6/4 6/5
Gary Weller & Julian Stafford def Alan Douglas & Richard MacAlister 6/4 6/5
Guy Kirk & Kate Kirk lost to Fiona Harrison & Tony Harrison 4/6 6/1 5/6
CURTC 3 – 1 Queens @Queens
Anthony Bailey lost to Tony Penny
Simon Hirtzel def Emmanuel Gueroult 1/6 6/2 6/4
Andrew Petrie def Nick Browne 3/6 6/2 6/4
Amanda Murphy def Charlotta Ginman 6/3 6/4
…and special thanks to our Pros and Simon for some seriously extended marking!
*It was consumed in a good cause. More details shortly…
Real Tennis Fitness Pilot – FREE TRIAL (CURTC members)
CURTC is hosting an exciting new agility class on Monday 29 May at 4pm on the Green court. The aim of the class is to improve your footwork, speed and agility.
SOCA SKIP is a rope skipping class designed and run by Fronzie Charles an elite athlete and former world champion Taekwondo legend.
There will be music from the Caribbean carnival, skipping, stretching and strength work. This class is as challenging as you make it and accessible to all levels of fitness.
You need trainers, flexible clothing (gym kit/ tennis kit is fine) and a towel.
This is a pilot project which we hope will bring different members of the club together and offers a chance to improve your agility and fitness.
To book: email curtcpros@gmail.com
Numbers are limited.
Medical/ Care information: please give details of any medical, health or other care information that the club needs to be aware of.
CURTC v PHRTC at Prested – Sat 6 May 2017
Honours were well and truly even after CURTC’s visit to Prested this weekend!
| CURTC | Prested Hall | Result | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Andrew Petrie | 27 | Matt Potter | 19 | 10/4 |
| Howard Richardson | 68 | Dr Mark Bellis | 66 | 5/10 |
| Simon Hirtzel | 63 | Bruce Hogarth-Jones | 63 | 10/8 |
| Howard Mason | 52 | Mike Cotton | 54 | 4/10 |
| Catherine Stewart | 86 | Louise Richardson | 80 | 6/10 |
| Gillian Moore | 75 | Mike Stockley | 76 | 10/3 |
Marker: Ged Parsons, PHRTC
3 handicap points for Home Court advantage
Match Result: CURTC, 3 – 3, Prested
Total Games for CURTC 45, Total Games for PHRTC 45
Match Manager: Howard Richardson
Stream Team being outdone?
Wellington, the lapis lazuli court and newest addition to the Round-Britain-Can-You-Play-The-Lot-In-A-Year challenge, has got a drone!
Our Stream Team have produced some amazing coverage of some incredible matches, but this adds a whole new dimension. Wonder if hitting a drone is equivalent to a winning gallery?
www.facebook.com/wellingtonrealtennisclub/?hc_ref=NEWSFEED
post ‘Racketathon’ Update
Neil Stutchbury (off-court)
The marathon itself was a fantastic experience with thousands of people lining the whole route, shouting and screaming everyone’s names as they ran past. I’ll never forget the moment when I turned the corner onto Tower Bridge with the towers gleaming in the sunlight, a sea of runners bobbing in front of me and a cacophony of noise surrounding me. The first half was OK, but the miles thereafter seemed to tick by ever so slowly. The final five miles were really tough, but I kept up my pace despite having to swerve round those walking, throwing up or collapsing in front of me! In the end I was the 13,187th to cross the line (out of c.40,000) and just managed to squeeze under four hours (3:59:19), which I was well-pleased with, especially after such an interrupted training period in the weeks before.
Thanks again to everyone who sponsored me. If you haven’t and still want to sponsor me, the site will be open until 23 May – check out my Just Giving site:
www.justgiving.com/fundraising/Neil-Stutchbury
Neil
Varsity Captains’ Challenge (and AGM)
Amanda chooses ‘White’ leaving Jimmy with the ‘Red’
Nonetheless, Jimmy rattled off the first two games including a Winning Gallery as Amanda (Murphy) worked out not playing shots was actually more important than playing them and she promptly reeled off the next 4 games. The quantity (if not the quality) of the advice for Jimmy was ramping as he found his range plus an number of edges and ledges round the court as he met Amanda’s 4 games and raised her one to lead 7-4 in the Pro set.
At this point the Dedans starting baying for a Grille which Jimmy obliging went for and duly missed on several occasions. Again, Amanda was deftly leaving everything she didn’t need to play and thumped a few she did need to causing Jimmy to look a little rattled. 7-All, 40:30 Amanda and Jimmy plays one right down the middle of the Court. ‘Leave it’ was the silent roar from the Dedans not that Amanda needed any reminding. It fell Four giving Amanda this year’s bragging rights, the choice of the red or white wine and avenging Sophie’s narrow loss by the same score last year.
Many thanks to our valiant Captains and Peter for coolly marking some tight calls.
 Amanda |
 Jimmy |
Click on the Thumbnails for much larger images!
*Several brave souls attended the AGM and asked some pertinent questions (and got some answers too). The bottom line is that the Club had a successful year on and off Court and has a number of new initiatives which hopefully will become apparent in and around the Club over the next few months. We welcome Vix Harvey as a new Committee member but sadly will miss Jane Philmore, Johnathan Spence & Bernie Carpenter who have stepped down.
Brigands share the spoils
CURTC, 2 – 2, Brigands
Inter-club matches are a great way the expand your tennis and help with your handicap. The way things work is: The Away (visiting) team is matched as closely as possible in terms of handicap by the Home team. (In recent matches the player handicaps have ranged from the low teens through to the high 80’s!) While this means we can’t always accommodate all who sign-up for Home matches, signing up for an Away match all but guarantees a game. Any Club member can (and is encouraged to) sign-up.
Upcoming
CURTC AGM @6pm on Thursday April 27th followed by the Captain’s Challenge when Jimmy ‘The Beard’ and Amanda ‘The Hat’ will battle in the 2nd (hopefully) annual match between our Varsity Captains. There will be refreshments!
The Club has a number of interesting matches coming up including a visit to Prested on Saturday, May 6th. World Champs Claire & Rob Fahey are now the Pros at Prested. Please SIGN UP if interested.
Cambridge vs Manchester National League Live Stream: Starts @5:30pm
Cambridge vs Manchester, National League, Thursday 13th @5:30pm
Manchester visited for a Club match on Sunday and will be back in the form of their National League Elite/Premier Division team to take on our very own Ed Kay and Jamie Giddins. This is Cambridge’s last home match of the season so please come along to the Club and support if you possibly can!
CURTC, 5 – 2, MRTC
Meanwhile Jimmy the Beard was proving to be the perfect host by letting Glen Maxwell win the 1st set quickly and easily but again there was a not so subtle wind shift and The Beard went on a roll with some great defence on both sides of the net. Eve Shenkman (the Oxford Ladies #2) proved too good and experienced for our last minute stand-in Freddy Crofts (thanks Freddy!). Continuing our recruitment efforts we spent some time in pointing out the advantages of post graduate study in Cambridge to Eve… Alex Evans was last up against Daddy (Simon) Shenkman. Again the match looked like an easy one for the Home team from the score but it was not! In the end Alex proved just that bit more consistent. We look forward to the return next year in Manchester (a must visit Club, BTW).
Ed vs Kieran Booth…
…Deciding rubber in the 2017 Bathurst Cup Final UK vs Oz. Thanks to Savannah Poolman for a Live Feed!!
Congratulations, Oz and Commiserations UK. Looks like it was an epic final!
Thanks to everyone who kept us in touch via tweets, live feeds, carrier pigeons, f’book…
Note to Self…
…Probably best not to arrange a 10am starting time for an away Club match, especially if you are playing in the first rubber, the day the clocks go forward…
Leamington 0 – 5 CURTC
Tennis got off to a slow start CURTC wise as I lost the 1st set to Leamington MM James Levy but we then went on a roll and reeled off 8 successive sets. I would like to say I wore my opponent down but it became increasingly clear as the match progressed that James was more concerned about the non-appearance of a) Ben, the Pro (feeling a bit ‘poorly’) and b) Lunch. Suffice it to say that Julie (Levy) stepped into the breach lunchwise and that we all wish Ben the best for a speedy recovery.
The next match was all CURTC in the form of the tweeter Kirk (Kate) until Kate had won the first 10 games. Kate then added an eleventh with an outrageous shot off the edge of the Penthouse and the Dedans wall to win a 2&3 chase with her opponent threatening. However, aforementioned opponent then produced an almost identical but even more outrageous shot for a Dedans ‘force’ via the same bit of Penthouse to finally take a game. Great stuff with much fist pumping amidst huge roars from the assembled spectators!
Prof was up next and having comprehensively lost the warm-up and the first two games suddenly started smashing and placing the ball over the place especially the place his opponent was not standing at the time. Several rallies literally used the entire court as backpedaling of a level not seen since the budget was in evidence on both sides of the net. I was marking this rubber using Frostie’s RT marker Pro while James worked on a) lunch, b) Ben and c) wine for the marker. There were a few hiccups and and acknowledgement of consistency for my efforts with the comment “I thought you called all the chases 1/2 a yard long”.
Bailey showing an urgency I’ve only seen before in proximity to a beer festival (oh…, wait a minute) kept the ball rolling literally and figuratively in CURTC’s favour. By this time the mysteries of the Leamington oven had been solved by Julie & Kate’s combined mastery and some ‘bon odeurs’ interfered with the concentration of those in the Dedans.
Felicity Sargeant (aka Fliss) finally got a set for our hosts with an astonishingly consistent attack on the server’s back hand corner. But Howard hung in there and started mixing things up a bit and gradually edged ahead but not without some of the best tennis played on the day. (Fliss is a student at Manchester and I strongly urged her to consider some post graduate study here in Cambridge).
An overexposed image of RT Marker Pro
Many thanks to our Leamington hosts, especially James & Julie, for a most enjoyable day of tennis and an excellent lunch. We look forward to seeing you back here in Cambridge and promise we will start at 11am in next year’s fixture.
20-29s Tournament
The 20-29s category tournament was held over the last couple of weeks, with just 3 entries (the bearded wonder was incapacitated after his trip to Krakow). In the round robin Matt Shaw topped the group, with Charlie D’Oyly second. However, in the final Charlie managed to overturn his loss in the group stage, winning 8-4. 
Hampton Court vs Cambridge National League
Cambridge’s permier league team travelled to Hampton Court last Friday to take on the team currently topping the table.
World number 5 Chris Chapman (who was owing 15) beat Ed Kay 5-6 6-3 6-2. Jamie Giddins continued his imperious form to beat Nick Hatchett 6-4 6-4, to ensure Cambridge took the tie.
Next up for Cambridge is the world champion pairing of Rob and Claire Fahey, away at Holyport on 4th April.
Following that, Cambridge’s will be hosting Manchester on Thursday, 13th April starting at 4:30pm in the Regular season finale. Please mark your diaries!
All support is most welcome as Cambridge continue to press for home court advantage in the knock-out stages!
CURTC Finals day….
…sponsored by Hannay-Robertson Financial Planning
 2017 CURTC Ladies Championship |
 CURTC Ladies + |
 50’s Final, Andy Smith vs Johnathan Becher |
 40’s Final, Alex Wright vs Chris Schramm |
 30’s Final, Pieter van Beesten vs Tim Poolman |
 60+ Final, Amanda Murphy vs Hugh Markus |
 “I’d love to have a beer with Duncan” |
Click on the Thumbnails for much larger images!
from the 2017 Pol Roger Trophy Final
The Team listen as Ed gives a speech…
 Cambridge Team |
 Queen’s plus… |
 2017 Pol Roger Trophy |
 Cambridge plus… |
Click on the Thumbnails for much larger images!
Pol Roger Trophy Final @RTC
CURTC’s Pol Roger Team with PR’s James Simpson
Prested Hall cat ‘F’ Open Championships 25/26 March
Prested Hall Real Tennis Club are holding an Open Championship for Category F handicap players, that is players with a handicap from 50 to 59, on the weekend of the 25th and 26th of March, and some on Friday the 24th if you can make that.
So far as possible, matches will be the best of 3 six game sets and will be in a knockout draw. Claire and Rob Fahey (World Champions and all-round nice people) are running it and have offered to help players travelling from eg Cambridge with a considerate match time. There is a good bar which does good food, and a swimming pool we can use between matches. They can even arrange accommodation for you.
Entries should be emailed to rt@prested.com NOW as the closing date is imminent. Cost is £34 (£22 for 28 and younger) payable now or on the day.
Pol Roger Trophy Final
CURTC will be playing the Queens club in the Pol Roger trophy final, starting at 10am on Sunday 12th March at Hampton Court Palace. Read More
CURTC Finals Day sponsored by Hannay Roberston Financial Planning, Saturday March 18th
Hopefully final schedule…. – All matches on Blue Court
- 50’s 10:15 Andy Smith vs Johnathan Becher
- 40’s 11:00 Chris Schramm vs Alex Wright
- 30’s 11:45 Pieter Van Beesten vs Tim Poolman
- CURTC Ladies Championship 12:30 Victoria Harvey vs Annie Plews
- 60+ ~13:20 Amanda Murphy vs Hugh Markus
Please come and support our worthy Finalists.
Lunch (Lasagna/Salad/Hot dessert), £7pp, is available but please sign-up HERE
CURTC is grateful for the support of our Sponsors…
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…and Supporters!
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Giraffe Club: CURTC Alumni
You Told Us….