March 14, 2026
- Riya Bharwad wins the LRTA Under 21 singles at Radley
- Godsill and Glasscock (almost!) win the Doubles Double
- CAMBRIDGE WIN AWAY AT MIDDLESEX!
- National League on Friday (17th)
- East Anglia Cup, 28/6/25 at Newmarket
- East Anglia Cup+ 2025 @Newmarket
- FLM IRPTA National League, Division 9: Final
- Leamington Visit Redux
CURTC v Old Rugbeians
The 2017/18 season got off to a competitive start against Old Rugbeains with a hard fought draw, 2 all.
The top doubles pair of 2 unrelated Firths, John and James, looked to be coming a close second against Oliver Buckley and Richard Bray when they were 5-3 down in the final set. In 2 closely fought earlier sets, shared 6-4, there was plenty of entertaining and high quality doubles. John and James regained their team work and clinched victory 6-5 in the last.
The second doubles match featured an all Cambridge affair of Stuart Laing and Simon Hirtzel for Rugby against the new pairing of Vix Harvey and Miles Hember. This also went to the final game in the 3rd set with Simon finding the Dedans to win against a chase of better than 2 yards.
The two singles were not quite as dramatic with Gerald Smith losing in 2 sets and Malcolm Howlett playing strongly winning in two to make sure the overall match was drawn.
The viewing gallery was put to good use for a delicious lunch provide by Katherine Firth – related to 2 of the players – and as always the Rugby match was very entertaining and played in excellent spirit.
Many thanks to Kees, Peter and Alex for organising and marking with their normal good humour.
Michael (Firth)
Thank You!
Kerry, the girls and I would like to thank you for the very generous gifts we have received. We were all totally over whelmed by each and everyone of you who attended either Friday or Saturday or both, and everyone’s kind words of encouragement they all mean a lot to us. We have settled in quickly to our new home and hoping the club will re-open on or around the 4th September. If any of you are visiting the north please pop and say hi.
I would personally like to thank the committee for giving me the junior role in the first instance and all the members who have helped me grow to my new position of head pro. With special thanks to Kees and Peter for all of their mentoring over the past 14 years.
Scott, Kerry, Darcie and Eadie.
CURTC Tayabali & White Champions League starts Tuesday, September 12
The Winners of the 5 T&W Singles League Divisions go head to head for CURTC bragging rights Schedule, Results…
UPDATE: Congratulations to Tayabali & White 2 – Simon White {c} / Guy Kirk / Duncan Hannay Robertson / Tom Hartley / Stuart Miller – who are the Winners of the 2017 CURTC Tayabali & White Champions League!!
Lottie Fullerton, Oxford University Tennis Club
Dear Members,
It is with great sadness that I inform you of the tragic death of Lottie Fullerton. Lottie was the Ladies Blues Captain of the Oxford University Real Tennis Team in February this year; those of you who follow our students will remember that Lottie was a well loved member of the Oxford team on more than one occasion. She will be greatly missed. Read More
The 2017-18 Graduate Cup
There are some significant changes to this year’s Graduate Cup including dates, eligibility, pricing and groupings for the draw.
***Entries close Saturday 7 October 2017***
The Graduate Cup is the CURTC’s premier handicap competition, first played in 1875. Below are the key dates, eligibility criteria and rules of the tournament.
* Eligibility
Over 18
Open to players with non-provisional handicaps
Results recorded against 4 different opponents since 1 June 2017
* Key Dates
Closing date for entries: Saturday 7 October 2017
Group Stage matches: Saturday 14 October 2017 – Saturday 2 December 2017
Last 16, Quarter Finals and Semi Finals: Friday 12-Saturday 13 January 2018
Grand Final: Saturday 17 March 2018 (Finals Day, sponsored by Hannay Robertson Financial Services)
* To Enter
Please sign up HERE: Maximum 64 spaces
* Payment
Senior members will be charged a one off court fee of £32 which will be debited from their Club account in the week following the closing date. For the knockout stages and finals, court fees will be added to members’ accounts in the usual way. Student players do not pay court fees but are expected to make every effort to play their group matches in a flexible and efficient way. Marking fees for the finals are sponsored by Hannay Robertson Financial Services.
* Format
The draw is for 64 players. There will be 16 groups of 4 players.
Players will be ranked in handicap order and divided into four divisions. A draw will take place and a player from each division will be drawn into each of the 16 groups, providing a representative for each of the four divisions in each group.
The Pros will, on request, block book courts for entire groups to play in one session.
In the event of a draw, group winners will be determined using the following criteria (in order): most matches won, most games won, fewest games lost, coin-toss!
The Group winners progress to the knockout stage of the tournament which will be drawn. There will be no cap on the maximum difference in handicaps.
All group stage matches are to be played between Saturday 14 October 2017 to Saturday 2 December 2017. Players are responsible for arranging their own matches.
Each match is “first to 8 games”, to be played off handicap and 40-all, not deuce and advantage. Results where the handicap difference is greater than 10 will not be input thus protecting the stronger players who progress to the knockout phase.
Before entering please ensure that you will be available to play ALL 3 of your group matches before the group stage ends on 2 December 2017. If you fail to play matches you disadvantage your fellow group members!
We strongly encourage members to book all their matches by the end of October.
The 16 group winners from the group stage will contest 3 rounds of the knockout competition on Friday 12 and Saturday 13 January 2018, which will produce our two finalists. These matches will be arranged by the tournament organisers.
The Handicap Committee will review the handicaps of the Group winners prior to the start of the knockout phase of the tournament.
The Grand Final will be played on Saturday 17 March, Finals Day sponsored by Hannay Robertson Financial Services. The tournament winner will also be eligible to enter the National Handicap Tournament in the autumn.
A group winner unable to play in the knockout stage will not necessarily be replaced with the runner-up from the same group. Rather, the “next best” runner-up from all of the groups will be selected using the following criteria (in order): most matches won, most games won, fewest games lost, coin-toss!
In the event that an issue(s) arises that is (are) not covered by the rules above, the matter will be decided by the Handicap Committee whose decision will be final.
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 is grateful for the support of our Sponsors…
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Giraffe Club: CURTC Alumni
You Told Us….