Rob vs the Men’s Blues doubles then Edmund Kay, our top Blue

Kindly sponsored by NW Brown Group and Savills

Rob Fahey, the World Champion, laid on a masterclass of Real Tennis at Grange Road as he played first a doubles with three of the University’s Mens team and then took on our top Blue, Edmund Kay.

The doubles match was the first to 10 games and seemed to be going the Blues doubles way as they built up a 7-1 lead. Slowly it became evident that Rob and his partner were merely toying with their opponents as they pulled back, slowly but steadily, for maximum spectator enjoyment. Their opponents managed to creep in a couple of extra games as the score inched towards nine-all, and in a final flurry Rob and his partner took the match.

Having already played a cracking set of doubles our Blues number one, Edmund, took on Rob Fahey in a match of ferocious balls diving into corners and a fair bit of sweat breaking out on their foreheads. It was clear that at a 15-owe-15 handicap advantage, Rob was not going to be able to relax at his end of the court, and there were a few mutterings under Rob’s breath as the latest of Ed’s returned balls was dealt with. However, if Rob was surprised by Ed’s skill of shot he didn’t let it affect the grace of his shots, other that a propensity to his winning gallery shots an inch or two short into the Hazard Second gallery.

Plates of Kees’s homemade humous and some of the french pate, served with red or white wine by Venetia and her assistants went down fabulously as we all enjoyed a magnificent evening of tennis, courtesy of our generous corporate sponsors, Savills and the NW Brown group

Tom Hartley

Rob’s partner, Matt, serving