Annual Report 2020/21 Rackets
The Story of the Knott Stephens Tour 1989 - 2019 By Bill Stephens
I
first met Jimmy Knott in the mid 1980s when I was Secretary of the T&RA and “The Times” Correspondent on Rackets and Real Tennis (1983 - 1989).
Jimmy was part of an American Universities Court Tennis team visiting the UK on the Van Alen Tour, playing many of our clubs and competing against a joint team from Oxford and Cambridge for the Van Alen Cup, contested every 2 years either side of the Atlantic. We became close friends and he hosted me in the States many times.
sports did not have to entertain 2 “Blue Riband” tours in the same year.The first Knott Stephens Tour took place in 1989, captained by Simon Davies of Tonbridge (the history of all participants from the UK, the US and Canada, is attached). I confess to having been very “hands on”. I was so anxious that our first KS Tour would get off to a flying start that I rang our captain from my hotel half way down the River Nile at Luxor. He picked up with a groan and I was all hail and hearty, reminding him to get up to catch his plane. His reply was most uncomplimentary and he summarily slammed the phone down.
Jimmy had served in the US Marine Corps, following his family’s tradition. He had joined up to train as a fighter pilot in Pensacola, Florida, but was denied further service Our team had several star players (which was not in the with them because the medics found that his eyeball had agreement): Guy Barker and Ali Robinson,Public Schools been scratched by a Tennis ball at the NYR&TC. He had to Champions from Marlborough, who later became World transfer to tanks and served with them Doubles Champions, and Richard Jimmy and I admired the for 7 years. He told me a lot of it was in Montgomerie of Rugby, who had won the opportunities young Tennis mud upto his waist. His induction had Foster Cup (he is now Master-in-Charge players had on the Van Alen been with the Rocky Mountain Rangers at Eton). Our team did split up, as agreed, who took him up there and dropped him Tour and regretted that there until they arrived at the last destination, off at a remote spot with no possessions, was not an equivalent for Montreal, who boasted the remarkable telling him that they would come back pairing of David McLernon and Chris young Rackets players. for him after a week, during which he had Pickwoad, multiple championship to survive. He was later a Captain in the winners. Hearing that Barker and USMC Reserves instructing Winter Warfare and Arctic Robinson were arriving, they wanted a “Head to Head”. Survival in Greenland, also teaching skiing in Vail, Colorado. After 5 games, in the set to 5, the Canadian Amateur He died in 1995 in an agricultural accident on his farm in Champions just edged home. the Amish Country of Lancaster County, Pennsylvania. Some later Tours contained dramas. In 2001 our team Jimmy and I admired the opportunities young Tennis (led by Peter Kemp, son of the Deputy Headmaster of players had on the Van Alen Tour and regretted that Tonbridge and Master-in-charge, David) arrived in New there was not an equivalent for young Rackets players. York a few weeks after the shocking 9/11 terrorist attack We decided to remedy this and consulted the then NARA on the World Trade Center (both NARA and the T&RA President, Kevin Broderick (Detroit). He gave his approval decided that the Tour should go ahead). Peter took our in principle. Fortunately I then spent several months team straight down to Ground Zero to pay their respects, in New York, much of it in the Racquet and Tennis Club after which emotional and gruelling experience they looked where the Hon Sec, Clarry Pell, pointed out difficulties– for something to eat around Little Italy in Greenwich particularly that North Americans did not learn the sport Village, and heard a lively group creating atmosphere: they aged 13 at school, so the NA team would be whitewashed. were members of the New York Fire Department saying Luckily, I had taken part in the Queen’s Club Centenary “Thank you” to Fire Officers who had rushed to help from Quintathlon in 1986 (partnering the late Murray Sale of Out-of-State. Detroit–a fun, if not successful pairing, in the 5 sports!). The playing format was devised and organised by Garth One of our team, Lt Richard Palmer from Haileybury, was Milne, known as “The Quintathlon Formula” and I proposed subsequently killed in Army Service in Iraq. (Richard’s this to Clarry as the solution, based on club - level players Father, Brigadier Palmer, was Bursar of Haileybury). with 1 Brit and 1 North American taking on a similar pairing. That broke the deadlock and Clarry and I became firm Connections between the KS Tour and the Military, having friends. started with Jimmy Knott leading the first reciprocal KS Tour in 1991, were strengthened when Brigadier Andrew Jimmy and I decided on 8 per team, which would visit all Myrtle told me that the Army Rackets Association’s tour NARA Clubs for 2 nights each: Boston, NewYork, Tuxedo of the US had been cancelled and asking if I could fit in Park, Philadelphia, Chicago, Detroit and Montreal. It would his keenest Officer, Major James Illingworth of the Army take place every 2 years each way, dovetailed with the Air Corps (at the time flying helicopters over Bosnia). Van Alen Tours, so that hosts who often played both James (Wellington) was our Vice Captain in 1997 and was
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