Annual Report 2020/21 Rackets
...The Latest Knott Stephens Tour
Seated L-R: Front Row: Stephen Merwin, Tennis & Racquet Club, Boston. Philip Stockton (Captain) Racquet and Tennis Club, New York. Parker Brickley, Racquet and Tennis Club, New York. Chapin Lee, Racquet Club of Chicago. Back Row: Scotty Paskerian, Tennis & Racquet Club, Boston. John D. Beam, Tuxedo Club, Tuxedo Park. Joseph A. Maiorana (Vice-Captain), Detroit Racquet Club. Devin J .Vrabel, Racquet Club of Chicago.
Stop 1: Bristol We arrived at Bristol Real Tennis Club Saturday morning, now experts on supersonic flight, ready for some games. We played mixed pairs for a few hours, joined by Reggie Williams (Rackets Professional at Clifton College), James Blackburn aka. Blackers and Sam Beale, our Lead Host. That night, Nick Cooper hosted us for a Barbecue in celebration of Reggie’s birthday, and then the team explored the nightlife of Bristol with the help of the Clifton Boasters, priming us for our match the next day. Stepping on court the next morning Chapin Lee set the tone by simply stating: “I feel great actually.” Stop 2: Cheltenham After three days in Bristol, we moved on the M5 North to Cheltenham. At Cheltenham we were greeted by Karl Cook, Master in Charge and Mark Briers (Head Professional at Cheltenham College). To look at the “Old Cheltonian Winners” board is testament enough to the legendary players (J.A Stout, Duncliffe-Vines, NCW James, RCD Owens, AJ Coldicott) who have come through Cheltenham College. We paired up in Rackets against the Cheltonian Girls & Boys, played cricket in front of the Cathedral, and were treated to drinks and dinner at “The Spice Lodge.” Stop 3: Winchester We re-assembled after our night in Cheltenham and headed south for Winchester College. Standing in the Rackets Courts at Winchester, the first thing one notices
On behalf of the 2019 Knott-Stephens tour, we would like to thank Bill Stephens for creating a new way for players to discover the game of Rackets, and for establishing a powerful tradition that has lasted for more than 30 years. Starting when Bill and Jimmy Knott first toured around the UK together, to the 15 tours that have followed, it’s the one big chance for North American Rackets players to make a journey to the UK for 10+ days to play racquets. Following Jonathan Larken’s announcement from NARA on Bill’s retirement, as members of the last tour hosted by Bill, we were reminded of how lucky we were to be a part of it. We were 8: representing Chicago, New York, Boston, Tuxedo and Detroit.
are the incredibly high ceilings, the sound of the serve cracks across two courts set in parallel. We paired off against the Wykehamists, with Toby Calder and Ben Cawston generously marking matches. Post jet lag, PostBristol, our collective play was starting to fall into place. We had seen bounces at a handful of various courts, were familiar to concepts such as taking the first serve on the fault (“TAKEN!”) and having two serves to play with. After three hours of doubles, we were treated to a wonderful dinner in a barn, hosted by Nick Hubbard along with Wykehamists and our hosts in Winchester. We spent the morning touring the Winchester Cathedral & the Great Hall, playing fives, and finally finishing with lunch at the Wykeham Arms. Stop 4: Eton From Winchester, it was north to Windsor. Bill Stephens had left very specific instructions in the itinerary to “turn right at the burning bush, a wrought iron lantern on common lane near the Eton Fives Courts.” This level of cryptic specificity got us around England with ease. We were easy to spot as we were old, and not wearing Eton Jackets. Peter Brake (Head Professional) took us to the courts. We spent the afternoon hitting on the hallowed ground of Eton’s two courts, trying out Eton Fives nearby, followed by dinner with the Beaks (Masters) and an overnight at the Boarding Houses. A huge thank you to Peter, Richard, and Eton College for hosting our rag tag band of Rackets players.
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