Free Taster Sessions!
Membership of CURTC is open to all, very much town as well as gown. We love welcoming new members of any age. This ancient and intriguing game is fast or slow, tactical, subtle and addictive. One of our professionals (Kees, Peter and Mark) is usually here 9am – 5pm on weekdays or 9am – 12 noon on Saturdays, they will be happy to explain and encourage.
We offer free taster lessons in small groups usually on the first and third Wednesday each month at 12:30pm and 5 or 6pm. Just register your interest with the pros, in person, by telephone, 01223 357106 or by email curtcpros@gmail.com
A Right Real Tussle! CURTC visit Lords
1st Rubber 4/6 6/4 6/5
Despite atrocious stormy weather, fallen trees and cancelled trains outside, proceedings commenced with CURTC Aussie and S African internationals Charles Norbury and Josh Elliott (46.8/45) facing up to MCC’s forceful hitters Forman headband Wickes and Simon Heilpern (39.3/39.2). Radar off and overhitting combined for CURTC to deftly take the first set 4/6, to be countered by more composed side wall placement and mixed pace serves for MCC to reverse that trend 6/4. With time short the match went straight to 4/4, and with some forceful well timed shot making MCC prevailed 6/5. Already strange sounds were emitting from the lesser spotted Leeper in the Dedans which were translated as supporting bellows for MCC.
So MCC squeeze in 1-0….
2nd Rubber 4/6 6/3 5/6
MCC member since 1989 Christie Marrian and Simon White (43.5/50.7) started strongly for CURTC despite Christie doing the splits early on (judges unimpressed giving mostly 4’s and 5’s) and took the first set from Paul Cattermull and Kate Evers (39/45) 4/6.
Super volleying and boasting helped a strong second set for MCC 6/3, but both pairs raised their games to take things to a sudden death 5/5 game 3rd set, 40-40 and CURTC prevailed!
Match status MCC 1-1 CURTC…
3rd Rubber 6/3 6/5
Alex Ridgeon and Freddie Double cricket blue Kottler (64/60) then took on the vocal pairing of Piers Vacher and south paw James Leeper (64/70)…good all round foot movement and lobs and retrieving saw a comfortable victory for MCC 6/3 6/5.
Match status MCC 2-1 CURTC
4th Rubber 6/4 1/6 5/6
Tom Nicoll and Simon White (53/50) took on the craft and knowhow of Ollie Wise and Jonathan Ellis-Miller (56/53) and although CURTC lost the first set 6/4 they settled in to a solid response with a good second set 1/6 winning a number of long rests. And again time was tight and the chicken curry had arrived in the Dedans so a 3rd set started at 3/3, and yes another 5/5 40-40 game and match point and my oh my CURTC took the mango chutney spoils again 5/6. Jonathan will retell his shot of the day countless times with technical drawings so I am not going to bore you with it here :).
Match status MCC 2-2 CURTC and all naan bread to play for…
5th Rubber 1/6 5/6
CURTC combined the savvy of Ian Glasscock with the youth (17) of Francesca Riddall Bell (61/65) to rather comprehensively blitz MCC’s Fergus Boyd and Peter Brunner (63/62.9) before they knew where their papadums were… ouch 1/6 5/6.
Match status MCC 2 -3 CURTC
6th Rubber 6/4 6/5
For the deciding Rubber of the squirly whirly windy day CURTC sent back in their youthful multi sportsmen Josh Elliott and Freddie Kottler (45/60) to face the slightly less mobile Graeme Marks and octopus arms of Nigel Smith (49/56)…CURTC burst to a 0/4 lead before MCC had noticed, and then used side walls and bobble serves to climb back and pinch the set 6-4. After a similarly strong start CURTC carved a 0-3 game lead before MCC again woke up, with Graeme managing 4 direct Dedans returns of serve in 5 serves…..and suddenly with Nigel’s guile and steady hand MCC had stolen victory from defeat 6/5.
And finally the summary details… MCC win 8 sets, CURTC 7, 3 Rubbers go to 3 sets, and 3 also went to 5/5 40-40, and overall 3-3 honours even, The Governor vino (much) enjoyed!
Graeme Marks, MCC Match Manager
Spot the difference…
CURTC Ladies Championship, 2024
Ulla Petti & Ellie White
Both sets went to 4-all with Ellie winning both sets 6/4.
Kees
ps YouTube link to recording of the match HERE
CURTC Has A New Member!
Enjoy a Cuppa Joe in the CURTC Clubroom before or after a game for an introductory price of only £1.50. Please make a note of your cuppa in the Honesty Book and if you could include your membership number that would be a huge help!
CURTC Student Tournament
On Saturday 16th November, we held a Student Tournament, aiming to give new players an opportunity to play more competitive (but friendly) tennis. The dual promise of pizza to eat and Champagne to win was successful as usual, and we had 10 eager participants, with handicaps ranging from 40 to 85.
We split into three groups, and matches were played on both courts. Ehren Agarwal, Martha Jameson, and Grey Godsal were our group winners, mixing consistent serving with deft quality. As best second place players, Arthur King and Miguel Carr played a quarter final, and despite Arthur’s tricky railroads and clean striking, Miguel’s excellent returning sent him through. Now down to four players, a semi-final was played on each court. On the Blue court, Grey converted his handicap advantage to overcome Ehren, and on the Green Court, in our only level match of the day, it was a battle between strong serves, where Martha prevailed thanks to her crosscourt returns.
The final capped off the day well – Grey and Martha settled into a game of excellent rallies. Balls flew into the dedans off both rackets, and Grey’s consistency paid off, finally winning 6-2. Both players gratefully received bottles of Champagne, generously provided by Pol Roger! Many thanks to everyone who came along and played in good spirits, with particular thanks to the Giraffe Club supporting the afternoon!
Oliver Anderson-Shah, CU Men’s Captain
Hobbsy at the British Open!
CURTC Pro, Mark Hobbs is competing in the British Open. His first-round match promises to be very exciting against a young American, Ned Batstone (11 handicap), on Wednesday the 13th of November with a scheduled start of 4.30pm.
Everyone is welcome to come along to Queens to spectate or watch via the live stream. Ticket and stream details can be found HERE.
CURTC Doubles Championship, 2024
Simon & Richard, 2-8, Christie & Alan
There was a record turn-out of 16 pairs for this year’s edition of the CURTC Doubles Championship with the winners being eligible to represent CURTC in the Callender Cup held over the first weekend in November at Wellington College. The group stage comprised of 4 groups with the winners going through to the semi-finals. So congrats to Alan Sharpe & Christie Marrian who won Group A by a slender if not technically the narrowest possible margin, Gerald Smith and Steve Chadwick who emerged from Group B, Dave Isherwood and Marcus Cloke Browne from Group C and Simon Aldous and Richard Lloyd from Group (you guessed it) D who sensibly played all their matches on the first Tuesday evening in September.
Full results are HERE
Sadly the first semi was a walk-overdue to some unfortunate travel plans but the second was an 8-7 nail biter with the Group D winners prevailing. This set up the Final with the Group A winners conceding a daunting handicap to Simon & Richard. Some canny pre Final practicing by both pairs resulted in a fairly dismal warm-up which even the marker (thanks, Mark!) couldn’t resist commenting on. The match itself proved of a far higher quality with some extended rallies and a series of 40-all games (9, if memory serves me well) 8 of which were won by Alan and Christie whose nerves were, in my case at least, somewhat shredded by the time Mark took the photo above! Simon & Richard hung in there and the match was a lot closer than the score line suggests.
Next year we hope for an even better turn-out and we will attempt to facilitate the playing of all of a Group’s matches in a block booking!
NtVM10
NtVM10 Saturday
Over 41 matches, the Lighter Shade of Blue prevailed in the 10th Anniversary ‘Not the Varsity Match’ between alumni of our place and the other place. Highlights were too many too mention but congratulations are due to those with 100% records including Ulla Petti, Chris Lintott, Jonathan Clark and other(s) whose name(s) escape(s) me. However, as it not unusual, the MVP trophy went somewhat off piste but with worthy winners in Daniel-Konrad Cooper and Sarah Lambie, clearly the Most Valuable Parents.
NtVM10 Saturday evening and Sunday
Many thanks to Kees and Peter who put in marathon marking stints over the two days. Also thanks to the Kitchens and Catering staff at St Johns for a dinner worthy of such a milestone along with Team Bailey for the design of the splendid shirts. And of course special thanks to our sponsor Pol Roger for their generous support and encouragement.
We look forward to the next of these encounters at the twin Courts of Radley and Oxford in a year’s time.
Link to a Google Photos Album of the individual photos from above
and Link to the Full Results
and finally the NVtM10 Caption Competition…
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Jin is on the Road!!
This past Wednesday was an absolute blast, with an incredible mix of real tennis action, delicious food, and fantastic company! Our star attendees—Christie Marrian, Rupert Kirby, James Squire, Ulla Petti , Alan Sharpe, Andrew Petrie, and Barnaby Perks—brought their A-game to the court, striking the perfect balance between competitive spirit and sheer fun.
The real highlight, though, was our very own Pro, Kees’s cooking. The Sri Lankan cuisine was nothing short of extraordinary, filling us up with vibrant flavours and leaving us stuffed but craving more. And a special shoutout to Christie for the excellent wine selection—your contribution truly elevated the evening. Just when we thought we couldn’t eat another bite, we were treated (I have forced everyone) to apple and summer berries crumbles. I’m certainly ready for the long ride / nap.
It is my pure joy to be part of such a warm and welcoming community. I left the night not just carb-loaded and ready for the ride, but with my heart full of the overwhelming support. Thanks to everyone’s generosity, we’re smashing our fundraising target!
And just in case you missed it, Jin’s donation page is still open:
ride.biketheukforms.org/pf/jin-seok-lee-6450b.
Here’s to more nights like this and an amazing ride ahead!
Jin
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Tennis/Pedal Power for a Purpose! Support Jin’s Lôn Las Cymru Adventure!
CURTC Student Trip to Paris & Fontainebleau
At the start of July, a small group of students travelled under the Channel to France. Their intention? To play tennis in the country of its creation, renew links between clubs, and lay the groundwork for a larger trip of representative students in the future.
After experiencing a little more Belgian countryside than expected, outgoing women’s captain Stacey, Phoebe, and myself arrived in Paris – soon seeing evidence of Olympic preparation. With a packed schedule of Tennis, we were on court within a few hours, having passed near the Arc de Triomphe which was sporting the Paralympic logo! We spent a couple of hours getting used to playing tennis two floors up – practising our serves and some back wall drills borrowed from Kees.
The next day, we journeyed to the beautiful Château de Fontainebleau – home to the largest court in the world; apparently it was intended to be suitable for three players at each end! Having walked through the grounds, we located the court by hearing the sound of a ball on the back wall! Guillaume (their lovely pro) had kindly organised singles, but the highlight was when he generously stepped in to play doubles with the Cambridge contingent!
On our third day we returned to the Paris court, where Rod (the wonderful Pro) had in absentia organised a mammoth day of Tennis – we used the court from 10 am to 6 pm! First up was my singles match against a fit and fast Frenchman, and after many deuces the score ended at 7-6 to Cambridge. Next was a doubles tournament, comprising one Cantabrigian pair, one Parisian pair, and one mixed pair. There were many impressive comebacks and numerous 4-3 victories, as the mixed pair of Stacey and Damien prevailed! We sampled a traditional Croque Monsieur for lunch, after which the Cambridge women took centre stage. Stacey played an experienced opponent, but proved too strong with her consistent serving and movement around the court, winning 6-3. Phoebe volleyed exceptionally during her match, and earned a deserved 6-3 victory.
Finally, despite giving away 10 handicap points, Phoebe and Stacey served up a double bagel with a strong display, and we hope for a potential rematches in future to demonstrate our progress! Having played many rests over accumulative 25 hours on court, we all enjoyed a rest on our onward journeys – and are all very much looking forward to more real Tennis next year.
Our memories of playing real tennis at these unique and historic courts well last forever, and we hope that our new friends from across the channel will visit us at home in Cambridge. We intend to organise a larger tour for students in future years, with more players and extending south to Bordeaux to represent the students of CURTC. Currently all the students started their real Tennis journey at our club, which is an achievement to celebrate, and we believe a future tour will encourage more strong racquet players to join the club, strengthening us for future years.
Oliver Anderson-Shah, CURTC Varsity Captain 24/25
A Tale of Two Countbacks: Day 2 Sunday
Hello again, it’s me, Brooke the dog, with a rather second-hand report from Div II of The East Anglia Cup between the hosts Hatfield, Newmarket, Prested and Cambridge. Mrs Revier couldn’t be there while Mr Revier travelled on that awful motorcycle of his. I’m a German Shepherd with no little dignity. I was not to be found howling down the A1 at 7.30 in the morning but I’ve met with those that did and I’m told they enjoyed the day. On the Saturday Cambridge’s Div I team had lost on countback but Sunday was even closer. The day’s a non-stop series of first to six or the half hour matches with just enough time between to lock up solid.
The Cambridge team was Alasdair Bovaird, Kate Kirk, James Dowson and Mr Revier who normally starts every day with an all too strong cappuccino but not today. This might account for his miserable showing in the day’s opening match, an 8.40 start and a 6/2 loss. He was, though, to make up for it later. The rest of the team then delivered better performances with each, including him, winning two of their three matches putting them in with a chance, especially with two of those wins, not his of course, being 6/0. It’s no surprise his performances improved markedly after a team meeting over coffee next door.
No result was predictable which, I’m told, added to the fun. Hatfield were on court for the day’s last three matches. A win in any would give them the title and none was against Cambridge. They then managed to lose the first two. It was all down to the last match and we’re Cambridge, valiant runners-up and all that. We expected to lose. It’s what we do. We waited until the end more in hope than anticipation. In the day’s last match Hatfield’s Darren Isted faced Newmarket’s Jonathan Becher and before you say anything I know Jonathan’s a member at Cambridge too. Their styles couldn’t have been more different. Darren’s all action, running everywhere, which Jonathan is, erm, loathe to do. Where was our money ? I’m afraid the Cambridge contingent weren’t hopeful. And then the game started. Jonathan delivered a masterclass in understated tennis and came out a comfortable winner leaving a pleasantly surprised Cambridge with the Div II title.
Mr Revier’s come home like a dog with a new bone. He’s always liked playing at Hatfield and the day’s result has left him horribly high. So much so that I’m about to take him out for a walk in the cool of the evening to calm him down. On that walk he’ll tell of Hatfield’s welcome and the effort put in by Robin, their captain on the day, and how beautiful the court and, indeed, the whole setting is and I’ll smile benignly while he repeats himself which he does these days. He really does. Bless him.
Alasdair, James, TK and Kate’s avatar
 The Cup at Home, part 1… |
 …and part 2 |
Brooke
EAC Honours Boards
| EAST ANGLIA CUP | EAST ANGLIA CUP PLUS | |
|---|---|---|
| 2007 | Cambridge | |
| 2008 | Prested Hall | |
| 2009 | Prested Hall | |
| 2010 | Prested Hall | |
| 2011 | Prested Hall | |
| 2012 | Prested Hall | |
| 2013 | Cambridge | |
| 2014 | Hatfield House | |
| 2015 | Hatfield House | |
| 2016 | Prested Hall | |
| 2017 | Prested Hall | Hatfield House |
| 2018 | Hatfield House | Prested Hall |
| 2019 | Newmarket | Prested Hall |
| 2020 | No competition | No competition |
| 2021 | No competition | No competition |
| 2022 | Prested Hall | Prested Hall |
| 2023 | Cambridge | Newmarket |
| 2024 | Prested Hall | Cambridge |
A Tale of Two Countbacks: Day 1 Saturday
It was Hatfield’s turn to host the 2024 East Anglia Cup on the penultimate weekend of June. Sadly Hatfield were without a team which at least guaranteed the string of Home Club victories would end at 5. CURTC’s team set out for the 8:26 train to Hatfield except for Charles (first up at 9:50) who noted he’d take the earlier train just ‘to be sure’. And how right he was, as on arriving at the station, the 8:26am was nowhere to be seen as the inbound train had failed to get beyond Letchworth.
 Ben and Miles find a train |
 also en route |
Fortunately there were alternatives and we arrived just in time to see Charles turning the tide against his formidable Newmarket opponent, who’d (fortunately) had an 8+ point handicap reduction earlier in the week. Our Doubles pairing made every attempt to not win but ultimately failed and won 8-7. Miles kept going and completed the sweep. Next up was Prested and again Charles got us off to an excellent start so if we could just win one of the next two matches the cup would be making the return journey on Network Rail. However in more or less identical fashion we came agonisingly short in both. The buzzer (40 mins) went with the both match scores tied in games and Cambridge down the Hazard end and unable to complete the sudden death penalty shoot out/super over to our satisfaction.
 Go Newmarket! Charles, Ben & Miles do their best |
 Arghhh… +8 wins it! |
So we were reduced to cheering on Newmarket in their battle with Prested in the final match. Our cheering did not have desired effect in the first two matches but if Newmarket could win the last, the overall result would go to a games countback… Jon Fistein (Newmarket) and Josh Pike (Prested) played the match of the day which was finally edged by Jon 8/7. So out came the calculators to find that (unfortunately) Prested were three games to the good. So congratulations to them and Robin Mace from Hatfield for his superb organisation of a great day of tennis (and lunch).
Adam Phillips
Members will be very sad to learn that Adam Phillips has passed away. Adam grew up in Cambridge and started his apprenticeship at CURTC under Brian Church; longstanding members fondly remember his kindness, even from those early days. Adam went on to work at Canford, where he met a young Peter Paterson, then on to Hatfield and Lord’s. Many Blues teams will no doubt remember Adam’s encouragement and good humour when marking at the Varsity Match. I was delighted when he agreed to return to Cambridge in August 2020 after a long 33-year absence and he seemed thrilled to be back home.
Adam was a much-loved member of our Professional team and we will miss him.
Vix, CURTC President
The Chetwood* Trophy 2024, 15th/16th June @The Hyde
Saturday Morning Bruce Henning had to face two Simons, both comparatively new to the game, and improving quickly. Simon Benney found a devilish serve, that Bruce, as a southpaw on a foreign court, struggled to deal with. Simon Kirk on the other hand had the opposite problem, falling victim to Bruce’s spinney railroad. He did however overcome it, and both Simons progressed to the next round.
In the second group, Jon Pentreath and Alan Sharpe had a back and forth contest… either player could have won it, but Alan’s experience won the day. Charlie Wells came in with lowest handicap of the tournament, and proved why, as he railroaded Jon off the court. Alan faired better against Charlie’s railroad, and although Charlie found other serves to get the win, both players went through to the following day.
The final group was the closest of all. Rachel Hollington and Mary Joyner went back and forth in a quality display of tennis, with Rachel narrowly beating Mary. Richard Ramjane had to give some big handicaps to both the ladies, and they took full advantage with a barrage of superb volleys. Richard fought hard and played some good tennis, but on the day Rachel and Mary were too strong.
 CURTC at the Chetwood Trophy… |
 …Simon Kirk and Alan Sharpe |
Sunday continued to be a close affair. Simon Kirk had a very tight match against Alan Sharpe, a re-match of the Cambridge Handicap Final. Once again they were back and forth but Alan managed his nerves slightly better than Simon and narrowly won. Then Simon had another nail-biter against Mary. Either player could have won but Mary nicked it 8/7. To decide who went through to the final, Mary and Alan made it to 7 all, 40 all, there was a chase, and after a nervous 10 shot rally, Alan managed to put the ball away.
In the second semi-final group, Simon Benney couldn’t find an answer to Rachel Hollington’s demi-pique, and when he did get a chase, Rachel would very quickly volley her way back to the service end. Simon played incredibly well against Charlie, finding himself in the lead at various points, but Charlie played out of his skin to overcome the handicap and the rockets that Simon was firing at him. The last group game was another grudge match; Charlie and Rachel had played one-another in the Leamington handicap final. Charlie started off very relaxed, and won the first game comfortably, but that was the only time he looked comfortable. Rachel started to hit some incredible returns, and Charlie found himself 4-1 down. He battled back, and not for the first time we had 7/7 40/40 on the scorecard. It was decided by Rachel firing in a return that Charlie couldn’t get back.
 Alan |
 Finalists: Alan and Rachel Hollington |
In the final, Rachel kept her momentum going, chasing everything down and hitting winners every opportunity she could. Unfortunately for Alan, a previous injury had come back to haunt him in the semi-final. Had he run down all of Rachel’s shots like he had in the previous matches, this could have been a very close affair, but Rachel’s pressure was relentless and she deserved the win.
It was a great weekend of tennis. Out of 15 matches, 5 were 8/7, and 3 were 8/6 with two 7/7 40 alls to decide the finalists. It felt like anyone could have won the tournament, and it was no surprise that they were all finalists in their club competitions. What’s more, is that we had a lovely atmosphere, with everyone showing great camaraderie, being good sports on and off the court. I would like to thank all the competitors and their supporters for visiting The Hyde and making this such an enjoyable tournament. I would also like to thank the T&RA for their support and sponsorship, and a final congratulation to Rachel Hollington for a well deserved victory!
Jez Brodie, Head Pro, The Hyde
*The Chetwood Tropy is an annual competition for the winners and runners-up of the UK’s Real Tennis Clubs’ Handicap Singles Tournaments. In CURTC’s case, this is (of course) the Graduate Cup
A Fun Intro Session Last Wednesday
Newcomers get airborne at a CURTC Intro Session!
Photo: Kees
CURTC is grateful for the support of our Sponsors…
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…and Supporter!
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Giraffe Club: CURTC Alumni
You Told Us….