The Peter Luck-Hille Cup 2017/8
Final -Wellington College May 27th 2018
THE DEDANISTS' FOUNDATION
of REAL TENNIS
End of another successful University Real Tennis Season 2018
The Dedanists’ Foundation award grants to Universities that have a registered students Real Tennis Club. Our grants allow the students in these clubs to regularly travel to and play their nearest Real Tennis Court. The grants also go towards the cost of attending the Annual Inter-University Tournament held each year at Cambridge. The Foundation also offers help with the design and supply of leaflets to attract new members each September.
Supporting University Real Tennis provides an important link to help young people continue to play our game even though they have left school and may have moved away.The photos below give you an idea of the fun the students have had in the 2018/19 season.
Zara, Jim, Kees and Andrew
RTC & Seacourt qualify for the Peter Luck-Hille Cup Final
The Final will take place on June 2nd at Wellington starting at 10.00am
This tournament is sponsored by The Dedanists’ Foundation. It is part of the Foundation’s programme for encouraging and helping clubs to recruit more schools and youngsters into the game. It is a junior inter-club competition run on a handicap basis designed to include predominantly youngsters aged 12-15 with handicaps ranging from 45-90.
Please come along to support and enjoy some excellent junior tennis.
The Annual Dedanists' Foundation Founder Patron Lunch and the Launch of the New Diamond Patrons Scheme
The 7th Annual Dedanists’ Foundation Founder Patron lunch was held at the The Queen’s Club on Monday 14th January 2019 in the Members Private Dining Room. A Pol Roger champagne reception was followed by a superb lunch served to the 33 attendees which included the charity’s existing Founder and Diamond Patrons, potential Patrons, Directors and Ambassadors.
David Mills, the Dedanists Foundation Chairman, welcomed everyone and thanked them for their support. David also took the opportunity to officially launch the Diamond Patron Scheme. Details of the Diamond Patron Scheme have been subsequently emailed to all Founder Patrons and the good news is that the Charity now has 7 Diamond Patrons, for which we are grateful.
This was followed by a few words from the Charity’s Ambassador, Paul Weaver. Paul talked about the last two junior events that had been sponsored by The Dedanists’ Foundation and how wonderful it was to see so many juniors from all backgrounds enjoying the game of Real Tennis. It was an excellent annual lunch and a true celebration of the tremendous work being done by the Foundation and a chance to thank all Diamond and Founder Patrons for their wonderful generosity.
The British U18 Junior Handicap Tournament 2018
Sponsored by The Dedanists' Foundation
The British Junior Handicap Singles Tournament, held at the Wellington College was sponsored once again by The Dedanists’ Foundation and attracted a huge entry of 36 junior players. The event is a junior inter-club competition run on a handicap basis designed to include predominantly youngsters aged 12-15 with handicaps ranging from 45-90. The fact that this number of juniors were keen and able to attend so near to Christmas is a good indication of the growing popularity of our wonderful game at a junior level.
The “B”grade event for players over 70 handicap was played on the Saturday. After many close fought matches the final between Billy White (78 h/c) and George Carter (78 h/c) was won by George 6-1 6-1.
The “A” event for players of 70 handicap and better was played on the Sunday. After two excellent semi-finals Max Trueman (51 h/c) defeated James Rossiter (53 h/c) in a hard fought final. Our thanks go out to Dan Jones and Adam Player for excellent marking throughout and Wellington Real Tennis Club for the use of their wonderful court.
The tournament is part of the Foundation’s programme for encouraging and helping clubs to recruit more schools and youngsters into the game.
The Peter Luck-Hille Cup Tournament 2018/9
This tournament is sponsored by The Dedanists’ Foundation. It is part of the Foundation’s programme for encouraging and helping clubs to recruit more schools and youngsters into the game.
This event is a junior inter-club competition run on a handicap basis designed to include predominantly youngsters aged 12-15 with handicaps ranging from 45-90.
The Charity, with the assistance of our Ambassador Paul Weaver and Director Josh Farrall, successfully ran the fifth Peter Luck-Hille Cup in 2017/18. This inter-club junior team competition is aimed at giving juniors who may be below the elite level a chance to take part in team matches and meet similar juniors from other clubs. The 2018/9 tournament is now under way with a record entry of 10 clubs now taking part. We have are now just over half way through this years tournament and the current league positions are as follows:-
Remaining Fixtures
March 2nd/3rd Radley v Bristol, Oxford v Wellington,
March 30th/31st Prested v Radley, Bristol v Seacourt, Oxford v Oratory, Wellington v RTC
April 20th/21st Bristol v Queens, Seacourt v Radley, Wellington v Petworth, RTC v Oxford
Grand Final May 26th at Wellington College
Inter-University Real Tennis Tournament 2018
Held at Cambridge & Newmarket November 22nd -25th
Exeter University Team
Middlesex University Team
Crowded Dedans
Over 4 days from 22nd November the Cambridge & Newmarket courts hosted the Annual Inter-Universities Real Tennis Tournament which was sponsored by The Dedanists’ Foundation and Pol Roger. The Dedanists’ Foundation award grants to Universities that have a registered students Real Tennis club. Our grants allow the students in these clubs to regularly travel to and play their nearest Real Tennis Court. As well as funding we also help with the design and supply of leaflets to attract new members each September.
The Universities that took part this year were St. Mary’s, Oxford, Exeter, Bristol, Newcastle, Durham, Middlesex, St. Andrews and hosts Cambridge. In all a total of 65 students, many of whom had only recently taken up the game, took part. It was a most enjoyable event with a tournament dinner taking place on the Saturday evening. This dinner was attended by nearly all of the students, plus the Cambridge pros, Chris Bray (Middlesex) and Paul Weaver representing the Dedanists’ Foundation. Paul took the opportunity to say a few words on behalf of the Foundation and managed to do so quite early before the effects of the plentiful supply of Pol Roger Champagne had taken effect on his audience!
The individual handicap tournament was won by Felix Delaforce (Exeter) who defeated Juan Camacho (Middlesex) in the final. The Cup itself was won by Oxford who defeated the hosts Cambridge 2 rubbers to 1 in a thrilling final.
Click here for detailed report by Cambridge University student Ben Geytenbeek
Duke of Edinburgh Bronze Award - Real Tennis
New Initiative
The Dedanists’ Foundation is promoting a new initiative that should help create closer links between Clubs and local schools in their area.
Real Tennis has always been an option for school pupils embarking on the DofE Award scheme but until now it has been rarely chosen as a subject. The initiative led by Dan Jones Wellington and Dedanists Foundation Directors, Simon Roundell and Josh Farrall, started with the creation of a viable course manual. This is a structured approach to guide pupils through to achieving a Bronze DofE Award.
This gives clubs a great opportunity to approach local schools and the DofE organiser based there in order to promote Real Tennis as a viable choice of subject.
Prested have been piloting the scheme with very positive results. Hatfield, Jesmond, Manchester and Seacourt have also already connected with the right people in their local area. A successful DofE course at a club should lead on to further applicants in following years as the word spreads about the credibility of the course and the fun of playing Real Tennis.
The Dedanists’ Foundation has increased it’s grants budget by a third for 2018/9 to allow many clubs to launch the scheme in their areas.
The Smart Grille Project
The Dedanists' Foundation has funded the development of an electronic Grille Board that illuminates when hit by a ball! The "Smart Grille" can be switched on when required and it's objective is to enhance the fun element of junior sessions particularly for those trying out the game for the first time.
