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REAL TENNIS AT THE ORATORY SCHOOL
The Oratory Real Tennis court was completed in 1989 - the first to be built in
the UK for 80 years. The boys at The Oratory had played for several years by
using the nearby courts at Merton College Oxford and Hardwick House -
Adrian Snow and Ronnie Womersley, who were keen enthusiasts of the game,
took time to drive them to the courts.
In January 1990 Jonathan Howell arrived to become the School’s first
professional. Jonathan came from Bordeaux, having spent eight years there
building up a modern and lively club. Before that he started his real tennis
career at Moreton Morrell, Warwickshire, where he played a couple of
seasons of cricket with Warwickshire County Cricket Club. Jonathan also
became the School cricket professional and in the summer took charge of the
School 1st XI.
Memberships were introduced during the Lent term of 1990 to complement
the use by the boys at the School. Membership grew rapidly and soon the
School was in a position to introduce an assistant professional to support
Jonathan. Mark Eadle was appointed. Mark, a former goalkeeper with Oxford
United, had previous real tennis experience at Oxford and Holyport.
School matches were arranged against many of the country’s well established
clubs - Hampton Court, MCC, Queen’s and Leamington. The court also
received numerous visitors from clubs around the world, all anxious to “try
out the new court”. After just two years court usage was at its maximum. As
it is now, so it was then, a challenging balancing act to make sure the boys at
the School are coached and trained alongside a very active club.
During the court’s short 18-year history the School has produced many
National Under 18 Champions. There are now three schools with courts, but
many others play at nearby clubs. Eton play at Holyport, Radley at Oxford,
Haileybury at Hatfield, Warwick at Leamington and Winchester at Hardwick.
Many national and international tournaments have been staged. The court has
always boasted fine viewing facilities due to the numerous windows on two
levels on the back wall. The court was the first in the world to host a
tournament filmed by Sky TV, as it has done for the last four years, giving
marvellous exposure to a wider audience. The court has also received
generous coverage in the national press.
His Royal Highness The Prince Edward is a keen and regular visitor to the
School and kindly opened the new refurbished club room in 2004.
Much credit should go to Ronnie Womersley, who since the beginning has
tirelessly taken the boys to all the fixtures, and he remains as always dedicated
and supportive.
In 2005 the Club made a successful bid to host the 2006 World
Championship. The Real Tennis World Championship is the oldest in any
sport, dating back to 1740. Since that time there have only been 20 World
Champions. The current World Champion is Rob Fahey. He is without
question the best player ever in the long history of the sport. A charismatic
Australian, he has dominated the game with style, skill and energy and has
brought the game to a level never before witnessed.
Much hard work and planning went into organising this prestigious event.
New panoramic viewing windows (see picture) replaced the smaller ones to
enable the capacity to grow to a record 240. All this was achieved by an active
committee who worked tirelessly to ensure that there was no cost incurred by
the School. Laithwaite’s, parents of former boys at the School, generously
sponsored the event. Sky TV once again filmed it and for the first time live
coverage on the internet was enjoyed by real tennis enthusiasts around the world.
We have now a thriving old
boy’s fixture list with a
continual growth of players.
The first Old Oratorian real
tennis championship will be
hosted at the school. Chris
Herbert is doing a wonderful
job at galvanising all those old
boy’s who play the game
anyone keen please contact
Chris 07760252976. All Old
Boys will be guaranteed a warm
welcome by the sport centre
team they will be delighted to
introduce you to The game of
Kings and The King of games.
Jonathan Howell
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