On Sunday 30 October over 30 members of the Railroad Club met at The Queen’s Club in London for a day of tennis.
For those who don’t know it, Queen’s (in West London) is a fabulous venue. It was founded in 1886 and the honours boards show just how many stars of all forms of tennis have played there.
Our group of players themselves ranged over almost sixty years – several of us matriculating in the ‘60s; others in the 2020s. Plenty London- or Oxford-based of course but by no means all – a notable Dorset contingent for instance. Some of us are still playing regularly; for others it was a chance to brush off some of the rust… but a lot of fun was had. Old friendships were renewed and reinforced; new acquaintances and contacts made – just as we had hoped. Handicaps covered a wide range – high teens to late 70s – but careful planning and constant vigilance by organisers George Willis and Andrew Davis meant no handicapping was needed.
Thanks to the generosity of The Queen’s Club we had both of their courts for most of the day, our own lunch table and plenty of play. We managed over 40 sets of doubles with every game featuring a new group of players. A further treat was a sparkling doubles exhibition featuring (in alpha order)
Charlie Defries, Rory Giddins, Johnny Whitaker and Ben Yorston.
An exhibition maybe but it was hard fought with brilliant retrieving and thunderous forces to the dedans leaving the audience in awe. The result? 10-3 to Defries and Giddins – but honour to both pairs.