Oratory Tennis Club
Encyclopedia
The Oratory Tennis Club plays on the real tennis
court of the Oratory School
in Woodcote, South Oxfordshire
. It was the first school in the United Kingdom
to construct a court for 80 years, finishing the building in 1990.
The club is primarily made up of paying members of the public, but also of Oratorians (boys from the school). Over recent years the UK Professional Singles Tournament has been held at the court and in April 2006, the World Championships are scheduled to take place there. Jonathan Howell, the President of the International Real Tennis Professionals Association is the Sports Executive of the school and the club and Mark Eadle is the Senior Professional. Bryn Sayers has recently been appointed as Assistant Professional.
The court itself is modern, fast and possesses a 'bouncy' feel to it. The school has one of the most successful school real tennis teams ever, with regular appearances in the finals of national competitions, and in recent years has produced such players as Richard Greenland and Paul Knox.
Real tennis
Real tennis – one of several games sometimes called "the sport of kings" – is the original indoor racquet sport from which the modern game of lawn tennis , is descended...
court of the Oratory School
The Oratory School
The Oratory School is a Roman Catholic, independent school for boys in Woodcote, Berkshire. It is the last Catholic all-boys boarding school remaining in Great Britain. It has approximately 420 pupils...
in Woodcote, South Oxfordshire
South Oxfordshire
South Oxfordshire is a local government district in Oxfordshire, England. Its council is based in Crowmarsh Gifford, just outside Wallingford....
. It was the first school in the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
to construct a court for 80 years, finishing the building in 1990.
The club is primarily made up of paying members of the public, but also of Oratorians (boys from the school). Over recent years the UK Professional Singles Tournament has been held at the court and in April 2006, the World Championships are scheduled to take place there. Jonathan Howell, the President of the International Real Tennis Professionals Association is the Sports Executive of the school and the club and Mark Eadle is the Senior Professional. Bryn Sayers has recently been appointed as Assistant Professional.
The court itself is modern, fast and possesses a 'bouncy' feel to it. The school has one of the most successful school real tennis teams ever, with regular appearances in the finals of national competitions, and in recent years has produced such players as Richard Greenland and Paul Knox.