The Feltmakers were delighted to host the 2017 Inter Livery Tennis Tournament on 6th September at Queen’s Club. After a week of dreadful weather, we were blessed with overcast but dry weather on the morning of the competition, which brightened to sunshine as the competition progressed through to the finals. The Feltmakers put out 3 teams of Gilly and Alan Yarrow, Bruce Fraser and Sara Lyon and Jeremy Bedford and Sarah Hewett.

This year we were at full capacity again with 24 teams playing on Queen’s Club’s six shale courts.  A competitive ’round robin’ of four teams per court playing the best of 9 games determined the 8 teams who proceeded to the Quarter Finals of the Championship with the remaining 16 teams fighting out what proved to be a tremendously competitive Plate Tournament.

There was a high standard of play on all courts with notable victories for some of the ‘seasoned’ doubles pairs against some young and thrusting teams where experience and consistency overcame power and youth.

The Plate Competition included some exciting matches between pairings who were unlucky not to have progressed to the Championship Competition, with a final between the Drapers, represented by Simon Harris and Felicity Conway, and the Carmen, represented by Michael Breeze and Antonia Charalambous, which was won after a hard fought and entertaining match by the Carmen.

In the Championship Competition, the standard of play was especially high this year with new teams fielded by Livery companies challenging for the trophy which, whilst last year was won by the Salters, has found a natural home in the silver collection of the Tallow Chandlers. This year, the Tallow Chandlers, represented by brother and sister pairing Chris Kurkijan and Alex Maxwell Brodie, again reached the final, but were beaten by the Cordwainer mother and son pairing of Tish and Andrew Peal.

The competition was followed by a very convivial dinner in The President’s Room at Queen’s at which the Master presented the winners and runners up with their prizes.

Thanks must go to the Feltmakers’ Bruce Fraser for masterminding the tournament.

We look forward to welcoming the Livery Companies back to Queen’s Club next year.