tennis Fixture

Oxford vs Cambridge 2013

Ladies Singles

Flora Olcott beat Imogen Whittam 3/6 6/0 6/0

Audrey Davies beat Karen Pearce 6/1 6/0

Emily Scaysbrook beat Emily Brady 6/5 2/6 6/2

Maggie Henderson-Tew lost to Emma Samia-Aly 3/6 5/6

Ladies Doubles

Audrey Davies and Emily Scaysbrook beat Emily Brady and Karen Pearce 6/2 6/5

Maggie Henderson-Tew and Flora Olcott beat Emma Samia-Aly and Imogen Whittam 6/5 6/1

Match Result Oxford won 5-1

Men's Doubles

John Beale and Euan Campbell lost to Freddie Kalfayan and Alex Evans 2/6 4/6 5/6

Miles Jackson and Alex Portz lost to James Watson and Jules Camp 3/6 5/6 6/2 6/4 4/6

Men's Singles

Euan Campbell lost to Freddie Kalfayan 3/6 1/6

Alex Portz beat Jules Camp 6/1 6/4

John Beale beat Alex Evans 6/3 6/2

Miles Jackson beat James Watson 6/5 6/2

Deciding Doubles

Miles Jackson and John Beale beat James Watson and Freddie Kalfayan 6/3 6/5

Match Result Oxford won 4-3

THE VARSITY MATCH, 2013

This year, the Blues Women (Maggie Henderson-Tew, Emily Scaysbrook, Audrey Davies and Flora Olcott) won their match 5-1, as they did in 2012 and 2011, and the Blues Men (Miles Jackson, Johnny Beale, Alex Portz and Euan Campbell) came storming back from going 3-0 down to win 4-3 after the most thrilling possible deciding doubles. It is the first time since the match has been held at Lord’s that a deciding doubles has been played.

Women’s Varsity Match

The Oxford players were stronger on paper this year than each of their opposite numbers on the Cambridge team, which had unfortunately been hit by injury. Emma Samir-Aly, Emily Brady (C), Karen Pearce and Imogen Whittam all played considerably better than their respective handicaps and with the highest standards of sportsmanship. They were tough and generous opponents.

The story of the Oxford women’s team this year has been one of continuous improvement for Audrey Davies, Emily Scaysbrook and Flora Olcott. They have improved, in aggregate, over 40 handicap points since October. They won their rubbers with the loss of only two sets between them.

Flora was first on in the singles and, after a nervous start that saw her lose the first set 3-6, she recovered to win the next two sets in tremendous style, powering through them both without losing a game. Audrey secured the second rubber for the Oxford team, comfortably in two sets. With the momentum of the match now firmly with Oxford, Emily then took to the court. For those whohave never seen Emily play, it is fair to describe her style as ‘forceful’. She typically plays with a ‘no prisoners’ style and this was a characteristically highoctane performance. Although her opponent, the Cambridge captain, returned many balls as hard as they were struck at her, Emily powered-out the final set, winning 6-5, 5-6, 6-2. The final women’s singles match saw returning captain Maggie and her opponent repeating their 2012 encounter. In a closely-fought and fast-paced match, Maggie was edged out in a couple of crucial games, losing 3-6, 5-6. At the close of the first day’s play, the Oxford women were 3-1 ahead, needing just one more win to retain the Varsity trophy.

Day Two. The doubles started with that win from the well-established second pair of Emily and Audrey, but they made the dedans sweat for it. Due to play in the Mixed Lacrosse Varsity match in Cambridge just after noon, Audrey was keen for a quick win. With a 6-2, 5-2 lead, they seemed to be cruising to a comfortable and fairly speedy win. However, a spirited comeback from their opponents brought the score to 5-5.

Audrey’s repeated glances at the clock showed how anxious the Oxford pair had become. After multiple advantages to either side in turn, Emily hammered a cross-court shot low on the tambour to win the set, the rubber and the Varsity Match for Oxford. Audrey rushed off and managed to get the last possible train from King’s Cross and returned in time for the dinner! Although the win was secure, Flora and Maggie played their doubles match with intensity, coming back from a 5-2 first set deficit to win 6-5, 6-1. Maggie, with a score to settle after the singles, had the satisfaction of hitting the final shot of the women’s match, for the third year running. The women’s team send a huge ‘thank you’ to all their supporters, particularly to the men’s team, who offered vocal and energetic dedans encouragement for the entirety of every rubber played.

Report by Maggie Henderson-Tew (Captain, Oxford)

The Men’s Match

I confess, now that I come to pen a record of what happened in the men’s matches, I find it quite difficult. Among the wealth of emotions of the weekend (and a healthy dose - is there any other kind? - of Pol Roger) only fleeting memories remain. I imagine there was a great deal of uncertainty before the match for both teams. The word that best described the Cambridge team this year was ‘depth’. Their entire first and second teams had handicaps below 30, with their first team below 22. The Oxford first team, in comparison, sported a handicap range of 30 points. However, Miles Jackson at number one 2 3 must have presented a pretty daunting prospect with a handicap of 11. Alex Portz and I, even if I do so say so myself, have the potential of raising our games on big occasions. Campbell's name would have been new to Cambridge and thus given their team some uncertainty. Before the match, I believed that the fixture might well be decided by the opening doubles matches. Euan and I had worked hard at our doubles strategy in the preceding weeks, but in the end we went down 3-zip (2-6, 4-6, 5-6). Euan did everything I could have asked of him, and the fault of the defeat was mine. Credit must go to the Cambridge pair of Alex Evans and Freddie Kalfayen, who played a very tight game and didn’t give away much. Miles and Portz’s game was a different affair. Portz has not had the time on court that the rest of us have enjoyed, but, such is his tremendous talent, that his skill with bat and ball grew as the game progressed. I hoped that the longer the game went on, the more chance our boys would have of overcoming the experienced pair of Jules Camp and James Watson. However, we went down two sets quite quickly before the fight back began, and at two sets all I thought we could take the match. And like so many final sets, the results were decided by a quick loss of the opening games and the final score ran 3-6, 5-6, 6-2, 6-4, 4-6 to Cambridge.

So there we were, 2-0 down at the end of the first day with four singles matches still to play. How did the matches stack up? At 4th string, Euan had a Herculean task against Freddie, with a 15 point handicap difference to overcome. The 3rd string contest of Portz and Jules was less one-sided. Portz can certainly play better than his 27 tag, but Jules is a steady 20, and if Portzy had of lost, the rubber would have been Cambridge’s. My game at 2nd string was set to be an even match against Alex Evans. The 1st string game of Miles and James was our only handicap advantage. Miles’ handicap is still falling like a stone, and Watson was not playing on the top of his considerable form. I don’t think I gave a particularly inspiring or inspired pep talk the night before; everyone knew what they had to do. I do remember saying ‘bugger’ a lot though...

So how did it go down? Euan played better than I have ever seen him play before, but Freddie played a solid game and won 3-6, 1-6. It was now all riding on Portzy, but the pressure was also on Jules, as Cambridge led the fixture 3-0. Unfortunately, I only saw the first set as I had to go and warm up for my own match, but saw Portz win it inside twenty minutes. Jules came back well in the second set to level the score at 4 games all. Then “The Portz” turned up the heat and the final score ran 6-1, 6-4. I don’t really remember much about my match, but I do remember feeling that Alex was getting a lot back, particularly from his backhand side. And I believe he won most of the long rallies. Nevertheless, the final score ended 6-3, 6-2 to Oxford.

The 1st string match was closer than the score suggested. The first set in particular probably should have gone to Cambridge as Miles started 0-40 down in the deciding game. But to his credit he won it, and then ran away with the second set with the final score reading; 6-5, 6-2. Well now, the rubbers stood 3-3, demanding the first deciding double match in the Lords era of hosting the Varsity Match. And we won, 6-3, 6-5.

Report by Johnny Beale (Captain, Oxford)

At the post-match dinner, so splendidly hosted, once again, by tournament sponsor, Pol Roger, tribute was paid by both winning Captains, and by Simon Stubbings, as winning club President, to our sponsors, and particularly to Neptune’s support of real tennis at Oxford. We are enormously grateful to Neptune for its continuing sponsorship of the Oxford student teams and are delighted. that such success is flowing from this relationship.