OLD REPTONIANS REIGN SUPREME IN THE D'ABERNON CUP AND LADIES PUBLIC SCHOOL ALUMNI TENNIS COMPETITION

On Sunday 3 September 2023 both the men's and women's teams representing the Old Reptonian Tennis Society were crowned the winners of the D’Abernon Cup and for the first time this year, the Inaugural Old Girls Tennis Tournament.

The men's team victory in the D'Abernon Cup this year marks their sixth victory in the last eight years and is now their third in a row. The team consisted of Dan Cottier (L’99), Richard Harrison (H’92), Alex Grocott (S’10), Jamie Muirhead (C’09), Phil Brindley (N’02) and Harrison Birch (L’18) who was making his debut in the competition.

As defending champions of the competition, they received a bye through to the quarter-finals, which this year were hosted at Eton College in July. In a change to the previous format, the route through to the final took place as a round-robin box in the quarter-finals, followed by a semi-final play-off. The team were undefeated on the day, beating Eton, Reeds and last year's finalists, Bromsgrove.

Arriving at The All England Lawn Tennis Club in SW19 for the final, the team faced a strong Old Georgians team. The three pairs each played three doubles matches, with the first round of matches setting the tone with some highly competitive play. As the trend continued throughout the day and into the third round, the team's strength in depth proved pivotal as they sealed the victory 6-3.

The winning streak continued at the AELTC club in Raynes Park, as the ladies' team, consisting of Isabelle Suddes (M'11) and Millie Devey Smith (G'16), played in the inaugural ladies' event. Similarly to the men’s event, the format was a round-robin of the best of seven games against all six opposition teams. These consisted of Bedford Girls School, Reeds, Talbot Heath, Epsom and Marlborough. Izzy and Millie formed an unformidable team and came through the day undefeated to claim the honours. An impressive result and hopefully the first of many as the competition continues to grow and develop.

Captain Jamie Muirhead (C’09) celebrated both wins saying, “We're thrilled to have retained the D'Abernon Cup trophy last weekend, bringing home the silverware for the third year in a row. In addition to the superb victory in the new ladies' competition, this fantastic Repton double is a real testament to the strength in depth and commitment of our squad. We're very grateful for the support of the OR community throughout.”

Director of Tennis, James Rushby congratulated both teams on their victory commenting “The strength of both teams highlights the legacy of the School and the passion our pupils have to continue to represent the School event after they have departed Repton.”

Tennis at Repton continues to thrive, with both the Boys’ and Girls’ 1st Teams recently competing at the National Finals in Nottingham.