Scotch College

Great competitive tennis for the Scotch Family

WORDS: Mr MURRAY CROW

The Old Scotch Tennis Club offers keen competition each Saturday down by the riverside.

The Old Scotch Tennis Club’s annual club championships were held earlier this year, and after marathon struggles the winners were Ian Richardson and Alan Lewis (B grade doubles) and Colin Simpson and Graeme Thomson (C grade doubles).

The School again allowed us to use the J R Montgomery Playing Fields to host the John Hill Memorial tournament tennis day, when about 50 Past Students’ Tennis Association players assembled to play with members of other clubs, and later to enjoy a sausage sizzle. It is always a most enjoyable day, and although the PSTA competition is finished due to shortage of players from other schools, the ‘John Hill’ may again be arranged next year

What a great club we have. Each Saturday afternoon we have between three and four courts full of keenly competing members playing social doubles on the Harvey Nicholson courts beside the river. There is good company, a delightful environment, keen tennis, and tea and biscuits (providing the duty member remembers!), during which we are able to advise each other how we could fix the problems of the world – even the financial problems and water shortages! We now even have our own tennis cap with the new club logo, thanks to John Batkin and the Corona group.

This year has brought a number of changes. Our name is now Old Scotch Tennis Club, due to the expanded criteria for membership which include Old Boys, Scotch Family, and some others who up to now have had no association with the School. Under this name we continue to sponsor a Scotch College students’ team to play in an external pennant competition.

We are delighted that that our members are now player-registered with Tennis Victoria, and we congratulate the student pennant team, which achieved a semi-final result – and in particular Ross Paterson, who was named pennant player of the year. Well done, Ross.

We look forward to enlarging our weekly group of players with new members from Old Boys and the Scotch Family. Come down, bring your racquet and have a game – all are most welcome. GS