Longwood Tennis Director Larry Wolf and his staff welcome you to the Longwood Tennis Blog

Thursday, August 9, 2012

The Prentice Cup

Some good tennis was played yesterday on the grass at the club. It was Longwood's turn to host the Prentice Cup. Longwoods' own Connor H and Matt P were in the line up representing Harvard.  Many people came down to watch the event, which was to a big part organized by Jon T and Mark W.

Matt delivering a devastating serve.

Connor on the right (if I didn't tell you, you wouldn't know it from this pictue)


Joanna to the left and an unidentified fan cheering for the Irish teams.


Connor's own fan club!

Mark Williamson provided an excellent briefing on what the Prentice Cup is:

"The Prentice Cup, a lawn tennis match played between teams from Harvard-Yale and Oxford –Cambridge started in 1921. At that time, it represented the first international intercollegiate tennis event ever held and it’s the oldest truly amateur tennis competition played on an international scale. The Prentice Cup was named for Bernon Prentice who donated the Cup in 1925.
The match is a bi-annual event played alternately in Great Britain and the US. The venue for the match in Great Britain is the All England Club and in the US is the Seabright Lawn Tennis and Cricket Club in Rumson, New Jersey. Traditionally, the visiting team has travelled in the host country before and after the match, playing a number of other events at clubs with grass courts. Longwood has been a regular and highly popular stop on the tour.
The Oxford-Cambridge team comprises three players from each of the Universities. At Longwood, they will be facing a strong team comprised primarily of Harvard and Yale alums."