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.
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| Matt delivering a devastating serve. |
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| Connor on the right (if I didn't tell you, you wouldn't know it from this pictue) |
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| Joanna to the left and an unidentified fan cheering for the Irish teams. |
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| 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."
Excellent story and perhaps the best photo of me ever taken.
ReplyDeleteAlthough Matt never went to either Harvard or Yale, it is my understanding that he once drove through Cambridge which is what qualified him to represent the somewhat ersatz Harvard team made up of an almost Harvard player who actually played for Yale yesterday, some Harvard players and a grizzled former Harvard player .. and some Yalies who didn't wear their Blue.
Great picture of the Haughey sisters, by the way.
ReplyDeleteSorry - missed Ellenann and Mrs. Walsh (EA Mom) next to Caroline.
ReplyDeleteI am helping the Prentice and Seabright Cup committees to produce a new edition of their History of the Prentice Cup, and found some interesting pics from 2012 on your blog. Do you have any photos of Prentice Cup teams at Longwood in 2012, or any other years, that might be reproduced in this new illustrated edition of the history of the competition - please contact adrian@stephensonmail.com
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