The 2024 UK Racketlon season got off to a flying start on Sunday with the Garden City Open, hosted by Letchworth Sports and Tennis Club
Men’s A Singles
Starting with the Men’s A, Anant Gupta and Jonny Ritter both defied their rankings in the first round to defeat Jack Bishop and Ross Wilson respectively. This led them to faceoff in a nail-biting semi-final, with the winner to face Dan Busby – who had already cruised to victories against James Langworthy and Alex Du Noyer.
In the match of the day, Anant began with narrow wins in both TT (21-16) and badminton (22-20). However, these scores were reversed exactly by Jonny in the squash and tennis, meaning a one-point gummi arm playoff was required in tennis to determine the winner. Jonny began the gummi arm with a dangerously deep serve. Anant continued the rally before Jonny charged the net to volley home and progress to the final.
This was Jonny Ritter’s 3rd A final – out of only seven total tournaments – having lost to Dan Busby at the final hurdle in both Brackley and Stamford last year. Jonny, out for revenge, started strong, leading +5 going into squash. However, this is where squash maestro Dan usually comes into his own, so everything was certainly to play for. Jonny had other ideas, retrieving ball after ball, before pouncing on anything slightly loose. A shock 21-11 win put Jonny in the driving seat going into tennis, needing only seven points to take the win. He did so with ease, taking his maiden UK Racketlon elite title in the process.
A special mention must also go to Anant Gupta, who recovered from the gummi arm semi-final loss, to take 3rd place, defeating Alex Du Noyer before tennis in the 3rd/4th place playoff.
Ladies A Singles
Ladies A was a round robin affair between Matilda Parslow, Dianne Baker and Holly Ranson. Dianne was in for a tough day, with both opponents in the top three of the UK Rankings, but took on the challenge in great spirits (which were further lifted when Dianne realised she would take home a newly introduced, 3rd place medal).
The deciding match was between Holly and Matilda, who had faced each other several times previously, with Matilda holding an unbeaten record against her younger counterpart. Despite this, Holly landed the first blows, racing into a 28-point lead after the first two sports, with a strong 21-12 win in TT, and a dominant 21-2 victory in the badminton. After Matilda took the squash game 21-10, Holly needed five in the tennis to seal victory. She did so with nine point to spare.
This was a third UK Racketlon elite title for Holly and another boost to her glowing reputation in the community, having been announced as the FIR world girls number one back in November. Holly also broke into the women’s top 10 world rankings in January, a great achievement, especially whilst still a junior.
Men’s +40 Singles
A new category for the Garden City Open was the men’s +40 singles and the draw was suitably stacked with some of the best UK Racketlon Tour veterans. Despite struggling recently with injuries, Simon Lau battled admirably against higher ranked opponents, remaining undefeated in his badminton games, but ultimately finishing in 4th place. Ed Westmacott finished in 3rd, unfortunate that his stronger tennis game could only be used to full effect in a victory against Simon Lau.
The deciding game was between TT wizard Keith Lesser and squash master Mark Steeden. Although 10 places separated the pair in the UK Rankings, there was much less separating them on Sunday. As expected, Keith moved ahead after the first two sports, but would his 15 point lead be enough to thwart Mark? A clinical 21-3 squash masterclass put Mark right back in the game, with a three-point lead heading into tennis. This was always going to be a tight affair, with both players taking a more cautious tactical approach to their tennis. Keith was one point away from forcing the gummi-arm when Mark sealed the victory at 19-20; a fantastic match and one that surely needs a repeat in the near future.
Men’s B Singles
The Men’s B draw was stacked with talent. Badminton powerhouse and occasional A player Henry Jones topped the billing as number 1 seed, showing his pedigree with a strong opening victory before tennis against George Roberts. Henry’s semi-final was a tight contest with TT specialist and tour newcomer Tom Watson. In his 1st round, Tom had dispatched James Trueman with ruthless performances in TT and squash, so this was looking to be an interesting match-up. Despite losing both table tennis and squash, Henry managed to keep the damage to a 6-point deficit going into tennis and played a very solid game to win by 7 points and progress to the final.
In the other half of the draw, the first-round ties were both tight affairs. Rakesh Gupta squeezed past Rob Rhodes by 2 points, with his strong middle sports proving to be the difference. World junior silver medalist Chase Burgess was seeded two and faced badminton supremo Jack Taylor in a thrilling encounter. After some high-quality squash, Jack required 14 in tennis to take the victory, but this proved too much, as Chase reached 21 with Jack stuck on 10.
So a final between the top two seeds was set. Chase pulled out in front with a +9 victory in TT, but any lead was likely to be short lived in the badminton, and Henry showed his class, keeping Chase to 4 points. Henry carried the momentum into squash and produced a fantastic display, winning 21-11 to extend his lead to +18. After some initial confusion in the Burgess camp, believing the match to be lost, Henry collected the 4 points needed to claim the title – finishing with a stunning inside-out forehand winner.
Despite this only being his third ever UK Racketlon tournament, Tom Watson secured 3rd place with an impressive win over the experienced Rakesh Gupta. Squash proved to be the difference, and despite similar Squash Levels scores, Tom powered to a 21-6 victory which allowed him to wrap up a tennis victory before the change of ends.
Men’s C Singles
In the Men’s C, teacher and number one seed Leigh Ware was looking to school a particularly young-looking field. Initial signs were good, with victories over Jake Saxby and Nigel D’Arcy sending him through to the final to face 14-year-old sensation Daniel Austin. Daniel had earlier overcome two other talented juniors in Raif Fontanelli and Thomas Agombar, a sure sign the future of British racketlon is looking bright. Thomas (nickname Toto) had earlier beaten the 2nd seeded Will Steel, thanks mostly to his strong TT and badminton skills, but came unstuck against familiar junior foe, Daniel. Daniel’s greater experience on the squash and tennis courts was telling as he recovered from a 23-point deficit after the first two sports to take the victory and charge into the final.
Leigh started strong but may have wished to concede less than 12 in his strongest discipline, especially when Daniel produced a dominant badminton display, winning 21-5, with his two strongest sports still to come. A 21-18 victory on the squash court meant that Daniel needed 12 points to seal the title, and, as a county tennis player, did so with ease. The pupil had become the master.
Third place was wrapped up by Thomas Agombar, who held his nerve against fellow TT player Nigel D’Arcy, thanks mostly to a ruthless 21-5 win in badminton.
Men’s D Singles
In a strong men’s D, top seed and UK #55 ranked Lawrence Foster powered to the title. Victories over Allan Stewart and Bora Molla set him up with a final against Roger Smith. Roger had beaten Rob Gibby and Chris Bickley in earlier rounds with strong showings in badminton and tennis. Lawrence proved he was a class above on the day, easing to victory before tennis. A future in C, or even B category, surely beckons.
Third and fourth place was contested between Bora Molla and Chris Bickley. Bora had earlier mounted a tremendous comeback in his 1st round match to defeat promising first-timer Andy Muir. Chris had also produced a stellar performance in his 1st round, defeating 2nd seed and Letchworth local Chris Gibby. It was Bora who claimed 3rd place on this occasion, using his strong TT and tennis game to claim victory by 9 points.
A massive thanks must go to racketlon stalwart George Roberts and his glamorous assistant Rob Rhodes, for the smooth running of yet another successful tournament. Thanks also to Letchworth Sports and Tennis Club for once against providing their excellent facilities; we will return to the venue later in the year!
Full results of the Garden City Open 2024 can be found on Tournament Software and remember that entry has opened for the British Championships, so be quick to secure a spot. Please follow UK Racketlon Facebook and Instagram for the latest tournament news and updates.
Happy Racketloning!