Photo credit: Alan Spink – Action Photography

 

The 2024 UK Racketlon British Championships served up a racket sports feast at the magnificent Parklangley Club in Beckenham last weekend, crowning champions new and old, and proving why four racket sports is always better than one!  

Men’s A Singles

In the Men’s A, number #1 seed and defending champion Leon Griffiths showed his class, easing through to the final having only played 4 points of tennis (in the 1st round after an impressive performance by James Hempstead).  At the other end of the draw however, brother Luke went one better, needing no tennis in his 3 matches prior to the final. 

In the final showdown, it was first blood to Luke who emerged from the table tennis with a 21-12 victory. In a badminton set of immense quality, Leon pulled 2 points back with a 21-19 win, before opening up a 4 point advantage after taking squash 21-10. With Luke struggling physically, Leon stayed focussed in the tennis to wrap up a +11 victory, securing the British Elite Singles title for a staggering 5th time!

Third place was won by Matthew Davidson following a +8 victory over Alex Du Noyer.

Best match: Jamie Watkin-Rees v Anant Gupta. In a match full of twists and turns, Anant needed 16 to secure victory in the tennis. Ahead at 15-14, and the match looked as good as over, until Jamie took the next 7 points to force a gummi-arm playoff point. Jamie carried the momentum on, winning the gummi for his 8th consecutive point and securing the win! 

 

 

 

Women’s A Singles

The women’s elite singles, mirrored the men’s elite – going according to seeding, with number #1 seed and defending champion Matilda Parslow facing number #2 seed and world number #8 Holly Ranson in the final.  Going into squash Holly led by a huge 28 points, but with Matilda’s best two sports to come the battle was far from over. Matilda reduced the deficit to 12 points after squash, but could only reach 18 in tennis before Holly took the game and sealed her first British Championships elite singles title – an incredible achievement at just 16 years old!

Third place was won by Beth Pye following a +7 victory over Satarra Thaker.

Best match: Beth Pye v Kimberley Hay. Already billed as the match to watch in the tournament preview, this certainly didn’t disappoint! Beth won TT 21-7, before Kim fought back to take badminton 21-17 and squash 21-1. That point for Beth in the squash proved decisive and the tennis finished 21-11, drawing the scores level and forcing the dreaded gummi-arm. Neither player had relented from their attacking styles all match and continued this into the usually cagey gummi-arm point. Beth won the deciding point to take the match, but both players must be commended for their endeavours, in what was one of the most exciting matches of the weekend.  

Men’s A Doubles

In another elite draw that went according to seeding (well done Sam Barker), number #1 seeds Luke and Leon Griffiths stormed into the final to face number #2 seeds Dan Busby and Johnny Ritter. TT was a tightly contested affair, with Dan and Johnny taking it 21-18 and although the Griffiths brothers still had their 3 strongest sports to come, Luke has struggled with cramp in the singles final earlier. Could he recover fast enough to keep pace in the gruelling middle sports? With the badminton poised at 6-6, this question was still in the air, however the brothers suddenly found another gear and roared to a 21-7 win, before a ruthlessly efficient 21-12 victory in squash. Requiring just 2 points in tennis, Dan and Johnny conceded 

Third place was shared by Matthew Davidson/Ross Wilson & Jack Bishop/Alex Du Noyer after they agreed to not play their final match. 

Best match: Reuben Cox/Henry Jones v Matt Haynes/James Langworthy. After victories for Reuben & Henry in TT and badminton, Matt and James fought back to win squash, but were still 8 points behind going into tennis. They managed to reach 21 points, but not before Reuben and Henry had scored 13, and so another gummi-arm was required! James and Matt won the toss and elected James to serve. Reuben made the return, but Matt put away the volley at the net to take the game.

 

Women’s Doubles

The women’s doubles was won in emphatic fashion by number #1 seeds Matilda Parslow and Holly Ranson, only needing 1 point of tennis over their 4 matches.

Second place was taken by Beth Pye and Satarra Thaker and third place by Kimberley Hay and Jo Shelley. 

Best match: Beth Pye/Satarra Thaker v Kimberley Hay/Jo Shelley. Beth and Satarra started strong with victories in TT and badminton, before Jo and Kimberley forced a full set of tennis after a 21-6 win in the squash. Tennis went right down to the wire, before Beth and Satarra took the game 24-22!

Mixed A Doubles

In the first event of the review to not go to seeding, 2nd seeds Holly Ranson and Matthew Davidson defeated 1st seeds Jo Shelley and Luke Griffiths by +5 to take the title. A +7 win in TT proved crucial for Holly and Matt, as they then lost both badminton and squash to 19, before recovering to reach the 19 required in tennis.

Fun Fact: The combined ages of 3 of the 4 finalists – Holly, Matt and Luke – added up exactly to the age of Jo Shelley! When asked what her secret was, Jo replied ‘yoga, stretching after each session, eating healthily, and not accepting my age – naively believing I’m invincible.’

Third place was won by Izzy Bramhall and Ross Wilson following a +20 victory over Kimberley Hay and Alex Du Noyer.

Best match: Kimberley Hey/Alex Du Noyer v Susie Dilloway/James Langworthy. Hay and Du Noyer recovered from a 20 point deficit after badminton to win squash to 5 and tennis to 14 to seal a +3 victory.

Men’s +40 Singles

Winner: Number #2 seed Keith Lesser was in terrific form this weekend and in the quarter finals was up against Peter Browning. He had it all to do in the tennis,  4-11 and the half way stage and requiring 14. He managed to find another gear to fight back to 13-15 but more drama was to come. Pete Browning suddenly then turned on the style, winning the next 3 points, and – about to face 2 big serves – Keith feared the worst. Despite the nerves, Keith won the next point to take the game by +4. In the semi he faced Nick Macey, who had beaten Keith before tennis when they last played 15 years ago. This time the roles were reversed, Keith surging into the final to face Peter Barton, with no tennis required. 

Number #1 seed Peter Barton was the favourite to take the title, having beaten Keith in all four previous attempts, but found himself 17 points behind going into squash. A 21-9 win reduced the deficit to 5, but Keith was in confident mood on the tennis court, reaching the required 17 with 10 points to spare. A first British title for Keith Lesser, 21 years after his first ever racketlon tournament!

Third place was won by the returning Nick Macey with a before-tennis victory over Ollie Close. 

Best match: Ollie Close v Leigh Ware.  After Leigh won the TT 21-10, Ollie struck back in the badminton and squash, winning both games 21-12. Leigh took control in the tennis and was 2 points from forcing the gummi before Ollie wrapped up a +3 victory.

Men’s Senior Doubles

Number #1 seeds Mark Steeden and Peter Barton may have held the higher UK ranking but they came unstuck against the well balanced pairing of Keith Lesser and Peter Browning. Keith and Peter proved too strong across TT, badminton and tennis to take the match +15, before defeating the two other pairings, Julian Clapp/Duncan Marlow and Mervyn Kelly/Gary O’Hara to confirm the title. 

Mark Steeden and Peter Barton took 2nd with Julian Clapp and Duncan Marlow sweeping up 3rd.

Best match: Mervyn Kelly/Gary O’Hara v Julian Clapp/Duncan Marlow. The Northern Irish pairing of Mervyn and Gary started strong with a dominant 21-7 TT victory, but were ultimately hunted down in the other 3 sports, with Julian and Duncan confirming a +5 victory with a 21-16 tennis win. 

 

Mixed Senior Doubles

Izzy Bramhall and Peter Barton proved a class above the rest, winning all games with by a margin of at least 21 points. Sarah Ball and Peter Browning took 2nd place with Jane Galsworthy and Simon Lau picking up 3rd. Badminton specialists Dianne Baker and Chris Snelling finished in 4th place. 

Best match: Sarah Ball/Peter Browning v Jane Galsworthy/Simon Lau. After Sarah and Peter took the TT 21-10, Jane and Simon won badminton 21-15 and squash 21-18. Peter and Sarah proved to be the masters of spin though, with a 20-14 win in the tennis to take the match +8. 

 

Men’s +50 Singles

Number #1 seed Mark Steeden was in no mood to mess around in Beckenham this weekend, with comprehensive victories over Richard Barge and George Ng to set up a showdown with GB teammate Ed Westmacott. Ed started strong with a 21-17 win in TT, but was immediately pegged back in badminton and squash, with Mark taking them 21-15 and 21-11, respectively. This left Mark with a target of 10 in tennis and he did so with 7 points to spare to seal the title. 

Third place went to Richard Barge after he defeated George Ng by +9

Men’s +55 Singles

1st seed Martyn Langston recovered from a nervy semi final against Mervyn Kelly to set up a thrilling final against Simon Lau, who had earlier overcome Gary O’Hara and Rakesh Gupta. Martyn took the TT 21-17 before Simon won badminton 21-9 and squash 21-10, leaving him a target of 9 to win the title. Martyn had other ideas however,  showing exactly why he is a former world senior singles champion, keeping Simon to just 7 points in the tennis, to win by just +1!

Third place was won by Mervyn Kelly who overcame Rakesh Gupta by +5.

 

Men’s +60 Singles

Number #1 seed Rakesh Gupta may have been the favourite at the start of play on Saturday, however it was Duncan Marlow who put in a dominant performance to take the +60 British singles title. A +21 win against Rakesh, including an impressive 21-3 squash win victory, set the tone, before dispatching Douglas Williams by +40. The title decider came against US resident Andy Stenson, who won TT 21-4, before Duncan took control, winning the next 3 sports to take a +8 win en-route to the title. 

Third place was won by Rakesh Gupta, who recovered from earlier losses to defeat Douglas Williams by +39. 

 

Men’s +65 Singles

Julian Clapp put in perhaps the most commanding performance by any category winner, never once needing to take his tennis racket out of the bag. Julian started off by sweeping aside Ray Ryan with a +33 win, before showing no mercy to first-timer Phil Pinto, taking the game +48.

Phil managed to dust himself down and claim 2nd place against the experienced Ray Ryan, winning 3 of the 4 sports in a +11 victory.

 

 

Men’s B Singles

Following on from his win at the East Midlands Open, number #2 seed Rohan Shergill came through tough matches against Kieran Shelley and Tom Watson to storm into the final. On the other side of the draw, seeds were falling like dominoes, as number #1 seed Ollie Barton was defeated by the returning Alistair Prades and 3rd seed Stuart Preston was taken down by first-timer Rob Clayden. Alistair Prades then defeated Rob by +8, to face the in-form Rohan in the final. 

Despite losing TT 21-5, Rohan recovered extraordinarily well to win badminton, squash and tennis to claim the match by +7 and take home the title. 

Tom Watson claimed 3rd with a +4 victory over Rob Clayden.

Best match: Although not the closest in terms of final score-line, the quarter final game between Tom Watson and Jordan Marcus had been dubbed ‘The Conduct Warning Derby’, and attracted an excited crowd – many taking bets as to which of the two ‘passionate’ players would loose their cool first. In the end, Tom took the match +11 and no rackets were harmed – although footage would not be allowed on TV before 21:00.  

 

 

Men’s B Doubles

The Men’s B doubles saw an early defeat for 2nd seeds Ollie Barton and Cam Leighton, as they were beaten +14 by father son duo Nick and Logan Lacey. The pair carried this momentum into the semi finals where they downed Simon Lau and Kieran Shelley by +15, to meet Leigh Ware and Ed Westmacott in the final. Leigh and Ed had beaten 1st seeds Stuart Preston and Jon Spinks in the semi final, so fancied their chances, but could do little to stop the Macey train, as Nick and Logan won +17, thanks largely to a 21-5 badminton triumph. 

Stuart Preston and Jon Spinks picked up third after a +11 win against Simon Lau and Kieran Shelley. 

Best match: Pol Thill/Jamie Watkin-Rees v Dorian Robertson/William Rogers-Tizard. In the battle of the double-barrelled surnames, Watkin-Rees came out on top. TT specialist pairing Pol and Jamie won their favoured sport 21-6, before losing badminton and squash and headed into tennis 2 points behind. Undeterred, Jamie and Pol claimed victory by 3 points, taking tennis 21-16. 

 

Womens B/C Singles

It was the turn of two newer racketlon recruits to shine in the Women’s B/C singles, as Surrey squash player Ellie Thomas and England table tennis star Mollie Patterson both beat the more experienced Fiona James and Dianne Baker. It was Ellie however who leapt to the title, defeating Mollie by +12, aided by crushing 21-2 score-lines in both squash and tennis.

Third place was won by Diane Baker, who beat Fiona James +20 in their 3rd/4th showdown.

Best match: Dianne Baker v Mollie Patterson. Mollie opened up with a 21-3 TT victory before Dianne showed her skill on the badminton and squash court, winning 21-8 and 21-14, respectively. As with many TT players though, Mollie found more comfortable ground on the tennis court, winning 21-14 for a +5 victory.  

 

Mixed B/C Doubles

Number #1 seeds Dianne Baker and Jack Bishop were knocked out of the running early on by Fiona James and Thomas Atherton, who then sped past Kayleigh Chapman and Andy Heath, winning +37 before tennis, to book their place in the final.

In the other half of the draw, 2nd seeds Beth Pye and Tom Watson were looking in red-hot form also, breezing past Bora Molla and Sara Cecamore, before downing the TT heavy combination of Jamie Watkin-Rees and Mollie Patterson, +11. In the final, the two pairs traded scores of 21-7 in TT and badminton, to go into squash level. A 21-18 squash win to Beth and Tom put them in the driving seat, before an impressive 19-8 tennis victory sealed the title for the young pairing. 

3rd place was won by Mollie Patterson and Jamie Watkin-Rees after a +30 victory over Kayleigh Chapman and Andy Heath.

Best match: Dianne Baker/Jack Bishop v Ellie Thomas/Jordan Marcus. A 22-20 table tennis set the tone for the match, with the other 3 sports also tight affairs, before Ellie and Jordan snuck a +2 victory. A special mention must also go to the TT set between Beth Pye/Tom Watson and Mollie Patterson/James Watkin-Rees; a game of tremendous quality and attacking play – not often witnessed in racketlon (21-16 to Mollie & Jamie). 

 

Men’s C Singles

The final of the men’s C was contested by two first-time players in Tim Yu and Ollie Close . Tim had earlier beaten 1st seed Leigh Ware whilst Ollie had defeated 3rd seed James Turner, so this final was going to be hard to call. It was a game of real twists and turns, their closest game being TT which Ollie won 21-14. Tim took badminton 21-11, before Ollie claimed the squash 21-8. Ollie required 12 heading into the tennis, however Tim proved to be much the stronger player on court, sweeping to a 21-3 win. 

Third place was won by 4th seed Barney Medhurst, who defeated Kelvin Tse +15. 

Best match: Leigh Ware v Callum Greasley. As a first time player Callum was up against it with the experience of Leigh Ware, and things got even tougher after a 21-1 loss in the TT. From there Callum recovered with a 21-17 win in badminton, followed by a dominant 21-2 win in squash. Callum required 19 in the tennis for the win, but this proved just out of reach, as Leigh snatched the win, 21-17. 

Men’s C Doubles

Tim Yu had a weekend to remember, not only winning the men’s C singles, but also taking home the doubles title with Kelvin Tse in comfortable fashion. They faced experienced racketlon duo Julian Clapp and Duncan Marlow in the final, but powered to a +17 victory thanks to wins in TT, badminton and tennis. 

Third place was wrapped up by Sam Barker and Callum Greasley, who beat Phil Pinto and Adam Turner +24 before tennis. 

Best match: Phil Pinto/Adam Turner v Chris Bickley/Jake Saxby. After close exchanges in TT and badminton Chris and Jake opened up a 9 point advantage after squash, requiring 13 in the tennis for the win. Phil and Adam proved to be the slightly more accomplished tennis pairing and reached 21 points, with Phil, in his first ever racketlon match celebrating victory, only to be told the match had been drawn and a gummi-arm playoff point needed to be played! Having lost the toss, Adam was the chosen server and after few shots were exchanged, Phil decided to pull out of a volley at the last second, before watching the ball sail just out of court for the win. Credit must also go to Chris and Jake who were extremely sporting and friendly opponents, even in such tight circumstances. 

Men’s D Singles

Bora Molla proved to be the man with nerves of steel in the mens D, defeating 1st seed Jake Saxby in the opening round, before pulling off two consecutive +1 wins in the semi finals and finals to take the title. In the final Bora faced Will Steel, a name with which would indicate a man who doesn’t fold under pressure. Will required 18 in the tennis but could only reach 16 before Bora took the match, in a high quality tennis set. 

Ryan Nicholson picked up 3rd, recovering from a 21-2 loss in TT to take the other 3 sports in a +15 win over 2nd seed Patrick Jeffrey.

Junior U21 Singles

Number #1 seed Anant Gupta was the strong favourite going into the competition, having shown good form on the UK circuit so far this season. He was off to a tough start on Saturday morning however, facing dangerous first-timer Jamie Brown. Anant won 21-10 in both TT and badminton, but was powerless to stop his opponent from then on, Jamie taking squash 21-3 and tennis 21-13 to win the match +4. 

Jamie followed up this win with victories over Cam Leighton (+16) and Thomas Agombar (+22) to take home the title. 

Anant Gupta finished 2nd with Cam Leighton taking 3rd after an almighty battle with Thomas Agombar (more below)

Best match: Cam Leighton v Thomas Agombar. Thomas opened up an early lead with a 21-16 win in TT followed by 21-7 in badminton. Cam recovered and controlled the squash, winning 21-4, to leave Thomas requiring 20 for the win. As with so many matches this championship, the match was drawn, with the tennis 21-19 to Cam and requiring a gummi to determine the winner. Cam won the resulting point, and in doing so, wrapped up 3rd place, in nerve wracking fashion. 

 

 

Junior U18 Singles 

Top seed Ollie Barton showed all his racketlon experience to take the U18 title, with victories against all 3 opponents in the round robin draw. His toughest challenge came against Thomas Agombar, who showed his skills in the first two sports, with 21-8 victories in TT and badminton. Ollie fought back with a resounding 21-1 squash win and then backed that up with a classy tennis performance, taking the game 21-11 and earning a +4 victory. 

Thomas Agombar wrapped up 2nd place with victories over Logan Macey and Louis Brown. Logan Macey secured 3rd position. 

 

Junior U14 Singles

Henry Flatman roared to victory in the U14 event, first defeating younger brother Charles by a +16 margin, before a +24 win against Noah Penna. Noah Penna took 2nd place, after a +22 win over Charles Flatman. 

 

Junior U12 Singles

 Henry Flatman was also the winner of the U12 event, thanks to strong victories against brother Charles, Henry Dobson and Sebastian Dobson. 

Henry Dobson took home 2nd place, with wins over Charles Flatman and Sebastian Dobson. Charles battled to win 3rd place with an impressive +29 victory over Sebastian. 

 

A massive thanks must go to Sam Barker for the smooth running of yet another successful tournament. Thanks to Parklangley for once again providing their excellent facilities and also to Alan Spink of Action Photography, who worked tirelessly over both days to capture so many fantastic images of the players in action. To view and buy photos, please visit the Action Photography website. 

Full results of the UK Racketlon British Championships 2024 can be found on Tournament Software and remember to follow UK Racketlon Facebook and Instagram for the latest tournament news and updates. 

 

Happy Racketloning!

 

Its’s almost here! The 2024 UK Racketlon British Championships kicks off this weekend (13th/14th April) at The Parklangley Club, Beckenham. From current and former world champions to first-time players, the British Racketlon Championships has it all, and with over 100 entries, the 2024 edition looks set to be another successful festival of racketlon. 

In this preview we will just be taking a brief look at some of the first-round’s most notable match ups, as well as players to watch for the rest of the weekend. 

 

Men’s A Singles

Players to watch: World Number #1 and reigning champion Leon Griffiths is seeded #1 for the Elite event, but will face a tough challenge from brother Luke Griffiths (seeded #2). Leon defeated Luke in last year’s final, however Luke has since been crowned World Champion and will be out for revenge this weekend. 

Match to watch: Jack Bishop v Alex Du Noyer. Seasoned players of the UK Racketlon circuit who have met many, many times before and are also doubles partners. 

 

Men’s A Doubles

Players to watch: Unsurprisingly the Griffiths brothers have teamed up and are number #1 seeds. Their toughest challenge is expected to be against former British Champion Dan Busby and new(ish) racketlon hotshot Jonathan Ritter. 

Match to watch: Bispham/Prades v Davidson/Wilson. Experience v Youth. Bispham and Prades are former British Champs bronze medallists but will face a tough challenge against formidable youngsters Matt Davidson and Ross Wilson. 

 

Mixed A Doubles 

Players to watch: Luke Griffiths has teamed up with 5x +50 World Champion Jo Shelley and, if everything goes according to seeding, should face Matthew Davidson and Holly Ranson in the final. 

Match to watch: Bramhall/Wilson v Parslow/Bispham. Intriguing battle between the former and current UK#1 ranked ladies. First 3 sports could go either way. 

 

Women’s A Singles

Players to watch: Number #1 seed and reigning champion Matilda Parslow will be favourite for glory once more, but could be pushed all the way by number #2 seed Holly Ranson.

Match to watch: Beth Pye v Kimberley Hay. Rising junior star Beth Pye is an extremely strong TT and tennis player, but will need to be on top form in the middle two sports against Kim, who is ranked #35 in England for squash. 

 

Women’s Doubles

Players/match to watch: The 2023 women’s doubles final was the most closely contested final of them all, with 2nd seeds Beth Pye and Holly Ranson ousting number #1 seeds Matilda Parslow and Susie Dilloway by one point!

This year Matilda has teamed up with Holly to create a strong number #1 seeded partnership between the two top-ranked singles players in the country. Their 2nd seeded rivals will be UK #4 Sarah Ball and UK #8 Jane Galsworthy, however the entire field is stacked full of quality. Beth Pye is now lining up with Satarra Thaker and multiple world +50 champion Jo Shelley has joined forces with squash supremo Kimberley Hay. Kirsten Atkinson will also hope to use her significant TT skills to challenge for honours alongside Fiona James. 

 

Men’s +40 Singles

Players to watch: Peter Barton is seeded #1 and will be looking to improve on his 3rd place last year. Keith Lesser is 2nd seed but faces a tough first round draw against Peter Browning (more below)

Match to watch: Keith Lesser v Pete Browning. Keith will be favourite for TT and squash, Pete the favourite for badminton and tennis. Potential gummi arm on the cards perhaps!?

 

Men’s +50 Singles

Players/match to watch: +45 Champion from last year Mark Steeden is seeded #1 and will face his opponent in last year’s final, Ed Westmacott as part of the round robin draw. 

 

Men’s Senior Doubles

Players/match to watch: Barton and Steeden have teamed up and will be seeded #1, but may be pushed all the way by the well balanced pairing of Keith Lesser and Peter Browning. 

 

Mixed Senior Doubles

Players/match to watch: Simon Lau and Jane Galsworthy are number #1 seeds, but this round robin title could realistically go to any of the four pairs. Izzy Bramhall has teamed up with Pete Barton, Dianne Baker with 2023 Mens B doubles champion Chris Snelling, and UK #4 Sarah Ball partners Peter Barton, in what could be the tightest category of the weekend. 

 

Men’s B Singles

Players to watch: Young rising star Ollie Barton is 1st seed and will be expected to meet #2 seed Rohan Shergill in the final. Should this be the case their opposing profiles could make for a final full of twists and turns. 

Match to watch: The return to racketlon of Alistair Prades, who starts against squash specialist William Rogers-Tizard. 

 

Men’s B Doubles

Players to watch:  Seeded #1 are the pairing of Stuart Preston and Jon Spinks. They could be challenged to the title by young duo Ollie Barton and Cameron Leighton who are seeded 2nd. 

Match to watch: Described by tournament director Sam Barker as “an absolute vibes match”, Simon Lau and Kieran Shelley face Jordan Marcus and Tom Watson in the 1st round. 

 

 

Good luck and safe travels to everybody competing this weekend. Results will be posted on tournament software and look out for the tournament review coming next week.

Finally, a reminder that the tournament will be covered by professional sports photographer Alan Spink of Action Photography. Photos will be available to buy via his website, so don’t miss out!

 

Happy racketlon-ing to you all!