St Edwards School in Oxford played host to a racketlon tournament with a difference on Sunday April 28th. Whilst singles is the dominant discipline in the UK Racketlon tournament scene, doubles has been a popular category in larger events like the British and World Championships, so this was the focus for this edition of the Oxfordshire Open. Singles categories were still run for the juniors.

Men’s A Doubles

Starting with the Men’s A doubles, number #1 seeds Dan Busby and Jonny Ritter breezed into the finals with a victory before tennis against Chris Snelling and James Hempstead. In the other side of the draw, number #2 seeds Keith Lesser and Peter Browning were the victors against Stuart Preston and Tom Watson. Despite being level going into squash, Keith produced a high quality squash performance to provide a 7 point lead going into tennis, which was ultimately too much for Stuart and Tom. 

In the final, Keith and Peter got off to a flying start with a 21-6 TT victory, before Dan and Jonny showed their class on both the badminton and squash court to require only 6 in the tennis. They duly delivered to take home the title having finished runners up to the Griffiths brothers in last months British Championships.  

James Hempstead and Chris Snelling took 3rd place with a +17 win over Stuart and Tom. 

Women’s A Doubles

In the Women’s A doubles number #1 seeds Jane Galsworthy and Ellie Thomas were in no mood to mess around, flying into the final after defeating Isobella Khan and Emma Birch before tennis. Second seeds Beth Pye and Mollie Patterson showed equal ruthlessness with a +33 win over Felicity Barbur and Hannah Taylor. 

In the final, Beth and Mollie dominated the TT 21-5, before backing it up in the badminton with a 22-20 victory. Jane and Ellie fought their way back into the match with a 21-8 squash win, but Beth and Mollie proved too strong in the tennis, reaching the required 17 with 9 points to spare.  

Felicity Barbur and Hannah Taylor clinched 3rd with a +20 victory over Emma and Isobella. 

 L-R Mollie Patterson, Beth Pye, Ellie Thomas, Jane Galsworthy

Mixed A Doubles

There was an early upset in the mixed A, as number #1 seeds Dan Busby and Izzy Bramhall were defeated by Jonny Ritter and Mollie Patterson. Jonny and Mollie got off to the perfect start with a 21-11 victory in TT, followed up by a 21-14 win in badminton.  Dan and Izzy may have been strong favourites on paper in the squash, but were restricted to just a 21-19 win, Jonny Ritter with some excellent retrieving to push Dan all the way. The unseeded pair now required 7 in the tennis and were given a scare as Izzy and Dan managed to reach 19, but Mollie and Jonny were eventually able to secure their place in the final by winning +3. 

Second seeds  Peter Browning and Jane Galsworthy were the next seeds to fall, beaten +8 by Tom Watson and Beth Pye. Peter and Jane were left with a lot to do after losing table tennis 21-3, but recovered well to win both badminton and squash. In the tennis however, they were unable to keep the momentum, losing 19-14. 

In the final, Jonny and Mollie faced Tom and Beth, and began by taking the table tennis 21-15 before winning badminton 21-5 and squash 21-12, not needing tennis to take home the title. 

Dan Busby and Izzy Bramhall took 3rd place. 

L-R Beth Pye, Tom Watson, Jonny Ritter, Mollie Patterson 

+40 Doubles

In the +40 doubles top seeds Rob Rhodes and Andrew Heath saw off the threat of Izzy Bramhall and Malcolm Saperia with a +22 victory. They were joined in the final by 2nd seeds Luke Penna and Jon Foulds who roared to a victory over first-timers Gabor Nagy and Robert Svrcek. 

In the final, Rob and Andrew took the TT 21-13, before Luke and Jon turned the tables, winning the badminton 21-16 and then showing no mercy in a 21-2 squash victory. Luke and Jon required 6 in the tennis and duly did so with Rob and Andrew on 15, to take a +7 victory and the title.

Third place was won by Izzy Bramhall and Malcolm Saperia

L-R Andrew Heath, Rob Rhodes, Jon Foulds, Luke Penna

Men’s B Doubles

In the Men’s B Doubles, 1st seeds Kieran Shelley and James Trueman were rarely troubled and the GB teammates started with a comfortable victory over Gael Guetard and Dhairyasheel Dhanaji Patil. In the final they met father and son duo of Jamie and Raefe Watkin-Rees who had defeated Bora Molla and Daniel Austin in the semi final by +12. 

Jamie and Raefe started strong with a 21-12 TT win, but were on the ropes from that point on, with James and Kieran looking comfortable in the final 3 sports and seal a +17 victory. 

Dan Austin and Bora Molla took 3rd place.

L-R Kieran Shelley, James Trueman

Mixed B Doubles

Top seeds Rob Rhodes and Ellie Thomas started strong, and after a bye in the opening round, completed a +18 victory over TT specialist Jamie Watkin-Rees and Isobella Khan to race into the finals. Second seeds Andrew Heath and Kayleigh Chapman also received a 1st round bye and were then caught cold by Stuart Preston and Jess Pugh. Andrew and Kayleigh took the table tennis 21-14 but were immediately under fire in the badminton and squash, as Jess and Stuart won 21-0 and 21-14, to require a single point in the tennis, which they managed at the first attempt. 

In the final, Rob and Ellie took the TT 21-11,  but knew they would have to work hard for points in the badminton, with Jess being a former England international and Stuart a county player himself. In the end they were delighted to finish the game with 2 points, the only pair to score anything in the badminton against Jess and Stuart all day. Squash was more comfortable ground for the pair, especially Ellie, and they dug out a 21-10 win to lead +1 going into tennis. The tennis was a tight affair throughout but Rob and Ellie held their nerve at the business end to win 21-19 and take a +4 victory. 

Andrew Heath and Kayleigh Chapman took 3rd after Jamie Watkin-Rees and Isobella Khan were unable to play the game. 

L-R Stuart Preston, Jess Pugh, Ellie Thomas, Rob Rhodes

Beginner Doubles

 Beginner doubles featured 4 pairs, all relatively new to racketlon or entering their first ever competition.  In the top half of the draw Gael Guetard and Dhairyasheel Dhanaji Patil strode into the final with an impressive win before tennis against Ewan and Arthur Freind. In the bottom half Simon Burrage and Simon Taylor showed equal form with a before-tennis victory over Alex Blake and Phil Pinto.

In the final, Gael and Dhairyasheel took the TT 21-14, before the two Simon’s took control of the middle two sports, with 21-5 and 21-12 wins. Burrage and Taylor then went on to wrap up the title at 4-4 in the tennis.

Third place was won by Alex Blake and Phil Pinto, who won the first three sports to claim their match against Ewan and Arthur Freind without needing tennis. 

U18 Singles

The U18 singles event ran according to seeding, with number #1 seed Dan Austin showing why he is one of the strongest players in the country for his age group by remaining undefeated in all sports and not once pushed to tennis. His toughest challenge came from number #2 seed Henry Vernon who was close to taking the badminton, before Dan sealed a 24-22 win. 

The battle for 2nd and 3rd was between Henry and Alexy Grantcharov, and it started with an incredibly tight TT game – Henry taking that 23-21. From then on  Henry showed superior strength in badminton and squash to wrap up 2nd place without needing tennis. 

Junior Singles

In the junior singles event, featuring the youngest members of the draw, it was a three player showdown between Noah Penna, Martha Vernon and Charlie Hunter. Perhaps inspired by his dad’s victory in the men’s +40 doubles, Noah claimed first place, with Charlie taking second and Martha third. 

The closest match came between Charlie and Noah, with Charlie taking the TT before being pegged back in both the badminton and the squash. Charlie proved to be the stronger tennis player but was unable to deny Noah the required 8 points needed to win the match.  

A massive thanks must go to Jane Galsworthy, Peter Browning and team for the smooth running of yet another successful tournament. Thanks also to St Edward’s School for providing their facilities.

Overall, the doubles format was a huge success, and UK Racketlon are hoping to host similar events in the future.

Full results of the Oxfordshire Open 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!