Tennis

Tennis is a well established sport in the Royal Signals. It is played by all ranks and courts are available in virtually all barracks. Each year the Corps enters a Team in the Summer and Winter leagues. Recently the Corps won the Summer league. There is an annual Corps Championship and the Corps is always well represented at the Army Championships. In recent years a number of Corps Players have represented the Army at the Inter Services competition which is held at Wimbledon.

ROYAL SIGNALS WIN REAL TENNIS AND RACKETS EVENTS – AND A FIRST IN HISTORY FOR A NON-COMMISSIONED SOLDIER   On Monday 10 February 03 Sig Daniel Lewis, from 12 Mech Bde HQ and Sig Sqn (228), flew back from Operation OCULUS (Kosovo) in Pristina to Brize Norton in preparation for the Army Real Tennis and Rackets Championships. After a short overnight stopover in the Unit Barracks in Aldershot, he and Lt Chris Barker travelled up to The Queen’s Club in London (home of the Stella Artois Tennis Championship) for a day’s practice in these two unfamiliar games. Lt Barker had competed in the previous year’s event, whereas Sig Lewis had never even heard of the games.   Essentially Rackets is a larger version of squash, played with a longer racquet and a hard ball, and is one of the fastest games in the world. Real tennis is the forerunner of lawn tennis, played indoors using a curved wooden racquet and a felt-coated wooden tennis ball.   After a total of two hours’ practice, shared between the 2 games, and a fair amount of viewing match-play, the practice day was over and the competitions awaited. These were the Army Singles and Doubles in both Rackets and Real Tennis, open to all serving members of the Forces, and the Combined Services Doubles open to all past and present members of the Forces. Since all six competitions are played over three days, it is as much an endurance event as a test of skill and game fitness. If you progress in all competitions you can expect up to eight hours on court in a day. The first two days saw Lt Barker and Sig Lewis progress through all competitions except the CS Doubles Rackets, and on the Thursday evening they won the coveted hundred year old Regimental Rackets Doubles Cup presented by His Royal Highness, Prince Edward. Lt Barker also won the singles event.   On Friday 14 February the Real Tennis competitions were concluded. Again Lt Barker and Sig Lewis missed out in the CS Doubles Tennis, but triumphed in the Regimental Doubles and Army Singles competitions. Sig Lewis became the first non commissioned rank to see his name on the Regimental Doubles Cup.   After a weekend at home to celebrate, Sig Lewis flew back to Kosovo having created a place for himself in Army sporting history.    This article has been kindly reproduced from the June edition of The Wire:

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