Oratory students prove their skills in US racquets tour

MEMBERS of Oratory Racquets spent the first week of their summer holidays enjoying a tour to the USA.

Students from across the school travelled to Philadelphia, Washington DC and Boston for an action-packed week of racquets, tennis, squash and pickleball.

They also played formal Real Tennis matches against the Racquets Club of Philadelphia and the Waywood Racquets Club in Washington.

The group were successful against both clubs with notable singles and doubles performances from boys and girls, highlighting the development of racquet sports at the school.

Alongside sporting fixtures, the touring party were able to take in many of the USA’s famous sites and monuments.

In Philadelphia, they celebrated July 4th by visiting Independence Hall and the Liberty Bell before seeing the iconic ‘the Rocky Steps’ in Washington, the Lincoln Memorial, Washington Monument, the Capitol Building and The White House.

They also enjoyed the added bonus of visiting Boston when their return flight was redirected following a technical issue with the aircraft.

The Boston Tennis and Racquets Club agreed to host the Oratory team at short notice, enabling them to further enjoy the sites of Boston, most notably the Red Sox famous stadium at Fenway Park.

Claire Fahey, head of racquets at The Oratory School and reigning Ladies’ Real Tennis World Champion said: “The tour group had a great week in the USA, playing a variety of different racquet sports and I am delighted with their performance.

“From a Real Tennis perspective, it was a great opportunity to visit and play different opponents at new courts and see a different culture around the game.

“I am very grateful to the clubs for hosting us and for being so welcoming, and to all the students who helped make this tour so memorable, in particular their mature attitude in the face of adversity when our tour was unexpectedly extended.”

Oratory Racquets has enjoyed great success this year. In May, fifth former Archie Watson secured the French Open U17 and U19 titles and three Oratory students were this week in Bordeaux having been selected for the Junior Real Tennis World Championships 2024.

All players are coached by Claire Fahey, who has an impressive 43 open title wins to her name.