Cambridge successes since Christmas 2024
9th April 2025
Cambridge Successes since Christmas 2024
Bob Dolby reports: It was late December when I last posted the story of successes for Cambridge players, past and present, in the first half of the 2024-2025 season. Since then there has been a steady stream of further successes.
In January Helena Tunks won the National Women’s Doubles title for the second year in a row, playing with Shinan Zhang from the Executioners Club where Helena herself plays these days. Helena is so far the winner of 7 Doubles titles, with plenty more to come!
Helena & Shinan at Oundle Schoool in January 2025
Iona wins Singles Bronze in Universities Championships
Iona & Juliana (l) win Doubles Silver and Charlotte & Alison (r) Doubles Bronze
At the same Universities event the Gold medals for Singles and Doubles were won by Andrew Boyd, with his partner Ben Jourdan. They were representing Edinburgh University, but Andrew played for Cambridge in the Varsity Match of 2017 and 2019. In the final of the Singles Andrew beat defending champion Marcus Cloke Browne, the current captain of CURFC. Marcus and his partner Emrys Thursfield were semi-finalists in the Doubles.
Marcus and Andrew contest the Singles final
Andrew (r) wins the Universities Doubles
Next up was the Past versus Present, where the Past were rather too strong in the Men’s Match, and the women past and present mixed up sides to provide valuable experience for the newcomers. Cambridge men and women both benefitted hugely from the experience, which was to play an important role in the successful performances the following week in the Varsity Match.
A valuable learning experience for those new this season to the game
Katie learning from play with Cat, Cassi and Holly
The Varsity Match was the most exciting contest for both the Men and the Women for a very long time, with the Men winning their match by just 8 points and the Women losing the closest match since the inauguration of the fixture 10 years ago — by just 10 points.
The Cambridge Men’s VIII
The Cambridge Women’s squad
Post-match celebrations with champagne
Viola King Forbes (Cambridge 2022) umpires the Match
Cambridge players were not involved in the Singles at the North West Open Championships, but Charlie Brooks and Ben Beltrami teamed up unusually for the Doubles and won Silver. There was a small light blue entry at the North of England Open: again it was Ben Beltrami who won the Singles and, with Julian Aquilina, the Doubles, too.
Silver for Ben & Charlie at the NW Open
Well played, partner!
Ben Beltrami does the North of England double
The major Winchester Fives event is the Open Winchester Fives Doubles played, this year, for the first time on the brand new courts at Winchester College. Ed Kay won Silver with Dave Butler and Ben Beltrami reached the semi-final with his partner Theo Parker. Perhaps the most satisfaction was gained by Emrys Thursfield & Savanna Leboff winning the PlatePlate, in the process beating Sarthak & Helena in a tense three-gamer — at a tournament noted for the very few photographs that were taken!
A hectic day on the new Winchester courts
As the season progresses the various Mixed Doubles tournaments are staged, starting with the RFA Equaliser Mixed Doubles Championship, played at Alleyn’s in March and organised by Savanna Leboff and Helena Tunks. Helena promptly added another medal to her collection, this time Silver, playing with Aroop Bhattacharya. In a tournament featuring several Sparrows it was no surprise that an all-exCambridge pair, Sarthak Garella & Cat Bar, joined Helena in the medallists’ photo by winning the Plate.
Organisers Savanna and Helena
Aroop & Helena (l) win Silver
Cat & Sarthak (l) win the Plate
Most recently we saw the National Doubles Championship for the Cyriax Cup where Ed Kay successfully defended his national title, partnered by Dan Tristao. It was a hat-trick for the partnership and a 4th title in total, while Ben Beltrami was runner-up with Theo Parker for the 2nd time.
Gold for a fourth time for Ed Kay
Silver once more for Ben Beltrami
No words needed
So, in addition to various regional titles won before Christmas the past 3 months have seen both National Doubles titles retained by Ed Kay and Helena Tunks, and the British Universities Singles and Doubles titles won by Andrew Boyd.
As far as the Top 10 of the National Rankings is concerned Ed Kay is currently #1 in Singles and #2 in Doubles; Ben Beltrami #3 and #4 and Charlie Brooks #8 and #3. In the Women’s Rankings Helena Tunks is #5 in Singles and #2 in Doubles.
Marcus Cloke Browne, Emrys Thursfield and Andrew Boyd are to be found variously in the Top 30 of Singles and Doubles, as is Savanna Leboff in the Women’s Rankings.
We now await the outcome of the upcoming Women’s Winchester Fives Singles and Doubles, the Winchester Fives Mixed Doubles and the Open Rugby Fives Mixed Doubles, in each of which we can expect a significant light blue entry.
Similarly, we shall see a Cambridge presence in the Veterans, Vintage, Masters and Grandmasters championships where we have a share of defending champions, too!
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