2024 Cockram Cup

by Bill Barker

For the first time ever, the United States won the Cockram Trophy, the biennial international team competition for players aged 50 and over.  The United States went 3-0 on the historic Royal Tennis Court at Hampton Court Palace, against teams from Australia, France, and Great Britain.  Played in a round robin competition, the Cockram format is three singles and two doubles matches.  Playing for the United States were players from five different U.S. clubs: Guy Devereux, Brook Hazelton, Shawn Herlihy, Todd Meringoff, John Motz, David Tedeschi, Co-Captain Jeremy Wintersteen, and Co-Captain Bill Barker.  The U.S. enjoyed a little luck from the birthday calendar in that two players who ended up winning all six of their matches were forty nine years young (tournament rules require turning 50 in calendar 2024).

Day One of play saw the United States taking on Australia. As dawn broke, the U.S. team was short-handed, with three players still in the air crossing the Atlantic, hoping to make it to the court on time to play for their country. Although one hiccup in travel meant one match had to be placed later in the day’s schedule (#1 singles player, Brook Hazelton’s Costa Rica to Houston to Heathrow adventure was not without incident), all arrived eventually in time to play.

The match against Australia went comfortably to the United States, with Australia’s team somewhat depleted by a couple pre-tournament injuries, as well as some critical players from previously very strong Australia teams having aged into the Bostwick Cup (for those 60 and over).

First on the court was the #1 doubles match, seeing Guy Devereux and Dave Tedeschi beating Tim Poolman and Sav Cremona, 6/1, 6/0. #3 singles was next, with Jeremy Wintersteen being even more merciless winning 6/0, 6/0 over Simon Lewi.

The next match at #2 singles saw the U.S. secure the tie, with Todd Meringoff beating Tony Simpson 6/1, 6/2. John Motz and Shawn Herlihy won 6/0, 6/0 over Casey Ellingworth and Stuart Strange for the #2 doubles. Finally, the re-scheduled #1 singles match saw the well-traveled Brook Hazelton taking on Captain Chris Sievers, in what was clearly the best match of the day. Brook’s relentless full-paced volleys and superior court coverage made the difference in a very even match, and the U.S. won 6/5, 6/4 to complete a 5-0 day.

On Day Two of competition a tight 3-2 win for France over Australia featuring two very long three setters (including a 6/2, 5/6, 6/2 win for Australia’s Tony Simpson over France’s Charles Blanchot) meant the United States and Great Britain took the court later than scheduled, for what proved to be the deciding tie of the tournament.

John Motz and Bill Barker looked to be even on paper at #1 doubles going in against Harry Eddis and Jolyon Symonds. But they were not even on court, putting the U.S. in a 0-1 hole after succumbing 6/3, 6/4 to Eddis’ extremely effective forcing game and Symonds’ nearly errorless volleys.  Next, Co-Captain Wintersteen evened things up in a critical 6/1, 6/5 win over Peter Jarvis. The Great Britain #3 singles player made up for a slow start with a hard-charging comeback late in the second set that demonstrated how the match might have gone the other way. However Wintersteen took the final three points of the decider with two on-target forces from the receiver’s side before switching sides to play off the short chase Wintersteen had laid earlier in the game. Lining up his force for the dedans off Wintersteen’s final serve, Jarvis was just low. Well left – and match to Wintersteen to keep the U.S. hopes alive.

At #1 singles, Brook Hazelton took the court as an underdog against Great Britain captain Luke Danby. Handicaps proved accurate in predicting the outcome of the match as Danby’s relentless hard-hitting was more than a match for Hazelton’s speed. Hazelton found more of his game as the match progressed, but Danby put his team up 2-1 with a 6/0, 6/3 victory.

At #2 singles, Todd Meringoff had the task of now keeping his country’s hopes alive against a very tough opponent, Richard Elmitt. In a few days time, Elmitt would go on to upset Danby in the final of the World 50 singles, and was overqualified by most historic standards to be playing at #2 for his country. But the same was equally true for Meringoff, and the match lived up to expectations, or at the very least to the hopes of the U.S. faithful. Meringoff came out strong with a controlled game supplemented by his exceptional volleys and took the first set 6/3. At 5/2 down in the second set, Meringoff looked doomed to a third set until he suddenly eliminated nearly all errors and evened things up at 5/5, and then secured victory for the U.S. with a straight sets win at 6/3, 6/5.

With things even at 2-2, it all came down to the final match, #2 doubles, featuring Guy Devereux and Shawn Herlihy for the U.S. against Charles Danby and Mark McMurrugh. From start to finish it was all U.S., as Devereux’s world-renowned lefty railroad produced several games which might have only lasted a minute or two being the biggest difference maker. Balls were flying with four hard hitters on the court, but the outcome of the match never seemed much in doubt once Devereux demonstrated this was going to be a night his serve was on.

For the first time in Cockram history, the U.S. had beaten Great Britain, and on its home turf to boot. But the trophy was not secure, with Day Three and France awaiting.

Things got off to a slower than hoped for start against France, with #1 doubles team John Motz and Bill Barker not significantly improving on their results against Great Britain as the early morning match started, and they lost a quick 6/3 set to an underdog team of Alexandre Boy and Charles Blanchot. The rest of the match was extremely tight, with Motz and Barker finding a forcing game that created just enough points to edge them ahead at the end, 3/6, 6/4, 6/5. This was Blanchot’s second consecutive day of losing 6/5 in the third, and remarkably he would follow that up again the following day against Great Britain.

Dave Tedeschi enjoyed a dominant day in his inaugural singles match for the U.S., winning at #3 singles over Renaud Besnard. This left the U.S. one match away from the Trophy.

Brook Hazelton played remarkably well to come back from an overpowering first set against France #1 Michel Brunoro. Hazelton’s doggedness and court coverage eventually wore down his opponent, 2/6, 6/5, 6/2 to give the U.S. win over France and the Cockram Trophy.

Todd Meringoff won 6/0, 6/1 at #2 singles, and Devereux and Herlihy continued their dominant teamwork with a 6/1, 6/1 victory at #2 doubles over Arnaud Tribaudeau and Rene-Philippe Duboscq to finish the match.

The American and French players then adjourned to a pub across the street to celebrate Meringoff’s 50^th birthday and the U.S. victory, with the French buying the first round of champagne, emblematic of the sportsmanship and camaraderie that always is a major part of the World Masters events.

Thanks and appreciation to the USCTA for supporting team entry fees and vests.  Training has begun for Australia 2026!