U.S. Retains Cockram Trophy Down Under

by Jeremy Wintersteen

Eight U.S. players – Charles de Casteja, Guy Devereux, Geoff Ellis, Brook Hazelton, Shawn Herlihy, Vaughan Massie, Dave Tedeschi, and Jeremy Wintersteen – traveled about as far away as possible to compete for the 2026 Cockram Trophy in Hobart, Tasmania.  Built in 1874 and currently one of six in the country, the court is the oldest in Australia and has a long history.  Centrally located downtown and near the waterfront, the Hobart Real Tennis Club features a court with light blue walls, a monk in the grille, service side windows that are out of bounds and in play, and lightning-fast corners. 

The Cockram Trophy is one of four team competitions that make up part of the biennial World Overs tournaments.  It is named after Ted Cockram, a top Australian amateur in the 1980’s and longtime volunteer for the game who also traveled and competed internationally.  Players aged 50-59 from the four court tennis-playing countries face off in a tournament format of three singles and two doubles contests.  Lineups are due an hour before the start of each team match so things are unknown beforehand as teams anticipate opposing lineups and assemble their best matchups for their opponents.

The U.S. won the Cockram for the first time in 2024 in England so pressure was on to retain it.  With an order of play of first doubles, third singles, first singles, second singles, and second doubles; teams work to win at least three matches. Our first match was against a strong French team featuring two newly eligible players, Nicolas Victoir and Michelle Brunoro.  A single digit handicap player and best in the field at Hobart, it was assumed Victoir would play at the top singles position.  France decided to try to win both doubles and a singles so they played Victoir at first doubles with Bordeaux’s Arnaud Tribaudeau.  The U.S. fielded Dave Tedeschi and Guy Devereux at the same position but the French were too strong with Victoir playing as expected and Tribaudeau playing extremely well.  Next up was Geoff Ellis at third singles vs. Alexandre Boy from Pau.  Geoff played a solid match and won in straight sets.  I played Michel Brunoro in the following match and won a close three set contest that could have gone either way.  Brook Hazelton was next up at second singles.  He played well, prevailed in straight sets, and his win secured our contest vs. France.

A team dinner was held later that night where we decided to change our lineup for our match vs. the United Kingdom.  We rearranged pairs to give ourselves chances at two singles wins and at least one doubles.  Leading off as our new first doubles pair was Aiken’s Geoff Ellis and Vaughan Massie, both playing in their first Cockram.  They squared off vs. a tough and experienced duo of Colin Sprott and Peter Holmes who were too strong.  Dave Tedeschi then played third singles vs. Nick Baker and won in straight sets.  I played Luke Danby next and lost, bringing us to a 1-2 deficit with two matches to go.  Brook Hazelton took on Tom Shrager who won a very close 6/5 set that brought us closer to the edge.  Brook rallied and played stronger as the match went on and took the next two sets to even up our team match at 2-2.  Guy Devereux and Shawn Herlihy then squared off vs. Rich Wills and Martin Rogers in the decider.  It of course went to a third set, where we found ourselves down by two match points: 4-5, 15-40.  On the receiving side, Shawn set a chase of three to change sides and then put a volley away to stave off match ball.  Guy then won the next match ball with a shot to the tambour.  A couple points later we faced another match ball down but Shawn forced an error off a serve.  We won that game and things then squared up at 5-5, 30-30 all when a UK error followed by a backhand hazard end force from Guy decided the contest at around 11pm.

Our final match began the next day at 8am vs. Australia.  The U.S. would retain the Cockram Cup with a win but a tiebreaker would most likely ensue with a loss given the records of other teams.  We stayed with the same lineup and Geoff Ellis & Vaughan Massie led things off at first doubles. They ran into a tough pair of Pete Boyles and Mark Bell who prevailed.  Dave Tedeschi then played Tony Simpson and came back from a big first set deficit to win 6/5, 6/1.  I played next and didn’t help the team much with a straight set loss so we were down again 1-2 in matches with two to go.  Brook Hazelton followed and offered up a repeat of his previous match by losing the first set before settling down and winning in three sets.  All then came down to the final doubles match of Shawn Herlihy and Guy Devereux vs. Justin Legg and Nick Rooke.  Shawn and Guy played well and, after a hard fought second set, won and secured the Cockram Trophy.

Many thanks to USCTA for sponsoring the four American teams and for the support along the way.  It was an honor to play for one’s country.  The great camaraderie had throughout was a reminder of why we love our sport so much.  Win or lose, it’s a special feeling coming off court into the gallery hallways to be immediately greeted by your teammates, supporters, and even opposing team members.  They know.  Additional thanks go to Shannon Ellis, Linda Herlihy, and Claire Voegele for making the long trip and for being part of our team.  

The Hobart Real Tennis Club and the Australian Real Tennis Association did a great job organizing the Cockram.  The club and its members were very inviting and friendly and they hosted a nice tournament dinner in the upstairs club room on the last night.  Friendly goodwill resounded throughout the tournament and it was good to reconnect with friends and make new ones.  Special thanks go to Head Professional Brett McFarlane, Assistant Professional Jackson Pastoor, and Tournament Organizer Nick Rooke.  We greatly enjoyed our time in Hobart and when not on court or watching tennis, we were able to explore the area and see sights such as Bruny Island, Mt. Wellington, Port Arthur, nearby golf, MONA Museum, local markets, Tasman National Park, area vineyards, and other locations.  If you ever get the chance to visit Hobart, play on the court, and see Tasmania – do it! 

The next World Overs and Cockram Trophy will be in the United States in 2028.  Stay tuned for more details and, if you’re going to be 50 or older by 12/31/28, work on your game between now and then!