The ILTC of Canada celebrated its 50th year of
existence by hosting a team doubles tournament at the Toronto Lawn Tennis Club
Sept 1-4.
Teams from the International Lawn Tennis Clubs of Austria,
Barbados, Germany, Uruguay and USA came to the event. More than 35 Canadian
members also played in the competition. Members came from as far as Vancouver
and Halifax to participate. Blessed with
excellent weather, if a little on the warm side, there was lots of tennis
played in a complex schedule that not only gave the opportunity for all the
foreign visitors a chance to play morning and afternoon, but also tried to make
the matches as balanced as possible. A total of 70 matches were played in two
and a half days with three points being awarded for each match. The winning
team was determined by average points per match earned as teams had different
numbers of players. The Austrian team
were the winners and the German team came second.
Although the tennis was the primary reason for the event,
the visitors were also treated to a full social schedule with a formal dinner
on Wednesday evening, a cruise on the lake on Thursday afternoon and a trip to
Niagara Falls and a winery on the last day. All the participants were very
appreciative of the excellent and generous hospitality at the Toronto Lawn
Tennis Club, in particular the lunches on the balcony, the special dinner and
the courts which were in great shape throughout the event. A great time was had by all!
Pictured here are the Uruguayan team. The ladies on the team
Tati Ruiz (crouching) and Fiorella Bonicelli (right) were dominant among the ladies and all the
competitors and spectators were amazed at the skill and grace of Fiorella who
had won the French Open ladies doubles (with Gail Sheriff) in 1976 and mixed doubles
(with Thomaz Koch) in 1975 when she was living in France and competing
professionally.
The International Lawn Tennis Club was founded in 1924 by A.
Wallis Myers in England. The French Club was the next to be formed in 1929. The
aims of the club are nicely captured in their motto, “Hands across the net,
friendship across the ocean”. For more information you can check out www.ictennis.net . There are currently clubs in 40 countries. To be eligible for
membership, players must have achieved a significant national ranking and have
represented their country internationally. More photos of the event can be found at ILTC50photos
