IPSOBLTA v Eton College - Thursday 14th May 2026
With the fixture requiring players at the start of the week and the weather forecast looking highly doubtful, we were fortunate to raise a team - and what a team we had.
iPubs Team (L-R) - J. Haycock, J. Acheson-Gray, A. Blackman, J. Ward, H. Acheson-Gray, C. Jenkins
Coming off the back of two tough losses for the iPubs at the start of the 2026 season, the team was highly motivated to secure a win against what has been a notoriously tricky Eton side in recent years. Achieving this required James Acheson-Gray to pull some serious strings behind the scenes. His administrative wizardry somehow resulted in former world No. 89 and Davis Cup champion James Ward representing the Association, bringing a level of professional pedigree and world-class ball-striking to the top of our order. Hugo partnered him, making his Association debut.
The resulting lineup proved to be an absolute powerhouse, securing a dominant win that significantly rights the ship for our 2026 season win-loss ratio.
THE INDEPENDENT SCHOOLS OLD BOYS' L.T.A
VERSUS: ETON COLLEGE
|
iPubs
Opponent
|
I.P.S.O.B.L.T.A | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
1st PAIR
J. Ward
H. Acheson-Gray |
2nd PAIR
A. Blackman
C. Jenkins |
3rd PAIR
J. Acheson-Gray
J. Haycock |
||||||||
| For | Against | W/D/L | For | Against | W/D/L | For | Against | W/D/L | ||
|
Eton College
|
1st Pair
Hugo
Martin |
6 | 3 | W | 7 | 5 | W | 6 | 3 | W |
|
2nd Pair
Mungo
Sandy |
6 | 3 | W | 6 | 0 | W | 6 | 2 | W | |
|
3rd Pair
Huck
Tony |
6 | 1 | W | 6 | 4 | W | 6 | 2 | W | |
A final score of 9-0 in matches represents an outstanding afternoon of tennis. Despite the heavily one-sided scorecard, the Eton boys played with superb spirit in highly competitive games. Thanks go as always to Eton College for their hospitality and we very much look forward to returning to defend this result in 2027.
Chris Jenkins - Captain