IPSOBLTA v Surbiton LTC

• Saturday 12th September 2026

• Surbiton Racket & Fitness Club

• Result: iPubs won 3-1

The grass courts were freshly painted, the sun was out, and the club looked like a postcard. This is what dreams are made of!

The captains set the tone early with some elite-level excuses: iPubs skipper Miles cried off due to flying a plane from Exeter to LA, while Surbiton’s danger man Rory Pullinger had wrecked his back practising kick serves the day before. He even managed to squeeze in a visit to the chiropractor while the match was in progress. Inspirational leadership all round.

IPSOBLTA (L): Sean Marren & Max Clarke; Ben Mercer & Toby Rust
Surbiton (R): Will Timbrell & Kieron Tiddy; Thomas Georgiou & Marcus Ashby

The iPubs arrived in immaculate whites, honouring the long-standing tradition of the Surbiton Trophy (won by Andy Murray in 2023), while the Surbiton lads looked dressed for a night on the tiles rather than a day on the grass.

Sean secured an exeat from the army but forgot to bring iPubs legend Ben Rogers along for the ride. No matter, he teamed up with Max to edge a tight first set 7-5. With momentum behind them, they cruised through the second set 6-2, helped along by some generous Surbiton double-faulting.

Ben, still riding the high from his iPubs triumph over King’s College School in the summer, partnered with Toby and took the first set 6-4 against Will and Kieron. Surbiton refused to roll over, battling back to take the second set 6-4. In the championship tiebreak, they raced to a 3-0 lead but a fluffed volley opened the floodgates in favour of the iPubs who then surged to a 10-7 victory.

In the reverse rubbers, Sean and Max split sets with Will and Kieron 3-6, 6-0, then cantered through the championship tiebreak 10-3 to seal the decisive win.

On the show court, Ben and Toby shared the honours with Tom and Marcus 6-4, 5-7 but were eventually edged out in a tight championship tiebreak.

THE INDEPENDENT AND PUBLIC SCHOOLS OLD BOYS' L.T.A.

VERSUS: SURBITON LTC

MATCH PLAYED AT: SURBITON RACKET & FITNESS CLUB DATE: 12/09/2026

iPubs OPPOSITION		I.P.S.O.B.L.T.A
		1ST PAIR MAX CLARKE SEAN MARREN		2ND PAIR BEN MERCER TOBY RUST
		SCORES (iPubs - OPP)	WINNER	SCORES (iPubs - OPP)	WINNER
SURBITON LTC	1ST PAIR WILL TIMBRELL KIERON TIDDY	3-6 6-0 (10-3)	iPubs	6-4 4-6 (10-7)	iPubs
	2ND PAIR THOMAS GEORGIOU MARCUS ASHBY	7-5 6-2	iPubs	6-4 5-7 (8-10)	SURB

RESULT: I.P.S.O.B.L.T.A. WON 3 RUBBERS TO 1

A huge thank you to Surbiton for their hospitality. After the match, the customary ham-and-cheese paninis were washed down with some cleansing lagers that tasted even better than usual after a close 3-1 win. The iPubs, as ever, represented our nomadic existence with class and dignity.

Rory Pullinger - Match Manager
(because Miles hyper delegated!)