Rackets
The second fastest ball sport in the world is the title that the sport rackets holds but second place is never remembered. However, if you want to see which sport ranks number one in terms of excitement then rackets is second to none!!!
The handmade balls come off the rackets strings at around 160 mph and slow down marginally off the front walls. They are then struck by the players when a game similar to squash ensues. Rackets was the father of squash much as Real Tennis was the father of the modern sport of tennis which we all play. Rackets was spawned in the 18th century and was played in the debtors prisons and is mentioned in Charles Dicken's novel, The Pickwick Papers.
Rackets attracts of all age groups and all abilities, however team players are generally the most able and skilled at hand-eye coordination in the school. Cricket, squash and tennis players tend to be the best equipped for the technicalities and skill of rackets.
There are 14 schools on the rackets circuit including Harrow, Eton, Tonbridge and Charterhouse. Malvern competes against all these schools in home and away matches where the boys play doubles and get to travel to all the best schools in the country and meet other boys who play.
Malvern also competes at The Queen's Club where the Public Schools Championships (doubles and singles) are held at the end of the Christmas and Lent terms respectively.
We have a yearly tour to Hayling Island to play rackets and real tennis and will be running a tour to New York every 3 years. This enables the boys to get to experience the sport on the other side of the Atlantic in very plush surroundings!!
The Cricket and Rackets Professional at Malvern is Tim Roberts, an-ex professional cricketer (Lancashire and Northants). His job is to coach the boys the technical aspects of the game, to oversee the boys development and also to string rackets and cover the hand made balls.
We are very lucky to have a master-in-charge also Mr Tom Newman who is Housemaster of No.5. He is an excellent player himself and was brought up on the game and has experience of the role at two other schools.