This year’s Stanmore Jafferys Festival of Rackets has been hailed the best ever after
460 players took part in 37 exciting competitions.
The weekend of 6-7 July saw fantastic finals, thrilling exhibitions, celebrity appearances, a buzzing family picnic and an interactive Wimbledon fanzone marquee. Held at the Royal Masonic School in Rickmansworth, it proved to be a fantastic sporting event bringing the community together.
Festival of Rackets by numbers:
Over 2500 people
2045 matches
104 trophies
2250 cups of tea
650 portions of strawberries and cream
400 Wimbubble teas
17 different Jamaats
27 sponsors
460 players
800 jammed Walljam
150 volunteers
4 generations
20-man dream team
Diversity and inclusiveness and one overall winner……Rackethood!
Magical moments
Organisers said: “We would like to say a massive thank you to all of the players, spectators, volunteers, sponsors and well-wishers for supporting the SJRS Festival of Rackets and helping to make it the most amazing spectacle it was.”
Please click here to see the full list of honours in badminton, tennis, table tennis and squash.
View a slide show capturing a selection of the magical moments from the SJRS Festival of Rackets here:
Bringing generations together
Testimonials included:
“Not easy to live up to last year. Let alone outdo it. Well done!”
“We would like to thank you all from the bottom of our hearts. The spirit of rackethood went up a couple of notches, the brotherhood increased and sense of community spirit was immense and clear for all to see.”
“Your amazing team managed to bring generations together not only of our family but so many others. You managed to create a buzz I have not seen before.”
“The games were highly enjoyable but the intangible benefits of such festivals is unimaginable! It was a real privilege to be part of your community event! Loved every minute!”
“My highlight was definitely meeting two visually impaired kids and I hope I can help them get into sports. Thank you for allowing me to be a part of this.”
Sports Personality winners
The Rackets Sports Personality of the Festival trophies were awarded to:
• Seniors Over 60s Rackets Personality of the Festival – Noorali Nasser
• Gentlemen’s Racket Personality of the Festival – Murtaza Khaku
• Boys 16 And Under Personality of the Festival – Qaim-Ali Ravji
• Boys 12 And Under Personality of the Festival – Ayaanali Kanji
• Boys 9 And Under Personality of the Festival – Ayaan Ali Kassam
To sum up in the words of one player: “Thank you once again for a smashing weekend.”
Read SJRS chairman Abbas Merali’s article in The Independent here