The History of the Millennium Court at Middlesex University

The ‘real tennis at Hendon’ story began in 1996/1997. Peter Luck-Hille was training two hours a day, five days a week with the Head Professional of The Queens Club, David Johnson. Frustrated at his inability to deal with what he called “soft” balls, he complained to David whose reply was “that if he didn’t like the balls he should build his own court”.

Peter’s riposte was “OK, I will!”, whereupon he set about doing so. He decided success was contingent on him having as much inside knowledge as possible, something he felt was only attainable working as a professional. So Paul Tabley “Tabs” took him on at Holyport, much to the disgust of John Norman who tried to undermine his ambition at every turn. Needless to say, Peter stuck with it, whilst pursuing every opportunity to find a home for his project.

The real tennis community as it is, word got around very quickly, so not-so-out-of-the-blue, he received a call from John Lawton, a fellow player. John had heard that Peter wanted to build a court and that he should look at a site at Middlesex University in north London, as they would like to have one.

The very next day saw Peter at Hendon, meeting the Dean of the business school, Professor David Kirby together with John Lawton and measuring up the land! By the evening the decision was made. Peter stipulated that they should endeavour to build the best court in the world, that he supervise its construction down to the smallest detail, and that he would have the leading role in establishing Real Tennis at the university.

In 1998 the Grant Agreement was signed and the court opened in October 1999, and fittingly named The Millennium Court.

The rest is history.

Peter Luck-Hille

Founding Members

Peter Luck-Hille  Jill Luck-Hille  John Ritblat

Robert Rhodes Duncan Hughes  John Lawton

John Butler-Rees  Sam Leigh  Paul Arnold

Edward Slater  Jack Slater  John Farrall

Andrew Headley  Gill Goddard  Leonard Wheatley

Andrew Ingram  Toby Ingram  Nick Underhill

Tim Palmer  Nick Lawton  James Robinson

John Parker  Ori Wiener  Chris Pearce

Rupert Halliwell  Chaim Shine  Varda Shine

Adrian Beecroft  Carl Snitcher  Simon Lewi

Gordon Kerr  Mathew Abernethy  Anne-Marie Schiller

Michael Estorick  Mark Schofield  Jim Harper

Stephen Phipps  Paul Crowther  Robert Sandys

Ian Amdur  Julian Snow  Michael DeHalpert

Felix Wentworth  Alan Todd  Steven Wood

David Medway  Alex Hill  Dan diBatolomeo

Philip Allen  Roderick Taylor