Merton’s postgraduate Shines in Tennis Doubles Championship

Oliver Douglas, a Rhodes Scholar and postgraduate student at Merton, and Patrick Foley from St Edmund Hall achieved a significant milestone for Oxford University Lawn Tennis Club by securing a bronze medal at the British Universities & Colleges Sports (BUCS) Tennis Doubles Championship on 17 November 2024. 

The annual BUCS competition, held this year in Shrewsbury, brought together the world ranked university doubles pairs in the UK for a two-day knockout tournament. The event featured elite-level competition, including several Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP)-ranked players such as Dominik Kellovsky (395 ATP doubles), Liam Hignitt (463 ATP doubles), and Robert Cowley (1316 ATP doubles). 

Seeded 5th in the tournament, Oliver and Patrick charged through the draw, winning two matches and defeating the 4th seeds in an impressive quarterfinal performance. Their journey came to a narrow end in the semi-finals against the top seeds, and eventual champions, after a hard-fought 2-6, 6-7(4) battle. 

Their achievement marks the best result for Oxford in the BUCS Tennis Championship in the past three years and highlights the duo's exceptional talent and determination.