75th Anniversary Royal International Lawn Tennis Club of Belgium Columbus Trophy + La Carreta

On the occasion of its 75th anniversary, the IC of Belgium has organized two important competitions of the IC Council in Brussels from 25 to 30 June 2023:

• La Carreta for ladies W50+ and W60+
• The Columbus Trophy for men M55+ and M65+

The participating countries were as follows:

• 8 teams in La Carreta (ladies): South Africa, Germany, Canada, Great Britain, Spain, USA, Luxembourg, Belgium
• 10 teams in Columbus (men): Mexico, Luxembourg, France, Ireland, Canada, Spain, Great Britain, Holland, USA, Belgium.

A total of 70 players participated in the event.

The winner of La Carreta was South Africa, defeating Germany in the final with two ladies (René Plant and Rosanne Duke) who were absolutely unbeatable in the doubles.

The winner of the Columbus was the USA after a superb final against Spain. The number 1 singles (55+ and 65+) were both decided by a super tie-break in favour of the USIC players. After the singles, USIC was leading 3-1. A victory in the doubles 65+ was sufficient for them to win the trophy.

The competition was played with knock-out draws and consolation ties to rank the teams according to their results. It took place in two clubs: the well-known Royal Leopold Club and the very nice club of Le Roseau.

The atmosphere was fantastic throughout the week, and the matches were often of great quality, reflecting the best IC spirit. The planned programme could be easily followed thanks to the most favourable weather.

We were honoured by the presence of the chairman of the IC Council, Peter McQuibban, on the last day.

As usual, the IC of Belgium made some of the players honorary members during the closing dinner, which gathered 145 guests: Sabine Schmitz (Germany), Carmen Chilliqa (Spain), Dale Kozics (Canada), René Plant (South Africa), Maxime Buyckx (USA), Keith Porter (Canada), and Miguel-Angel Varela (Mexico).

The visiting ICs also honoured some IC of Belgium members: Annemarie Van Coillie by USA, South Africa, and Canada; Alex Lamquet by USA; and Pierre Mignot by South Africa.