Gerald Patterson in his Scotch blazer
This photograph was published in the Scotch Collegian in December 1932. The old grass tennis courts on Morrison Street were removed in 2004 and the area has now become Old Scotch Square.
Scotch has had a few notable Old Boys involved in high level tennis throughout its history, some of whom would have played on the old grass courts:
Gerald Leighton Patterson MC (SC 1908-13) – won the Wimbledon singles titles in 1919 and 1922. He also won the men’s doubles there in 1919 and the mixed doubles in 1920. Among Gerald’s many other accomplishments were his 1914 Australian doubles’ win, the 1919 US men’s doubles’ title, eight Victorian singles’ titles between 1919 and 1927 and Australian singles’ champion in 1927. He represented and captained Australasia and Australia in the Davis Cup.
Stephen Gordon Lum (SC 1916-22) was a member of the 1922 Scotch Tennis team and pushed strongly for it to become a sport ranked as seriously as others at Scotch. Doubles were the only form of tennis permitted at Scotch at the time. In 1926 Stephen represented China in the first Asian Games. He became a member of China’s Davis Cup team and was its captain in 1928, in addition to other occasions in the 1930s.
The Rev. Robert Baldock Scott (SC 1876-72) played tennis for the Colony of Victoria in 1890. A member of the Cambridge University Lawn Tennis Club, he was a member of its team for four years, later becoming secretary, and finally president (1894-95). Robert played at Wimbledon, losing in the second round in 1894 and in the first round in 1896. He played in the Scottish Championships in at least 1892, 1895 and 1897.
Dr George Eric MacKay (SC 1912-13) won the 1923 Irish tennis singles’ championship while studying to become a Fellow of the Royal College of Physicians. He was the first Australian to win it.
Dr Ian Donald McInnes (SC 1914-18) was selected in the 1923 Australian Davis Cup team.
Robert Dickson Allison Frew (entered Scotch in 1874) was considered the ‘father of Queensland tennis’. He was president of the Queensland Lawn Tennis Association (1914-30) and was regarded as the power behind the QLTA.
Benjamin Green (SC 1886-87) won the Victorian Singles (1892-94) and Doubles Championship (1889 and 1893-94). He also won the NSW Doubles Championship (1891-92, 1894 and 1897) and mixed Doubles Championship (1892) and the Victorian Mixed Doubles Championship (1891-94). Had the Davis Cup been formed in his time he would have been certain to have played in it. Benjamin was a foundation member of OSCA.
Robert Nelson Vroland (SC 1920-23) partnered a fellow Scotchie to be runner-up in the 1923 Schoolboy Championship Doubles. He was President of the Lawn Tennis Association of Victoria (1957-64) and represented Australia at the 1960 Lawn Tennis Federation meeting at Paris. He died of a heart attack while playing tennis at Kooyong on 7 April 1964.
Ian Eric Occleshaw (SC 1940-43) played in Scotch’s 1943 Tennis team. He was beaten by Frank Sedgman at the 1950 Australian Open. Ian was a pioneering professional tennis coach. He was a founding member, president, secretary, life member, hall of fame member and inaugural legend of the Tennis Coaches of Victoria.
Hamish Eager Macmillan (SC 1946-53) was President of Tennis Victoria (1996-2009).
Daniel Biancardi (SC 1958-62) left Scotch from the Junior School to move to England, where he became a schoolboy tennis champion. He later became a tennis coach.
Dr Arthur Gideon Hugh Colquhuon (SC 1881-82) was the first man to hold both the Victorian and NSW lawn tennis singles’ championships (Victoria 1887 and NSW 1888).
Iain Alasdair Buchanan (SC 1951-61) represented Australia at the Real Tennis World Overs at New York in 2008.
