From: The Racketeer 50, June 2003
A Publishing Phenomenon
by Andy Lusis
NOW THAT The Racketeer has reached its fiftieth issue, it's time to indulge in an orgy of self-congratulation. Little did we think, ten years ago, when the world's favourite tennis periodical was nothing more than a wild notion in the fevered imagination of the founder and editor, that today the result of that brainwave, the mighty Racketeer Publishing Corporation would straddle the media world like a colossus.
Anyone still in possession of the first issue, dated May 1993 - now changing hands for eye-watering sums at the auction houses - will appreciate how far the publication has come since those early days. To compare that photocopied A3 sheet, folded to make four pages, slightly amateurish in appearance, with today's Racketeer would be to compare Tim Henman with Nelson Mandela.
Early issues were enlivened by the prolific Malcolm Turner. Not only was his 'Dodgy Diary' [6-23, 33] the talk of the town - we're not sure which town - but his 'Junior Newsround' [18-28] set a standard which remains unequalled. His other contributions included our only ever film review [4], an article about tennis in the cinema [10] and a secretary's report that berated members for not giving enough support to the club, which is as pertinent today as it was in 1996 [17].
It was not until 2000 that another regular and reliable contributor emerged, when we signed-up former club captain, Frank Raistrick, as our star columnist [37- ]. We used the title 'Lethal Spin' to draw attention to one of our less well appreciated roles, that of political analyst. It is of course a comment on New Labour. Similarly, we took on the growth of management-speak in LTA circles in 'Corporate Visions' [40], a devastating satire greeted with open-mouthed incomprehension by Adam Richardson.
A more forward-looking publication than the Racketeer would be hard to imagine. But time is relative and the past is no less than the future, so we have devoted much space to the club's history. The highlight is undoubtedly Chris Weir's monumental 13-part chronicle, which started in issue 4 and, with a few breaks, concluded in issue 20. We have also published research on the prehistory of the club, in the form of links with a croquet club [27], and a newly discovered photograph from 1932 [44].
Several milestones for the club have come and gone since 1993 and our intrepid reporters have always been there to get the story no-one else will tell. A plan of the new clubhouse was first revealed in issue 4. In June 1998 the club hired Jeremy Bates for a double celebration: its 75th anniversary and the official opening of the floodlights. We produced a special issue with lots of photos to mark the occasion [30].
Reporting on tennis, as played in matches and tournaments forms the backbone of our output. In 1995 we saw the Men's first team return to Division 1 of the Summer League for the first time since 1953 [15]. Victories that were the stuff of daydreams a few years ago have become almost commonplace. On the other hand the problems of raising a team strong enough to avoid humiliating defeats have been moaned about constantly.
A perennial source of inspiration for our writers has been the club's AGM. Despite our best endeavours in producing a series of imaginative and inspirational promotional articles, club members have steadfastly resisted the lure of this gala event.
The sport of tennis is not known for producing great literature and here at the Racketeer we aim to uphold that tradition. Over the years a number of articles have brought to light lesser known aspects of the lives of certain members. First came the report of Robert Collins's unexpected triumph at Wimbledon, aided by an obliging ferret [2]. Robert later turned the tables on us by craftily insinuating an unauthorised insert, purporting to reveal aspects of the editor's lifestyle [8]. Other victims of our profilers have included Geoff Firmin [6], Jeremy Freemantle [8], Brad Payne [21], as well as former stars Adam Richardson [37] and racing driver, Lidio Dellarocca [5].
Tennis coaches are not often great writers but Ed ('prisoner of conscience') Petryczka produced a trio of idiosyncratic efforts [1, 13, 16]. Elizabeth May, who later died in a tragic accident, contributed two interesting articles [22, 23]. Simon McBride, part-time literary scholar and Booker Prize judge, has vowed to show us 'how writing should be done proper'.
Here at the Racketeer we constantly strive to keep our readers entertained as well as informed. What do they think of us? Over the years critics have praised the 'schoolboy humour' of our lighter offerings, and taken us to task for n not sticking to solid news. Our coverage of the infamous Men's B team has proved controversial, particularly when not flowing from the quill pens of its affiliates. However, Vince Selke, possibly our greatest fan, is on record as saying, 'The Racketeer is the greatest thing since sliced bread. And it makes better toast'.
While we constantly bemoan the reluctance of members to send in their contributions, looking back over past issues we find that the number of people who have taken the plunge probably equals the number of issues produced. We thank them all. Anyone concerned about their lack of writing ability need have no fear, our team of experienced sub-editors will make even the most illiterate scribbler seem like a Nobel literature prize winner. Just ask Martin Garratt.
[Square brackets contain issue numbers]