The region’s glitterati gathered to sip Taittinger and Pimms in the sun, shop around at the luxury boutiques and watch former Wimbledon champions return to the court – during the stunning three-day Boodles Tennis tournament.
Business leaders mingled with guests and tennis stars including Goran Ivanisevic and Kim Clijsters during the renowned glitzy stylish three-day garden party.
Now in its sixth year at The Mere Golf Resort and Spa in Knutsford, Boodles Tennis at The Mere – which ran from Wednesday, June 21 to Friday, June 23 – has become a firm favourite in the region’s summer social calendar.
Speaking at Boodles Tennis at The Mere, Tournament Director Vicky Collins thanked main sponsor Boodles as well as new sponsors for 2017, wealth management company Brown Shipley, Oman Air and Manchester Airport.
She said: “Seven years after our very first Boodles Tennis event and here we are – bigger and better than ever.
“We’ve enjoyed an exciting line-up of some of the world’s sporting legends on our very own centre court
“Our player line-up was a particularly exciting one for me this year, as we finally featured Grand Slam winners, Marion Bartoli and Kim Clijsters, who joined us for our first ever Ladies Day and fully embraced the Boodles Tennis attitude of friends getting together and having fun.”
Following Wednesday’s Ladies Day was Thursday’s Twilight Tennis, then Friday’s Finals Day which saw legends Xavier Malisse, Goran Ivanisevic, Mikael Pernfors and 1996 Wimbledon Champion Richard Krajicek entertain the crowd.
Also making his debut at Boodles Tennis was South African born Wayne Ferreira, who ranks third in the world for the most consecutive Grand Slam tournament appearances in men’s tennis.
During the three-day event guests raised a glass of Taittinger champagne or Aspall cider to toast the daily match winners, before indulging in a three-course meal and afternoon tea party created with locally sourced ingredients by The Mere’s award-winning catering and hospitality team.
Long-standing sponsor Rolls-Royce Motor Cars Manchester provided a spectacular entrance to the event with a display of their stunning cars.
Inside the marquee, Manchester Flannels’ pop-up store displayed a wealth of designer clothing, shoes and accessories, and independent travel company 001 Travel offered its expertise on luxury getaways. With daily flights to and from Manchester Airport, Oman Air’s mock-up of its first-class cabin allowed tennis fans to picture themselves in the lap of luxury, and designer sunglasses retailer Mark Blankstone ensured guests were suitably geared up to watch tennis in the sunshine.
Individual Restaurants, the company behind Piccolino, also hosted the official VIP after-party for members of its lifestyle rewards programme Club Individual.
Vicky said this year’s Boodles Tennis event was also proud to support The Seashell Trust, a national charity supporting children and young adults with complex learning disabilities across the UK.
She added: “We are absolutely delighted to have raised £10,000 for The Seashell Trust this year. A huge thank you to everyone who donated to the charity across the three-day event, and thank you to all our sponsors for providing some fantastic raffle prizes too. “Now planning can begin for next year’s event!”
Mark Boler – Co- owner & CEO of The Mere Collection , owners of The Mere Golf Resort & Spa said ‘Boodles Tennis at The Mere has become one of the most popular social events in the county’s calendar and we were delighted to have welcomed guests from all over the North West , it’s a fantastic event that The Mere team relish in playing host to’.
