Dear Friends,

My colleague Luca approached me 2 years ago and challenged me on the tennis court. Having not picked up a racquet ever in his life, but armed with generations of Roman confidence, he kindly offered to play for a financial stake which will be donated towards a charity. I could not resist but set up this modern Greco-Roman battle.

After both having invested heavily in tennis lessons (trust me, the tennis coaching association is the main beneficiary of this), the big day has finally come. No other day would be more appropriate than Halloween night. The proceeds of this match will be donated to Bute House's bursary scheme.

Bute House is committed to broadening access to the School by offering eligible parents/guardians means-tested financial support with the payment of school fees. Such support is known as a bursary and bursaries may be awarded in the form of a discount of up to 100 per cent of tuition fees payable together with a uniform allowance and support towards the cost of residential visits, depending on the financial circumstances of applicants. Bursary awards are only offered for pupils on entry: a) Who meet the School's normal entry requirements, and b) whose parents have demonstrated their inability to afford a full fee-paying place. A means testing process is in place.

Result of the tennis match will be announced Wednesday morning. ESPN kindly declined our request for live coverage.

Thank you very much for your generosity,

Renos & Luca