On Friday May 8, the Athletic Ground in Richmond, London, witnessed an exhilarating battle of rugby and netball teams, as surveying firms from across the UK competed in the Surveyor 7’s Tournament.
The Surveyor 7’s Tournament is one of the year's largest property charity sporting events. A national tournament that has become a platform for teamwork, and sportsmanship and in more recent years has become a charitable event, this year raising money for Campaign Against Living Miserably (CALM) and OddBalls Foundation.
Three teams took to the field to represent us in the men's rugby, women's tag rugby and women's netball competitions. Last year we faced stiff competition, but both teams still made their way to the semi-finals.
This year, our rugby team, captained again by Associate Partner, Harry Keam in our valuation team and coached on the day by Graduate Surveyor Sam Peters, started the tournament with a strong squad that included several new additions. They began the first match slowly and couldn’t quite recover their rhythm. The second match showed improvement, and the third was a tightly fought contest, but a late score saw them edged out 26-24, meaning they didn’t progress from the group stages.
Harry said: “The squad had lots of new talent, with Henry Martyn-Smith, Joe Robinson, Albie Smith and Charlie Shakespeare all making their first appearances at Surveyor 7’s. While results didn’t go our way this time, the early finish meant we could regroup, support the women’s teams from the sidelines and watch the tag rugby and netball players push on to the semi-finals.”
The rugby team was made up of a mix of players and included: Harry Keam, Max Fellows, Jonny Hosein, Henry Marty-Smith, Alex Morrison, Toby Risebrow, Ben Sandiford, Joe Robinson, Angus Laughtonm, Evan Shingles, Albie Smith and Charlie Shakespeare.
Sam, who works in our investment team in our London office, said: “Surveyor 7’s is about much more than the games, it’s a chance to bring the Fisher German team together, reconnect with old friends and spend time with contacts across the sector. And it was great to see the netball team in action too; they were fantastic, and we were proud to support them on the touchline.”
Martha Waterfall, a graduate surveyor in our infrastructure consultancy team, organised our netball team. They team started the tournament on a high, with a strong win in the opening match against the Howard de Walden Estate, giving us early momentum. The second match proved more challenging as we came up against a strong Knight Frank side, and despite a huge effort we were defeated 21–7.
The team bounced back superbly in the following match with a well-earned win against Carter Jonas, securing our place in the quarterfinals. Carrying that confidence forward, we faced Cushman & Wakefield and produced another strong performance, earning a decisive win to book our place in the semi-finals. In the semi-final, we took on a formidable CBRE team and, despite our best efforts, our tournament journey came to an end at this stage. CBRE went on to face Savills in the final, where they ultimately lifted the trophy.
Martha said: “It was a hugely positive experience for the team and a fantastic achievement to reach the semi-finals after such limited preparation.” She added: “The tournament was a brilliant opportunity to represent the business; enjoy friendly competition with industry peers and we’re all looking forward to next year’s event.”
The tournament was a testament to the team’s skill and determination, with the team line-up featuring Martha Waterfall, Hattie Cole, Izzy Ferguson, Laura Burland, Sarah Connell, Emily Wilcox, Emily Bilson, Debbie Kenney, Abigail Horsfield and Alicia Bailey.
Martha said: “It was a brilliant day and a tremendous team effort. Throughout the day our teams displayed high standards of play, and we all thoroughly enjoyed taking part, getting to know each other as well as meeting other teams. The tournament isn’t just about rugby and netball, it’s about camaraderie, competition, and supporting worthy causes. Not to mention the support of others, not necessarily taking part, but willing to stand on the sidelines and cheer both teams on. We are incredibly thankful for all the players who took the time to attend training sessions, and we look forward to competing again next year.”
It was also a debut for our women’s tag rugby team at Richmond, with 10 representatives eager to give the game a shot for the first time. Harry Keam kindly stepped up to coach the team, and the improvement was clear from the very first session. Most of the squad had never played tag rugby before, but by the end of training, passing and small-game play had improved significantly.
The women’s tag rugby team was led by Corin Davies and Venice Manuel, both from our valuation team, with support from colleagues across the business. Captain, Corin, said: “Our first match was a close contest, finishing with a 4–2 loss against Dalcour Maclaren. CBRE then put on an excellent display to keep the team on their toes, but the squad took clear steps forward in overall skill and organisation. The breakthrough came in game three, with a big win against JLL and tries from Sarah, Hattie, Corin and Lily as confidence grew.”
Venice added: “We later faced Savills and then met them again in the semi-finals, where the team narrowly missed out on progressing. Everyone walked off the field feeling really proud about how much they achieved from the first training session to the final match and the squad is already looking forward to building momentum for next year.”
The women’s tag rugby team was made up of Venice Manuel, Isabelle Holliday, Lily Whitehead, Eva Gascoigne, Hattie Cole, Tatiana Wharton, Molly Smith, Corin Davies, Niamh Phair and Sarah Ramsey.
A huge well done to every player for their incredible effort, and heartfelt thanks to everyone who came out to cheer the teams on.