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For every Tim Henman and Greg Rusedski in the world of tennis, there are 100
young hopefuls who want desperately to make it to the top. Few succeed, but
for one Dial-a-Cab driver's son, the future is starting to look extremely
rosy. Melvyn Harvey (E87) has been on Dial-a-Cab for many years, but son Richard shows little interest in driving a cab - he is too busy winning trophies at virtually every tennis competition he enters. In fact, Richard is now recognised as the number one Junior tennis player in Essex and when you think that 'juniors' go up to the age of 18 whilst Richard is just 16, you can see why there are such high hopes for him. At the recent Essex County Closed Tournament at Thorpe Bay, Richard won both the Under-18 Singles and Doubles titles - an amazing achievement for one so young. He also managed to get to two other finals at the same tournament! This came soon after earlier successes in tournaments at Brentwood and Loughton. Together with his Essex County success, his LTA rating has started to move in a distinctly upward direction - currently showing at 2.2. With ratings anything between 1.1 to 8.3, 2.2 is getting pretty hot! Proud dad Melvyn told Call Sign that he was really proud of Richard. "He continually astounds us with |
DAC DRIVER'S SON: THE NEW TENNIS SENSATION?
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his amazing tennis skill and determination to constantly improve. In
addition, he intends taking A-levels in a range of subjects from PE through
IT and Business Studies." Richard is now entering more and more adult tournaments, especially within the GiroBank and ITF tour circuits and recently reached a quarterfinal. "It was just amazing," said Melvyn, "however good we know Richard is, to see him beating more experienced adult players still just amazes me. And he is getting better all the time!" There is just one down side, unlike the Henman's and Rusedski's of the tennis world, every time Richard travels from place to place for a tournament, someone has to |
find the fare. Every time he trains, someone has to pay. Yet
his winnings consist of cups and medals, but no cash. So Melvyn is looking
for sponsorship. He asked Call Sign to ask our drivers... "We are getting some sponsorship from Dial-a-Cab for which we are extremely grateful, but if anyone out there reading Call Sign knows of anyone who might be interested in sponsoring a real up-and-coming young tennis player, please, please ask them to call me. You never know, your passenger may mention something about sponsorship and perhaps you could tell them about Richard. My number is 07939 246 870." Call Sign will be giving regular updates on Richard Harvey's progress. In the meantime, we wish him the best of luck... |
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ELLIS'S LOGO WIN |
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"...And about time too," was Ellis Cohen's first comment when
told that he had won the September door-logo draw. According to Ellis (L24),
he was one of the first drivers to put the logo onto his cab door. "It was that awful big square thing with the Shirland Road number of 286 4848 on it that looked like seven miniature King Kongs! But it didn't matter, I always believed that advertising ourselves was a wise policy," said Ellis, "and I remember the feeling of amazement when it was announced that a monthly draw was to be held for those with logos on. I thought I'd be a certainty to win occasionally... and how many years ago was that!" Ellis has been on Dial-a-Cab for over 25 of his 32 years as a licensed taxi driver. Nine years before getting his badge, he married Gladys and after 41 years, Ellis tells Call Sign that they are as happy as ever. Thanks to the efforts of Ellis's son Mark and daughter Madelin, he and Gladys now have six adorable grandchildren. As a day man, Ellis is very much against the fare |
 Ellis shows his £300 logo increase scheduled to start this week. "I get none of the increase, but I guarantee you that there will be increases based on it. Items such as servicing and spares in addition to the Mayor's already announced licence increase for both the driver and the cab. I refuse to work at nights because I value my family life and not working during the evening is how I keep that family life. I refuse to change." As an orthodox Jew, Ellis told Call Sign that the money would come in very useful because it came at a time of several Jewish holy days including the New Year... |
