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2008 IRISH HANDBALL CHAMPIONSHIPS |
Sligo, 27/29th June 2008 |
[posted 03 July 2008] |
The first Handball tournament of 2008 saw Team England head off to Sligo for the Irish Singles Open, writes Dan Grant. There were 13 of us in total – 8 guys, 4 girls and 1 physio. Physio Steve was an excellent asset to the team, who supplied us with cracking banter and a variety of cunning treatments, all involving ice.
The weekend saw some excellent handball – most of it from the Irish, but thankfully some from the English too! In the men’s C group, the Price brothers (Gareth and Richard) and Anthony Theodossi all powered through into the second round, although Gareth and Anthony sadly progressed no further. Rich, on the other hand, managed to reach the quarter-finals, an excellent achievement.
The other five men – Ady Lee and Dan Grant (Rugby Fives), Peter White, Peter Cohen and Dave Mew (Eton Fives) – were perhaps a little optimistic to enter the main tournament. Many of us got absolutely creamed in the first round, except captain Pete Cohen, who managed to get a foothold in his match and ended up winning in a nail-biting finish, thereby heading into the main quarter-finals. Here, unfortunately, he too was undone.
In the Open Plate Competition, the whole England team were pretty much drawn against each other. Dan managed to dispatch Chalky White and a by now almost crippled Ady Lee on his way to the final, where for 5 minutes he was on level pegging with a multi-award winning Irish handball champion. Unfortunately, his other 15 minutes were less impressive, and after losing by a score which shall not be published here, he did however pick up the runner’s up trophy – the first silverware ever to be won by the England team!
Although some of the ladies also found it hard going – Emmelina Thompsell and Anita Ganguly both lost in the first round, and although Ashley Lumbard won her first ever game, she unfortunately never managed the second – Team England’s greatest success came in the Ladies Open.
Simply, Kerry White stole the tournament, and proved her skill by reaching the final. Her athleticism, down-the-line shots and top blocking proved too much for many an Irish lass. In the final, it is fair to say she was outclassed by a very impressive young lady, but all was not lost because, as runner-up, she won England its second piece of silverware!
In short, it was an excellent weekend. Our hosts’ hospitality was brilliant and we thank them for letting us compete. Their friendliness and genuine appreciation means that we’ll be back next year when, after 12 months of practice and tournaments, we intend to do a lot better! Guinness all round and kudos to an England team which is going from strength to strength…
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Click on the following links to see some of Richard Price's photos from Ireland:
And here to see some of Ady Lee's photos:
Volume One
Volume Two
Volume Three
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SOUTH WEST OPEN CHAMPIONSHIPS |
Blundell's School, Tiverton, 28/29th June 2008 |
[posted 29 June 2008] |
It was a case of quality rather than quantity at the South West Open Championships. And, at the end of the new season's first competition, it was Hamish Buchanan's quality that shone through and secured him two more titles.
However, if the spectators thought the relatively low numbers of players would mean a lack of competition, they couldn't have been more wrong. The top three seeds in the singles were all Top 10-ranked players, and the rest of the field were closely matched. In the pick of the first round matches, for example, Chris Jones took on Alex Rew, and the Londoner only came through 12-11 in the third game. He then pushed third seed Will Ellison all the way in the quarter-final, only to lose
11-9 in both games. There was another close quarter-final between Kevin Henry and Marcus Bate, with Kevin coming back from a game down to clinch the match with 11-9 wins in the next two games.
That set up a meeting with a Hamish Buchanan in one semi-final, while Will met Phil Bishop in the other. In the top half of the draw, Hamish had a comfortable win, but it was a very different story in the bottom half. Will took the first game decisively and then raced into a strong lead in second, before Phil staged a stirring comeback. However, the lead was too strong, and Will claimed a 12-11 win in the second to secure a place in his first ever Open final. Here, though, he was the one who made the slow start, and Hamish raced through the first game and opened up a big lead in the second. But, just as in the semi, that was the cue for a major fightback, although again it was in vain. Hamish's lead was too big, and although closed the gap, Hamish clung on to secure the few points he needed to take the second game – and the title.
Disappointingly, only six pairs entered the doubles, but again it was the quality that shone through. The pick of the two quarter-finals was the match between Alex Rew & Jim Hughes and Kevin Henry & Wayne Enstone, where Alex and Jim raced through the first game, only for the Manchester pair to secure a semi-final place with narrow wins in the next two wins. Wayne, in particular, was in superb form, but he and his partner couldn't repeat the trick in the next match, and lost out narrowly to the relatively untried partnership of Hamish and Chris Jones.
In the bottom half of the draw, it was another untried partnership that took the second final berth, but only after an epic battle. Phil Bishop and Andy Pringle were playing together for the first time, and this showed as they lost the first game to the more established pair of Will Ellison and Marcus Bate. However, Phil and Andy came back with revised tactics, and took the next two games to clinch the match. Come the final, however, it was the opposite story. With the first game evenly poised at 8-8, Phil hit a rich vein of form, and reeled off a succession of superb winners to take put himself and his partner a game to the good. Then, in the next two games, it was Hamish and Chris who changed their tactics, and their pressure on Andy told, forcing the RFA Gen Sec into errors and – with Phil's big shots not quite hitting the same nicks as in the first game – it was the two Londoners who were able overcome their opponents' spirited defence and close out the match to take the title with clear wins in the second and third games.
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South West Open Championships results
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RFA AGM |
London, 18th June 2008 |
[posted 26 June 2008] |
The 82nd Annual General Meeting of the RFA took place on June 18th in the offices of Clifford Chance in London. It was the first to held under the Association's new General Secretary, and both he and the President marked the occasion by formally thanking Ian Fuller, the previous General Secretary, for his work.
During the meeting, there were no comments on the General Secretary's report, and the annual accounts were accepted (see below for details of both). In addition, five board members – David Barnes, David Gardner, Paddy d'Ancona, David Fox and Ollie Stone-Lee – were re-appointed as Directors after retiring by rotation. At the same time, Peter de Winton was re-elected as Auditor, and David Barnes was re-elected as Honorary Archivist.
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DERBY MOOR INVITATION DOUBLES |
Derby Moor, 22nd June 2008 |
[posted 26 June 2008] |
Players from Derby Moor Fives, Alleyn Old Boys, the White Rose Club and the Manchester Y Club contested the 5th Derby Moor Invitation Tournament. After several matches in two Pools, Phil Bishop and Jimmy Goodwin were beaten in a close, hard-hitting semi-final by David Hebden and Max Frost (DMF U14), while next door Bob Sandie and Ashley Hill – who has already won two Doubles titles this year – got the better of Ian Roberts and Richard Christie in a lengthy tactical battle.
The final was marked by a remarkable performance by the young Max, who withstood a huge amount of pressure from Ashley and Bob, trying their utmost to keep Dave out of the game. However, the pressure told in the end, with an exhausted Max and Dave going down in two games. Plate A was won by Brian Kirk and Anthony Goodwin (DMF U16), Plate B by Tim Widdop and Matt Gilbert (DMF U16). Grem McIntyre – two-time Scottish champion – and Rob Grey won the Wooden Spoon by default!.
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RFA AGM |
London, 18th June 2008 |
[posted 03 June 2008] |
Notice is hereby given that the 82nd Annual General Meeting of the Rugby Fives Association will be held on Wednesday, 18th June 2008 at 7.30 pm at
the offices of Clifford Chance, 4 Coleman Street, London EC2.
Members should have received the relevant paperwork, either by Royal Mail or email, but for those who have not, you can click on the links below to download all of the documents. Also, if you have not yet received the documents and are a fully paid-up RFA member, the most likely reason is that the General Secretary does not have your current postal and/or email address. So, if you think that may be the case, please contact the Gen Sec with your latest details.
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RFA AGM agenda [Word document, 52 KB]
AGM Resolutions [Word document, 32 KB]
General Secretary's report [Word document, 76 KB]
Financial report [Word document, 28 KB]
Balance sheet [PDF, 3.3 MB]
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RFA OFFICIAL RANKINGS |
London, 18th May 2008 |
[posted 26 May 2008] |
The RFA has today published the final rankings for the 2007/08 season (prepared by Dave Hebden) and they see James Toop and Hamish Buchanan top the singles and doubles rankings respectively.
After a strong season, in which he won two championships and was runner-up in the National Singles, James takes over from Matt Cavanagh, who drops to third. Ed Fuller again finishes a season one place below the top spot, while National Champion Hamish Buchanan winds up in fourth place. Meanwhile, John Minta (also a winner of two titles this season) is closing in on the top four in fifth place.
Lower down the order, Will Ellison caps a fine season by securing ninth place, while Neil Roberts returns to the top ten after reaching the final of the season's last event, the Scottish Open. Also making good progress over their position at the start of the season and into the top 20 are Harry Akerman, Simon Fraser and Dan Grant, while Dan Tristao is the highest new entry at 15.
In the doubles rakings, the top spot is occupied – as it has been for the last four seasons – by Hamish Buchanan, with a clear lead over his closest challengers, the Manchester duo of Phil Bishop and John Minta. The biggest mover in the top ten is Ed Fuller (winner of the North West Open and runner-up in the National Doubles), but James Toop and Marcus Bate also make good progress to reach seventh and eight respectively.
At the same time, Will Ellison and Adrian Lee move into the top 20, while North West runner-up Matt Bowness, Under 25 champion Steve Korris and BUSA champion Jack Furniss all make it into the top 30. For full details of the latest rankings, simply click on the link below.
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Latest official RFA rankings
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SOUTH WEST OPEN CHAMPIONSHIPS |
Blundell's School, Tiverton, 28/29th June 2008 |
[posted 06 May 2008] |
The entry form for the 2008 South West Open Championships is now available here on the RFA website. Organised as ever by Wayne Enstone, both singles and doubles competitions will start on Saturday June 28th (please note that this is an earlier than usual date for this tournament), with Plate competitions for early-round losers in both. Entry costs £10 per person for each tournament (or £13 for non-RFA members) and completed entry forms must reach the organiser by Monday June 16th, but for full details, simply click on the link below to download the official entry form.
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South West Open Championships entry form [Word document, 32KB]
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SCOTTISH OPEN CHAMPIONSHIPS |
Loretto School, Musselburgh, 3rd/4th May 2008 |
[posted 05 May 2008] |
John Minta claimed his second double of the season with victory in both the singles and doubles tournaments at the Scottish Open. It was a truly dominant display in the singles, with a comfortable two-game win over organiser Neil Roberts in the final. And, while some said that he enjoyed the luck of the draw in facing players in the semi-final and final who were exhausted by their exploits in the previous round, the truth is that no one could live with his combination of pace around the court, powerful hitting with both hands and sheer agression, always keen to take the ball early on the volley.
If the final was between two men from the North of England, it was good to see a strong Scottish contingent at Loretto. What's more, two of them reached the semi-finals. Edinburgh University's Johnny Major had an excellent win over Andy Pringle in the quarter-finals, before being demolished by the Minta steam-roller in the semis, while Caldeonian Club stalwart Simon Fraser found a determined Neil Roberts just too strong in the semi-final after making comfortable progress to that point.
There were fewer Scots in the following day's doubles championship - still the only open doubles tournament where the pairings are selected in a seeded draw - but again it was Simon Fraser who saw the greatest success. After a round-robin between all five pairs, he and partner Graham Butterworth (who had spent the entire day looking just moments away from a major coronary, and more than once ended a rally on his knees) went on win the Plate Doubles, claiming the unique wooden Smith Plate in the process.
The main final was contested by what were clearly the two strongest pairs from the round-robin: John Minta and his partner Grem McIntyre took on Dave Hebden and Charles Lamb. And, what a match it was, with never more than a few points between the pairs. Certainly, if John had expected a repeat of his relatively comfortable win in the singles, he was to be very disappointed. Grem and John edged a tight first game before Dave and Charles came back to win the second - again by a narrow margin.
In the decisive third game, it was a tremendous and fascinating battle, with Dave and John desperately trying to find winners and protect their partners, while Charles and Grem did their very best to return whatever was hit (and occasionally belted!) at them. It was a magnificent game, with a real mixture of shots and styles: John's familiar power play was matched by Dave's subtlety at the front of the court, and all four players were charging round for all they were worth.
Almost inevitably, the game went to the wire, and Charles and Dave had a couple of match points at 10-9 up. However, Charles was served out and a potential match-winner from Dave clipped the top of the bar, putting John in, and he duly saw out the final three points to clinch his second title of the weekend.
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Scottish Open Championships results
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VINTAGE & MASTERS CHAMPIONSHIPS |
Oundle School, 20th April 2008 |
[posted 22 April 2008] |
The National Vintage tournament was held on Sunday 20th April at Oundle School, where the facilities for such an event were much appreciated on a cold damp morning. It was a record entry and a full day's fives was expected.
In the morning, the fact that it was provbably going to be a long day of Fives was guaranteed by Bob Sandie taking almost an hour to overcome Dick Warner in the first round, which was played over just one game. They met again in the final of the Plate about three hours later when Dick had his revenge in another long battle.
Meanwhile, the main competition went according to the seeding, with Dave Hebden just overcoming a newly qualified Jeremy Schroeter in one semi-final in three long games. Ever youthful and with deep reserves of stamina and experience, Dave still had some energy for the final with Wayne, but despite some excellent rallies, Wayne was simply too fast and too strong in the end.
In the Doubles, again the seeding worked, although Wayne and John East (partners again after a gap of probably 20 years) dropped a game to Warner and Grey as John slowly adjusted to playing fives again on some strange courts. Keith Puckle and Dave Hebden overcame some stout resistance from Ross and Hamilton in one semi-final, while Enstone and East caught a tiring Schroeter and McIntyre in the other.
Again, in the final, Wayne's speed and strength were the main difference as Dave finally tired a little, while John and Keith tried their best simply to keep the rallies going. Warner and Grey duly won the doubles plate.
Congratulations to Dick Warner for playing a total of five singles and five doubles matches in the day, but especially to the new young whippersnapper Bob Sandie with six matches of both Singles and Doubles in one day. There is probably a Health and Safety rule against that for Vintage players. Lastly, much thanks to Oundle School (and Tony Burrows) for allowing us the use of their excellent facilities and for their warm hospitality during a long day's Fives.
It was also good to see the high standard of fives in the Masters Championship (played on the same day), although only two pairs entered. In the end, Bev Boag and Douglas Rice beat Bernard Atkinson and David Bawtree in two games. However, all bodes well for next year, as a number of players edge over the 65 age threshold and it looks as though there could be four pairs taking part. The venue has yet to be decided, and this really depends on the numbers taking part in the Vintage. If the success of this year's event at Oundle is repeated it may be necessary to have the Masters on a separate day. Watch this space...
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Vintage Championship results
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SCOTTISH OPEN/WINCHESTER FIVES MIXED DOUBLES |
Loretto, Musselburgh, 3rd/4th May 2008/Bradfield College, 11th May 2008 |
[posted 19 April 2008] |
Entry forms for two upcoming tournaments are now available here on the RFA website. The first, the Scottish Open, takes place at Loretto School in Musselburgh over the weekend of May 3rd/4th, with the Winchester Fives Mixed Doubles taking place a week later at Bradfield College.
As usual, the Scottish Open is organised by Neil Roberts, with the singles on Saturday, followed by the doubles on the Sunday, when partners will be selected by a seeded draw. Meanwhile, Emma Howie is organising the Winchester Fives Mixed Doubles tournament on May 11th, where novices are especially welcome. Entry forms for the Scottish Open must be received by April 27th, and for the Winchester Fives tournament by May 1st.
For full details of both tournaments, simply click on the appropriate link below to download the official entry form. And, in case the writing on the Scottish Open entry form is illegible, we have also included a link to send an email direct to the organiser.
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Click here to download the Scottish Open entry form [Word document, 28KB]
Click here to email Neil Roberts
Click here to download the Winchester Fives Mixed Doubles entry form [Word document, 32KB]
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NATIONAL CLUB CHAMPIONSHIP (WOOD CUP) |
St Paul's School, 12/13th April 2008 |
[posted 13 April 2008] |
For the fourth year on the trot, the Wood Cup final was played out between Manchester's Y Club and the Alleyn Old Boys. And, for the third year on the trot, it was the Mancunians who came out as winners. While the eventual outcome was never in doubt, credit must go to the runners-up, who pushed the eventual champions far harder than many onlookers - and perhaps even they themselves - had expected.
As well as this , the Alleyn Old Boys can lay claim to another distinction over the weekend - the narrowest victory - when they beat a very strong RFA Club squad by just three points in the semi-final. The Y Club, too, had a tough semi-final, but can thank a devastating performance by their first pair - John Beswick and John Minta - for securing a 15-point win over the Executioners.
Come the final, and the two Johns seemed to have set the tone for the match with emphatic wins in their singles. However, the Alleyn Old Boys refused to lay down, and wins for Dave Hebden and Bruce Hanton meant that the Y Club led by just seven points going into the doubles.
In the first round of matches, honours were pretty much even, as both sides traded blows. Particularly impressive was the performance of Inigo Ackland, recent winner of the National Schools Championship and partnering Dave Hebden, a man more than 40 years his senior and the winner of more than 100 titles in his illustrious career. The youngster was totally undaunted by the opposition and was only too happy to give as good as he got from the hard-hitting Y Club players. A major talent for the future...
It was only in the reverse doubles that the match swung decisively the way of the Y Club. John Minta and his partner Phil Bishop (who had not played in the Saturday games and taken a while to get to the speed of the match) started to hit their stride and won both games against the Hebden/Ackland pairing. With John Beswick and Ben Taberner winning their first game as well, the result was put beyond doubt, and the Wood Cup could make the return journey up the M6.
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National Club Championship results
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OFFICIAL RFA RANKINGS |
London, 11th April 2008 |
[posted 13 April 2008] |
The latest official RFA rankings, as prepared by Dave Hebden, have been published to take into account the results of the National Doubles tournament. And, the three most major moves come from players who reached the final. While Hamish Buchanan remains in a clear first place, his championsip-winning partner Robin Perry climbs eight places to fourth, just behind John Minta and Phil Bishop.
The other big movers are Ed Fuller and Matt Cavanagh, who did exceptionally well to reach the final of the National Doubles. Ed jumps five places to fifth, while Matt rises 10 places to eleventh. Also climbing a few places are Alan Beverly and Chrlie Brooks, who won the Plate competition. For the full details of the latest rankings, click on the link below.
The singles rankings - with James Toop in top spot - have not changed in the latest update, and the next rankings list to be published will be the end of season rankings. These will be calculated following the Scottish Open, which takes place over the first weekend of May.
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Click here to see the latest official RFA doubles rankings
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CFA QUICKFIRE DOUBLES TOURNAMENT |
Westway Sports Centre, London, 17th May 2008 |
[posted 11 April 2008] |
The City Fives Association are presenting the first Quickfire Doubles tournament on May 17. Allowing Rugby and Eton Fives players to compete together, it will take place at the Westway Sports Centre and, with spaces already reserved for a contingent of Irish handball players, entries are limited to 20 men's pairs and seven women's pairs.
It costs £15 per person (£12 for students) to enter, with six games guaranteed for each pair during the day, and the CFA will find you a partner, if you don't have one. Places are running out fast, so if you want to enter, download the official flyer or email the organiser, Peter White, using the link below.
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Click here to email Peter White
And here to download the Quickfire Doubles Flyer [PDF, 1.2MB]
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NATIONAL VETERANS' CHAMPIONSHIPS |
Christ's Hospital, Horsham, 5/6th April 2008 |
[posted 7 April 2008] |
Neil Roberts was too strong for the field in this year's Veterans Singles, beating Dave Hebden comfortably in the final with some very impressive fives, thereby securing his 3rd successive title. Outside of Neil's run to the title, there was plenty of fiercely contested fives, and although the entry was small this year, the play continued until well after 7.30pm on the Saturday evening.
This was not only down to plenty of tea drinking, but largely due to two epic matches involving newcomer Angus Hanton. Fresh from his workouts with his son Peter (recent U16 Schoolboy champion), Angus was able to demonstrate that he too was capable of winning silverware in beating redoubtable competitors Brian Nithsdale and then Bob Sandie on his way to 3rd place and the Single Plate. A magnificent performance!
Snow greeted the travellers on the Sunday morning, but all 6 pairs managed to fight their way through to the Christ's Hospital courts, and again a very good day's fives was enjoyed by all. Neil Roberts teamed up with the evergreen Wayne Enstone to power their way to win their 3rd title. Neil's mistakes could be counted on the fingers of one foot, while Wayne delighted the spectators with his unique brand of volleying and interceptions. Phil Atkinson and Brian Nithsdale did brilliantly to reach their first final, and they put up some stout resistance without being able to greatly trouble the great pair, who have a remarkable 28 National Doubles titles between them.
Stuart Kirby and Brian Kirk, who like Angus Hanton have also been practising with Schoolboy champions at Derby Moor (perhaps this is the way forward for the rest of us?), continued their domination of recent Veterans Plate competitions in beating Dave Hebden and Keith Puckle in the 3rd place play-off.
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National Veterans' Championships results
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