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NORTH OF ENGLAND CHAMPIONSHIPS |
Durham, 27/28th February 2010 |
[posted 01 February 2010] |
Organiser Ady Lee is now accepting entries for the North of England Championships, which will be held in Durham over the last weekend of February. The singles championship will take place on the Saturday, with the doubles following on the Sunday, and the closing date for entries is Sunday February 21st. For full details, simply click on the link below to download the official entry form.
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North of England Championships entry form [Word file, 40KB]
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UNDER 25s CHAMPIONSHIPS |
Merchant Taylors School, Northwood, 30th/31st January 2010 |
[posted 31 January 2010] |
And so it was that time of year again when some of the best athletes in the world all came under one roof to compete for some of the most prestigious awards in sport. Yes, the Australian Open was in full swing in Melbourne. But at Merchant Taylors’ School, the Under 25s Nationals was also rocking the world.
The first match on Singles Saturday was a lonely preliminary match between veteran Abecassis and top MTS school boy Judge. The youngster pulled out some impressive resilience which saw the senior player collapse on the floor with exhaustion after nearly every point. However, in the end it was wisdom over teenage beauty as Abecassis nicked the second game 16-15 to ensure his place in the first round. However, it was to be fashion sense over wisdom from there on in as Steve Korris went on to annihilate Abecassis in record time. The rest of the 1st round matches also went on seeding, with relatively easy matches for all, except for 8th seed Inigo Ackland, who was closely beaten in a tasty match by stalwart good-guy Charlie Brooks 15-3, 16-15.
The quarter finals was also a mainly seeded-led affair, though Dan Tristao was pushed to two 16-14 sets by Brooks, who once again played his best fives. However, the second upset of the day came as Dean, who had worked hard over the past months to gain a 4th seeding, worked equally hard to lose it on that day as he was creamed by Burrows 15-1, 15-0. The semi-finals were almost a repeat of last year, except this time Dan Tristao was playing Burrows instead of Korris (who had been easily beaten by Ellison in the quarters). Again Tristao infuriated his opponent by purposefully allowing him to smell the glory, before whipping it away from under his nose, as he won 16-14, 16-14 for a second time. In the other semi, Ellison faced up against Grant. The first set was close with a few silly mistakes creeping in at the end, allowing Ellison to win 15-10. However, if Dan G had banked on Ellison to have another mammoth sugar crash (see National prelims), he would be disappointed, as Will came out strongly to take the second set 15-5.
This left us with a repeat of last year’s final. Tristao vs. Ellison. Last year it was a marathon match, and so it was this year. The fives was, as always special (though unfortunately there was a special tennis match on at the same time which drew many of the spectators and, shamefully, this organiser to a nearby TV set). However, in good fortune Federer won in three, so at least we could all watch the end of the match! Ellison, who was in his 158,000th singles final, and still yet to win, walked on court with fire in his eyes. He dominated the first game and took it decisively 15-6. Dan fought back in the second though, and steady pace shined through as he took the game to a third set with a 15-10 scoreline. Now, no-one really knows what happened next. Some say Ellison blacked-out and his limbs acted on their own accord. Others say Tristao whispered to the ball and it magically began to follow his every command. Perhaps it is no coincidence that Dean who watched Murray, also watched Ellison. Whatever happened, Will Ellison shot to a 14-3 lead in the third. What followed, was a comeback so unbelievable that you may dismiss it as embellished storytelling. Don’t! It actually happened. Tristao faced 11 match points and Ellison had 5 chances to win. But Dan clawed back, like the resilient mongrel he is, overcoming tiring fitness and mental anguish along the way to attain an incredible victory, winning 16-14. A quite spectacular finish to reclaim the singles trophy. Which is useful, because he hadn’t engraved it from last year yet.
An arduous plate match also saw Dan Ackland win over Bowden, with a respectable 25-17 scoreline.
Now to doubles! Unfortunately there were several withdrawals, which made the draw a lot smaller than we’d have hoped, but the valiant twenty fivesers soldiered on to make the most of it. In the bottom of the draw, the virgin pairing of Dan Grant and Dan Tristao (Dan Squared) easily reached the final with a comfortable win over Burrows and Dean. The top half, however, was not so clean cut. Last year Ellison and Korris, the no.1 seeds, had decimated all opposition, but this year they were taken to three sets by some quite remarkable fives from Hay and Brooks. The latter excelling himself, producing some of the best fives the world has ever seen. Midway through the third game, with Brooks and Hay up 7-3, tragedy occurred as Ellison’s scream echoed through the rafters. He had fallen badly on his thumb. Dr Frank Ackerman rushed to the rescue and it turns out the thumb didn’t need amputating. So Will bravely soldiered on, playing predominantly on the left (even serving there too). This may have actually been a blessing in disguise as this tactic was too difficult for Brooks and Hay to counter. With Steve far stronger on the right, smashing everything into the nicks with gusto, and poor little Hay being picked on worse than that ginger fat kid at school, it was not long before the no.1 seeds took their place in the final once more. It was no surprise that Brooks and Hay then went on to win the plate with a 25-4 scoreline over a decent pairing of George and Hunter, who had taken out Burrows and Dean in the semis.
And so that left the final. Defending champions Korris and Ellison, whose thumb was now feeling hittable again, vs Tristao and Grant, in their first and third U25s doubles final respectively. In front of a few sturdy spectators, the four played some superb fives in a brilliant final, if I say so myself. The Dan’s raced to the lead in the first set, only to have the experienced duo power back with several quick points on the trot. In a nail biting finish, the Dan’s clinched the first set 16-14. The second set was also impressive, but this time the Dan’s began to harmonise at partners. Tristao’s retrieval was exceptional and even under constant bombardment, rarely hit a shot down. When the ball eventually made its way to Grant, the ball was returned with more aggression which unbalanced the no.1 seeds. Combined with quick volleys and rolling nick shots, Dan Squared raced to a 14-5 lead. Ellison and Korris fought back valiantly, but could only get to 9 before the inevitable hammer thundered down. Grant, who you should never play against with a loved one watching (you have been warned), winning his first Rugby Fives national title since the schoolboy singles seven years ago and Tristao attaining the double.
Though things were not over. The prestigious flair award –or the Jack “Furniss” Off Booby Prize as it is otherwise known – was still to be presented. Each flair shot was assessed over several criteria, marked out of 10. Poise, intentionality, grace, limb flails, finish and gloating were all taken into account. Schoolboy Smith made a fine attempt at flair with what has been described as a “Matrix followed by a reach-around”. This organiser doesn’t want to know what the ‘reach-around’ involved. Veteran Brooks showed that fives is an instinct, and not a learned skill, as a reverse-angle-back-handed-nick-flipper scored him 30 points. Grant topped it with a Mortal Kombat “FINISH HIM” Spin Dice Drop, which astounded all on court, including himself, with a remarkable drop shot, slowly spinning midway off the sidewall on match point (finishing marks were high!). But not to be outdone, and with a clean-sweep possibility, Tristao won the award, achieving 31 points for intentionally allowing a game to go to 16 on not one, not two, but SIX occasions! A remarkable feat; the gloating to Ellison sealing the deal!
We look forward to next year’s tournament, but know there’s work to be done to increase numbers and keep the tournament a healthy success.
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Under 25s Championships results
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EASTBOURNE COLLEGE LADIES' FIVES |
Oundle School, 24th January 2010 |
[posted 30 January 2010] |
Tessa Mills and Charlotte Dodds made history by becoming the first ever girls to represent Eastbourne College at Fives – in a match against Oundle School. Playing singles and doubles on unfamiliar courts against an Oundle pair of Bryony Choy and Suzi Burrows, the Eastbourne girls won by 66 points to 13, a score which did not do justice to how well the Oundle girls had played.
After the match, Eastbourne coach Alex Smith (himself an Old Oundelian and RFA board member) said, "It has been fantastic to see the girls play so well in their first competitive Fives fixture." The girls won't be resting on their laurels, though. They already have their next match lined up against Christ's Hospital, and hope to take part in the Ladies' Winchester Fives tournament at Bradfield on March 13th, where they will be joined by another of their schoolteachers, Kathleen Briedenham.
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| Eastbourne College's website |
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NORTH WEST OPEN CHAMPIONSHIPS |
Y Club, Manchester, 23rd/24th January 2010 |
[posted 24 January 2010] |
STOP PRESS: Players from Manchester dominated their home championships, with John Minta taking the singles title before teaming up with Phil Bishop to win the doubles as well – and securing Phil's fifth consecutive North West doubles title in the process. Even the doubles plate went to a Manchester pair – John Beswick and Matt Bowness – and the only main prize not to stay in Manchester was the singles plate, won by Londoner Charlie Brooks. However, Charlie may take more pride in his first ever appearance in an Open championships final, as he and James Bristow finished as runners-up in the doubles tournament. Also taking a runner-up's tankard back down south was James's fellow Old Wykehamist Will Ellison, who was runner-up to John Minta in the three-game singles final.
Full report to follow...
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North West Open Championships results
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LADIES WINCHESTER FIVES CHAMPIONSHIPS |
Bradfield College, 13th March 2010 |
[posted 24 January 2010] |
Denise Hall-Wilton is now accepting entries for the Ladies National Winchester Fives Championships, which are being held at Bradfield on Saturday March 13th. The championhips include both singles and doubles, and players of all standards are welcome – including novices. Play will start at about 11am, and entries must be received by Wednesday 24th February. For full details, simply click on the link below to download the official entry form.
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Ladies Winchester Fives Championships entry form [PDF, 72KB]
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NATIONAL UNDER 25 CHAMPIONSHIPS |
Merchant Taylors School, Northwood, 30th/31st January 2010 |
[posted 14 January 2010] |
Organiser Dan Grant is now accepting entries for the Under 25 Championships, which (after some debate!) are now confirmed to be held at Merchant Taylors over the weekend of January 30th/31st. There will be singles and doubles championships, as well as some awards unique to these championships, such as the Best Dressed Player and Best Flair Shot. For full details, simply click on the link below to download the official entry form.
One thing potential players in the championships should know is that the organiser has advised the RFA that there may well be some difficulties getting to the school by public transport on the day. Players are strongly advised to go to the event by car - or at the very least arrange lifts as soon as possible.
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Under 25 Championships entry form [Word file, 36KB]
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NATIONAL OPEN DOUBLES CHAMPIONSHIP |
St Paul's School, Barnes, 9th January 2010 |
[posted 10 January 2010] |
Despite the treacherous weather conditions, several pairs – including two from Derby – took part in the London qualifying tournament for the National Doubles Championship, with three places in the finals up for grabs. In fact, the only concession to the weather was to transfer the event from Alleyn's to St Paul's, where the courts are warmer – and indoors!
The beauty of this year's tournament was that, although there were plenty of familiar names in the draw, they were playing in unfamiliar pairs. That said, it was two established pairs who made it through the preliminary rounds: Derby's Kirk and Christie beat the ex-Malvern pair of Bishop and Murray, while St Paul's current top pair of Kay and Ward scored a good win over old Paulines Furniss and Barlow.
In the end, though, it was the more fancied pairs who won through to the semi-finals. In the top half, Steve Korris and Hal Mohammed (who had never played as a pair before, but had both partnered Will Ellison to doubles titles in 2009) scored a fine win over Mark Gibbor and Chris Burrows. Meanwhile, the bottom half produced the closest match of the day. Andy Pringle & Tom Dean shared the first two games with Charlie Brooks and James Bristow, and staged a huge fightback in the third game, coming back from 2-12 down to lead 13-12; however, at the crucial moment, their concentration lapsed and James and Charlie closed the game out 15-13, to seal a place in the final.
Here, they were soundly beaten by Hal and Steve, but both pairs safely sealed their place in the last eight, alongside the top four seeded pairs (reigning champions Hamish Buchanan & Robin Perry, 2009 runners-up Will Ellison & Marcus Bate, plus Manchester's John Minta & Ben Taberner, and the England handballers Ady Lee and Dan Grant). That left one Finals place up for grabs, with a match between the two losing semi-finalists to decide it. In the end, despite some major bruising to his left hand, Tom Dean and his partner Andy Pringle hung on to beat Mark and Chris in two close games.
The eighth Finals place will be decided at a South-West qualifying tournament later in the year.
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London Qualifying tournament results
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WEST OF ENGLAND SCHOOLS' CHAMPIONSHIPS |
Sherborne, 9/10th January 2010 |
[posted 09 January 2010] |
Because of the adverse weather conditions affecting the whole of the UK, and after consultation with the competing schools, the RFA has decided to postpone this weekend's West of England Schools' Championships, which were due to be held in Sherborne. The organisers are now looking into playing the event on the weekend of February 13/14th and will advise potential players as soon as possible.
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