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FRED BESWICK |
Salford, 27th January 2012 |
[posted 28 January 2012] |
The funeral of Fred Beswick was held yesterday at Agecroft Crematorium, followed by a reception at the Castlefield. Many Fives players past and present were on hand mark his passing and pay tribute to a great man, who was such a loyal and devoted friend and supporter of our beloved game. Here we have great pleasure in publishing a tribute to Fred, written by fellow Manchester YMCA club member Wayne Enstone.
FRED BESWICK (1930-2012)
Fred Beswick proudly became President of the RFA from 1987 to 1989, becoming the first Manchester YMCA club member to be awarded this position.
Fred Beswick was a member of Manchester YMCA for over 65 years, having joined as a junior member at the age of 14, playing many sports to a high level and a member of many YMCA club teams; a very competent all round sportsperson. Fred fortunately lived in the Castlefield area of Manchester and worked in his early life less than a mile from the old YMCA site on Peter Street. He was on the Board at the Y in the80s when the decision was made to move the Y to the new site in Castlefield, less then 150 meters from where he had lived - he had to quote him, “come home”. Fred in his youth had been a volunteer who had given many weeks and weekends to help build the National YMCA Lakeside facility on Lake Windermere. His contributions to both Manchester YMCA and the National YMCA movement were recognised recently with the highest honour being awarded, an Honorary Membership of Manchester YMCA and the National YMCA’s Order of the Red Triangle, one of only a few people to have gained this honour.
His interest in Rugby Fives began in his early thirties, in the 1960s, and as he admits he regretted not having taken up the game earlier. He became club champion not long after starting to play and reached the North of England singles semi-final in 1973. With his regular doubles partner, Danny McGregor, he won the Club Doubles championship five times. Fred gave a very good account of himself in many open championships, his drop shot and follow up volley were feared by the best players and his short serve, we all struggled to return, which prompted his leg pulling saying during doubles “and the next”. One of his favourite titles was, Master Of The White Ball (M.O.T.W.B). Bringing fun into the game was one of Fred’s great assets and as a coach his ability to motivate all players to enjoy playing the game he loved. His positive energy infected all he coached. As everyone who came into contact with Fred soon found out there was a game called ‘fives’, that included conversations in pubs, cafes and shops covering the whole of the UK. His enthusiasm was infectious, as he would say, “no one is safe”, gloves and a ball would be produced from somewhere and before the person knew it they were on court. One would always know which court Fred was on because of the laughter, and another favourite expression of his booming from the court, “great shot”. Fred’s wife Shirley recounts that in his later years on court, Fred was credited with inventing a variation on fives, witnessed by onlookers to his games of doubles known as ‘yours!’.
From a YMCA fives development point of view Fred, at the suggestion of David Gardner (St Dunstan’s O.B.) helped to organise with Ernie Livesey (ex Club President) the first Lancashire Open Championship (now the North West) in 1968, which really put the YMCA as a fives club on the map. In addition, and as an incentive to play in the tournament, competitors were treated to Shirley’s ‘girls’ famous hotpots. Whilst the club had fixtures against other clubs this was the start of a new group of Fred’s ‘boys’ going to tournaments around the country. This was also a new era from a family point of view as Shirley with daughter Jane, who also wore the gloves as a youngster and son John (5 times National Doubles Champion) found themselves either travelling the country or waving Fred off for another weekend match or tournament, or having strange men in the house for the home fixtures. A big thanks must go to Shirley for sharing Fred with us. Other family members who were also introduced to fives were brothers Frank, who in turn introduced his work colleagues and brother Bill, who played in several open tournaments and instigated the coaching of students by Fred at Manchester University. Tony Wynn, (4 times British Universities Singles Champion) being one of the many students that benefited. Shirley’s nephews, Gary, Robert, David and Brian became fives players, all entering our schools tournament which Fred helped to organise.
In the 70’s Fred helped establish that fives existed in Manchester with the North West Sports Council. This contact led to Greater Manchester Council in the late 70’s funding our Open Schools Tournament with over 70 competitors coming from schools all over the country. David Barnes from Bradfield School will remember it well, especial the sleepless nights in the YMCA hostel - happy days!. Fred at that time also became a Junior YMCA Leader helping with the Saturday morning club and developed the junior fives club throughout the 70’s, 80’s and into the 90’s. Another role he undertook was his Father Christmas appearances at the Junior YMCA Christmas party.
In Fred’s early days he worked close to the Manchester Opera House Theatre and was introduced and attended many operas. This interest he also passed on to many fives players. It led to many good ‘singing’ sessions nationwide, often finishing with the toreador song from Carmen, ‘Stand up and fight until you hear the bell ….’. Fred was a fine ‘theatrical’ performer too, as I am sure all would agree who attended the YMCA annual Fives Club dinner dances, which Fred initiated and organised for many years. Together with his fives partner Danny McGregor they produced an array of hilarious performances that left not a dry eye in the room. Fred’s social talent was spotted and used on the Sports Council’s National Coaching Course at Exeter University. Whilst coaching fives he became the course Social Director for over 20 years. Fred was a great observer of life and had many wonderful stories and a thousand and one jokes. Any visiting team would have the warmest of greetings from Fred when they arrived at the YMCA and then be treated to a beer or two and refreshments in Cox’s bar round the corner from the YMCA, whilst Fred held ‘court’.
Fred has touched innumerable lives and his contribution to fives at the YMCA will remain unrivalled. We who try to emulate him are “all his boys” and are so proud to be so. He will never be replaced or forgotten by all who knew him. Fred’s enthusiasm will live on for ever in us all as he is a true legend of all that is best of our wonderful game of fives.
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NORTH WEST OPEN CHAMPIONSHIPS |
Manchester, 21st/22nd January 2012 |
[posted 22 January 2012] |
STOP PRESS:
It was a clean sweep for Old Boys of St Paul's School in the North West Open this weekend. Dan Tristao won the singles title – his second title of the season – beating Will Ellison in three games, before Tom Dean and Charlie Brooks went on claim the doubles title.
Full report to follow...
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North West Open Championships results
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OFFICIAL RFA RANKINGS |
London, 19th January 2012 |
[posted 21 January 2012] |
The RFA has today published its latest official rankings, prepared for the Association by Dave Hebden. They take into account last year's National Singles and National Student Championships, but not the 2012 North West Open. As a result, there is little movement at the very top of the rankings – James Toop remains ahead of Will Ellison and Dan Tristao in singles, while Will is still ahead of Hamish Buchanan and Marcus Bate in the doubles – but there are some significant moves lower down.
In the singles rankings, Tom Maconie enters the Top 10, while Charlie Brooks, Matt Bowness and Marco Skogh make good progress in the Top 20, while Simon Fraser is a new entry in the rankings at number 26. The biggest movers in the doubles rankings are BUCS champions Alex Griffiths and Peter Hanton, who both climb more than 20 places.
To see the full rankings, simply click on the link below.
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Official RFA rankings
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NATIONAL UNDER 25s CHAMPIONSHIPS |
Oundle, 4/5th February 2012 |
[posted 17 January 2012] |
Organiser Chris Burrows is now accepting entries for the Under 25s Championships, which take place at his old school, Oundle, over the first weekend of February. However, rather than publishing an entry form, Chris is asking everyone to enter online, through the competition's dedicated website. For full details (including the offer of subsidised accommodation) – and to enter the tournament – just click on the link below.
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Under 25s Championships website
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WEST OF ENGLAND SCHOOLS' CHAMPIONSHIPS |
Sherborne, Dorset, 7/8th January 2012 |
[posted 09 January 2012] |
STOP PRESS
Boys from St Paul's School dominated the action at this weekend's West of England Schools' Championships, picking up three of the four main prizes on offer. In the Colts, Yul Kahn-Pascual won the singles title before teaming up with Oliver Arnold to take the doubles as well – in both cases with wins over boys from Blundell's. In the Senior section, too, the doubles title went to St Paul's – courtesy of Francis Thomas and Theo Parker in an all-Pauline final. However, Bradfield's David Butler prevented a clean sweep for the boys from Barnes, beating Theo Parker in the singles final.
St Paul's also claimed the Senior Doubles plate, but no one school dominated the other three plates, with boys from Winchester, Eastbourne and Blundell's winning the silverware.
(Full report to follow)
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West of England Schools' Championships results
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NORTH WEST OPEN CHAMPIONSHIPS |
Manchester, 21st/22nd January 2012 |
[posted 28 December 2011] |
Organiser John Beswick is now accepting entries for the first open Rugby Fives tournament of 2012, the North West Open Championships. Including both singles and doubles tournaments, these will take place on the courts of the Manchester YMCA over the weekend of January 21/22. Closing date for entries is Saturday January 14, and full details will be sent to players in the week beginning January 16th. In the meantime, full details on how to enter can be found by downloading the entry form via the link below.
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North West Open Championships entry form [Word file, 48KB]
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RFA CLUB PRESIDENT'S CUP |
Merchant Taylors' School, Northwood, 11th December 2011 |
[posted 11 Dec 2011] |
Yet again the President's Cup lived up to its reputation as the most gruelling competition in the Fives calendar. Despite the fact that the competition started on time at 9.45am – no mean feat in itself – the last shot of the final match was only struck some time after 8.30pm!
Right from the start, it was clear that this would be a particularly long day. No less than five of the eight first-round matches went the distance to three games, and by 1pm only four matches had been completed; even by 5pm, with barely a pause in the action on any one of the four courts, no finalist had been confirmed in any of the four competitions!
Nevertheless, as the day went on, the tournament began to take shape. In the main competition, it was perhaps only to be expected that the only pair not to be involved in a three-game match – the ex-Christ's Hospital pair of Luke Thomson and Guy Matthews – won their way through to the final, beating Max Frost and Richard Dyke in the second round, before disposing of Ed Hawke and Henry Jefferies in the semi-final.
In the final, they would face John Minta – going for an unprecedented third consecutive win – and Mark Kiteley, who was playing in his first President's Cup final. They had had a tough opening match against Richard Price and 'Harry Potter' star Freddie Sjostrom (taking the chance to re-acquaint himself with the game on a trip back to the UK from his home in Los Angeles), but then secured more comfortable wins over, first, Bruce Hanton & Bhaswar Baral, and then Gareth Price and Andea Gemade.
Almost inevitably, the final went to three games, and it was a hard-fought battle, not without its contentious moments. For large parts, it was effectively a singles battle between Luke and John, with their partners taking cover in the back corners and desperately trying to avoid a mistake when the ball found its way to them. The first game went to John and Mark, but Luke and Guy never lost confidence: they stuck to their game and hit back to take the next two games, securing the President's Cup. It crowned a fine year for Luke, in which he also won the Schools' and Universities' championships, as well as representing the largest achievement in Guy's Fives-playing career.
Play in the three plate competitions was no less intense, and eventually saw wins for Hamish Buchanan & Alex Satterfield (a newcomer to the game) in the Love Mug, Max Frost & Richard Dyke in the T-Pot, and Ed Hawke and Henry Jefferies in the Mate's Plate.
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President's Cup results
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NATIONAL LADIES CHAMPIONSHIPS |
St Paul's School, Barnes, 4th December 2011 |
[posted 05 December 2011] |
With an entry of five pairs in the doubles competition, the day started with a round robin for all players, writes organiser Melanie Whitehead. The top two pairs from this went on to play a traditional final whilst the others played a round robin plate.
The final was played between Claire Knowles and Melanie Whitehead and the Eastbourne pairing of Kathleen Briedenhann and Tessa Mills. This was Claire and Melanie’s tenth final together and the first in which they were pushed to three games, losing the first game 11-15. However, experience prevailed and they won the next two games to win their 10th title. In the plate competition Chessie Ruffell and Hannah Hawkesley from Rugby School were the eventual winners.
The singles competition had an entry of nine and followed a more traditional knockout format with a round robin plate. Both Claire Knowles and Kathleen Briedenhann only dropped 1 point each on their respective routes to the final. The final was a closely fought match despite the eventual score of 15-2, 15-0, giving Claire her 11th singles title, equalling Paula Smith’s record. The plate ended up as an all Rugby School affair with Kerry Smith proving to be the victor.
Many thanks to St Paul’s for the use of their facilities.
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Ladies Championships results
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NATIONAL SINGLES CHAMPIONSHIP |
Manchester, 3rd/4th December 2011 |
[posted 04 December 2011] |
James Toop today scored his fourth successive National Singles title, winning in two games over Will Ellison. For James, this title – his fifth in total – moves him into a clear second place behind Wayne Enstone in the list of all-time winners, overtaking Eric Marsh and John Pretlove, each with four titles. It will undoubtedly be a disappointment for Will to fall at the final hurdle for a second year, but he does have the consolation of having beaten Dan Tristao for the first time in competition. However, it could be that that win – only secured with a 16-15 win in the third of three games! – took too much out of him to mount a significant challenge to James, who by contrast had a more routine two-game win over former champion Matt Cavanagh in the semis.
The first round went more or less according to the seedings, apart from the two closest matched opponents, Tom Dean v Marco Skogh and Chris Burrows v Charlie Brooks, going to three games with the lower seed (Skogh and Brooks respectively) coming from behind to win in both cases. In fact, the top six seeds were all comfortable in their wins, despite a couple of the games looking enticing on paper.
Matt Cavanagh was at his consistent best in the quarter finals, overturning 4th seed John Minta in straight games. It was nip and tuck in the first game before Matt pulled away at the end, carrying the momentum through to cause the only upset of the round. Tom Maconie pushed Dan Tristao very hard in the other half of the draw, but couldn’t produce the winners at the business end of the games. James and Will both wore down their opponents, and Marco Skogh’s loss ended local interest in the main draw.
The first semi final saw James take a commanding lead against Matt, but a string of points put Matt within touching distance. That was the closest anyone came to putting James under pressure all tournament, and he responded to it by closing the game out quickly and taking the second to 4.
The second semi final between Dan and Will was easily the match of the tournament, with many a twist and turn along the way. Will started off phenomenally well, pulling winners out all over the place to take the first game to 3 and when he took a huge 11-1 lead in the second, a thrashing was on the cards. Dan slowly turned the game on its head though by changing his tactics, and when he fought back to win the second game with Will beginning to cramp up, it looked like he was favourite to win. They traded the lead in the third before Will’s cramp returned and an injury time out was taken; when they came back, Will clearly still in a lot of pain, Dan stormed ahead. Will somehow found another gear to stay in the hunt, and after they had both seen a match point come and go, Will hit a fantastic winner on his second chance to take the game and the match.
Undoubtedly fatigued the next morning, Will never got to grips with James’s relentless retrieval and his ability to keep his opponent on the move with a great length and changes in pace. There was a brief spell at the start of the second game when Will came out all guns blazing to take a few points, but James weathered the storm and asserted his dominance once more.
The plate was a closely fought contest, with Matt Bowness winning through despite a sore back to ensure some silverware for the Manchester Y Club, and Tom Dean finishing runner-up.
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National Singles Championship results
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NATIONAL SINGLES CHAMPIONSHIP |
Manchester, 3rd/4th December 2011 |
[posted 30 November 2011] |
Organiser Charlie Brooks has published the draw for the final rounds of the National Open Singles Championship, where 16 players will be competing for the Jesters Cup. The top four ranked players – James Toop, Will Ellison, Dan Tristao and John Minta – and the 12 qualifiers from the regional tournaments will battle it out on Saturday and Sunday for the title.
The qualifying tournaments were played in four regions this year, with Scotland being added for the first time to the list of the South, South West and North. Simon Fraser took full advantage with a tightly fought victory over Richie Murby in the Scottish final. Matt Cavanagh was a comfortable winner in the South, while Alex Rew was pushed very hard by schoolboy Samuel Wyatt-Haines in the South West and Marco Skogh beat Matt Bowness in the North.
There are some cracking games in prospect this year, right from the first round, with Minta v Fraser particularly enticing. The competition will no doubt intensify as the tournament progresses, as James Toop aims to land his fourth consecutive crown..
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National Singles Championship draw [PDF, 36KB]
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NATIONAL STUDENT CHAMPIONSHIPS |
Marlborough College, Wiltshire, 25/27th November 2011 |
[posted 28 November 2011] |
For the first time the championships visited Marlborough, where the College courts, recently re-furbished with non-slip floors, provided an excellent base for the event, writes organiser David Gardner. Four courts, and a sizeable indoor viewing area, which made players and spectators warm and comfortable, were a particular feature.
Initially the entry looked good, with 41 for the singles & 21 pairs for the doubles, numerically slightly down on last year, but with a similar number of institutions participating - thirteen. However a steady trickle of withdrawals during the couple of weeks prior to the event
reduced numbers considerably, particularly in the singles. Only ten places actually turned up - Edinburgh, Worcester & Kent withdrawing - and the No 1 Seed, Dan Grant was an early casualty with a recurrence of his ankle problems which have now put him out for some months to come.
There are always a few last-minute withdrawals, but it does seem, on this occasion, that quite a number of individuals committed themselves to the event without actually checking that they were really free on the Friday!
It might be a good idea if team captains were to get their players to double check this in future years before sending in their entry forms!
As it was sections of the singles draw had to be re-vamped on several occasions in order to give a balanced schedule.
Having said this, the revised top four seeds all reached the semi-finals and there were lots of closely contested matches. Ed Kay, (Cambridge) had a tough Saturday with some 13 games in 5 matches. It is to his credit that he survived them all, although it might just have taken its toll on the Sunday!!
In the Singles Final, the previous two seasons' National Schools Champions faced each other, with the 2011 victor, Luke Thomson, from Loughboroough, running out the winner. The Doubles Final again saw the top two seeds in combat, with Durham, represented by Peter Hanton & Alex Griffiths, narrowly defeating the holders, Ed Kay & Tom Chase, from Cambridge, with a second game that see-sawed around at 15 all for a long time!
Plate victories went to James Tilston, also of Durham, in a three-game singles final, and to Adam George of St. Andrew's, keeping his Plate Doubles crown intact partnered by Kit Ward.
Special mention must also be made of the St. Paul's schoolboy pair, Theo Parker & Francis Thomas, who come in under the heading of National Students, who reached the semi-final of the Doubles, whilst Theo contested the final of the Plate. A good omen for the future.
Our thanks must go to Marlborough College for allowing us the use of their fine facilities, in particular to Tom Kiggell and facilities manager Julian Beckett. Also to all the organisers, who helped make this 52nd championship another success.
In the entirely unofficial team championship, using figures and statistics compiled by the RFA's Dave Hebden, Durham emerged on top, just ahead of Cambridge - a reversal of the positions at Durham last year. For the full details, simply click on the link below.
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BUCS Championships results
Unofficial team championship results
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THE 'FIVES McNAB' |
Rugby, Eton & Winchester, 27th November 2011 |
[posted 28 November 2011] |
Members of Marlborough Town Fives Club successfully completed their self-styled 'Fives McNab' on November 27th. Having left their home town at 6.15am, the 16 (14 men and 2 women) played tournaments at Rugby, Eton and Winchester before returning home for a well-earned pint and curry that evening.
The first shots were hit just after 8.30am at Rugby, where Master-in-charge Trevor White was on hand to welcome the players (and provide bacon sandwiches), and the final winner of the final final was struck some 10 hours later at Winchester, where their Master-in-charge Giles Munn welcomed the 16 competitors. Inbetween there was some 150 miles driving, punctuated only by a tournament at Eton College, where Mark Williams gave the intrepid 16 a tour of the school, including the original 'court' on the wall of the College chapel, as well as lunch in the school dining room.
A full report on the day's event will appear in the next Fives Federation newsletter, due out in February 2012, and we hope to have photos of the day on this website very soon.
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THE 'FIVES McNAB' |
Rugby, Eton & Winchester, 27th November 2011 |
[posted 19 November 2011] |
Readers will know that John Buchan wrote 'The 39 Steps'. He also wrote a lesser-known book called 'John McNab', in which three successful but bored friends in their mid-forties decide to turn to poaching. Under the collective name of 'John McNab', they set off for the Highlands of Scotland to anonymously poach a salmon, a stag and a grouse from three estates undetected by their owners.
On 27th November, a group of 16 less successful but seriously enthusiastic middle-aged players from Marlborough Town Fives Club will embark on a self-imposed challenge inspired by McNab’s fictional exploits. Leaving Marlborough at 6am they will play each of the three main variants of Fives in one day at each of their spiritual homes.
Peter Grant, principal organiser and instigator of the challenge said, ‘Arranging tournaments at each of the homes of the variants of Fives has never been done on the same day before. The Marlborough Club wanted to be the first to pioneer such an event’.
Travelling first to Rugby, they will play a Rugby Fives knockout tournament to be concluded before a ‘smoked salmon’ breakfast which the school will kindly provide. Then the party will drive south to Eton for a ‘venison’ lunch followed by the playing of an Eton Fives tournament. To complete the McNab, they will journey to Winchester to play a Winchester Fives tournament and partake of ‘grouse’ sandwiches for tea.
As if they will not have eaten enough, the perpetrators of the first ever Fives McNab will then return to their Clubhouse at the Wellington Arms in Marlborough to celebrate their achievement with their final meal for the day and several well-earned pints.
A full report on the day will appear here online and in the next Fives newsletter, due in February 2012.
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RFA CLUB PRESIDENT'S CUP |
Merchant Taylors' School, Northwood, 11th December 2011 |
[posted 10 November 2011] |
Following the success of the email-based entry system which was pioneered over the last two years, we will be continuing with it for this year's RFA Club President's Cup.
The entry form is being distributed by email and here on the RFA website, and we ask everyone who would like to be considered for an entry into the competition to apply to the organisers by email. If you do not have access to email, they will also accept entries by telephone. They will acknowledge receipt of every application, and all entries must be received by Sunday November 27th. Then, on Monday 28th, a random draw will take place to select from the applicants the 32 players who will compete on the day, as well as a list of reserves, all of whom will be notified immediately of their successful application.
Finally, one word of warning from the organiser: the President's Cup is an extremely physical, full day of fives, and should the competitors have any doubts whatsoever about their ability to be on court for five hours, they need to line up/ bring a suitable substitute.
For full details of the event, simply click on the link below to download the official entry form.
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RFA Club President's Cup entry form (PDF, 68KB]
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NATIONAL STUDENT CHAMPIONSHIPS |
Marlborough College, Wiltshire, 25/27th November 2011 |
[posted 10 November 2011] |
BUCS has published the draw for the National Student Rugby Fives championships – and it looks set to be a tournament of extremely high quality. In the singles, for example, there are two players from inside the national top 10 rankings: defending BUCS champion Dan Grant and last season's national schoolboy champ Luke Thomson, now at Loughborough University. And that's to say nothing of the likes of Chris Burrows, Peter Hanton, Ed Kay, all of whom performed well in 2010. Last but not least, there's also the 2006 champion Alan Beverly, who has returned to Cambridge University.
In the doubles, the top seeds are defending champions Ed Kay & Tom Chase from Cambridge, but they will face a stern test to retain their title. In the final, they are seeded to meet the Durham pair of Alex Griffiths (twice a champion in the past) & Peter Hanton, but the second Cambridge pair of Alan Beverly & Elliot Malone will doubtless have something to say about that.
Several universities are represented in the competition, but special mention must go to the Old Dunstonian pair of Malachi Connolly & Tafara Golding who have entered the competition, despite the fact that their university, Kent, has no courts on which they can practice.
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Click here for the BUCS singles draw...
...and here for the doubles draw
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NATIONAL LADIES CHAMPIONSHIPS |
St Paul's School, Barnes, 4th December 2011 |
[posted 7 November 2011] |
Melanie Whitehead is now accepting entries for the National Ladies Championships, which will be held at St Paul's on the first weekend of December, starting at 10.30am. Both singles and doubles competitions will be played on the same day, using the G6 ball, and entries close on November 23rd. For full details, simply click on the link below to download the official entry form.
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National Ladies Championships entry form [Word file, 32KB]
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SCHOOLS' WINCHESTER FIVES TOURNAMENT |
Winchester College, 6th November 2011 |
[posted 7 November 2011] |
Eleven pairs contested the tenth anniversary edition of the RFA Schools' Winchester Doubles tournament, held at Winchester College.
The first round produced a lengthy battle between Bradfield and Winchester III, eventually won by the Bradfieldians. Their penchant for long matches then continued into the quarter-finals, where they lost a three-game cliff-hanger to Blundell's I. Meanwhile, the fancied St. Paul's I were taking their time settling down before beating Winchester II in two close games.
Things went more to plan in the bottom half of the draw, Winchester I defeating St. Paul's II convincingly, while Derby Moor dismissed St. Paul's III. It was Derby Moor's first appearance in this event, and they continued to play excellent fives to defeat Winchester's first pair at the semi-final stage. Blundell's top pair meanwhile gave a good account of themselves in their semi-final against St. Paul's I, but were handicapped by injury towards the end of the match and lost in two games.
The final was disappointingly one-sided, with Derby Moor failing to unsettle the Paulines with their hitting and being defeated in straight games by superior doubles play and court-craft. Both pairs can be proud of their achievement: Derby Moor for reaching the final at their first attempt, and St. Paul's for playing better and better as the tournament progressed and emerging as clear winners.
The subsidiary competition was eventually won by Bradfield's plate specialists Butler and Cummings, who played more games than anyone else on the day and are now well on their way to completing a dinner service.
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Schools' Winchester Fives tournament results
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RFA v 'WINCHESTER FIVES ASSOCIATION' |
Winchester College, 30th October 2011 |
[posted 01 November 2011] |
Harry Akerman has sent in a report from what he describes as a 'cracking match' at Winchester in which the (very newly formed!) Winchester Fives Association did themselves proud. As you can see from the results below, in the eight-a-side fixture, the match included a game to 15 against each pair finishing with two games to 15 against the opposite-numbered pair. No one went home feeling like they did not have enough Fives!
On the face of it, says Harry, the teams were poorly matched, with four of the eight in the RFA team being in the top seven singles rankings, while Winchester had only one player in the top 50. But how a six-inch buttress changes the whole dimension of the game! And so, despite being theoretically inferior, the Winchester Fives 'Association' players were able to use their significant home advantage and squeak out a very narrow victory.
The closeness of the match can be demonstrated by the fact that the overall victory was by an average of just a point and a half per 15-point game. Several scores were revenge for previous Barnes Bridge defeats by the Winchester players, and this victory sets things up very nicely for this season's tournament in Sedbergh. Two exhausted teams recuperated in The Queen while trying to work out why the harder you try, the harder the buttress is to hit!
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Click here to see the full match results [Word file, 40KB]
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OFFICIAL RFA RANKINGS |
London, 26th October 2011 |
[posted 27 October 2011] |
The RFA today published the latest official singles and doubles rankings (prepared on its behalf by Dave Hebden), revised to take into account the results of the West of England Championships and the Yorkshire Doubles tournament.
In the singles, there is surpisingly little change in the positions throughout, although Dan Tristao significantly closes the gap on James Toop and Will Ellison at the top after his win in Clifton. Meanwhile, the highest new entry is Bradfield schoolboy David Butler, who enters the list at number 33 after beating Ed Hatton in the Singles Plate.
Despite the relatively little change in the top of the rankings, this latest list is very significant as it dictates the top four seeds who will automatically pre-qualify for the National Singles Championship: James, Will, Dan and John Minta, who remains in fourth position.
In the doubles rankings, Dan Tristao and Dan Grant move up to positions 6 and 7 after winning the West of England Doubles title, while Marco Skogh moves up into the top 20 after reaching the final with John Minta at the Yorkshire Doubles. Meanwhile, semi-final places at Yorkshire for Beswick, Roberts, Manning and Widdop see them rise up the rankings, and Derby schoolboy Max Frost also makes progress after winning both the Yorkshire and West of England Plates with Jay Gravatt.
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Latest official RFA rankings
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WEST OF ENGLAND OPEN CHAMPIONSHIPS |
Clifton College, Bristol, 22nd/23rd October 2011 |
[posted 24 October 2011] |
My first year in charge did not pass without incident, writes Simon Werkshagen, when one entry ended up in our ISP’s junk and it was not picked up until after the draw had taken place. Last minute manoeuvring in both the singles and doubles draw left some questioning if my judgement was right, but with the support of Peter Dunscombe and Dave Hebden the draw was confirmed and sent out.
There was a high quality singles draw consisting of 18 entrants which included the top 8 ranked players. As a consequence there were no easy matches.
As expected all eight seeds made their way through to the quarter finals and then the top four into the semi-finals. The highlight had to be a fantastic third game between Dan Tristao and Will Ellison who after a 10-4 lead in the third was chased hard by Dan who eventually won 12-10.
Sunday morning saw James and Dan deliver the expected high calibre match with some fantastic attacking fives which gave Dan the edge and his first West of England title.
The doubles took time to get going due to the Rugby World Cup taking priority over the first few rounds! The highlight of the first round saw the West of England pairing of Maskell and Marshall take on Hatton and Thomson and after a first game win of 11-2 a potential upset was on the cards however, Hatton and Thomson fought back hard to win in three.
All the seeds made it through to the quarter-finals and then the top 4 to the semi-finals but here both first and second seeds were beaten by their opponents, setting up a final between Tristao & Grant v Minta & Pringle. The Dans played an aggressive match and had victory in their sights but a gritty come back by Minta and Pringle in the second game had all the spectators thinking that a third game was on the cards but they held on and won 11-9.
I would like to thank all the competitors for their help throughout the weekend but special thanks must go to the old guard (Peter De Winton, Lionel Lawson and Dave Hebden) who supported me both on and off the court with good company and of course beer!
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West of England results
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YORKSHIRE OPEN DOUBLES CHAMPIONSHIP |
Giggleswick School, Yorkshire, 15th October 2011 |
[posted 18 October 2011] |
A high quality entry graced the tournament this year, with a dozen pairs enabling the first round to be held as a set of four round-robins. The first in each robin proceeded to the cup semi-finals, the second to the plate semis, and the third to the second plate. This format ensured that everyone, whatever their ability, had some close, competitive, matches.
As is becoming the norm, Derby Moor club provided almost a third of the players (in fact, it was one third if Jay Gravatt is counted as an honorary Derby Moor member). They proceeded to monopolise the plate competition. In the end, youth vanquished experience, with Jay and partner Max Frost defeating Richard Christie and Stuart Kirby in a thrilling, three game, final.
Jay and Max thus become the first holders of the T. Ian Roberts plate, a beautiful trophy found for us by John Walter and donated by him.
The second plate also produced some close competition, although the final was the only one of the day won in two games, by Mark Roberts and Damian Connolly, who both play at Manchester.
From the entries, three pairings were obvious seeds, but the fourth was not so easy to pick, as there were so many of similar ability. Paul Manning and Tim Widdop, of the White Rose club, rose to the occasion. Playing as well as they ever have, these two provided stiff opposition for John Minta and Marco Skogh, who eventually won in 2 games. On the other side of the draw, Hamish Buchanan and Will Ellison were made to work for their place in the final by John Beswick and Neil Roberts.
And so to the cup final, and what a final it was. After losing the first game 15-16, Hamish and Will slowly ground down their opponents to achieve a hard fought victory. The spectators did not notice the increasing chill of the evening, nor the discomfort of watching from the Giggleswick back wall, until the final point was scored. Then the shivering and stretching began in earnest.
Thanks must go to all who took part, but especially to Neil Roberts, who liaised with the school, swept out the courts, and organised the fine weather, and to Stuart Kirby who sorted out the catering. In addition, the spectators who made their way to the wilds of Yorkshire must be praised, especially those who brought cakes with which to strengthen both players and organiser.
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Yorkshire Open results
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NATIONAL SINGLES CHAMPIONSHIP |
Qualifying tournaments, regional, 19/20 November 2011; Final rounds, Manchester, 3rd/4th December 2011 |
[posted 13 October 2011] |
Organiser Charlie Brooks is now accepting entries for the National Singles Championship. As usual, there will be a series of regional qualifying tournaments leading up to the finals weekend, where the last 16 (12 qualifiers plus the top four in the national rankings, who qualify automatically) will compete for the title. This year the finals will be held in Manchester on the weekend of December 3rd/4th.
The regional competitions will take place on the weekend of November 19th/20th in London, Manchester, Devon and Edinburgh, and each has its own organiser. However, Charlie is collecting all entries ahead of the tournaments. The seeding for the qualifying competitions will be based on the rankings, and the number of qualifiers from each region will depend on the size and strength of the entry for that region.
Entry costs £15 for RFA members (£20 for non-members) and the closing date is Wednesday 16th November. For further details, click on the link below to download the official entry form.
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National Singles Championship entry form [Word file, 40KB]
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NORTH OF ENGLAND WINCHESTER FIVES TOURNAMENT |
Sedbergh School. Sedbergh, Cumbria, 6th November 2011 |
[posted 13 October 2011] |
Jon Lidiard is now accepting entries for the North of England Winchester Fives tournament, which will take place at Sedbergh School on Sunday 6th November (not clashing with Remembrance Sunday for once!). The doubles-only competition will start at 11 am. The exact format of the competition will depend on the number of entrants, but it is expected to start with a round-robin group stage in the morning, followed by a knockout in the afternoon.
For full details, click on the link below to download the official entry form.
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North of England Winchester Fives Tournament entry form [Word doc, 40KB]
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OFFICIAL RFA RANKINGS |
London, 7th October 2011 |
[posted 11 October 2011] |
The RFA has today published the latest official singles and doubles rankings, prepared on its behalf by Dave Hebden and updated following last month's London Open Championships. James Toop consolidates his lead over Will Ellison at the top of the Singles Rankings following his win at St Paul's, while Luke Thomson, Ed Kay and Charlie Brooks all make upward moves in the top 20, with Luke rising to number 8.
In doubles, meanwhile, there's no change in the top 5, but Ady Lee moves up to no. 6 after reaching the final with Hamish Buchanan. Charlie Brooks, Gareth Price, and Luke Thomson also makes significant advances in the top half, while Max Frost and Anthony Goodwin move up to just outisde the top 30 after winning the Plate, and Nick Edmonds and Jack Malde enter the rankings for the first time on reaching the Plate final.
For the full list, simply click on the link below.
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Latest official RFA rankings
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NATIONAL STUDENT CHAMPIONSHIPS |
Marlborough College, Wiltshire, 25/27th November 2011 |
[posted 03 October 2011] |
BUCS is now taking entries for the National Student Championships, which will be held at Marlborough College towards the end of November. The event will include both singles and doubles championships, with plate competitions if there is sufficient time and support.
It costs £16.25 per person to enter the singles, while the doubles costs £20 per pair, and entries will be accepted only online, using the BUCScore online system. Entries close on October 27th and full information will then be sent out to the players on November 15th. In the meantime, all available details are to be found on the BUCS website, which can be accessed by clicking the link below.
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National Student/BUCS Championships details
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SCHOOLS WINCHESTER FIVES DOUBLES CHAMPIONSHIP |
Winchester College, 6th November 2011 |
[posted 03 October 2011] |
The tenth RFA Schools Winchester Fives Doubles Championship will be held at Winchester College on Sunday November 6th 2011.
A school may enter up to two pairs (or, if there is a small entry, three pairs) for this event, which will be played on a knock-out basis. There will be a plate competition for early-round losers.
The ball to be used for the tournament will be the stitched French ball (42 g.), which was originally developed for use on the Winchester courts.
The entry fee will be £10 per pair, which can be paid to me on the day of the tournament. If you are paying by cheque, please have it made out to 'The Rugby Fives Association'.
Entries should be sent to organiser David Barnes by e-mail (dbarnes@macace.net) or by post (D Barnes, Froude's Cottage, Bucklebury, Reading RG7 6PP) by Friday 28th October at the latest. He will let you have all the necessary information by Tuesday 1st November. (If you indicate that you would like to enter three pairs, he will let you know at that time whether the third pair has been accepted into the draw.)
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OWERS TROPHY |
St Paul's School, Barnes, 1st October 2011 |
[posted 01 October 2011] |
Truth be told, it was a rather disappointing entry for this year’s Owers Trophy, with many of the ‘usual suspects’ unable to raise a full team for a variety of reasons.
However, in the end, four teams took the courts and a fine day’s sport was had by all. The defending champions, the Old Paulines, were joined by the Old Eastbournians and – playing for the first time in the competition – Old Derby Moor.
The fourth team was a makeshift affair, and comprised two Old Oundelians, an Old Rugbeian and an Old Wykehamist. They faced the daunting task of tackling the OPs in their first match and the defending champs were clearly in no mood to relinquish their hold on the title. They beat the ‘All Stars’ by almost 30 points, with only the Old Oundelian pairing of Alex Smith and Chris Burrows able to come to terms with the combined firepower of Dan Tristao, Ady Lee, Tom Dean and Francis Thomas.
In the other semi-final, however, things were much tighter between the OEs and Derby Moor. Against expectation, Derby won both opening games of doubles, as the strength and power of their two left/right-hand pairs were too much for their more experienced opponents.
However, in the second round of matches, things changed dramatically: the OEs’ Sam Adcock and Marcus Bate scored a 15-2 win over Jimmy Goodwin and Mike Baxter to effectively level the tie and leave the other match to decide the outcome.
It was a tight affair from the start, but Anthony Goodwin and Max Frost gradually pulled out a lead over Andy Pringle and Andrew Meek. However, once news of the other result reached the players, the OEs were revitalized and began to dominate the match. They even managed to creep ahead at 12-11, and it looked as if they might pull off an unlikely OE win. However, just in time, the Derby boys regained their composure and came back to win the game 15-13 – and the match by a single point 47-46.
Come the final, though, they couldn’t repeat their heroics. The OPs – now with Sam Roberts playing in place of Francis Thomas – were simply too strong, and went on to record a comfortable win by 65 points. With the Club Championship also in their possession, it served merely to reinforce their position as currently the country’s top club side.
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Owers Trophy results
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WEST OF ENGLAND CHAMPIONSHIPS |
Clifton College, Bristol, 22nd/23rd October 2011 |
[posted 22 September 2011] |
Having taken over as organiser from Peter Dunscombe, Simon Werkshagen is now accepting entries for the West of England Championships. The singles and doubles championships will take place over the weekend of October 22/23 at Clifton College in Bristol.
Entry costs £10 per person for each event (£15 for non-RFA members), and all entries must be received by Thursday October 13th. For full details, click on the link below to download the official entry form.
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West of England Championships entry form [Word file, 40KB]
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OWERS TROPHY |
St Paul's School, Barnes, 1st October 2011 |
[posted 18 September 2011] |
Organiser Alex Smith is now accepting entries from teams for the 2011 Owers Trophy (the Old Boys' competition - current champions the Old Paulines), which will be held at St Paul's School on October 1st. The competition is expected to start with a round-robin, before going on to a knockout stage, but the precise format (including that of the Plate competition) will depend on the number of entries.
Each team can have a squad of players, and the team can vary between matches, but not during them. Likewise, anyone who qualifies for more than one team may only play for one during the event.
For full details, click on the link below to download the official entry form.
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Owers Trophy entry form [PDF, 464KB]
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OFFICIAL RFA RANKINGS |
London, 9th September 2011 |
[posted 16 September 2011] |
The RFA today published its latest singles and doubles rankings, which take into account the South West Open Championships (although not last weekend's London Open Championships. Prepared on behalf of the RFA by Dave Hebden, they show James Toop remaining on top of the singles rankings, with Luke Thomson reaching the Top 10 for the first time.
In the doubles rankings, meanwhile, Will Ellison regains the number one position from Hamish Buchanan, while Andy Pringle rises to 7 after reaching the semis, and Chris Burrows enters the top 10 after reaching the final. The highest riser is Luke Thomson - now at 26, after reaching the semis - while Nick Austin, Mike Baxter and Jimmy Goodwin appear in the rankings for the first time.
For the full details, click on the link below to see whole list. (Rankings to reflect the London Open will be published as soon as possible. However, unexpected circumstances have led to a delay in their production)
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Official RFA singles and doubles rankings
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YORKSHIRE OPEN DOUBLES RUGBY FIVES TOURNAMENT |
Giggleswick School, North Yorkshire, 15th October 2011 |
[posted 15 September 2011] |
Entries are now being accepted by the organiser, John Hawke, for the Yorkshire Open Doubles Tournament, which will take place at Giggleswick School on Saturday October 15th. The tournament will be played in full on that day, as will the plate competition for early-round losers. Entry costs £14 per person (£12 for RFA members), and the organiser will find a partner for anyone who is without - as well as the chance to join the White Rose Club after the event for some 'traditional Yorkshire hospitality'.
For full details, click on the link below to download the official entry form.
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Yorkshire Open entry form [Word file, 32KB]
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LONDON OPEN CHAMPIONSHIPS |
St Paul's School, Barnes, 10/11th September 2011 |
[posted 11 September 2011] |
James Toop gained revenge for his loss at the hands of Will Ellison in the 2010 London Open by beating him to win the 2011 London Open Singles Championship - only the second time he has won this title. However, Will made up for any disappointment by teaming up with Hal Mohammed to retain the doubles title with a comprehensive win over the untried partnership of Hamish Buchanan and Ady Lee.
There was little doubt that these were the right winners, as James had been the class of the field all weekend in the singles, while Will and Hal’s 11-2, 11-2 win in the doubles final tells you just how dominant they were in that tournament.
It was the earlier rounds that saw the closest matches, and three matches in the Round of 16 in the singles went to the full three games: Luke Thomson edged out fellow leftie Tom Dean, while Charlie Brooks beat Tom Maconie 11-8 in their final game, but the longest match was between Hamish Buchanan and Pete Cohen, where a tiring Cohen used every second of the allowed time between points – and perhaps a few more.
Come the quarter-finals, though, the seedings held true, and as if to prove the seedings right, the top four made it into the semis, where there were some of the day’s best matches. In the first, James Toop survived a tough challenge from Matt Cavanagh to come through in two games, but the second was a real classic: Will Ellison just sneaked through against John Minta, winning the deciding third game 11-9.
Come the final, though, it was to be James’s day. After he and Will were pretty much level-pegging to 7-6, gradually James came to the fore, hitting more winners and forcing more mistakes out of Will. He closed out the first game to 7, before carrying on where he’d left off in the second game, taking that 11-3.
The doubles competition was to be a very different story, although again it was the eight seeds who made it through to the quarter-finals – despite the fact that some of them were rather unfamiliar pairings. Will and Hal were the only established pair, and they duly won through to the final, beating the Derby youngsters Frost and Goodwin, and then surviving a slight scare against Charlie Brooks and Gareth Price in the semi.
Here they were joined by Hamish Buchanan & Ady Lee (playing together for the first time), Gareth Price & Charlie Brooks (also partners for the first time) and James Toop & John Minta, playing together for the first time in some years.
The match of the day was undoubtedly the clash between John & James and Hamish & Ady, with the first two games shared, 10-12, 12-11 – and both games could have gone either way. However, Hamish and Ady had the momentum after just sneaking the second game against the odds and they carried that form into the deciding game, clinching it comfortably in the end.
In the final, though, it was they who had no answer to Hal and Will, who seemed capable of hitting a barrage of superlative winners from all over the court. Surely, so many nicks have never been hit by one pair in such a short period of time. Ady and Hamish looked shell-shocked when they came off court, whereas the smiles on Will and Hal’s faces as they collected the trophy were a fitting end to a fine weekend’s sport – and a suitable send-off to Hal, who left the following day to work for in the Carribean for several months.
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London Open Championships results
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RFA AGM |
London, 8th September 2011 |
[posted 09 September 2011] |
Dick Warner has been elected as the RFA's new President at the Association's AGM, replacing Frank Akerman, who has reached the end of his two-year tenure of office (but will remain on the RFA's board for the next two years). At the same time, Jeremy Schroeter was elected as the RFA's new Deputy President.
The meeting also saw presentations to both David Barnes – who has stood down from the RFA board, but will remain the Association's Archivist – and David Goodwin, who has stood down as organiser of the National Schools' Championships after well over 30 years. They both – quite rightly – received rounds of applause from all those in attendance.
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ENGLAND HANDBALL 1-WALL OPEN |
Merchant Taylors School, Northwood, 16th October 2011 |
[posted 08 September 2011] |
The RFA would like to draw its members' attention to a tournament that's coming up next month - the UK
1-Wall Handball Open, which is taking place at the new Centre of Excellence at Merchant Taylors School on Sunday October 16th.
Many members will never have played 1-Wall before, but those who have will vouch for the fact that a lot of the skills you have as a Fives player will transfer straight to 1-Wall; plus, they will also tell you that playing 1-Wall has improved their Fives as well.
The game is a great one, and it has the RFA's full support in the UK, as well as one attraction that Fives sadly lacks – international competition. A few RFA members been fortunate enough to play handball abroad several times, and the camaraderie among handballers is superb; they've made many friends from all over the world.
The organisers hope to have plenty of international players at Merchant Taylors – men and women – and there's also the attraction of the World Handball Championships in Ireland next year. With that carrot to dangle, the UK Open is the perfect chance to try the game out for the first time, with a Challenger grade designed specially for beginners, and plenty of chance to play during the day.
The event and the game come highly recommended, but for further details – and to enter – simply click on the link below.
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England Handball 1-Wall Open entry form and details
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RFA AGM |
London, 8th September 2011 |
[posted 19 August 2011] |
The RFA has published the paperwork for theAssociation's 85th Annual General Meeting, which will be held on Thursday 8th September at the offices of Ashursts in central London. All members are invited to attend (and should also have received the documents in the post - if you haven't, it may be that the Gen Sec has an old address for you, so please send him the current one!), and the Agenda includes the election of a new President and Deputy President.
Members are also entitled to add items to the Agenda, but must do so in writing by August 28th. They are also allowed to appoint a proxy to vote on their behalf if they are unable to attend the meeting in person.
For full details, click on the links below to see all the documentation.
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RFA AGM paperwork [Word file, 56KB]
Accounts [PDF, 1.3MB]
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LONDON OPEN CHAMPIONSHIPS |
St Paul's School, Barnes, 10/11th September 2011 |
[posted 09 August 2011] |
Tom Maconie is now accepting entries for next month's London Open. However, rather than producing an entry form for players to download and send in, he has set up a website for the competition, where players can enter the competition, and where the draws will be published in due course.
The competitions will be played over the weekend of September 10/11th at St Paul's School, Barnes, using the G6 ball. The singles championship will be played on the Saturday with the singles final and doubles championship to be played on the Sunday. Plate competition will be run for those knocked out in the early rounds (format to be decided on the day), and entry costs £10 per person in each tournament - or £12 for non-RFA members (payable on the day).
For full details of the tournament, click on the link below to see the London Open website.
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London Open Championships website
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RFA TOURNAMENT & FIXTURES SCHEDULE |
London, 9th August 2011 |
[posted 09 August 2011] |
The RFA has today published a draft list of tournament dates and RFA Club fixtures for the 2011/12 season. There are still details to be confirmed, but most of the schedule is now in place, with the first events being the London Open Championships (see above) and RFA AGM, both of which take place early in September.
The final list will be published in the RFA Pocket Book, which is due to be distributed in early September, and the list on this website will be updated as soon as more details are confirmed. For the latest schedule, simply click on the link below.
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2011/12 RFA Championships and RFA Club fixtures
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OFFICIAL RFA RANKINGS |
London, 8th July 2011 |
[posted 12 July 2011] |
James Toop remains at the top of the RFA Singles Rankings at the end of the 2010/11 season, his fourth successive year at Number 1, writes Dave Hebden, who prepares the rankings on behalf of the RFA. (Readers should note that these rankings do not take into account the recent South West Championships, which are the first event of the 2011/12 season) However, his lead is much reduced this year, with Ellison and Tristao closing the gap in 2nd and 3rd places respectively.
The 'old guard' of Minta, Cavanagh and Buchanan occupy positions 4-6, while Dan Grant moves up to Number 7. Marcus Bate and Johnny Major move into the top 10 for the first time, and the increasing strength of younger players is further illustrated by a batch of young talent who move into the top 20. Luke Thomson comes into the rankings for the first time at Number 12, while Chris Burrows, Hal Mohammed, Ed Kay, Tom Dean, and Charlie Legget all make inroads.
After a very close battle with Will Ellison in the Doubles Rankings, Hamish Buchanan finally came out on top once again, his eighth year at Number 1. Will won five titles over the season, and although Hamish’s tally was just three, one of these was the National Doubles, which he won for the eighth time with Robin Perry, and this was sufficient to keep him by a narrow margin at Number 1.
The highest entry into the top ten was Dan Tristao, while Ady Lee and Andy Pringle also move into the top 10. New entries in the top 20 include Gareth Price, Tom Dean, Chris Burrows and Ed Hatton, while Wayne Enstone and John Beswick return to the higher flight after making the SW and Yorkshire finals respectively.
(A full version of this report will appear in the RFA Annual Review, due to be published in September)
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Click here to see the full end-of-season RFA rankings
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SOUTH WEST OPEN CHAMPIONSHIPS |
Blundells School, Tiverton, 9/10th July 2011 |
[posted 10 July 2011] |
After a weekend of fine action on the newly refurbished courts at Blundells School, the 2011 South West Championships ended with the 2010 champions retaining their titles. Will Ellison beat Matt Cavanagh to claim the singles title before teaming up with Marcus Bate to secure the doubles title with a win over Hamish Buchanan and Chris Burrows.
The singles final was remarkable not just because it was the first time Will had beaten Matt in competition, but also because of the topsy-turvy nature of the first game - a game described as 'weird' by most spectators. After some tense opening rallies, Matt soon established a commanding 7-1 lead, only for Will to strike back, scoring 10 unanswered points to take the game 11-7. The second game was rather different in nature, but the end result was the same - an 11-7 win for Will - securing the title for him for the second year in a row.
Throughout the draw, there were some great clashes. Tom Dean's win over Jim Hughes in the second round, for instance, was a nail-biting encounter, and Tom went on to push Will hard in the quarter-final; also in the second round, fourth seed Marcus Bate needed three games to beat Gareth Price, while Tom Kiggell pushed Ed Hatton hard before Ed won through.
However, surely the best performance of the weekend came from Ed's former Christ's Hospital pupil, Luke Thomson. Proving that his plate win in the National Singles was no fluke, Luke beat Nick Austin and Marcus Bate on his way to the semi-finals, where it took a player of the calibre of Will to put him out.
It was Will who also put paid to Ed and Luke's campaign in the doubles - and again they reached the semi-finals. However, by that stage, the day's exertions were affecting Luke, who was struck down by cramp, and the Christ's Hospital pair were forced to withdraw. That put Will and Marcus into the final again, where they would face the previously untried partnership of Hamish Buchanan and (playing in his first ever Open Championship final) Chris Burrows. They had reached the final only after a three-game win over Tom Dean and Andy Pringle - who, in turn, had only reached the semi-finals after a three-game win over Tom Kiggell and Jim Hughes.
Come the final, though, it was the established pair that came out on top, winning both games 11-5 to retain their title. That was perhaps no great surprise, but what is remarkable is that this represented the first time that Marcus had ever successfully defended a title - at the eighth time of asking.
No less keenly contested were the plate competitions, which saw a huge cross-section of ages taking part. In the singles competition, young players dominated and Durham University's Jay Gravatt ended up as winner. However, the plate doubles final produced a wonderful contrast, with Derby Moor youngsters Mike Baxter and Jimmy Goodwin facing the experience of Wayne Enstone and Stuart Watson. Yes, in the end, experience told - although only just - but the performance of the youngsters here and in the main draw shows that the established stars must never rest on their laurels. If Will and Marcus want to retain their titles next year, they know they'll have to work very hard to do so.
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South West Open Championships results
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IRISH NATIONAL 1-WALL HANDBALL CHAMPIONSHIPS |
Breaffy House Hotel, Castlebar, Ireland, 1st/3rd July 2011 |
[posted 07 July 2011] |
Team England has returned home after another successful trip to the Irish National 1-Wall Handball Championships. Two players made their international debuts, while a third ensured that the team continued its record of always returning home with some silverware.
This is the fourth successive year that English players have travelled across the Irish Sea to compete, but there was a change to previous years’ programme this year. On the day before the championships started, the GAA hosted an international challenge between teams from Ireland, England, Puerto Rico and the USA.
England’s top pair was made up of regulars Ady Lee and Emmalina Thompsell, while the second pair saw Andy Pringle and National Rugby Fives Schoolgirl champion Tessa Mills represent England for the first time. Neither pair won their opening matches, but considering the quality of opposition they faced – every one of their opponents was a current or former National or World champion – they put up a fine performance, and were far from out of their depth in such illustrious company.
Come the championships themselves, England’s players decided to test themselves by playing in tough groups – but all did well. Both Tessa and Dan Murray reached Plate finals, but without doubt the weekend’s best performance came from Ladies National Winchester Fives champion Kathleen Briedenhann.
Playing in her first ever handball competition, she entered the Ladies Challenger grade, which is designed to encourage relative beginners. Her performance improved from game to game, as she comfortably beat her opponents in the early rounds; and, while she was tested further in the later rounds, she went on to win the title, making this the third year on the trot that an English girl has appeared in the final of this event – and the second time that an English girl has won, after Jess Lumbard won the title in 2009.
Two programmes of highlights from the event will be shown on Irish TV channel TG4 in September, and we'll have full details of those as soon as they are available.
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DERBY MOOR INVITATION DOUBLES |
Derby, 19th June 2011 |
[posted 26 June 2011] |
For Tim Widdop it was his first title in 23 years of playing; for Mike, aged 17, it was his first senior final and a chance to emerge from the shadow of fellow club members Max Frost and Anthony Goodwin. In the final Mike and Tim played steadily to beat the experienced pair Stuart Kirby and Clive Butler in a tough three-setter.
In the early rounds Bhaswar Baral, partnering National U14 Singles champion Matt Blunden, had given a master class in variation of pace in a three-game tussle with Oliver Woodhouse and Jimmy Goodwin, whose immense left hand Bhaswar described as “rabid”. Jay Gravatt came down from Durham to team up with 15 year-old Rob Christie and take the home pair of Brian Kirk and Richard Christie to another three-setter in the quarter-finals. Younger brother Craig Baxter, playing in his first Derby Doubles as a 14 year-old, paired off with Anthony Goodwin to win the third place play-off.
The Plate competition produced a colourful final in which Dickie Warner and Robert Whitehorn, another of Derby Moor 14 year-old hopefuls, took on Max Frost and his partner from Halifax, Paul McIntyre. In the end Max’s serving power was just too much for Dickie and Robert.
Among the spectators were the injured John Hawke and Grem McIntyre, both of whom we hope to see playing again next year, along with the absent Bob Sandie and Wayne Enstone. Also viewing her first Fives competition was the new Director of Sport at Denstone College, Fran Porter, who is hoping to kick-start the game at that school after a lengthy period of time in which their courts have languished unused.
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Derby Moor Invitation Doubles results
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NATIONAL SCHOOL GIRLS' CHAMPIONSHIPS |
Marlborough College, 1st May 2011 |
[posted 02 May 2011] |
STOP PRESS - Full report to follow
The second National School Girls' Championship (organised by Alex Smith) provided a great day at Marlborough College, with girls from six schools (three new this year – Rugby, Blundell’s, Marlborough) playing and producing lots of competitive games, with the winners' trophies shared. On an individual level, Marlborough Senior girls crowned a great day with the Senior Doubles Title; Rugby U16 girls also did very well to take both Singles & Doubles titles, while Eastbourne's Tessa Mills fought hard to retain her Senior Singles Title. Louise Matthias (last year’s U13 winner) had an inexorable march to the U14 singles title without losing a point, beating Alice Smith of Blundell’s in the Final, who is actually U13 so a very impressive performance from her too.
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National School Girls' Championships results
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SCOTTISH OPEN CHAMPIONSHIPS |
Loretto School, Musselburgh, 30th April/1st May 2011 |
[posted 02 May 2011] |
STOP PRESS - full report to follow
Will Ellison added the Scottish Open singles championship to the list of titles he has won this season by defeating defending champion John Minta in the final. It was a tremendous match that ebbed and flowed: in the first game, Will took an 11-2 lead and, although John fought back, Will managed to take it 15-7. In the second, by contrast, John was 14-8 up and the match seemingly heading for a deciding third game; but, whether John let his concentration slip or Will found a second wind, Will fought back to take the game – and with it, the title – 16-14.
The doubles was played in a league system rather than a knockout, and the winners were also two new names to the list of Scottish Open champions: Jay Gravatt and Simon Hodgson. Runners-up were Jonny Major and Grem McIntyre.
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Scottish Open Championships results
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NATIONAL CLUB CHAMPIONSHIP |
London, 16/17th April 2011 |
[posted 17 April 2011] |
'A coming of age' - that was the verdict of Manchester's Phil Bishop as the Old Paulines bought an end to the Y Club's run of five consecutive victories in the National Club Championship. It was the third straight year that these two teams have contested the final, but the first time that the Old Paulines have emerged victorious. Following their win in the Owers Trophy last year, it cements their position as arguably the strongest club side in the UK.
Indeed, what was perhaps most surprising was not that they won the Wood Cup, but the manner in which they did so. After all, the Y Club were going for a record-breaking sixth straight win in the competition, and had a very strong squad.
In the early rounds, these two teams had had ominously good wins to set up the final. The Y Club eased past Derby Moor in the quarter-finals, before disposing of the Executioners in the semi-final, while the Old Paulines dispatched the White Rose Club and then the Wessex Club, who seemed tired after their epic four-point win over former finalists the Alleyn Old Boys in the quarter-finals.
All seemed set for the mighty close final, and that was borne out by the opening singles, which were shared two games apiece and gave the defending champions a one-point lead going into the doubles. However, while their greater experience – the side's average age was about 42 – might have been expected to carry them through to the title again, what happened was completely the opposite.
In fact, the younger Old Paulines came out with all guns blazing and simply blitzed their opponents off the court. On one court, Charlie Brooks & Tom Dean beat Marco Skogh & John Beswick to 3 and 2, and on the next door court, although the pairings of Ady Lee & Dan Tristao and John Minta & Phil Bishop shared the two games, it was the Paulines who extended their lead. As a result, they went into the second set of doubles with a 22-point lead.
From here on, it was one-way traffic; as John Beswick would later admit, on the day, the Old Paulines were simply too strong. Incredibly, the first games in both reverse doubles were 11-0 wins for the Old Paulines – to add insult to injury, Ady and Dan took their 11 points against Marco and John in a single hand – which put them into an unassailable lead, and secured them the Wood Cup for the first time in their history. Could they go on to approach the Y Club's record five consecutive wins? Only time will tell...
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National Club Championship results
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RFA DINNER |
Queen's Club, 16th April 2011 |
[posted 17 April 2011] |
More than 90 guests attended the RFA Dinner at the Queen's Club in London last night. Deliberately timed to coincide with the final rounds of the National Club Championship, it attracted a large crowd of Fives players past and present, as well as guests from the Eton Fives Association and England Handball.
The evening started with a minute's silence for the late Ian Roberts, who died earlier this year, but after that everyone got down to the serious business of eating, drinking and being merry. It was a thoroughly informal evening, with no speeches other than a few words from President Frank Akerman, and rather a few more from Alex Smith as he regaled the crowd with the story of the demise of the original Owers Trophy, before presenting the Old Paulines (the current holders) with the new trophy. A presentation was also made to Peter Dunscombe, who had recently stood from his role of organiser of the West of England Champioships after almost 40 years' service.
In a straw poll of attendees, it was agreed that the evening had been a tremendous success, and such was the positive feeling that the RFA will look into the possibility of making the Dinner an annual event.
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SCOTTISH OPEN CHAMPIONSHIPS |
Loretto School, Musselburgh, 30th April/1stMay 2011 |
[posted 14 April 2011] |
Organiser Neil Roberts is now accepting entries for the Scottish Open Championships, which will take place at Loretto School in Musselburgh over the weekend of April 30th/May 1st.
As in previous years, the singles will take place on the Saturday and the doubles on Sunday, with plate competitions for the losers in the early rounds in both competitions. As in previous years, participants wishing to enter the doubles tournament should do so as individuals rather than as pairs. When all entries have been collected, the organiser will seed the stronger players and make a draw among the remaining players to see who partners the seeded players.
The entry fee will be £10 for the singles and £10 per person for the doubles, and entries should arrive no later than Tuesday 26th April 2011. Copies of the draw will be sent out to entrants on Wednesday 27th April, and every effort will be made to give a late start to competitors having to travel long distances on the Saturday morning. For full details, click on the link below to download the official entry form.
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Scottish Open Championships entry form [Word file, 32KB]
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SOUTH WEST OPEN CHAMPIONSHIPS |
Blundell's School, Tiverton, 9/10th July 2011 |
[posted 11 April 2011] |
Organiser Wayne Enstone is now accepting entries for the South West Open Championships, which will take place at Blundell's School in Devon over the weekend of July 9/10th. As usual, both the singles and doubles tournaments will start on the Saturday, with Plate competitions being played to a conclusion on the same day. The finals for both championships will take place on the Sunday, and everyone else is eligible to take part in an American Doubles tournament, where the top-ranked players will partner lower-ranked players to give all pairs an equal chance of winning. For full details, click on the link below to download the official entry form.
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South West Open Championships entry form [Word file, 32KB (size of file)]
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NATIONAL VETERANS' & MASTERS' CHAMPIONSHIPS |
Christ's Hospital, Horsham, 9/10th April 2011 |
[posted 11 April 2011] |
As usual, the Veterans' tournament initially attracted a good-sized entry, but this had been pared down to a small but select body of men by the morning of the singles competition. On paper, writes organiser John Hawke, qualification for this prestigious event is simple; you must be 45 or older on the day of the event, and have a working understanding of the rules of Fives. Ability or talent for the game is not required. However, the frailty of the over-45 year old body, and the uncanny ability of family members and friends to organise weddings, funerals, christenings and even holidays for the appointed weekend makes attendance at Christ's Hospital far more uncertain. Eventually, though, with customary disregard for the posted start time, seven stalwarts (and the non-playing organiser) arrived and prepared to do battle. At the same time, the six contestants for the Masters cup also turned up, but they were quickly dispatched to the far side of the Fives courts lest they embarrassed the Veterans with their superior display of fitness and court-craft.
With only seven entries, the number one seed and title holder, Hamish Buchanan, was granted a bye in the first round. He used this advantage sneakily, appearing to sleep while surreptitiously studying, from the gallery, the form and tactics of the rest of the field. That this 'sleep' was a sham is certain; no-one could stay comatose in the face of the howls of frustration and screams of glee emanating from the courts below, as some close matches ebbed and flowed.
Fortunately for the organiser, and in due deference to the required Saturday evening sojourn at the Bax Castle, the matches that went to three games petered out after the first round, with semis and finals all being completed in two. This is not to say that the standard of play reduced. It was sustained, or even improved, as the day progressed.
Once the semi-finals were out of the way, Hamish was again released to slumber for another hour. This time the doze was real, as the only form he needed to study was that of the other finalist, Neil Roberts, who slept in a chair nearby. During this period of slumber for the greats, the lesser mortals did battle again for the plate, a single round-robin open to all but the finalists. High quality Fives again. Eventually, around 6 o'clock, the plate games were partially suspended so that the final could take place. A blistering pair of games where the only person who really noticed the age of the participants was Neil Roberts, as the youthful Hamish slowly sucked out Neil's energy to win a well fought match.
Back to the plate. With the time fast approaching that at which showering facilities would close, a tie at the top of the round-robin, requiring a play-off game, was possible. Tony Hamilton managed to save us from a sweaty evening in the pub by winning his final game in style, making him undisputed winner of that exquisite plate.
Sunday, doubles day, started in much the same way as Saturday, a fine, warm, day, with groups of Fives players standing round, but none either changed or ready to play. Eventually the games started, and Sunday continued the quality and competitiveness of the previous day. Again there were only seven pairs taking part, so the format was identical to that of Saturday, with three games to 15 for the main, knockout competition and everyone apart from the finalists going in to the round-robin plate. Last year's winners, Enstone and Roberts, got the first-round bye. Everything went as expected until the final, when Hamish played his usual hard-hitting, quality game, while Bruce Hanton, his partner, hit the form of his life, retrieving virtually everything hit his way, and returning it with force and precision. This onslaught was too much even for the mighty pairing of Enstone and Roberts, who retreated in shock. What a match!
Again, the plate was still to finish when the final was completed. Crafty manoeuvring by Sandie and Nithsdale ensured that the final game of the day was between them and the other possible plate winners, Oscroft and Shroeter. This game was a classic, with nothing to choose between them until, at 11 all, Jeremy suffered an ankle injury which left him almost unable to move. An easy win for the northerners, you think. Suddenly Rod Oscroft took over, pulling him and Jeremy clear, but the never-say-die attitude of Brian Nithsdale communicated itself to Bob Sandie, and they dug in to win by three points.
The showers were still open as the last of the competitors got to the Sports Centre, so the day finished in fragrant fashion with the traditional pint (or two) at the Sussex Oak.
Many thanks to all who came to CH, whether player or visitor, cup winner or loser of every game. Special gratitude is due to Stuart Kirby, who not only organised and supplied the sumptuous vittles, but who also played while suffering from a nasty chest infection. Ed Hatton graciously sorted things out at the Christ's Hospital end, while David Bawtree added his customary polite but forceful help.
• As John mentions above, the Masters tournament was played at the same time as the Veterans. Organiser David Bawtree reports that a good day was had by all: the weather was perfect and the courts played well. Three pairs took part in a round-robin tournament, and the eventual winners were David and his partner, Bernard Atkinson, who edged out Douglas Rice and Bev Boag to clinch the title.
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National Veterans' Championships results
Masters' Championship results
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OFFICIAL RFA RANKINGS |
London, 4th April 2011 |
[posted 04 April 2011] |
Less than six months after he lost the number one spot in the National Doubles rankings for the first time since the end of the 2003/04 season, Hamish Buchanan today returned to the top of the heap after his win (with partner Robin Perry) in the National Doubles championship. Fittingly, the person he replaces is Will Ellison, who was runner-up in the same championship, along with Marcus Bate, who climbs to third in the new rankings, which are prepared on behalf of the RFA by Dave Hebden.
The National Doubles Championship is the only event to be reflected in the new list, but there are still some big moves: Robin Perry, for instance makes his annual climb up the rankings, finding himself in fifth position, while Dan Tristao reaches the top 10 for the first time, and both Gareth Price and Charlie Brooks also make progress to just outside the top 10.
Lower down, James Marshall climbs 20 places to 35th, where he finds himself just behind Harry Akerman and Jules Pearce-Smith, who also did well in the Plate competition at the National Doubles Championship. For the full rankings, simply click on the link below.
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Latest official RFA Doubles rankings
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NATIONAL DOUBLES CHAMPIONSHIP |
Alleyns School, Dulwich, 2nd/3rd April 2011 |
[posted 03 April 2011] |
Hamish Buchanan and Robin Perry today took their eight successive National Doubles title, putting them within sight of a couple of notable records: Wayne Enstone and Neil Roberts' nine consecutive wins in this championship, and Ian Fuller and Dave Hebden's 10 wins in total.
Hamish and Robin's win this year, as it was 2009 and 2010, was achieved at the expense of Will Ellison and Marcus Bate, and again it was a close match. Indeed, the first game in the final could have gone either way, with both pairs having more than one game point in a game that was an incredibly tight and tense affair from start to finish. Hamish and Robin were first to game point – at 14-12 – but Will and Marcus fought back to 15-14, only for Hamish to play probably the two most crucial shots of the match – two aced services – before he and Robin went on to take the game 16-15.
The second game was another close affair, with plenty of lengthy rallies, but as it went on, it was Hamish and Robin who eked out a lead, with Will and Marcus unable to find the crucial nicks or force their opponents into mistakes. On the other hand, Hamish began to find winners and tempt Will and Marcus into occasional weak shots that were soon punished. Seemingly unable to find the right tactics to unsettle the defending champions, Will and Marcus were always behind in the second game and went on to lose it 15-8.
However, they can take some satisfaction from the fact that, even in such an open competition, they were clearly the second best pair all weekend: they emerged from their round-robin group with two emphatic wins and went on to record a comfortable semi-final win over Dan Tristao and Gareth Price, who had upset third seeds Dan Grant and Ady Lee in the group stages.
Indeed, it was the open nature of the competition that marked this tournament, as injury forced the withdrawal of some familiar names, both on and before the day. The result was a few unfamiliar pairings - and some interesting results, not least of which was Dan and Gareth's win over Dan and Ady. However, credit must also go to the previously untried partnership of Hal Mohammed and Charlie Brooks, who reached the semi-finals at their first attempt and pushed the eventual winners very hard at that stage before bowing out.
Nevertheless, in 2011, it is again the names of Buchanan and Perry that will be engraved on the Cyriax Cup. Only time will tell if they can go on to etch their names into the record books in 2012, but not many would bet against it on this showing.
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National Doubles Championship results
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