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1-WALL HANDBALL UK OPEN DOUBLES TOURNAMENT |
Westway Sports Centre, London, 21st August 2010 |
[posted 27 July 2010] |
Our colleagues at England Handball are now accepting entries for the UK Open Doubles tournament in London on August 21st. For the first time, online registration will be used, and registration is now open. All those registering before August 7th will be entitled to a discounted entry fee (which is payable on the day of the competition), so please register sooner rather than later.
There will be three grades – Men's Open, Men's C (for total novices and beginners) and Ladies – with plates in all competitions, and entries expected from all over Europe. You can also enter without a partner, and the organisers will pair you up as appropriate. For further details and to register, simply click on the link below.
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Click here for UK Open Doubles online registration
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CHARITABLE STATUS |
London, 14th July 2010 |
[posted 23 July 2010] |
The RFA is delighted to announce that its application to the Charity Commission has been successful, and it is now listed on the Register of Charities. It was newly registered on 14th July 2010 under number 1136872. The Association would like to record its huge debt of gratitude to Ian Roberts, who has worked tirelessly on the application for several years.
A full announcement will go into this year's Fives Annual Review, and Ian will now work with the General Secretary to produce a Gift Aid form, which will be sent out with the Review.
Despite the change in status of the RFA itself, it should be noted that RFA Charitable Trust will continue to function as a separate organisation, and there are no plans to combine it with the RFA.
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Click here to see the RFA's entry on the Register of Charities
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SOUTH WEST CHAMPIONSHIPS |
Blundell's School, Tiverton, 10/11th July 2010 |
[posted 11 July 2010] |
In his seventh appearance in a senior singles final, Will Ellison finally clinched his first title in the South West Championship – and celebrated by teaming up with Marcus Bate to take the doubles title as well.
This year's event was graced by an excellent entry of all ages and experience, and although the top eight seeds won through to the quarter-finals, there were plenty of good matches on the way. Marcus Bate, for example, survived tough encounters with Adam George (who went on to win the plate) and Alex Rew to clinch his quarter-final berth; Ed Hatton, meanwhile, only just edged out Gareth Price in the second round, while Kevin Henry had a tough battle with Anthony Goodwin at the same stage.
In the end, though, the seedings proved correct. The top four seeds – John Minta, Will, Hamish Buchanan and Dan Grant – won through to the semi-finals, with John and Will reaching the final. Both players had reached the final without dropping a game, although Chris Burrows and Dan came close to taking a game off John in the quarter- and semi-final respectively. Come the final, though, there was none of the nervousness that some had expected of Will. In fact, it was John who looked the less at ease, making uncharacteristic errors and allowing Will to race through the first game for the loss of just a single point.
The second game, however, was very different. John began to play much more aggressively – hitting the ball harder, using more angle around the walls and trying to blast Will out of his comfort zone – and, at first, it seemed to be working, as he raced into a 9-4 lead. But Will never gave up and gradually fought his way back into the game. Although John did have game-point at a couple of stages, he could never find the crucial winner that would take the match into a third game. Instead Will's dogged retrieval and fierce cross-court play seemed to sap John's will, and it was Will who held his nerve to take the second game - and his first title. His cry of "Finally!" as he clinched the final point was surely heard several miles away.
The doubles, too, saw a fine entry, but as in the singles, the top four seeds won through to the semi-finals. In the top half, although Ed Hatton and Andy Pringle pushed top seeds Will and Marcus hard in the first game, the higher-ranked pair went on to clinch their final place with a routine win in the second game.
In the bottom half, though, things were much tighter, and led to a semi-final between two scratch pairings: Chris Burrows and John Minta faced Hamish Buchanan and Wayne Enstone, the latter pairing having only just scraped through after a tight match with Dan Grant and Gareth Price. The semi, though, was even tighter, with the first two games shared, and it was only in the third that the experience of Hamish and Wayne told, as they raced into a good lead and survived a strong fightback to take the game 11-5.
That set up a mouth-watering final, and to start with it delivered. The two pairs were closely matched, but sadly Wayne sustained a nasty injury, which forced him to become little more than a passenger. Will and Marcus won the first game comfortably, and although some inspired play by Hamish (who was virtually playing singles for much of the time), backed up by sheer grit and determination from Wayne, won the second game, it was inevitable that the younger pair would clinch the title – and this they duly did with an 11-4 win in the third game.
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South West Championships results
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IRISH NATIONAL 1-WALL HANDBALL CHAMPIONSHIPS |
Castlebar, Co Mayo, Ireland, 2nd/4th July 2010 |
[posted 07 July 2010] |
The Irish Nationals are always a huge highlight on the handball calendar, writes Peter Cohen, and this year was no exception, with over 400 athletes competing over the course of the weekend. 18 English Handballers, all with a background in either Eton or Rugby Fives, made the trip over the Irish Sea and reached no less than eight finals, winning three titles.
The Open grades were fiercely contested, and with recent international success at the World Championships, Ady Lee, Peter White, Pete Cohen, Kerry White and Ash Lumbard were all keen to make a mark on the competition. In the Ladies event White destroyed the field to pick up the plate trophy, which most observers equate to reaching the semi-final of the main draw. In the men’s event, Cohen knocked out the World U19 Champion Diarmuid Nash after a thrilling tiebreak at 18-18, before causing the upset of the tournament in defeating four-time World Champion Dessie Keegan to reach the semi-final, where he was eventually defeated by Westmeath’s Robbie McCarthy. Lee, himself also knocked out by McCarthy, powered through the plate competition to reach the final.
Elsewhere, Anita Ganguly (Ladies’ B) and Marianne Rees (Ladies’ Challenger) both made it through to the finals of their main draws before losing out. Ganguly played her best ever handball to come through her semi-final, and Rees showed composure in her first international tournament to win through three rounds.
Meanwhile, in the other plate competitions, Ant Theodossi (Men’s C), Doug Foster (Men’s Challenger), Andy Pringle (Masters) and Dan Murray (Men’s U23) all reached their finals, with Foster and Pringle battling hard to take the titles and pick up the silverware.
Overall, the English players competed in 63 matches, winning 34 of them, to take home an impressive 54% win ratio along with the trophies.
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DERBY MOOR INVITATION DOUBLES |
Derby Moor, 20th June 2010 |
[posted 07 July 2010] |
On his debut in the 7th Derby Moor Invitation Doubles on the 20th of June Wayne Enstone picked up the trophy for the first time. He and Jay Gravatt defeated local juniors Anthony Goodwin and Max Frost 15-9, 15-3 in a final which was an education for the two youngsters. Jay, who has previously won the President’s Cup with Hamish Buchanan (he sure knows how to pick his partners!) came up from London, Wayne down from Manchester, in a pincer movement designed to wrest the trophy away from the home club, who have had a winner in each previous year.
In the semi-final Wayne & Jay beat father and son partnership Richard and Rob Christie, who had earlier eased through against organiser Brian Kirk and the evergreen John Hawke, while Anthony & Max gained a very creditable victory over Stuart Kirby & Tim Widdop. Earlier Grem McIntyre and his son Paul had had to fight hard in the first round to defeat the National U13 Doubles champions, Matt Blunden & Robert Whitehorn.
In the Plate competition Derby Moor colts Jimmy Goodwin and Michael Baxter had a superb win over Clive Butler & Bob Sandie, but somehow contrived to lose in the final to the scratch pairing of wily Richard Christie and younger brother (13!), Craig Baxter.
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Derby Moor Invitation Doubles results
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OFFICIAL RFA RANKINGS |
London, 20th June 2010 |
[posted 24 June 2010] |
The RFA has today published its official end-of-season rankings for the 2009/10 season. Prepared for the Association by Dave Hebden, they show James Toop and Hamish Buchanan retaining their top spots in the singles and doubles rankings respectively.
Below James in the singles list, the top five is filled out by John Minta, Ed Fuller, Dan Tristao and Will Ellison, while Dan Grant has made significant strides over the course of the season to reach number eight. Tom Maconie, Marcus Bate and Ed Hatton also make good jumps into the top 20, while England Handballer Pete Cohen is a new entrant at number 19, one ahead of Imperial student Chris Burrows.
In the doubles list, national doubles runners-up Will Ellison and Marcus Bate are now in second and third positions, while Hal Mohammed (who won the West of England Championship with Will) jumps up six places to seventh. Meanwhile, Charlie Brooks climbs eight places to 14th, and BUCS champions Inigo Ackland and Alex Griffiths reach the top 20.
For the full RFA rankings, simply click on the link below.
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Click here to see the full RFA rankings
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RFA AGM |
London, 16th June 2010 |
[posted 17 June 2010] |
At last night's Annual General Meeting of the RFA, there was a unanimous vote in favour of the Association applying for charitable status. This marks the culmination of several years' work by board member Ian Roberts and will demand some minor changes to RFA's constitution, which were also unanimously approved by the meeting. The next steps are for Ian to file the resolutions and revised constitution with Companies House, before then proceeding with the registration as a charity with the Charity Commission.
Among the other decisions taken at the AGM were to reappoint as directors (after retiring by rotation) Chris Horrocks, Paddy d'Ancona, David Gardner, Adrian Lee and Ian Fuller. At the same time, Peter de Winton was reappointed as Hon Auditor, while David Barnes was reappointed Hon Archivist.
It was also announced at the meeting that Hamish Buchanan had taken over from Ed Fuller as RFA Club manager, and that Ed (along with Tom Maconie and David Fox) had resigned from their position as directors. It is expected that all three will be replaced at the RFA's next board meeting in September.
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Click here to see the RFA's revised constitution [Word file, 260KB]
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INGRAM CUP |
Merchant Taylors School, Northwood, 3rd July 2010 |
[posted 09 June 2010] |
Organiser Gareth Price is now accepting entries for the Ingram Cup, the Old Merchant Taylors Club's annual President's Cup-style tournament. This doubles-only event will be held at the school on Saturday July 3rd.
Players enter singly, and pairings are drawn by the organisers (as in the President's Cup), with the emphasis on giving everyone a great day of fives. There is a main competition as well as a plate, and all matches are played as best of three games to 11. The G6 ball will be used, and there is no charge for entry. There's even a buffet lunch thrown in, and two pairs will walk away with some pretty impressive silverware!
In order to confirm your place or if you require further details, please call Gareth on 01923 829 187 or 07973 832 585 or send him an email using the link below. The first 32 entrants will receive confirmation of their place as well as all other details – i.e. a schedule of the day's events, plus a full breakdown of the fixtures and start times of the tournament – by email (or in the post if requested).
Last, but not least, what with it being a World Cup year, Gareth says he's aiming to start on time at 10:00am and have everything wrapped up by 15:00. Fear not, you will go to the (foot)ball!
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Click here to send Gareth an email
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THE DEAVER CUP |
Groton School, Massachusetts, USA, 15th May 2010 |
[posted 07 June 2010] |
The RFA has received news of a new Fives tournament being played in America, and is delighted to repeat the report from organiser Malcolm MacNeill, a St. Mark's graduate.
"I organized the fives tournament of May 15th at Groton. Lacking fives courts, St. Mark's was at somewhat of a disadvantage going into the match. It was an alumni tournament, and I was only able to round up four St. Markers to play. They were: Chris Sinacola ('80), David Guzzi ('83), Allen Breed ('00), and Ceilidh MacNeill ('09). By contrast, Groton was able to muster 30 players.
"Five matches were played between the teams - one doubles and four singles. In the end, the St. Mark's team was victorious – by three matches to two – and was awarded a newly created trophy, the Deaver Cup.
"Given the level of excitement created by the tournament, I think that this will undoubtedly be an annual event. We have received many promises to participate next year.
"In the end, hopefully this will compel St. Mark's to rebuild its courts. Before the tournament, there was much discussion at Groton about the future of their fives courts. Rumours were spreading that they would be razed this summer. I think that, if nothing else, we have been successful in stopping this.
"I will keep you informed."
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RFA AGM |
London, 16th June 2010 |
[posted 25 May 2010] |
The RFA has already posted to its members the paperwork for next month's Annual General Meeting, and it now makes that same paperwork available online. The meeting is potentially one of the most important in the Association's history, as one of the items on the Agenda is the RFA's possible application for charitable status. If the meeting votes to apply for this, it will also be necessary to make some minor changes to the RFA's constitution, which have already been agreed with the Charity Commission. To see all the relevant paperwork, including both the RFA's current constitution and a copy with the changes highlighed, simply click on the appropriate link below.
The AGM, the
the 84th Annual General Meeting of the Association, will be held on Wednesday 16th June 2010 at 7.30pm
at the offices of Clifford Chance, 4 Coleman Street, London EC2. All members are invited to attend, but even if they are unable to attend in person, they can vote by proxy.
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RFA AGM Paperwork [Word file, 60KB]
RFA Accounts [PDF, 828KB]
Current RFA constitution [Word file, 208KB)]
Proposed revisions to RFA constitution [Word file, 256KB (size of file)]
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NATIONAL SCHOOL GIRLS' CHAMPIONSHIPS |
Christ's Hospital, 16th May 2010 |
[posted 17 May 2010] |
Girls from four schools contested the first ever National School Girls' Championships at Christ's Hospital, and the event was an unqualified success. All the girls thoroughly enjoyed the day's play, and every school won some silverware.
The event was run by Eastbourne College teacher (and RFA board member) Alex Smith, who remarked on the fact that, in the top three singles tournaments, the eventual winners had a very powerful march to the Final, all no more than three points before their Finals. At U14 level, Royer conceded just 3 points overall, as did Dodds at U16, while in the Seniors Mills dropped just 6 points overall.
Also notable was the strength in depth at U14 level, and the fact that, with a couple of schools forced to winthdraw at the last minute, the U16 category was quite open, so some of the U14 girls played in the U16 category.
Throughout the day, it was clear that the girls were playing with every bit as much enthusiasm, skill and athleticism as their male counterparts. The on-court behaviour was exemplary - although we're unsure if you can describe girls as gentlemen! - and the RFA Gen Sec was moved to remark that he had never seen so many players congratulate their opponents on good shots as he had in this championship.
Overall, the day was an undoubted success, and we look forward to this championship establishing itself in the Fives calendar.
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National School Girls' Championships results
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ENGLAND HANDBALL UK SINGLES TOURNAMENT |
Westway Sports Centre, Latimer Road, London, 5th June 2010 |
[posted 10 May 2010] |
England Handall is running the UK Singles Handball Championships for men and women on Saturday June 5th, and organiser Anita Ganguly is now accepting entries. The competition, at London's Westway Centre (nearest tube Latimer Road), will include three grades – Mens' Open, Mens' Challenger and Womens' Open – and be followed by a fund-raising social event in Chiswick. Both the tournament and social event cost £12 to enter (or £15 for non-members of England Handball), and both are expected to be fully international events, with players from Ireland, Wales and possibly America joining the familiar faces from England. For full details of the day's events, simply click on the link below to download the official entry form.
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England Handball Singles tournament entry form [Word file, 740KB]
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SOUTH WEST OPEN CHAMPIONSHIPS |
Blundell's School, Tiverton, 10/11th July 2010 |
[posted 08 May 2010] |
Organiser Wayne Enstone is now accepting entries for the South West Championships, which will take place at Blundell's School in Devon over the weekend of July 10th and 11th. As is usual with this event, both the singles and doubles competitions will start on the Saturday, with just the finals on the Saturday. However, those not involved in these matches will be able to enter an 'American Doubles' event, with the pairs decided on the day. For full details of the event, simply click on the link below to download the official entry form.
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South West Open Championships entry form [Word file, 32KB]
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THE FIVES COURT COMPANY |
London, May 2010 |
[posted 08 May 2010] |
Nigel Cox, Jennifer Green and John Reynolds have launched the Fives Court Company, promising nothing less than "A revolution in Fives court construction."
They have developed a way of building courts, using the latest materials and techniques, that slashes cost and construction difficulties. This allows them to promise that their courts are more affordable and delivered more quickly than ever before. The courts are made from high quality precast concrete by bespoke specialists ThermoneX Concrete Solutions, who have already erected a prototype court, which was received very positively by the players who have used it.
The company is already talking to several potential clients about installing courts, but they are always keen to hear about other possible sites and customers. For full details, click on the link below to see their website.
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The Fives Court Company website
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NATIONAL SCHOOL GIRLS' CHAMPIONSHIPS |
Christ's Hospital, Sussex, 16th May 2010 |
[posted 06 May 2010] |
Sunday May 16th will see the RFA's first ever National School Girls' Championships. Organised by Eastbourne College teacher Alex Smith, the event (to be held at Christ's Hospital) will feature both singles and doubles tournaments in four age groups: Under 13, Under 14, Under 16 and Seniors.
Girls will be allowed to play in different age categories for the singles and doubles competitions, but only in one category in each.
The format will depend on the final number of entries in each age category, but there will be a plate in each category for early-round losers. Alex is now accepting entries for the championships, and you can see the full details of the event by clicking on the link below to download the official entry form.
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National School Girls' Championships entry form [Word file, 68KB
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SCOTTISH OPEN CHAMPIONSHIPS |
Loretto School, Musselburgh, 1st/2nd May 2010 |
[posted 03 May 2010] |
With a disappointingly small entry of players, it was a case of quality rather than quantity at this year's Scottish Open; and, as in the last few years, it was John Minta's quality that came to the fore.
Saturday's singles tournament saw just six entries, yet organiser Neil Roberts came up with a cunning plan to ensure plenty of Fives for everyone: a round-robin 'league' where each player played one game to 15 against every other player, with the top two players going on to contest the final, while the third and fourth would play in the Plate final.
John Minta started his campaign against Johnny Major, and this proved to be his toughest challenge, as the Edinburgh University student initially adapted better to the Loretto courts while John struggled with his footwork on the slippery floor. In the end, though, John proved too much for Johnny to handle and the defending champion came through 15-12, before going on to seal his place in the final with wins in all his remaining matches.
However, it took the final game of the round-robin to decide who he would face. Both Andy Pringle and Neil Roberts had come through the round-robin with only one loss (to John), so their encounter would decide both finals: the winner would face John in the main final, while the loser would face Johnny Major in the Plate Final, after he beat both John Hawke and Ed Cumberledge.
Neil and Andy's game was a fine encounter, with plenty of long rallies; and, while Neil graciously admitted that it was closer than the 15-3 scoreline suggested, there was no doubt that he was the deserved winner, always able to find the crucial winner and force Andy into mistakes. He then went on to push John hard in the first game of the final, but eventually John's power saw him win through 11-7 in the best-of-three encounter. Sadly for Neil, John then upped his game and blitzed through the second game without losing a point, securing his fourth Scottish Open singles title in five years.
Come the doubles – again just contested by six players, with the pairs selected by the organiser – it was John's class that shone through. He partnered John Hawke in the competition, which (like the singles) was a round-robin format, but with the winners decided simply on a league basis, with no separate final. And, no matter what the opposing pairs threw at John H, John M was able to defend his partner and strike the crucial winners when he had the chance.
That's not to say he had it all his own way, though. On the contrary, the Johns' matches both went the distance and they had to come back from losing the first game in each instance, first to Adam George and Ed Cumberledge, and then to Andy Pringle and Ian Roberts. Nevertheless, come through they did, and John Minta secured his fourth successive win in the event.
All that meant that the final match of the tournament would decide who would finish as runners-up and who would take the Plate. Sadly, this wasn't as close a match as the two previous encounters and the students (Ed from Edinburgh and Adam from St Andrews) won in two easy games, playing with a maturity that belied their ages and picking the right shots to pressure their more experienced opponents into mistakes.
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Scottish Open Championships results
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NATIONAL VINTAGE CHAMPIONSHIPS |
Oundle School, 25th April 2010 |
[posted 30 April 2010] |
A select few gathered at Oundle School Fives courts for the Vintage (over 55) singles competition at the early hour of 9:30, although one competitor had to phone in from the M11, where he was stuck in traffic.
To provide the limited entry with plenty of Fives, the first rounds of the competition were played as two round robin groups of three players each. The first and second players in each group then proceeded to the semi-finals, where the program changed from one game to 15 to the best of three games to 11. Those who failed to reach the semi-finals and the losing semi-finalists then played a further round-robin to decide the Plate.
This format ensured that everyone played at least five games, with those reaching the semi-finals destined to play even more.
A similar number of pairs arrived at 2:00 for the doubles competition, which was arranged in the same way as the singles.
As usual, the standard of play belied the age of the competitors, with many games being hard fought, and a few additionally enlivened by the on-court comments of our Deputy President. Most players coped with the strange angles that the Oundle courts can produce, and none had any trouble consuming the plentiful vittles the school provided.
The day was capped by a doubles final, the quality of which improved as time went on. Although the spectators may have been disappointed that it finished in two games, the Sports Centre staff were allowed to lock up and go home almost on time.
Many thanks to Tony Burrows for arranging the use of the courts, and for organising the food.
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National Vintage Championships results
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WINCHESTER FIVES MIXED DOUBLES CHAMPIONSHIP |
Bradfield College, Berkshire, 25th April 2010 |
[posted 25 April 2010] |
While thousands of athletes toiled around the capital's streets in the London Marathon, there was every bit as much effort expended on the courts at Bradfield. The Winchester Fives Mixed Doubles Championship had attracted its usual eclectic mix of players – from Rugby Fives, Eton Fives and even Pilota, many of whom had never played Winchester Fives before – and a fascinating day's Fives ensued.
In the early rounds, experience generally held sway, with the fancied pairings of Dan Grant & Claire Knowles, Andy Pringle & Emma Howie and Anthony Theodossi & Kerry White safely taking their place in the semi-finals. However, the closest quarter-final saw the Eton Fives pairing of Seb and Charlotta Cooley score a tough win in three games over James Bristow (the one genuine Winchester Fives player in the field) and Catherine Gainey, who was playing her first ever competitive Fives.
Mind you, if that was a tough match, it was nothing compared to the Cooleys' next game - against Dan (the defending champion) and Claire. The first two games were epics, both going the distance and being shared between the pairs, as Dan and Claire's more regular Rugby Fives-style play struggled to contain the Eton Fives-inspired tactics of Seb and Charlotta, who were playing front-and-back rather than the more conventional left-and-right. Come the third game, though, Dan and Claire subtly changed their tactics, playing more to a length, and that did the trick, as they came through to win the decider 15-8.
In the final they came up against Andy & Emma, who had managed a relatively routine win over Anthony and Kerry in their semi. However, any hopes they had of Dan and Claire suffering the after-effects of their semi-final exertions were soon dashed. Although the first game of the final was close, gradually Dan's serving came into its own, making it hard for his opponents to score, while he started to find the buttress (and clean winners) more regularly in rallies. With this skill more than ably backed up by Claire's fine play, there was no weakness to exploit, and Andy and Emma had to admit defeat.
The plate competition, meanwhile, was every bit as keenly contested, with many of the round-robin games going the full distance. However, it seemed appropriate that the eventual winners were James and Catherine, who had earlier come so close to clinching a place in the semi-finals.
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Winchester Fives Mixed Doubles Championship results
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NATIONAL CLUB CHAMPIONSHIP |
St Paul's School, Barnes, 17/18th April 2010 |
[posted 18 April 2010] |
For the fifth consecutive year, the Wood Cup left the Manchester Y Club, only to return there after another successful defence by the club in the National Club Championship. In doing so, the Y Club has equalled its own record of five consecutive wins in the championship, which they also managed between 1983 and 1987.
This year's win came at the expense of the Old Paulines, who were also runners-up in the Owers Trophy last September. And, credit to the Y Club, this year's result never looked in doubt, as they brushed aside first the West of England Club and then the Alleyn Old Boys to seal their place in the final of this competition for the eight time in 10 years.
The Old Paulines, by contrast, had a much tougher time of it. Their quarter-final against the Wessex Club was won by little more than a dozen points, while their semi-final match against the Executioners was even closer. In fact, the games were evenly shared between the two teams, and the Paulines were down as the final two games of doubles started. Yet, both Pauline pairs came back to reverse the previous games and record a win, thereby taking the match - be just seven points.
The final, however, was to prove a match too far, and the writing was on the wall after just the first singles. John Minta conceded just one point as he beat Dan Tristao and, although the other singles matches saw the points shared evenly, the Y Club took a 10-point lead into the doubles; and that was soon extended as John and Phil Bishop scored an emphatic win over Sam Roberts and Charlie Brooks.
On the next court, Kevin Henry and Ben Taberner took on Dan and schoolboy Ed Kay in a full-blooded encounter that belied Ed's youth and Kevin's lack of sleep. Almost inevitably, though, the games finished 11-9, 9-11, meaning the four had toiled for well over an hour in amazing heat for no net gain!
Nevertheless, as the second round of doubles began, the Y Club's lead had extended to the best of 30 points, and the match was put beyond doubt as John and Phil won their first game against Dan and Ed to love, while Kevin and Ben also won their first game. In the remaining games, the Paulines regained some pride – Dan and Ed only lost 10-12 to John and Phil, while Sam and Charlie won their second game – but it was all too late by that stage. Yet again, the Wood Cup was facing a journey up the M6 and set to call the Y Club home for another 12 months - and deservedly so. With such a strong squad to call on, who's to bet against the Y Club making it six years on the trot in 2011?
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National Club Championship results
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SCOTTISH OPEN CHAMPIONSHIPS |
Loretto School, Musselburgh, 1st/2nd May 2010 |
[posted 12 April 2010] |
Fresh from winning the doubles title at the National Veterans' Championship, Neil Roberts is now turning his attention to the next open tournament, the Scottish Open, which he is organising. The tournament takes place over the first weekend of May at Loretto School, near Musselburgh. Saturday will see the singles championship, with Sunday's doubles championship following the now-traditional format: players enter as individuals, with the organiser seeding the stronger players and drawing their partners from among the remaining players. Entries must be received by April 25th, and for full details of the tournament, simply click on the link below to download the official entry form.
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Scottish Open entry form [Word file, 32KB]
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OFFICIAL RFA RANKINGS |
London, 11th April 2010 |
[posted 12 April 2010] |
The official RFA rankings – prepared by Dave Hebden – have been adjusted to reflect the National Doubles Championship, which was held at the end of March. At the top of the table, they see champion Hamish Buchanan cement his number one position and his partner Robin Perry make his now-annual jump up the top ten - in this case to number 6. Meanwhile, the runners-up Will Ellison and Marcus Bate are in second and third, while the pair they beat in the semi-finals, Ben Taberner and John Minta, fill out the rest of the top five positions.
A little lower down, the other losing semi-finalists, Dan Grant and Ady Lee, jump up to 11th and 12th. However, it was the plate competition that led to the biggest rises: runner-up Steve Korris jumped 11 places to 16th while plate winner Tom Dean rose almost 50 places to 32nd, and St Paul's schoolboys Ed Kay and Kit Ward also rose more than 40 places. For the full rankings, simply click on the link below.
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Official RFA Doubles rankings
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NATIONAL VETERANS' CHAMPIONSHIPS |
Christ's Hospital, Horsham, 10/11th April 2010 |
[posted 11 April 2010] |
Christ’s Hospital arranged the traditional hot weekend for the Veterans’ Tournament, and Stuart Kirby and Brian Kirk arrived with food and drink to feed an army. Needless to say, there was very little food remaining by Sunday evening, writes organiser John Hawke.
During the weekend, only a single match went to three games, even though every round was hard fought. Once the organiser was knocked out of the singles (he did not participate in the doubles), the standard of play was excellent [NB this is rather harsh, as John himself played very well - RFA Ed], with the finals of both events producing games that would have been outstanding in any age group.
Neil Roberts pressed Hamish Buchanan hard in the first game of the singles final, building an early lead, but eventually youth and fitness swung the match in favour of Hamish.
On Sunday, we had our only three-game match, when Henry and Nithsdale, Kirby and Kirk threatened to make proceedings finish as late as they had on Saturday. Luckily, other players had different ideas, so proceedings for the day ended in the Sussex Oak with a group of well-groomed gentlemen.
In the doubles final, Neil Roberts – with a small amount of assistance from Wayne Enstone – had his revenge over Hamish for his Singles defeat. Again, a fiercely contested match finished in just two games, although Roberts and Enstone achieved the narrowest possible win in the first game. This close defeat appeared to dampen the spirits of Hamish and Bruce Hanton, as the second game, although still hard fought, was a much easier victory for the eventual champions.
The courts were shared, on the Saturday, with the Masters Doubles Championship (for over 65s), in which three pairs took part. This event was perhaps most notable for the RFA's President and Deputy President (Frank Akerman and Dick Warner, the latter playing by special dispensation despite not being of the required age) facing each other on court, but the title was eventually won by Bev Boag and Douglas Rice.
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National Veterans' Championships results
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RUGBY SCHOOL'S NEW COURTS |
Rugby, 9th April 2010 |
[posted 09 April 2010] |
Work is progressing well on the new courts at Rugby School. The latest update published on the school's website clearly shows that the buildings are now recognisably Fives court-shaped. In the meantime, it has been confirmed that the new courts will be officially opened on October 9th with matches on the new courts. For full details on the development - and to see the current state of the work - simply click on the link below.
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Photos of the work on the Rugby School website
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NATIONAL SCHOOLS CHAMPIONSHIPS |
St Paul's School, Barnes, March 29th/April 1st 2010 |
[posted 1 April 2010] |
This year’s tournament was well supported, with 21 schools represented in the three age groups, and it was good to have substantial groups from Edinburgh Academy, Sedbergh, Merchiston Castle, Loretto and Blundells as well as the usual suspects from the Home Counties circuit.
After the postponed West of England tournament a mere six weeks earlier, form may have seemed more predictable than usual, but in fact a number of results, especially in the doubles, were reversed. St Paul’s were the dominant force, with four quarter-finalists in Open and Colts singles, and five in the last 16 of the Under 14, but another dozen schools had competitors still surviving at these stages. The standard of play in the two senior plate competitions was extremely high.
In the Open final, Ed Kay retained his title, but not without alarms, to which he has become accustomed! He came from 5-10 down to win the first game against Luke Thomson (Christ’s Hospital) and had to work extremely hard for the second as well. After their epic final at Sherborne this was no surprise, and of course Luke has a further year at school. Thomson had defeated Peter Hanton in the semi-final, sad for Peter in that his season had been truncated by injury, and the lack of regular play meant he was unable to make the final a repeat of 2009. Both plate winners emerged from the “group of death” (with Luke Thomson), perhaps unfortunate victims of what was otherwise very accurate seeding(!): Ali Edmonds of St Paul’s, surprisingly at his first National event, beat fellow Pauline Julian Aquilina (finalist in the 2009 second plate), and Marlburian Sam Rolls defeated David Bowden of Alleyn’s.
In the Open doubles, there was some excellent fives from the outset: Marlborough upset the seeded Winchester pair, and particularly tough matches saw KCS beat Merchiston Castle, while Christ’s Hospital were given a good run by the third Pauline pair. St Paul’s IV pushed Derby Moor hard, but in the end the semi-final line up was the same as at Sherborne – but with some significant changes of personnel. Two outstanding matches followed, with SPS I winning a nail-biting first game against Christ’s Hospital and SPS II winning in three close games with Derby Moor. The all-Pauline final was no anticlimax this time, with but the all-round court skills of Kay and Tom Chase eventually prevailed despite excellent retrieving by Ward and Edmonds.
Bradfield’s David Butler was the Colts champion, reversing the result of the Sherborne final against Max Frost (Derby Moor). Both Butler and Sam Russell (SPS) in a three-game semi found Max’s serve more manageable on the St Paul’s courts, but he remains very hard to beat. Butler was pushed very hard in a three-game quarter final by Theo Parker (St Paul’s). The two plate competitions also saw some very close games, with a large number of under 15 players gaining experience for next year.
The Colts’ doubles final was also an all-Pauline affair, with the newly formed partnership of Russell and Parker prevailing over Francis Thomas and Guy Johnston in three competitive games. Bradfield were unable to cope with the winning pair’s consistency in the semi-final, while in the other SPS III (a scratch pairing of Richard Law with under-15 Matt Shaw) were not able to spring a third shock in a row, after remarkable wins in three games against Winchester I and in two tight ones against Alleyn’s I.
The Under 14 competition had a record entry, and the standard of play was very high indeed. 2009 Under 13 champion Sam Wyatt-Haines (Blundells) was always going to be the man to beat, and nobody could! Yul Kahn-Pascual (St Paul’s) was the runner-up, but the gulf in experience needs rather more time to bridge. Yul had survived a very protracted semi-final against this year’s U13 champion, Simon Whait (Loretto), and the plate winners were Ben Lawry (Sedbergh) and Archie Foster (St Paul’s). In a busy day of doubles, Blundells again proved to be the class act, but they were pushed all the way by Derby Moor. The enthusiasm of all the pairs in action showed that the game is in excellent health, and all power to those making it happen in the schools.
Many thanks to all involved in organisation and support, especially to those school staff who were giving up holiday time (and those who were supposed still to be teaching!). The whole championship was played in an excellent spirit, with the highest standards of sportsmanship and manners on court and camaraderie off it. (Writer's note: this paragraph is identical to last year, deservedly so!)
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National Schools Championships results
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WINCHESTER FIVES MIXED DOUBLES CHAMPIONSHIP |
Bradfield College, Berkshire, 25th April 2010 |
[posted 31 March 2010] |
Organiser Emma Howie is now accepting entries for the Winchester Fives Mixed Doubles tournament, which is taking place at Bradfield College on April 25th. Play will start at 11am, with the exact format of the competition depending on the number of entries. Entry costs £10 per pair and the closing date for entries is Friday April 16h, but for full details, click on the link below to download the official entry form.
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Winchester Fives Mixed Doubles entry form [Word file, 36KB]
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NATIONAL DOUBLES CHAMPIONSHIP |
Alleyn's School, Dulwich, 27/28th March 2010 |
[posted 28 Month 2006] |
Hamish Buchanan and Robin Perry marked their tenth successive appearance in the final of the National Doubles Championship by taking the title for the seventh successive time. As in 2009, they faced Will Ellison and Marcus Bate in the final, but this year's match was an altogether closer affair than last season's.
However, it was a mark of these two pairs' quality that they had both reached the final relatively easily. Hamish and Robin had resounding wins over, first, the two St Paul's schoolboys Ed Kay & Kit Ward, and secondly the England Handballers Dan Grant and Ady Lee; meanwhile Will and Marcus dispatched Chris Burrows & Mark Gibbor in the quarters before disposing of the sole Manchester pair, John Minta & Ben Taberner, in the semi-finals.
The final itself was keenly contested, and in neither of the two games was there ever more than a handful of points between the pairs. Indeed, at the end, the appreciative crowd were hard pressed to pin-point any major difference between the two pairs. Of course, Robin Perry's power was crucial at times, particularly when he was able to serve his opponents straight out, thereby denying them the chance to score points; and, naturally, Hamish's superb reading of the game allowed him to anticipate his opponents' shots almost before they had been played. But, Will and Marcus were every bit as able around the court, working well as a pair, retrieving and combining power and precision to frequently devastating effect.
The difference between the pairs was slight, and in the end probably came down to the defending champions' ability to win the crucial points and keep their noses ahead. Will and Marcus played very well, but towards the end of each game, they were the pair with the catching up to do, and they were never able to take the lead at the vital time. Instead, Hamish and Robin held their nerve to claim the title again.
The Plate, meanwhile, was won by Tom Dean and Andy Pringle, who beat all three other losing quarter-finalists in a round-robin competition. That means that Tom is the unusual – if not unique – position of holding both the National Singles and National Doubles plates at the same time.
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National Doubles Championship results
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RFA RANKINGS |
London, 15th March 2010 |
[posted 25 March 2010] |
With only slight movement at the very top at the top of the latest singles and doubles rankings (prepared for the RFA by Dave Hebden) it was left to players lower down to make the most major moves – and it was James Bristow who made the most significant gains, climbing 24 places in the singles rankings and 35 in the doubles table after his runner-up spot in the North-West Open in January.
Charlie Brooks, who partnered James in Manchester also made good gains, closing in on a top 10 spot in the doubles and jumping 12 places in the singles rankings. Others to make good progress were Charles Legget, who jumped 19 places after a fine win over Marcus Bate in the North of England Open, and Ben Taberner, who climbed 18 places.
At the top of the rankings, meanwhile, James Toop remained a clear number one, but John Minta's recent run of good results has seen him leap-frog Ed Fuller to take second place, while Will Ellison climbs into the top five for the first time. These positions will now stand until the Scottish Open in May.
Ahead of the National Doubles tournament, the top of the doubles rankings also saw little movement. Hamish Buchanan remains in a clear top spot, with Will Ellison now equal with John Minta in second spot after his win (with fourth-placed Marcus Bate) in Durham. However, with the National Doubles finals taking place this weekend, all that could change. Watch this space...
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Full official RFA singles and doubles rankings
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NATIONAL VINTAGE CHAMPIONSHIPS |
Oundle School, 25th April 2010 |
[posted 25 March 2010] |
Organiser John East is now accepting entries for the National Vintage Championships, which are to be held at Oundle School on Sunday April 25th. Both singles and doubles tournaments will be held on the same day, as well as Plate competitions.
Qualifying age is 55 years on or before 24th April 2010,
and the closing date for entries is Sunday April 18th. For full details, simply click on the link below to download the official entry form.
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National Vintage Championships entry form [Word file, 32KB]
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COLQUHOUN TROPHY |
Sherborne, Dorset, 21st March 2010 |
[posted 21 March 2010] |
21 boys from six schools took part in the first ever running of the Colquhoun Trophy at Sherborne – a new event designed to commemorate the life of Charlie Colquhuoun (former master in charge at Clifton College) and to promote Fives in the South West.
Sadly, no boys from Clifton were able to take part this year, but the competition did see players from Sherborne, Kelly, Blundell's, Marlborough, Malvern and Bruton take to the courts at Sherborne. There were Seniors and Colts sections, with 11 in the former and 10 in the latter, and the competition began with each section split into two round-robin groups. Each player's results within those groups would dictate whether they went into the main semi-finals, into the Plate, or straight home!
From the off, it was clear that the senior boys from Marlborough would take some beating, and both Sam Rolls and Kasper Bowyer-Knight had 100% records in their pools as they qualified for the semi-finals. Here they were joined by Ed Collins of King's School, Bruton, and George Daykin of Blundell's, but it was the Marlborough pair who maintained their 100% record and won through to the final.
This was a fine match, and nothing like as one-sided as the scoreline suggests. There was some fine play on show from both players, with a good variety of shots and plenty of long, keenly fought rallies. However, it was almost always Sam who found the winner or forced a mistake from his opponent, and he went on to score a fine victory. The plate, meanwhile, went to Malvern's Jamie Killick, who beat Jack Turner of Blundell's.
Blundell's also did well in the Colts plate, where the school provided both finalists, and Harvey Scott ran out a 15-9 winner over Sam Combe. However, it was four different schools who provided the semi-finalists in the main competition: Charlie Bury from Kelly College defeated Malvern's Adam Flattery in one match, while Alex Frossel of Marlborough beat Sherborne's Jamie Smart in the other.
Again, that meant that two boys with 100% records met in the final – but it was only Charlie who emerged with his perfect record intact. Both boys played fine Fives that belied their age, but Charlie had enough class to run out a 15-7 winner.
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Colquhoun Trophy results
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NATIONAL UNDER 13 CHAMPIONSHIPS |
St Paul's School, Barnes, 14th March 2010 |
[posted 15 March 2010] |
This tournament is an indicator that the game thrives in many of the schools that play at Under 13, writes tournament organiser Peter de Winton. Entries were received from 10 schools, from which the winners were different from those in last years competition. It was good to welcome back Dulwich and Christs Hospital, and some strong "Northern Raiders", who indeed accounted for most of the silverware, including a formidable Singles champion who made short work of his opposition. The day was also enhanced by the attendance of a considerable number of parents and other family members, which added to the atmosphere and no doubt encouraged their sons.
The Singles Pools yielded a number of hard fought matches, producing a group of the best eight, including two boys each from Alleyns, Rossall, Pilgrims, and one each from Loretto and Derby Moor. Simon Whait from Loretto had only lost 4 points in his 7 pool matches, and relentlessly swept to victory in the final, overcoming a brave challenge from Ralph Thicknesse of Alleyns, who had worked hard to overcome the two Rossall contestants in succession in previous rounds. Robert Whitehorn of Derby Moor took the Singles Plate as the best losing Semi Finalist. Simon is an outstanding and very complete player who has a great future in the game.
There was a different format In the Doubles this year; the Pool stage was dispensed with in order to get quickly into the knockout stage, with an optional Plate for those eliminated that were still standing! This proved popular and featured many a hard fought contest though the boys were obviously tiring. In the knockout, Derby Moor I showed great steadiness throughout and came through as deserving winners, not conceding more than an average of 3 points in their games, and grinding away Rossall I's challenge in the final. In the Plate Rossall II beat two Pilgrims pairs in succession to demonstrate their fitness and claim the tankards.
Thanks to all the coaches for their flexible approach to a day that was at times hectic, but always enjoyable. As always, one walks the tightrope of allowing the maximum participation from a keen group of boys, whilst striving for a format that produces quality fives and finishes within a reasonable hour. My thanks particularly to Frank Akerman for his support at all times during the day, and his ideas of how to improve the competition still further.
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Under 13 Championships results
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WINCHESTER FIVES NATIONAL DOUBLES CHAMPIONSHIP |
Bradfield College, Berkshire, 14th March 2010 |
[posted 14 March 2010] |
After another dominant display in the annual Winchester Fives doubles championship, Old Wykehamists Will Ellison and Hal Mohammed again demonstrated that they are the pair to beat in the Winchester version of the game. A year after winning the Barnes Bridge trophy for the first time at Malvern, they mounted a successful defence at Bradfield, winning the title without dropping a game.
The field was a mixture of youth and experience, with plenty of schoolboys among the more seasoned campaigners, but it was experience that held sway in the early rounds, and the eight seeded pairs won through to the quarter-finals. The top three seeds also made it through to the semi-finals, but the battle for the fourth place produced arguably the day's biggest upset: the Old Pauline pairing of Dan Tristao and Sam Roberts just edged out former champions Harry Akerman and Mario Mohammed in three tight games.
Sam and Dan's reward was a semi-final clash with Will and Hal, and although they lost the first game by a distance, they pushed the defending champions all the way in the second, only losing it 14-16. The other semi-final was another close match, with Manchester's Dave Fox & John Minta facing Hamish Buchanan & James Bristow. It went to the full three games, and although Hamish and James took the first, John and Dave fought back to take the next two, and clinch a place in the final.
Here, though, Hal and Will soon showed their class, regularly cracking the ball into the buttress themselves and retrieving the ball whenever their opponents did so. They raced into a lead in the first game, and although Dave and John pegged a few points back, that merely made the scoreline respectable - they never threatened to get on top in the match. After that, the second game followed the same pattern; Hal and Will could dominate the play and they went on to retain their title in emphatic fashion.
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Winchester Fives National Doubles Championship results
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LADIES' WINCHESTER FIVES CHAMPIONSHIPS |
Bradfield College, Berkshire, 13th March 2010 |
[posted 13 March 2010] |
There was a clear demonstration of how effectively players can cross the various codes of Fives at the Ladies Winchester Fives Championships, as Eton Fives and Handball champion Kerry White won both the singles and (with Dominique Redmond) the doubles titles.
In fact, Kerry put in a dominant performance thoughout the day, showing her ability to master the unique demands of Winchester Fives. She was a comfortable winner in the singles final against fellow Eton Fives/Handball-player Charlotta Colley, regularly serving into the buttress and moving her opponent all over the court with good length and precise width. Kerry's closest challenge came in her semi-final against Eastbourne College teacher Kathleen Briedenhann, who took 10 points off the eventual champion in one game. However, Eastbourne didn't go home empty-handed, as the singles plate was won by the College's very promising pupil, Tessa Mills, and she also teamed up with fellow Eastbournian Charlie Dodds to win the doubles plate as well.
The main doubles competition, meanwhile, saw some very close matches, with both semi-finals going to three games, and both eventual finalists having to come back from a game-down to claim their place in the final. Eventually, it was the seasoned Rugby Fives pairing of Melanie Whitehead and Emma Howie who faced Dom Redmond and Kerry White, current Ladies Eton Fives champions; and, it was the latter who triumphed, meaning the statisticians will be scurrying to their record books yet again. With Kerry's win today, on top of her Eton- and 1-Wall Fives titles, this could be the first time any Fives player has held titles in three different codes at the same time.
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Ladies' Winchester Fives Championships results
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RFA v BUCS REPRESENTATIVE MATCH |
St. Paul's School, Barnes, 7th March 2010 |
[posted 07 March 2010] |
In their representative match against the RFA, the British Universities, having unusually established
a lead in the singles, were given a severe lesson in doubles play by the experienced RFA top pair,
Hamish Buchanan and Bruce Hanton.
Late arrivals because of traffic problems meant that the singles match between Dan Grant and Inigo
Ackland was postponed to the end and eventually remained unplayed; but in the other singles the
students, especially Dan Tristão at one and Ed Ronan at six, scored heavily enough to ensure a lead
of 12 points before the start of the doubles.
Although the BUCS pairs held their own initially in the doubles, the turning point in the match
came at the halfway stage, when the BUCS top pair, twice Universities’ champions Ackland and
Alex Griffiths, were heavily defeated in both games by Buchanan and Hanton. This produced a
swing of 22 points to the RFA, which the other BUCS pairs, despite stout resistance on their part,
were unable to reduce.
Superior tactical play and pressure saw the RFA take a further 15 points profit from the final
doubles exchanges to ensure victory without the deciding single having to be played.
All in all, the match was full of irony: two players who lost their singles games by quite a wide
margin played the decisive winning role as a doubles pair. Who said fives wasn’t a team game?
Many thanks to St. Paul’s School for the use of their facilities, and to BUCS for the very smart
team kit.
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RFA v BUCS results
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VETERANS' AND MASTERS' CHAMPIONSHIPS |
Christ's Hospital, Horsham, 10/11th April 2010 |
[posted 05 March 2010] |
The organisers of the National Veterans and Masters Championships are now accepting entries for the tournaments. Both evemts will be held at Christ's Hospital School over the weekend of April 10/11th, with John Hawke running the Veterans' event, and David Bawtree taking control of the Masters, who will be playing only on the 10th.
Qualifying age for the Veterans is a minimum of 45 years on or before 10th April 2010, while Masters must be at least 65 on the same date. For full details of both tournaments, simply click on the appropriate link below to download the official entry form.
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National Veterans' Championships entry form [Word file, 32KB]
National Masters' Championships entry form [Word file, 32KB]
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NORTH OF ENGLAND OPEN CHAMPIONSHIPS |
Durham, 27/28th February 2010 |
[posted 28 February 2010] |
STOP PRESS: There was a double triumph for youth over experience in Durham this year, as younger players took the singles and doubles titles against far more experienced opposition. Just a week after Dan Tristao led his Oxford University side to a record win over Cambridge, he picked up his first open singles title, beating 2008 champion John Minta in three games. John (with partner Hamish Buchanan) was also on the losing side in the doubles final, losing out to Will Ellison and Marcus Bate - again in three games. (Full report to come)
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North of England Open Championships results
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VARSITY MATCH |
St Paul's School, Barnes, 20th February 2010 |
[posted 20 February 2010] |
Sport can sometimes kick you when you’re down, and this year’s Varsity Match at St. Paul’s was a cruel example of this for the losing team, writes David Barnes.
Oxford were almost unchanged from last year’s victorious eight – only adding freshman Hine to give them extra fire-power in the doubles – while Cambridge, still without home courts, were forced to field a side weakened by a combination of illness and unavoidable absence. This inevitably led to something of a mismatch, at least as far as the scores were concerned.
Oxford, led by British Universities and National Under 25 champion Tristão, boasted a formidable singles line-up, including some seasoned veterans. Fabes at two, a winning captain for Cambridge back in 2002, and Ronan at three had each played in four previous Varsity Matches. In the event, Oxford’s top three overwhelmed their less experienced – though talented – opponents, Malone, Ladak and Rowland; while at four, last year’s captain, Park, beat the Cambridge secretary Compton with something to spare. 60 points to eight was the score at lunch.
The doubles brought Cambridge no relief, as none of their pairs was able to make any real impression on the well-balanced Oxford line-up. The third and fourth Oxford pairs played as well as any of recent years and gave Cambridge little chance. The first eight games of doubles were so conclusive that the result of the match was already determined by that stage, with none of the Cambridge pairs reaching double figures in any game.
The question now was this: could Oxford keep pressing to create a remarkable record by scoring 300 points and limiting their opponents to fewer than 50? Despite whole-hearted resistance from Cambridge, they managed to achieve this aim, conceding only 38 points overall while amassing a maximum – the first time since the very first Varsity Match in 1925 that the winning margin has been over 250 points.
No progress has yet been announced on the West Cambridge site, where a Sports Centre with Rugby and Eton Fives courts has been planned for a number of years, without attracting enough funding so far. Please sign the petition on the website www.800yearswithnosportscentre.org if you are interested in supporting the campaign to get this facility built. It is vital for the future of Cambridge Fives – and of the Varsity Match itself.
Meanwhile, this fine Oxford side should surely enter a team or two for the Wood Cup in April!
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Varsity Match results
Click here to sign the petition for the Cambridge Sports Centre
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WEST OF ENGLAND SCHOOLS CHAMPIONSHIPS |
Sherborne, Dorset, 13/14th February 2010 |
[posted 17 February 2010] |
STOP PRESS: Boys from Derby Moor and St Paul's dominated the West of England Schools' Championships, which were held in February after the event was postponed from January because of the weather. Sadly, the originally planned entry dropped from 70 to 50 because of the new dates, but the event still played host to boys from nine schools.
In both the Open and Colts tournaments, however, the winners' silverware was shared between Derby Moor and St Paul's. In the Open singles,
reigning National Schools Champion Ed Kay of St Paul’s won a thrilling final against last year’s National Colts champion Luke Thomson of Christ’s Hospital, coming back to win the third game having been 10-5 down. The doubles, meanwhile, went to the Derby Moor pair of
Anthony Goodwin and Max Frost, who beat Luke Thomson and Seb Stracey of Christ’s Hospital in another tight encounter over three games - and that after beating the top-seeded St Paul’s in the semis.
It was Max's second win of the weekend, as he had already picked up the Colts singles championship,
overcoming stern resistance from David Butler of Bradfield and powering his way to a win in three games. The Colts doubles final, meanwhile, was
an all-St Paul’s affair, with Francis Thomas and Sam Russell overcoming their team mates Theo Parker and Richard Law.
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West of England Schools' Championships results
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NATIONAL WINCHESTER FIVES DOUBLES CHAMPIONSHIP |
Bradfield College, Berkshire, 14th March 2010 |
[posted 09 February 2010] |
Organiser David Barnes is now accepting entries for the National Winchester Fives Doubles Championship. The competition - for the Barnes Bridge trophy - will be held at Bradfield College on Sunday March 2010, and the closing date for entries (which must be submitted by Royal Mail, NOT email!) is Friday February 26th. To download a copy of the entry form, simply click on the link below.
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'Barnes Bridge' entry form [PDF, 60KB]
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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 Briedenhann.
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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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