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NORTH OF ENGLAND WINCHESTER FIVES CHAMPIONSHIP |
Sedbergh, 11th November 2007 |
[posted 19 November 2007] |
As the players gathered for the Northern Winchester Doubles Tournament, the distant strains of the Sedbergh School CCF Band participating in the School’s Remembrance Day commemorations were much in evidence. Play commenced after the last post had been sounded, with the eight participating pairs playing in two blocks of four. Each pair played the other three pairs in their block on the basis of totalling the scores over two games to eleven.
Each block produced a winner and a runner up. After a play-off across the blocks, the finalists emerged with Old Sedberghian Roger Pearson and fellow White Rose Club player Bob Sandie pitted against Brian Kirk and Clive Butler. The result was a victory for Sandie and Pearson played as best of three games to fifteen (which was convenient as Bob Sandie had forgotten to bring the Trophy with him from the previous Tournament). And this despite Brian’s consistently accurate serving into the buttress throughout the competition.
The Block play also produced a Plate Final, comprising Tournament organiser and Sedbergh master-in-charge Laurence Catlow and his pupil Matt Pimlott, who played Charles Lamb and John Hawke. Local knowledge reigned triumphant, with the Sedbergh pair making full advantage of the buttress to seize custody of the Plate.
Laurence Catlow was clearly relieved that the improvements to the Sedbergh courts had proved their worth and enabled the Tournament to proceed without interruption. For the Sedbergh pair to retain the Plate at Sedbergh must have been a most satisfactory conclusion to a most enjoyable day.
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North of England Winchester Fives Championship results
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NATIONAL STUDENT & BUSA CHAMPIONSHIPS |
Christ's Hospital, 23rd/25th November 2007 |
[posted 13 November 2007] |
Following some withdrawals and revised doubles pairings, BUSA has had to revise the previously published draw for its championships, which are being held from November 23rd. All players are advised to check the new details by downloading the official draw via the link below.
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Revised 2007 BUSA Championships draw [Excel file, 100KB]
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OFFICIAL RFA RANKINGS |
London, 11th November 2007 |
[posted 12 November 2007] |
After taking his second title of the season in the West of England Championships, James Toop has jumped to the top of the latest RFA rankings. Both he and Clifton runner-up Matt Cavanagh overtake the previous number one, Ed Fuller, who was unable to play in the most recent tournament. However, with the three separated by less than two points – and Hamish Buchanan not far behind fourth – the top spot is still very much up for grabs over the course of the season.
Meanwhile, just below them, John Minta makes it into the top five, but the biggest moves in the top ten are from two other players who put in sterling performances in Clifton. Harry Akerman is up to eighth after his semi-final appearance, while Will Ellison jumps to tenth after his fine win over Phil Bishop. Also benefiting from a good performance in Clifton was Alex Griffiths, who comes straight into 35th place after he claimed some notable scalps on the way to winning the plate.
In the doubles rankings, Hamish Buchanan cemented his clear first place with a win at Clifton, while his title-winning partner John Beswick climbed three places to tenth. Runner-up James Toop in sixth closed the gap between himself and third place to less than two points, while his partner Marcus Bate climbed seven places into the top ten. The biggest risers in the doubles rankings were Clifton plate winners Harry Akermand and Mario Mohammed, up 15 places to 41st, but for full details of the latest rankings, click on either the link below or the Navigation button in the left-hand menu.
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Latest official RFA rankings
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NATIONAL OPEN SINGLES CHAMPIONSHIP |
St Paul's School, 17th November 2007 |
[posted 12 November 2007] |
Organiser Ed Hatton has published the draw for this weekend's London qualifying tournament for the National Open Singles Championship. Six players from the 15 will qualify for the finals, which will be held at the beginning of December, and where they will be joined by the top four in the RFA rankings (who qualify automatically) as well as qualifiers from Manchester and the South West.
In the London tournament, Will Ellison is top seed after his win over former national champion Phil Bishop in the recent West of England Championships, but also in the draw are Sam Roberts, Paddy d'Ancona and Marcus Bate, all of whom are ranked in the top 20. With first-round clashes between Steve Korris and Mark Gibbor, and Charlie Brooks and Tom Maconie, a tough competition for those final places is guaranteed. For the full draw, simply click on the link below.
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National Open Singles London Qualifying draw [Word file, 172KB]
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NATIONAL STUDENT & BUSA CHAMPIONSHIPS |
Christ's Hospital, 23rd/25th November 2007 |
[posted 08 November 2007] |
The organisers today published the draw for this year's BUSA Championships, which are to be held at Christ's Hospital towards the end of this month.
In the singles tournament, top seed Alan Beverly (from Cambridge) will be looking to retain the title he won last year, but will face strong opposition from 2007's National Schoolboy champion, Dan Tristao (now in his first year at Oxford), and London's Will Ellison, who has already claimed a couple of notable scalps in open tournaments this season. Alan is also hoping to retain the doubles title that he won with Charlie Brooks last year. However, with Charlie now having left university, Alan will be playing with a new partner this year, Richard Lebon. They are seeded to meet the Durham pair of Hal Mohammed and Will Midmer in the final, but for details, click the link below to download the full draw.
With plenty of excellent fives expected over the the course of the competition, spectators are also encouraged to make the journey to Christ's Hospital, which has a good viewing gallery - and an excellent selection of local hostelries!
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BUSA Championships draw [Excel file, 44KB]
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SCHOOLS WINCHESTER FIVES DOUBLES TOURNAMENT |
Winchester College, 4th November 2007 |
[posted 08 November 2007] |
Only five schools entered this year, with Alleyn's bringing a pair for the first time. Sadly, no Winchester Fives-playing schools (apart from the hosts) were able to support the tournament – the first time this has happened. It is perhaps time to re-examine the raison d'etre of this modest event.
The four seeded pairs duly reached the semi-finals, although Winchester I were given a stern early examination by St Paul's IV, the eventual plate winners. Alleyn's gave the top St Paul's pair a shock by taking the first game of the semi-final to 2, but the Paulines changed tactics and came back strongly to take the second game to 1 and the third to 7. St Paul's II had just the better of the second semi-final against the top Winchster pair, winning in two close games.
The final, played in front of a select gallery, went to three games and was narrowly won by the St Paul's first pair (Faber and Malone) who were marginally steadier and more accurate than St Paul's II (Harris and Hine). Congratulations to St Paul's on their high standard of fives, and many thanks to Dr McManus and Winchester College for their hospitality.
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Schools Winchester Fives Doubles results
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NATIONAL OPEN SINGLES CHAMPIONSHIP |
London/Manchester/Tiverton, 17th November 2007 |
[posted 29 October 2007] |
Organiser Ed Hatton is now accepting entries for this year's National Singles Championship. As ever, the top four players in the rankings qualify automatically for the final rounds on December 1st/2nd, but the rest of the last 16 will be decided at qualifying tournaments held at three different venues on November 17th. These will take place in London, Manchester and Tiverton, with the number of qualifiers from each venue dictated by the quality and quantity of the entrants.
Entry costs £10 for RFA members and £12 for non-members, but for full details of the tournament, just click on the link below to download the official entry form.
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National Open Singles entry form [Word document, 36KB]
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WEST OF ENGLAND CHAMPIONSHIPS |
Clifton College, 27/28th October 2007 |
[posted 28 October 2007] |
Four years after he first won the title, James Toop won the singles title at the West of England Championships, while Hamish Buchanan and John Beswick teamed up for the first time in some 10 years to clinch the doubles title. In both cases, that was no mean feat, with the field being probably the strongest for any tournament in recent years. Five of the top six ranked players competed for the singles trophy and well over half of the top 30 doubles players vied for the doubles title.
With such a strong field, upsets were inevitable, and so it proved. In the first round, for example, Charlie Brooks beat Kevin Henry in three games, but the biggest shock of the tournament came in the second round, where former national champion Phil Bishop lost to Will Ellison in three gruelling games. However, neither could capitalise on their victories, with Charlie going out to Mark Gibbor in the second round, and Will losing to Harry Akerman (unseeded, despite his number 15 ranking) in the quarter-finals.
Harry was joined in the semi-finals by the top two seeds – defending champion Matt Cavanagh and James Toop – and John Minta, who had played what he described as his best ever single game of fives in beating Hamish Buchanan in the previous round. Matt had a comfortable win over Harry, but the second semi was much tighter: John took the first game by the narrowest of margins, only for James to come back strongly and take the next two games comfortably. It was form he would continue into the final, and he duly emerged as champion after a comprehensive win in two games.
In the doubles tournament, too, the top ranked players were made to work hard – John Minta and Phil Bishop were pushed all the way by Mark Gibbor and Dan Colton in the first round, for example – but eventually it was the eight seeded pairs who reached the quarter-finals, with three of the top four going on to the semi-finals. The exception was the top-seeded pair of Bishop and Minta, who lost a hard-hitting encounter with Alex Rew and Jim Hughes in three games.
That set up a semi-final clash with Marcus Bate and James Toop and, although Jim and Alex played well, the London pair just had enough to edge it in two tight games. In the final, they faced John Beswick and Hamish Buchanan, who had made ominously easy progress, never conceding more than four points in any one game. And, come the final, they carried on where they had left off, with a clinical display of power and consistency to beat their young rivals in two games.
Finally, in a tournament of such quality, a word must go to the winners of the two plate tournaments. In the singles, Alex Griffiths played superbly to win the silverware, winning both his semi-final and the final (against Alex Rew and Jim Hughes, respectively) by just two points. In the doubles, meanwhile, Harry Akerman and Mario Mohammed (who took more points off the eventual champions in the main tournament than any other pair) won the trophy, but only after a nail-biting 16-15 win over Tom Maconie and Will Ellison in the semi-final.
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West of England Championships results
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OFFICIAL RFA RANKINGS |
London, 26th October 2007 |
[posted 28 October 2007] |
After his win in the London Open, Ed Fuller has reached the top spot in the official RFA rankings, compiled by Dave Hebden. In doing so, he emulates his father, Ian, who last headed the rankings in 1999, and is still in the top 10 - at number seven.
Elsewhere in the top 10, James Toop (runner-up in the London Open) moves into fourth place ahead of Phil Bishop, while both Harry Akerman and Dan Grant (quarter-finalists at the London Open) jump into the top 20. At the same time, Will Ellison, who scored a notable win over Sam Roberts, climbs to 30th.
The top places in the doubles rankings remain unchanged, but London Open champion Ben Taberner jumps up to fifth, while runner-up James Toop is now just one place behind him. Highest risers in the doubles rankings are Dan Colton and Mark Gibbor, who won the Plate in the London Open. Click on the link below to see the full rankings.
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Official RFA rankings
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WINCHESTER FIVES NORTHERN DOUBLES CHAMPIONSHIP |
Sedbergh School, 11th November 2007 |
[posted 25 October 2007] |
The Northern Winchester Fives Doubles Championship will take place on the newly enclosed courts at Sedbergh School on November 11th, and entries are now being accpeted by the organiser, Laurence Catlow. Competition starts at 11am, and entry costs £10 per pair, except for schoolboy pairs, who can enter free of charge. For full details, simply click on the link below to download the entry form.
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Winchester Fives Northern Doubles Championship entry form [PDF, 60KB]
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LADIES NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIPS |
St Paul's School, Barnes, 2nd December 2007 |
[posted 21 October 2007] |
Organiser Melanie Whitehead is now accepting entries for the National Ladies Singles and Doubles Championships, which are both to held at St Paul's School on Sunday December 2nd. Entry costs £8 for both competitions (£10 to non-RFA members and £5 for schoolgirls) and entries must be received by November 19th. For full details, simply click on the link below to download the official entry form.
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Ladies Championships entry form [Word document, 44KB]
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YORKSHIRE OPEN DOUBLES TOURNAMENT |
Giggleswick/Sedbergh Schools, 13th October 2007 |
[posted 15 October 2007] |
Adverse climatic conditions meant that banana skins weren't the only slippery things in evidence at the 2007 Yorkshire Open. Misty drizzle aggravated the already damp appearance of the Giggleswick School courts and after the first two games, play was abandoned.
However, the organiser had contingency plans in readiness and the entire tournament decamped in convoy to Sedbergh School, where play recommenced (Sedbergh being, in reality, part of Yorkshire, before being loaned to Cumbria in the 1970s local government reorganisation). Hopefully Sedbergh's four re-furbished courts would enable the time lost in travelling to be made up.
Sadly, in similar weather, even those courts were unable to withstand the inevitable consequences of 32 sweating fives players, and after seeing two players lose their footing on the increasingly slippery court floors, organiser Ian Roberts declared the Tournament abandoned. Only six games and part of a seventh had been completed. The eighth game in the first round was not even commenced and play in the Plate never started either.
This was a tragedy, as there had been a strong entry of 16 pairs, with some novel combinations making the seeding of the middle ranks a difficult call. If play had continued, some interesting results might have ensued. The unfinished match left first seeds Hebden & Buchanan trailing 11-9 to Hal Mohammed & Will Midmer, whilst the other Durham University pair of Chris Hay & Alan Bowden took the first game off Wayne Enstone & Kevin Henry before the ambushed Mancunians recovered their cool, and with it their match. It was good to welcome two Rossall schoolboys and their enthusiastic master in charge to join what there was of the competition.
For all, there had been a lot of travel to little avail. But some of the combatants regained something of their flagging spirits with a pie & peas supper chez Neil & Gillian Roberts whilst watching England's Rugby World Cup semi-final victory over the French in Paris.
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Yorkshire Open Doubles scores
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RFA 80th ANNIVERSARY DINNER |
Queen's Club, 29th September 2007 |
[posted 02 October 2007] |
The RFA celebrated its 80th anniversary – and the 60th anniversary of the RFA Club – with a gala dinner at the Queen's Club attended by no less than 89 guests. Those present included life member Joan Wood, as well as many current and former players of the game, from current schoolboys to previous champions. Also taking their places were some of the most recent champions – Hamish Buchanan and Bruce Hanton of the Alleyn Old Boys, who had won the Owers Trophy no more than a couple hours beforehand.
During the evening, the RFA made two presentations: one to Ian Torkington to mark his 25 years as master in charge at Christ's Hospital School; and, a second to David Gardner in recognition of 50 years' service as a board member. The culmination of the evening was an auction, presided over by the irrepressible Dick Warner and in which more than £2000 was raised.
There are already a few photos of the evening in the Gallery (which you can click through to using the link below), but a much wider selection will be added in due course.
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| Click here to see the RFA Gallery |
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OWERS TROPHY (OLD BOYS CHAMPIONSHIP) |
St Paul's School, Barnes, 29th September 2007 |
[posted 30 September 2007] |
For the second year running, the Alleyn Old Boys beat the Old Paulines to win the Owers Trophy. And, for the the second year running, the final was a nail-biting affair, with the Alleyn Old Boys' tactics working perfectly to secure them a (very) slightly more comfortable victory than in 2006. Last year, they won by just three points, but this year their advantage was a positively comfortable four.
Mind you, close matches had very much been the order of a day that had seen more than 50 players competing at two venues for the title. Although the Alleyn Old Boys and Old Dunstonians won their groups comfortably, things were much tighter in the other groups. Group Two was soon christened the 'Group of Death' and the Old Paulines first team only won through after overcoming a strong challenge from both the Old Blundellians and Old Olavians. The tightest group of all, though, was Group Four, where the Old Wykehamists and Old Eastbournians tied on 98 points apiece. With the game between the two teams also a tie, the result of the group was decided on points conceded, with the Wykehamists winning through to the semi-finals by virtue of having conceded only 19 points to the Old Oundelians, whereas the Old Eastbournians had dropped 20.
In the semi-finals, however, the Wykehamists met their match in the Alleyn Old Boys, and the Old Paulines beat the Old Dunstonians to set up a repeat of last year's final. And, a repeat is pretty much exactly what it was. The AOBs' top pair of Hamish Buchanan and Bruce Hanton won both their games comfortably, conceding just 10 points in the process. And, although top Paulines Alan Beverly and Charlie Brooks hammered the AOBs' second pair, it was the 12 points that the Ackland brothers secured in losing against the Paulines' second pair of Adrian Lee and Mark Gibbor that proved crucial in deciding the overall result.
The plate, too, was keenly contested and it seemed appropriate that two of the teams who had so narrowly missed out on a place in the semi-finals should reach the final. In the end, though, the stronger squad of the Old Blundellians had enough to record a comfortable win over the Old Eastbournians.
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Owers Trophy results
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SUTTON VALENCE EXHIBITION MATCH |
Sutton Valence School, 23rd September 2007 |
[posted 27 September 2007] |
On Sunday September 23rd, the unique three-walled former Bat Fives courts at Sutton Valence School in Kent staged an exhibition match. Playing a specially adapted form of Rugby Fives to a fascinated audience was a huge selection of players, from the school's coach Steve Piper to senior RFA members (such as Ian Fuller and Dave Hebden) and a selection of local players, including Ian Jackson and Martin Wilkinson from Tonbridge as well as the Beals from Eastbourne College.
The courts themselves were in superb condition, and presented a new challenge to even the most experienced players. Replacing the back wall on the otherwise conventional (albeit relatively wide and short) courts were two lines on the ground. One, level with the end of the side walls, marked the end of the court for singles, while another (a couple of feet further back) was used for playing doubles. These were similar to the baseline in tennis, in that the ball had to bounce inside them to be 'in'. However, in pretty much every other respect, standard Rugby Fives rules were used for the afternoon's play.
Players adapted to the game quickly, though, soon learning the shots that were hardest to return. Low, hard drives wide to the rear of the court, in particular, were often effective winners; pushing an opponent to the back of the court before playing a short shot was another favoured tactic. For a look at the courts and players in action, visit the Gallery section of this site by clicking on either the link below or the link in the laft-hand navigation bar.
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Click here to see the RFA Gallery
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WEST OF ENGLAND & BUSA CHAMPIONSHIPS |
Clifton, 27/28th October 2007 & Christ's Hospital, 23/25th November 2007 |
[posted 24 September 2007] |
Entry forms are now available for the West of England and BUSA Championships, which are to be held in October and November respectively.
First of the two tournaments is the West of England Championships, organised by Peter Dunscombe and played for the second year at Clifton College in Bristol. Entries must be received by the organiser before October 16th, and the tournament will be played over the weekend of October 27th and 28th. Then, the BUSA Championships will be held at Christ's Hospital School between November 23rd and 25th, and entries must be received by organiser David Gardner by Thursday October 25th.
For full details of both tournaments, simply click on the link below to download the appropriate form.
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West of England Championships entry form [Word document, 32KB]
BUSA Championships entry form [Word document, 96KB]
BUSA Championships information sheet [PDF, 96KB]
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LONDON OPEN CHAMPIONSHIPS |
Alleyn's School, Dulwich, 15/16th September 2007 |
[posted 16 September 2007] |
After a weekend of fine weather and even better fives, it was Ed Fuller and Hamish Buchanan (with partner Ben Taberner) who went home with the London Open silverware, retaining the singles and doubles titles respectively.
While the scores may make it look as if Ed's win over James Toop in the singles final was comfortable, in reality it was anything but. In a match characterised by tremendous athleticism, amazing shot-making and breathtaking retrieving, long rallies were the order of the day, with the players evenly matched. James's trademark spin shots were less effective than usual with the Cliff ball on the Alleyn's courts, but he still made Ed work hard for every point. However, at the end of any given rally, it was almost always Ed who came out on top, allowing him to retain the title.
Neither had easy routes to the final, with James edging out Hamish Buchanan in three games in one semi-final, while Ed's opponent came from a little closer to home - his father, who had repeated last year's win over John Minta in a tough quarter-final. In both matches, however, youth won through, as it had done many times in the earlier rounds, where promising young players had fine victories. Alleyn's schoolboy Peter Hanton consigned Ed Hatton to the plate, while Dan Grant had a good win over Marcus Bate, but perhaps the performance of the day was Will Ellison's win over Sam Roberts.
Come the doubles, though, and it was the four experienced, seeded pairs who made it through to the semi-finals. On one court, James Toop and John Minta raced through the first game against Andy Pringle and Chris Jones before edging a much tighter second game to claim their place in the final. But, on the other court, there was an absolutely thrilling match. National Under 25 champions Alan Beverly and Charlie Brooks had shared the first two games with Hamish Buchanan and Ben Taberner, and looked to be on their way to a famous victory, 10-3 up in the third. However, they reckoned without the sheer willpower of their opponents, who survived match point against them and then scored an astonishing nine straight points to win the game and secure their place in the final.
Here, Hamish and Ben carried on where they left off, and took the first game, retrieving everything John and James could throw at them as well as hitting crucial winners. In the second game, however, the tide turned and, with John and James well ahead, a third and deciding game seemed inevitable. But, incredibly, with a score of 10-3 again, Hamish and Ben mounted a comeback. Abandoning the all-out power attack he had used earlier in the game, Hamish varied the pace more and began to dominate the game, finding winners and forcing mistakes from his by now increasingly rattled opponents. For the second match in a row, he and Ben scored nine unanswered points and, in this case, secured the championship - Ben's first London title, but for Hamish, his seventh successive London doubles win.
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London Open results
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YORKSHIRE OPEN DOUBLES CHAMPIONSHIP |
Giggleswick, 13th October 2007 |
[posted 14 September 2007] |
Entries are now being accepted for the 2007 Yorkshire Open Doubles Championship. The tournament will take place on the courts at Giggleswick School (which are celebrating their centenary this year) on Saturday October 13th. The championship is being organised by Ian Roberts, who is happy to try and arrange partners for players without one.
Entry costs £10 for RFA members (£12 for non-RFA members), and entries must be received by Ian before Thursday 11th October. To download the application form, simply click on the link below.
Ian promises to arrange suitable starting times for those travelling from far afield and will recommend accommodation, if necessary. He also promises that the host members of the White Rose Fives Club will entertain players with traditional Yorkshire hospitality (and the popular local beer) afterwards.
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Yorkshire Open 2007 entry form [Word document, 44KB]
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WINCHESTER FIVES DOUBLES CHAMPIONSHIP |
Sedbergh, 9th March 2008 |
[posted 14 September 2007] |
RFA members who are planning well ahead should note that the 2007-08 Pocket Book, which will shortly be dropping through their letter box, contains one mistake. The 2008 Winchester Fives Doubles Championship will not be taking place at Winchester (as it says in the book), but at Sedbergh.
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OFFICIAL RFA RANKINGS |
London, 9th September 2007 |
[posted 09 September 2007] |
Following the South West Open Championships, things are tighter than ever at the top of the RFA rankings. Although the top of both tables has a familiar set of names in a basically unchanged order, the gaps between the players have narrowed considerably, and a good performance from any one of them at the forthcoming London Open could change things hugely.
In the singles rankings, Matt Cavanagh remains on top, just ahead of Ed Fuller. But, with neither of them playing at Blundell's, South West champion James Toop was able to make up good ground on the four players ahead of him. Although he continues in fifth spot, he's now only half a point behind Phil Bishop.
The biggest movers below him after the most recent championship were semi-finalist Kevin Henry - who moves into the top 20 at 15th - and Nick Austin, who (playing in his first tournament for some time) earned enough points from his quarter-final appearance to jump back up into the top 30.
In the doubles rankings, South West runner-up Hamish Buchanan remains a clear number one, but behind him, John Minta is now alone in second place after winning the title at Blundell's, while his title-winning partner James Toop climbs into the top 10. Meanwhile, Nick Austin followed up his progress in the singles rankings with a jump of almost 30 places in the doubles rankings after reaching the semi-finals at Blundell's. And, also moving up in both sets of rankings was Stuart Watson - winner of two Plate competitions. He jumped up 15 places to just outside the top 40 in the singles and climbed almost 40 places to 50th in the doubles rankings.
For full details of the latest rankings, click on the link in the left-hand menu - or below.
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Latest RFA Rankings
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LONDON OPEN CHAMPIONSHIPS/OWERS TROPHY |
London, 15/16th and 29th September 2007 |
[posted 05 August 2007] |
Entry forms for September's London Open Championships and Owers Trophy are now available online. First up is the London Open, which takes place at Alleyn's School over the weekend of September 15th and 16th and is organised by Tom Maconie. The tournament includes both singles and doubles, with entry costing £10 per person in the singles and £20 per pair in the doubles.
Two weeks later on September 29th, the Owers Trophy will take place at St Paul's School, Barnes, organised by Alex Smith. The competition is an Old Boys tournament, and each member of the squad must have been at the school they are representing for at least one academic year before the age of 19. The closing date for entries is September 21, and entry costs £30 per team. As an added incentive, prospective entrants should note the tournament is on the same day as the RFA's 80th Anniversary Dinner at Queen's Club, so a full day of fives-related festivities is on offer. (For more details on the dinner and to download an application form for tickets, click here)
To download the entry form for either competition, simply click on the appropriate link below.
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London Open Championships entry form [Word file, 32KB]
Owers Trophy entry form [PDF, 72KB]
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RFA FIXTURE LIST & TOURNAMENT SCHEDULE |
London, 5th August 2007 |
[posted 05 August 2007] |
The list of fixtures for the RFA Club as well as the dates for the official RFA championships in the 2007/08 season is now available online. As ever, if members are interested in playing in a particular match or tournament, they should get in touch with the manager, whose name is listed here on the website and whose details will be in the RFA Pocket Book.
Club managers are particularly encouraged to note the dates for the various team competitions well in advance, and everyone can see the full list either by clicking on the Fixtures link in the left-hand menu or by clicking on the link below.
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2007/08 RFA fixture list and tournament schedule
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SOUTH WEST CHAMPIONSHIPS |
Blundell's School, Tiverton, 28/29th Month 2007 |
[posted 29 July 2007] |
James Toop was a happy man on the train back from Tiverton, clutching two trophies: one for his first singles title since the National Singles title in 2003, and the other for his first ever open doubles title.
His wins came at the end of a weekend where the quality of fives made up for the relatively low quantity of players. Right from the start, there were close matches, with Nick Geere and Hugh Aveston going to three games in the first round, while Andy Pringle only beat Stuart Watson in two very tight games.
Come the quarter-finals, and the top seeds – James Toop and Hamish Buchanan – made comfortable progress , but the third and fourth seeds had to work harder. Andy Pringle was within a point of forcing Kevin Henry to a third game, while John Minta was pushed all the way by new Devon resident Nick Austin. It was perhaps partly as a result of this that the top two seeds eventually made it to the final although, as is often the case, the scores don't tell the story of how close the semi-finals really were.
Right from the off in the final, James was the more aggressive, never afraid to take Hamish's shots on the volley and hurry his opponent. Couple that to his determination to stay in the rallies – obvious from his superb retrieval – and it forced Hamish into a series of thoroughly uncharacteristic errors. James's tactics eventually wore Hamish down, allowing him to move ahead to take the first game and then – by a more convincing margin – the second and, with it, the title.
In the doubles tournament, too, the top four seeds made it through to the semi-finals, but the closest match of the competition was the quarter-final between the scratch pairings of Nick Austin & Andy Pringle and Jim Hughes & Stuart Watson. It was a hard-hitting match played in excellent spirit, with Tim Lewis encouraging(!) all four players, but Nick and Andy held their nerve to win 11-8 in the third game.
They then went on to give top seeds Hamish Buchanan and Dave Hebden a scare in the first game of the semi-final, going down 11-9. However, in the second game, the top pair's class showed through, and they went on to a final against John Minta & James Toop, who had beaten last year's runners-up, Kevin Henry and Wayne Enstone, in the other semi-final.
Here, as in the singles final, James was happy to volley anything he could to hurry his opponents, while John mixed outright power and pace with deft use of the angles and tried to emulate James's trademark spin shots. Hamish and Dave coped well to begin with, but gradually the relentless assault began to take its toll. James and John kept their noses in front to take a tight first game, and took no prisoners in the second, going on to win it 11-3.
That gave James his first 'double' since the National Under 25 championships in 2003. However, he wasn't the only double winner of the weekend, as local hero Stuart Watson battled his way to a win in the round-robin doubles plate with Jim Hughes, before summoning the strength for a monumental fightback from 10-6 down to beat Nick Geere 12-10 in the singles plate final. A remarkable achievement...
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South West Championships results
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CFA BRITISH OPEN DOUBLES TOURNAMENT |
St Paul's School, Barnes, 7th July 2007 |
[posted 09 July 2007] |
Ignoring the Tour de France and Wimbledon, 60 men and 10 women descended on St Paul’s for the first City Fives Association British 1-wall Doubles competition.
Eton and Rugby Fives players competed on equal terms, and the field was impressive, with five of the top 20 RFA singles players and six of this year’s Kinnaird quarter-finalists, as well as BUSA, U25 and Ladies champions from both codes.
Men’s Competition
There were some superb games even in the first round, with the match between Derby Moor schoolboys Matt Orr & Ashley Hill and Oxford University Eton Fives players Will Betts & Akshay Agrawal, and the clash between Old Paulines Adrian Lee and Ian Mogford and UCL’s Dan Grant and Freddie Sjostrom going down to the wire.
In the second round, Chris Borrows (Oundle/RFA) and Stewart Fautly (Old Olavian/EFA) pushed second seeds Hamish Buchanan and Howard Wiseman to the limit, before the more fancied pair won through.
Overall, though, experience was priceless. In the top half, Ian and Adrian continued their run to the semi-finals, where they met James Toop and Matt Wiseman, All four had been to Ireland with the England Schools Team in 1999 to play 1-wall.
Adrian and Ian took a tight first set after being well up, but James and Matt built on their momentum to win the next two sets. In the other semi, Dave Mew and Pete Cohen (Old Olavians/EFA) beat Hamish and Howard in straight games, drawing praise from the watching Tom O’Connor from Irish Handball Council.
In the final's first set, Matt and James held serve and worked their strategy more effectively to win 21-9, despite some excellent volleying and retrieving from Dave. They took a 16-7 lead in the second, before Pete’s right arm began to fire, bringing the game to 20-20. However, a ball narrowly dropped out handing service to Matt and James, and they took the vital two points to seal the first British 1-wall Doubles title.
The plate final featured the two losing pairs from the epic first round clashes. Orr & Hill had battled their way through a number of matches to reach the final, but they lost to Grant & Sjostrom in two sets.
Women’s Competition
The five pairs included two who were completely new to the sport, and they played a round-robin, with the top two pairs meeting in the final. In the end, the three experienced pairs fought it out for places in the final. Dom and Leah Redmond finished top and were joined by Sian Evans and Helen Toop, who edged out Emma Wells and Anita Ganguly 21-15 in the deciding game.
The final saw some long and exciting rallies. Both pairs had adapted well to 1-wall over the course of the day, but the power of Dom and Leah made all the difference as they won 21-9, 21-11.
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CFA British Open One Wall Fives Doubles tournament results
Click here to see Adrian Lee's photos from the day...
...and here to see a brief video of some of the action
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RFA 80th ANNIVERSARY DINNER |
Queen's Club, London, 29th September 2007 |
[posted 02 July 2007] |
The application form for tickets for the dinner to celebrate the RFA's 80th Anniversary (and the 60th Anniversary of the RFA Club) is now available to download from the RFA website.
To be held at the Queen's Club in London, the dinner will take place on Saturday September 29th, the same weekend as the Owers Trophy is played. Dress will be smart casual, with drinks available before the dinner from 7pm and until midnight afterwards. Because the aim of the evening is to allow time to socialise, the evening will be as informal as possible, with no after-dinner speeches.
Tickets cost £49.50 per person, but a limited number of places have been reserved at the reduced rate of £29 each for members aged 28 or under. Members may also apply to bring guests, but for more information, simply download the form via the link below.
Completed application forms must be received by Ian Fuller by the end of July. And, as places are limited, members are advised to return their forms as soon as possible.
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Click here to download the application form [Word document, 44KB]
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RFA AGM |
London, 13th June 2007 |
[posted 01 July 2007] |
At the RFA's recent AGM, Chris Horrocks and Frank Akerman were elected as President and Deputy President respectively. Chris succeeds John East, who has now finished his two-year term of office and, following his election, Chris thanked John for the direction and professionalism he had brought to the RFA board's activities, as well as for the rapport he had developed with the Eton Fives Association.
At the same meeting, the existing board members were re-appointed as directors, David Barnes was re-elected as Hon. Archivist and Peter de Winton was re-elected as Hon. Auditor.
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DERBY MOOR INVITATION TOURNAMENT |
Derby Moor, 24th June 2007 |
[posted 25 June 2007] |
After a day of hard games played in tremendous spirit, it was home-grown talent that won the day at the fourth Derby Moor Invitation Tournament. Schoolboy Anthony Goodwin – partnered by John Minta – won the final in two close games against Stuart Kirby and Grem McIntyre.
Mind you, it was no surprise that the final proved such a close affair. Right from the start, the day was packed with tough matches: both first-round encounters went to three games, and there were no easy wins in the quarter-finals.
In the end, though, local knowledge had a part to play, and three of four semi-final pairs included a 'home' player. On one court, Stuart Kirby and Grem McIntyre edged through to the final, while on the other, two Derby Moor schoolboys clashed, with the Minta/Goodwin partnership just prevailing over the pairing of Ashley Hill and Jon Lee.
The final was a desperately close affair, and saw John's trademark aggression – combining sheer power with intelligent use of the angles – ably backed up by his left-handed partner, who was playing the game of his life. Stuart and Grem were never out of the match, though, and at one stage looked as if they might take it to three games. However, John and Anthony just had the edge and held their nerve to take the title by the narrowest of margins.
It was fitting, then, that, while the main final was going on, the plate final on the next door court should end the day with a repeat of one of the first-round clashes. But, although the players were the same, the result was reversed, with Richard Christie and Tim Widdup avenging their earlier defeat with a win over Clive Butler and Bob Sandie.
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Derby Moor Invitation Tournament results
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OMTs FRIENDLY TOURNAMENT |
Merchant Taylors' School, 24th June 2007 |
[posted 17 June 2007] |
The Old Merchant Taylors' Fives Club is looking for players to take part in a friendly open tournament on Sunday 24th June as part of the annual 'OMT Day' celebrations, taking place at Merchant Taylors' School, Northwood.
The tournament is completely free of charge and there will be snacks and refreshments provided as well as the use of the schools' changing facilities. There are also many other activities and sports events taking place during the day making it an all round family event - so families are not just welcome, but are actively encouraged to attend!
The day will begin at 10am, and is due to finish between 4pm and 5pm. Numbers will have to be capped at a maximum of 32, and whether it will be a singles or a doubles tournament will entirely depend on the amount of responses received. Either way, players are guaranteed a great days' fives, with "a nice shiny cup" for the winners, followed up by a few drinks for all at the bar, if so inclined!
To enter, or for further details, please contact organiser Gareth Price by phone (at home on 01923 829187, or on his mobile 07973 832 585) or click on the link below to send him an email.
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Click here to email Gareth Price
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SOUTH WEST OPEN CHAMPIONSHIPS |
Blundells School, Tiverton, 28/29th July 2007 |
[posted 05 June 2007] |
The official entry for the first tournament of the 2007/08 season – the South West Open Championships – is now available to download from here on the RFA website. Including singles and doubles tournaments (with Plates), both starting on Saturday July 28th, the championships will be played, as ever, at Blundell's School and organised by Wayne Enstone. The defending champions are Matt Cavanagh (singles) and John Minta and Phil Bishop (doubles).
Entry costs £10 per person per event for RFA members, and £13 for non-members, including the cost of the all-day buffet and refreshments. The closing date for entries is Monday July 16th and, to download the entry form, simply click on the link below.
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South West Open Championships entry form [Word file, 56KB]
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OFFICIAL RFA RANKINGS |
London, 2nd June 2007 |
[posted 05 June 2007] |
Matt Cavanagh has finished the season on top of the official RFA singles rankings, calculated by Dave Hebden and published today. He secured his position with a win in the National Singles Championship, as well as picking up the South West and West of England titles. Ed Fuller jumps to second in the rankings after picking up two titles in the season, while his father Ian also returns to the Top 10 after his excellent run to the semi-final in the London Open.
Hamish Buchanan, who finished last season in top spot, drops to third this year after missing several early events because of injury, while John Minta continues to rise up the rankings to sixth after winning the North of England Championship. Just outside the top 10, and also climbing a good few places, is Alan Beverly, who won both the BUSA and Under 25 titles.
In the doubles rankings, Hamish Buchanan retains his top spot, although his National Doubles-winning partner Robin Perry drops to fifth after a year largely away from tournament fives. Moving into joint second place are John Minta and Phil Bishop, runners-up in the National Doubles as well as double title winners this season.
Elsewhere, Wayne Enstone returns to the top 20 after a few years' absence, while both James Toop and Ed Fuller break into the top 20 for the first time. Meanwhile, significant moves have been made by a number of promising young players, including Will Ellison, Adrian Lee, Hal Mohammed and Dan Clydesdale-Cotter. However, the highest new entrant in the double ranking is Ian Roberts, winner of the recent Scottish Open Doubles title.
For the full details of the new rankings, simply click on the link below.
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Latest RFA rankings
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SCOTTISH OPEN CHAMPIONSHIPS |
Loretto School, Musselburgh, 5/6th May 2007 |
[posted 08 May 2007] |
The 2007 Scottish Open was a story of opportunities not taken; several of the finals, and one semi-final, contained a long moment where the losing
player was in a dominant, winning position. And for Roger Butterworth, it
represented the third time he has been the doubles runner-up!
A bright sunny day dawned on Saturday in Edinburgh. Young Connor Minta
reported for duty to egg on his Dad, to help organiser Neil
Roberts and to sell oranges to players and crowd for 25p.
The gathered players included, as well as the players from London, Yorkshire
and Manchester, three Scottish representatives in the form of Fraser and Kemp,
together with honorary Scot Johnny Major, doing a 6-year degree at Edinburgh
University.
The highlight of the singles was the semi-final between Fraser and Minta.
An enthralling contest between Minta's aggressive and powerful hitting
combined with clever angles, and Fraser's exquisite artistry and knowledge
of the courts. Fraser had several match points at 14-12 in the second game,
but could not maintain the pressure, and went on to lose that game narrowly
16-14. After that, Minta smelt victory; he held on through the third game, eventually wearing his opponent down to take
the semi in three games.
After that epic semi-final, Minta went through to face Buchanan who had had
a difficult but shorter passage past Neil Roberts. Once Hamish got used to
the pace of John's hitting, he cunningly moved John all around the court,
employing every drop-shot and angle in his repertoire, and won the
championship in perfect style with an unplayable reverse-angle drop-shot.
The plate also featured a reversal of fortunes; Smith went 10-1 up, but
after Major dug in with some admirable hitting to bring the scores level,
there followed an exhausting tussle at 11-11 which eventually left Smith
thoroughly exhausted, and Major clinched the last few points.
In the doubles, a round-robin saw the favoured seedings of
Buchanan & Butterworth go through to face Minta & I Roberts. Several three-game
rounds had been predicted, but in fact it was only the final that produced. Having won the first game, Hamish & Roger found the second game harder
going. Despite a collision with his partner, Ian Roberts hit a purple patch
of superb touch shots, and Minta & Roberts went 6-0 up. Buchanan &
Butterworth clawed back to 8-8, and eventually reached Championship point -
they had three rallies on game ball, but lost. Again, after such a struggle
the tide had changed, and Minta & Roberts went on to take the third game.
At times it seemed as if the singles final was being played again, as Minta
attempted to end the rallies; John's determination to come away with a
winners' trophy was clear, and he and Ian finished deserved winners.
Things were less tight in the doubles plate; Major and Smith had exhausted
each other the day before, and Hebden's brilliant reverse angles combined
with Kemp's steady hitting had no answer. Once again, the legendary Smith
plate was in Scottish hands.
Post Script
The players were pleased to discover a new pub in Musselburgh, the Levenhall
Arms, which serves real ale. Over a pint after the games on Sunday, the
organiser carefully explained to the young Scottish Plate winner Kemp the
legends surrounding the Smith Plate, in particular how the Scotch Elm had
once sat on top of the brandy barrel that housed Nelson's body.
This great tournament was also noteable for the display of rear-ends; Smith's
shorts ripped half-way through a singles game to display more than he may
have wished to the embarrassed crowd. Butterworth was rather less shy at
revealing to players and crowd the bruise caused to his posterior after
being hit by one of Minta's shots!
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Scottish Open results
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NATIONAL VINTAGE AND MASTERS' CHAMPIONSHIPS |
Derby Moor, 21st/22nd April 2007 |
[posted 28 April 2007] |
In a repeat of the 1979 National Singles Final, newcomer Wayne Enstone took on defending champion David Hebden in the Final of the Vintage Singles at Derby Moor. No previous final can have been of such quality, with David manoeuvring Wayne around the court in rallies of a length and intensity that defied their ages. At 9-9 in the first game Wayne stepped up a gear, attacking David with relentless two-handed power to edge out as the winner. In the second game, Wayne’s legendary consistency and fitness came into play, forcing uncharacteristic errors from David who, eventually, simply ran out of ideas. Wayne thus won the Mackenzie Trophy for the first time.
In their semi-finals, Wayne and David had beaten Robert Grey and John Hawke respectively, who then played for the magnificent Plate presented by John as a way of "getting himself on the list of winners with all the good players”. Having won it last year, John this time had to cede victory to Robert, last year’s losing Finalist in the main competition. These four should look out, though: rumour has it that Bob Sandie and Jeremy Schroeter are eligible next year!
In the Vintage Doubles, Graham Hobbs & Roger Butterworth and Grem McIntyre & John Hawke went out in the quarter-finals, thereby qualifying themselves to fight it out for the Plate, which took the form of deux boules newly presented by organizer Bob Dolby. Graham and Roger duly returned up the M6 to Manchester laden with the spoils. The semi-finals went according to expectations, with David and Keith defeating the pair from Kent, Martin Wilkinson & Neil Arnott, while new pairing of Bernard Atkinson & Wayne Enstone had too much firepower for Douglas Rice & Tony Wolstenholme, who had come to make a serious challenge for the Masters Doubles.
In the eagerly awaited Final, David and Keith took the first game with some ease, but in the second gamefound themselves facing resurgent opponents, especially Wayne, who can still get from the back wall to the opposite front corner at lightning pace. After a distinct wobble at 10-10, David got back into his destructive rhythm of fierce hitting down the left, though the match ended with an exchange of delicate drop shots in the front corner from which Keith emerged with the biggest smile of the day.
After an invigorating cuppa, Bernard returned to the fray with David Bawtree to repel the invaders, Douglas and Tony, in probably the most demanding (and legitimate) challenge to their Masters' Doubles title. After their successful defence, 5-times winner David floated the idea of a Grand Masters (70 and over). Who would begrudge him the title? Perhaps Jerry Cooper!
The day ended with Martin Wilkinson and Neil Arnott winning the jelly babies in the 3rd Place play-off.
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National Vintage and Masters' Championships results
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SCOTTISH OPEN/MIXED WINCHESTER FIVES CHAMPIONSHIPS |
Loretto School, 5/6th May 2007/Bradfield College, 13th May 2007 |
[posted 18 April 2007] |
Entry forms for the upcoming Scottish Open Championships and the Winchester Fives Mixed Doubles Tournament are now available online.
The Scottish Open Championships, organised by Neil Roberts, will take place at Loretto School, Musselburgh, over the weekend of May 5/6th. The singles championship will be played on the first day, followed by the unique seeded-draw doubles championship on the Sunday, with plate competitions for early-round losers in both. Entry fees are £8 per person for the singles and £7 per person for the doubles, and entries must be received by April 29th.
The Winchester Fives National Mixed | | | |
