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IRISH ONE-WALL NATIONALS |
Castlebar, Ireland, 26/28th June 2009 |
[posted 29 June 2009] |
Eighteen English Fives players went to County Mayo for the Irish One-Wall Handball championships, writes Peter Cohen. Players entered a range of competitions, dependent on experience, and all matches apart from finals were timed at either 15 or 20 minutes, with the winner being the one with most points when time is called.
Play in the men’s Challenger and ‘C’ grades began on Friday, with Rich Price, Gareth Price, Simon Thomas, Luke Stradwick, Andy Pringle, Doug Foster and Stu Fautly all recording wins. Doug and Simon’s games were tight, but the rest of the matches were dominated by the English. Gareth also played his second round on Friday, and turned on the style, beating the former ‘C’ grade champion and second seed to reach the quarterfinals. Ryan Perrie and Ant Theodossi, meanwhile, lost close first round games to leave the English having won eight matches and lost just two by close of play – an imperious start.
Saturday morning saw the start of the Open grades, featuring Adrian Lee, Dan Grant, Peter White and Peter Cohen in the men’s draw, and Kerry White and Ashley Lumbard in the women’s. Lee recorded a 30 – 6 victory in his first round with notably quick feet, while Grant, White and Cohen fell to vicious spin serves that would prove to be a deciding factor in the tournament. Kerry had a comfortable win in her first round match, while Ash couldn’t quite match her more experienced opponent.
Meanwhile, Anita Ganguly, Emmalina Thompsell and Jess Lumbard began their campaign for the Ladies Challenger Cup, the players split initially into two round-robin groups. Anita and Jess played superbly in their half, winning most of their games, with Jess finishing top after a win over Anita to reach the final. In the other group, Emmalina couldn’t quite finish top, but did record a 21-20 win in her final game.
As Saturday progressed, Fautly and Thomas were eliminated from the Men’s Challenger, with Foster and Stradwick battling through for a place in the quarter-finals, where they clashed in the game of the tournament so far. It saw epic rallies with huge commitment from both, but Foster won through 14-13.
In the Men’s Open, Lee faced top seed Dessie Keegan and drew a big crowd. The Irish international was troubled by Lee’s footwork and retrieving from the start, and halfway through, Lee pulled off some outrageous winners to bring the scores level. Keegan’s experience and power eventually won the match, but Lee can feel delighted with his performance and improvement from last year.
Not to be outdone, Cohen, White and Grant all knocked out Irish players in the first round of the Open plate, proving they belong at this level. Cohen then faced Grant in an all England semi-final, with Cohen winning 15-12 after Grant drew the scores level with a thrilling comeback from Cohen’s early lead. In the final, Cohen faced Darragh Daly, who had narrowly beaten White in the other semi, and the Englishman won the competition with a grueling 16-15 win.
The quarter-finals of the Ladies Open drew together Kerry White and Marianna Rushe, arguably the top players in Europe. In rallies, White had the Irishwoman on the back foot for the majority of the match, but it was Rushe’s set-piece serve and return that eventually won the contest. Meanwhile, Ash Lumbard scored a brilliant victory in the ladies open plate, playing her best ever to defeat a strong Irish opponent. In the Men’s Challenger, Pringle battled to an impressive semi-final win, while Foster in the other semi was knocked out, preventing an all-English final. Pringle squared up against Creamer in the final, a best-of three-sets match, and swiftly established his authority and class to take the title two sets to nil.
The tourists’ final match featured Jess Lumbard in the Ladies Challenger final. After winning the first set, she struggled in the second as her opponent changed tactics to tie the score. The Irishwoman raced into an early lead in the decider, before Lumbard slowly crept back to level the scores, and went on to take the title in the most thrilling match of the tournament.
Over the weekend, the English played 53 matches, winning 31, and brought home three titles – a brilliant achievement and a sign of the huge improvements made since last year. Socially, too, the tour was a great success. Saturday evening saw the hosts, the Gaelic Athletic Association, put on a fabulous barbeque, and their hospitality and organization throughout the weekend was first-rate. We look forward to taking even more players to Ireland next year, and hopefully winning even more matches and titles. Next stop, Portland for the World Championships.
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| Click here to see Andy Pringle's photos from the tour |
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RFA VIDEOS |
London, 25th June 2009 |
[posted 25 June 2009] |
The RFA is now hosting a selection of videos online using the Youtube site. The selection currently includes reports on various tournaments from the last 12 months and will be extended in the future. To take a look, simply click on the link below.
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| RFA videos on Youtube |
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ENGLAND HANDBALL TOUR |
Castlebar, Ireland, 26/29th June 2009 |
[posted 25 June 2009] |
For the second year running, a group of English Fives players is travelling to Ireland to play in the Irish National 1-Wall Handball Championships - and you can keep up to date with their progress this weekend using the micro-blogging website Twitter. The team totals some 20 players, and includes the RFA's Ady Lee (England Handball cpatain), Dan Grant, Rich Price, Gareth Price and Andy Pringle, as well as several colleagues from the Eton Fives Association. To follow their results - and, after Ireland, the team's preparations for their trip to the World Championships in October - simply click on the link below.
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| England Handball on Twitter |
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RFA AGM |
London, 17th June 2009 |
[posted 19 June 2009] |
The RFA's membership elected a new President and Deputy President at its AGM earlier this week. Frank Akerman takes over as President from Chris Horrocks, who has completed his two-year term of office, while succeeding Frank as Deputy President is Dick Warner. At the same time, Tom Maconie and Ady Lee were officially elected to the board after being co-opted during the course of the last year, and David Barnes and Peter de Winton were re-elected as Hon Archivist and Auditor respectively. At the meeting, it was also announced that Chris Jones and Ollie Stone-Lee had stepped down from the board. A full report on the meeting's proceedings will appear in the Annual Review.
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NATIONAL STUDENT CHAMPIONSHIPS |
Sherborne, 20th/22nd November 2009 |
[posted 11 June 2009] |
This year marks the 50th anniversary of both the National Student Championships and David Gardner's involvement in them as organiser. To mark the occasion, BUCS has agreed to host a reception on the Saturday evening of this year's event at Sherborne School. This will be open to all former champions and players, and David hopes that players from the very first event will attend. He also wants to invite all former players to attend this year's reception, and asks anyone who would like to attend to fill in the form below and send it to him. If sufficient numbers are interested, there may also be a chance to play some Fives while in the town.
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| Click here to download David Gardner's form [PDF, 880KB] |
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RFA AGM |
London, 17th June 2009 |
[posted 02 June 2009] |
Ahead of its AGM on June 17th, the RFA has already sent out the relevant paperwork to its membership, aand it is now available here on the Association's website. This includes the Agenda and Resolutions, as well as reports from the General Secretary, Treasurer and RFA Club Secretary. All are available to download by clicking on the links below, and all members are invited to attend the meeting, the 83rd Annual General Meeting of the Association, which will be held on Wednesday 17th June 2009 at 7.30pm
at the offices of Clifford Chance, 4 Coleman Street, London EC2.
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| Click here to download the Agenda, Resolutions and Reports [Word file, 60KB]
And here to download the accounts [PDF, 3.7MB] |
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OFFICIAL RFA RANKINGS |
London, 16th May 2009 |
[posted 25 May 2009] |
This year’s end of season ranking list has a refreshingly youthful flavour to it, writes compiler Dave Hebden, with three of the top four ranked singles players being still in their 20s. Surprisingly, this is the first occurrence of this since I started doing the rankings in 1981, a testament to the growing band of exciting young players that we now have in the game.
This group is led by National Champion James Toop, who with Ed Fuller strengthen their positions as numbers 1 and 2, each picking up two tournament wins during the season, while Dan Tristao moves up to number 4 in only his second season in senior fives. Dan is the current U25 and Student champion, and also picked up some great results against top opposition in senior events. These three are joined by John Minta in the top 4, with John also having a great year, winning events in Manchester and Scotland. John continues to make steady progress each year since first breaking into the top 10 in 2006. The other tournament winner in 2008-09 was Hamish Buchanan, who picked up the South West last June. Hamish is one of five National champions occupying positions in the top 10.
The highest riser in the top 20 is Matt Bowness who moves up to no. 12. Matt won the National Singles Plate and also had good results in the North West. Other notable moves up the list are from Tom Maconie, Chris Hay, Tim Widdop, Inigo Ackland, Chris Burrows, and Mark Gibbor.
In the Doubles, Hamish Buchanan retains his position at the top, a position he has held since 2004. Hamish won three events during the season, including partnering Robin Perry to win their sixth National Doubles title. As in the last three seasons, this was Robin’s only event and so this sees him down at number 6. Retaining their positions at 2 and 3 are John Minta and Phil Bishop, who won three open events, with John adding the Scottish Doubles to this haul, partnering Neil Reddy. Marcus Bate makes impressive progress in the top 10 moving up to number 4 after winning the West of England with James Toop, and reaching the National Doubles final with Will Ellison. Will is also the U25 Doubles champion with Steve Korris, as well as being runner-up in the London and the West of England, results that move Will up seven places to number 5.
Other significant moves come from Chris Jones, who picked up his first senior doubles title with Hamish in the South West, and from Hal Mahommed, who was a finalist with Will Ellison at the West of England. Dan Grant and Tim Widdop also move into the top 20 for the first time. In all, there are 22 new entries in the Doubles rankings this year including Student champions Inigo Ackland and Alex Griffiths. Indeed, there was a healthy spread of the spoils this year across a large group of players. Altogether there were 13 names that appeared across the winners of the 10 events that qualify for ranking points.
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| Click here to see the full singles and doubles rankings |
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SCOTTISH OPEN CHAMPIONSHIPS |
Loretto School, Musselburgh, 2nd/3rd May 2009 |
[posted 04 May 2009] |
An excellent entry of 16 – including several local players - took to the courts at Loretto for the Scottish Open singles tournament, and in the end it was top seed and defending champion John Minta who won the trophy – but only after a couple of scares.
Scare one was that Neil Roberts had the temerity to take the first game of the final, but the bigger scare came in the third game, when a severe bout of cramp pole-axed John.
Up to that point, the top seed had made ominously strong progress, conceding just four points on his way to a semi-final meeting with Simon Fraser. The Scot, too, seemed to have made easy progress, but the scores don’t reflect how hard he had been pushed by Kevin Henry in their quarter-final. The match was full of long, hard rallies, but it always Simon who found the crucial nick or forced the vital error.
Come the semi-final, though, the tables were turned. The scores suggest an easy win for John; however, it was anything but. John’s aggression and power were matched by Simon’s retrieving and power of his own, but it was John who seemed always able to find that crucial winner, winning in two games.
In the final, he faced Neil Roberts, who had hardly had an easy route through the earlier rounds. John Beswick had pushed him hard in the first game of their quarter-final, and Dave Fox (who reached the semi-final only after a tough match against Andy Pringle) threatened to stage a comeback in the second game of the semi-final, only for Neil for find the winners to close out the match.
The final started off in a cagey fashion, John seemingly forsaking his usual power and making a few uncharacteristic errors, allowing Neil to edge the first game. The second game began in similar fashion, but the longer it went on, the clearer it became that John’s superior fitness would tell. Neil seemed to be slowing and finding it harder to reach the low shots, and John duly took the game. It seemed inevitable that the title would be John’s – only for cramp to threaten to ruin his day. However, after a time-out, he recovered and took the game he needed to secure the title.
After the traditional evening’s gathering in the Woodside Hotel, seven pairs returned to courts on Sunday morning to compete in the doubles tournament. They were split into two round-robin groups, with the winners of each group playing in the final, and the runners-up making up the Plate final.
In Pool A, the crucial match was between Simon Fraser & Grem McIntyre and Tim Widdop & Simon Hodgson. It went the distance, and although Simon & Grem took the first game, Tim & Simon came back to win the next two and claim a place in the final. That consigned Simon & Grem to the Plate final.
Meanwhile, the competition was no less intense in Pool B, where four pairs fought it out. In the end, the crucial game was between Andy Pringle & John Hawke and John Minta & Neil Reddy. Andy & John took a tight first game, but then John began to dominate the match. Displaying the form that had taken him to the singles title, he guided Neil to a win in three games and a place in the final.
That left Andy & John in the plate final, where some controlled hitting from Simon Fraser, allied to dogged resistance from Grem, secured them the Smith Plate. The final, meanwhile, was a tense affair. Tim & Simon naturally tried to pressurise Neil, and in the first game, despite John’s best efforts, it worked – they took it 12-10.
In the second game, though, John seemed to up his game and started to find the winners again. His opponents found it increasingly hard to keep the ball away from him, and John & Neil took the second game – again by a score of 12-10 – to send the match into a deciding game. Sadly, for Tim & Simon, it was a case of the second game repeating itself. John was hungry for the win, and his opponents couldn’t cope with his domination of the court and powerful hitting. Backed up by some determined resistance from Neil, it was John who took the third game, claiming the Scottish doubles title for the third year in a row – and with a third partner.
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| Scottish Open Championships results |
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OMTs' INGRAM CUP |
Merchant Taylors School, Northwood, 6th June 2009 |
[posted 01 May 2009] |
The Old Merchant Taylors Fives Club is inviting entries for its fourth annual Ingram Cup tournament, which will be held at the school on Saturday June 6th. The event is a President's Cup-style doubles competition, in which players enter singly and the pairs will be drawn by the organisers. Entry costs £15 per person, but the proceeds from the competition (and any further donations on the day) will go towards the £3000 the club needs to raise to assist the school with refurbishing the courts this summer. Because of the format, only 32 players can enter, and anyone who is interested is advised to email organiser Gareth Price as soon as possible using the link below.
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| Click here to send an email to Gareth Price |
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NATIONAL VINTAGE CHAMPIONSHIPS |
Oundle, 26th April 2009 |
[posted 28 April 2009] |
A splendid day and a splendid day’s fives, courtesy of Oundle School, writes organiser John East.
The facilities and the hospitality could not be better; and the courts are steadily improving. They have a little further to go in terms of overcoming the effects of the wax sheen on the plaster, but as compared to last year’s tournament they play noticeably better and some day soon will provide one of the very best Fives facilities in the country.
The Fives court complex this year had an impressive display of material about some major recent injuries suffered by sports stars such as Danny Cipriani and Michael Owen; knee, ankle and shoulder fractures and dislocations were all described in graphic detail, including the technique for popping the knee cap back in place when it comes out. All very useful considering the age of the players about to compete, and as Bernard Atkinson said “If it isn’t on the board, it isn’t serious”.
So it was appropriate that there were no moans or whinges about tired or aching muscles, and if it seemed that some competitors had difficulty climbing the stairs after their games, no-one actually complained.
As usual, Bob Sandie took the prize for hogging the most court time, and as usual he managed to exit both the main tournaments in order to compete in the plate – he will be banned from the plate next year. In the doubles, his exit into the plate was a very close-run thing, but Wayne dispatched his opposition as clinically as ever and Bob had no difficulty finding himself in the singles plate. Martin Wilkinson was runner-up in the Plate singles after some heroic struggles, losing to Bob in the key round-robin match, while Rob Grey and Graham McIntyre lost to Bob and Brian Nithsdale in the doubles plate final.
In the main tournament Martin Wilkinson surprised Tony Hamilton early on, the latter just winning, only to lose to Jeremy Schroeter in the semi-final. Wayne coasted through in the other half. In the final Jeremy tried most tactics, including attempting to swat Wayne instead of the ball and serving left-handed, but to no avail. Wayne triumphed easily despite some good rallies and spirited efforts by Jeremy.
In the doubles, Bernard Atkinson and Peter de Winton staged a dramatic comeback in order to put Bob and Brian into the plate. Bernard’s diving was clearly an attempt to recreate some of the sporting injuries previously alluded to, and on one occasion he even floored his own partner, but by then they were tiring and perhaps a rest was needed. Meanwhile Wayne and Tim Lewis reached the final without any qualms where they met the new pairing of Tony Hamilton and Jeremy Schroeter, both of whom were perhaps a little worn down by their singles exertions. In any event, Wayne and Tim won without too much pressure, although Tim was certainly feeling it as he climbed the stairs to receive his first ever national trophy. Congratulations - and hopefully he will be fully recovered by next year.
As a final point, the organiser did notice increasing evidence of short-term memory loss, particularly where it came to recalling the score or who had served in doubles matches. Surely it is time for someone to devise an electronic scoreboard to avoid the long discussions between rallies regarding what had happened in the rally before (or perhaps such long discussions are a necessary part of the recovery process between rallies?). Conversely, on the physical side, the Vintage players become ever more youthful, with Bernard Atkinson - who is about to enter the grand masters tournament as well - leading the charge, and I look forward to welcoming them all back looking both younger and fitter next year.
It only remains to thank Oundle School and particularly Tony Burrows for the excellent reception and hospitality. Next year we plan hot drinks, too. It will be a dream for players and spectators alike.
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| National Vintage Championships results |
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NATIONAL WINCHESTER FIVES MIXED DOUBLES CHAMPIONSHIP |
Winchester College, 26th April 2009 |
[posted 26 April 2009] |
As several of the their fellow Fives players took on the London Marathon, five pairs took to the courts at Winchester to battle for the Winchester Fives Mixed Doubles title. Regulars from the Rugby Fives circuit were joined by colleagues from Eton and 1-Wall Fives, and a great day's competition ensued.
With just five pairs, the competition took the form of a round-robin, with each pair playing the other four in a best-of-three-game match, and the champions being the pair with most match wins. It was expected to be a day of close competition, and so it proved right from the off. The first two matches both went the full distance, and saw three-game wins for the England Handball pairing of Dan Grant & Anita Ganguly, as well as for Derby Moor's Stuart Kirby and Emma Howie.
As the day wore on, it became clear that these were the pairs who would be fighting for overall victory, so the clash between the two was eagerly awaited. Needless to say, it went to three games, but it was the England Handballers who won through, and meant that they went into their final match (against the EFA pair of Anthony Thedossi and Kerry White) needing a win to ensure they took the championship. Lose, and they would end up in a tie with Stuart and Emma, who had already finished their four matches, winning three and losing just one.
Almost inevitably, it was another close match. Kerry and Anthony had begun the day relatively inexperienced at this brand of Fives, but had visibly improved during the competition, and pushed Dan and Anita hard. So, although Dan and Anita won the first game, it was Anthony and Kerry who held their nerve to win a very tight second game, ensuring that the competition's outcome would be decided in the final game of the last match on court.
It was tense game, with great skill shown by all four players. Anthony and Kerry were trying to keep the pressure on Anita, while her stronger partner Dan did all he could to protect her. He never stopped running, and hit some amazing angles as well as, perhaps more importantly, some superb serves, meaning that even when Anthony and Kerry won the right to receive, they rarely scored a run of points. The game was nip and tuck to start with, but as it went on, Dan and Anita gradually edged into a lead that they would never lose. They duly won this match two games to one and, with it, the title, which could not have been more richly deserved. This was their fourth three-gamer on the trot!
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| Winchester Fives Mixed Doubles results |
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NATIONAL CLUB CHAMPIONSHIP |
St Paul's School, Barnes, 18/19th April 2009 |
[posted 19 April 2009] |
Manchester's Y Club continued their recent domination of the National Club Championship, claiming the Wood Cup for the fourth consecutive year with an emphatic victory over the Old Paulines.
And, there's no doubt that 'emphatic' is the word. Although Dan Tristao pushed John Minta hard and
Tim Hoolahan took eight points off Ben Taberner in the opening singles games, the Y Club won all four matches and went into the doubles already with a 22-point lead. Then, they really turned on the style, winnng all four of the first doubles matches for the loss of just 11 points.
On one court, John Minta and Phil Bishp combined as well as a pair as they have for some time to defeat the determined efforts of Dan Tristao and Sam Roberts, while next door the left/right-hand combination of John Beswick and Ben Taberner proved too strong for Joe Harris and Tim Hoolahan. That gave the Manchester team an unassailable lead and, although the teams played the first games of the return doubles, again the Y Club won both games, extending their eventual winning margin to more than 70 points. Despite the margin, it's to the credit of the Old Paulines that they never let their heads drop, and they competed hard till the very end. Every game was full of long, tough rallies; the crucial difference was that, on almost every occasion, it was the Y Club's players who found the nick or managed to force an error. Still, the youth of the Paulines' side suggests that it won't be long before they give the Y Club a much sterner test.
The irony was that the story of the tournament was not of huge victories, but of incredibly narrow ones. Indeed, the Old Paulines had only clinched their place in the final with a one-point victory over the Alleyn Old Boys, who had been runners-up for the last three years. Amazingly, the match played out to leave one game of doubles to be played - and the teams tied on points. It was a classic winner-takes-all battle and inevitably it went down to the wire. In a tight and tense game, the Old Paulines' pair of Sam and Dan reached game-ball first, but the AOBs' Inigo Ackland and Peter Hanton dragged the score back to 10-all and then 11-all. But, it was the Paulines who held their nerve, clinching the win in front of an enthralled and appreciative gallery.
Mind you, by this stage, it was probably no more than the crowd expected: the AOBs had only won their quarter-final against the White Rose Club by a single point, and incredibly the overall score in that match was exactly the same as in the semi-final, 109 points against 108. So, by those standards, the Executioners' quarter-final win over a very strong RFA Club side that inlcuded no less than three current or former National Singles Champions was a positively comfortable one - by two points.
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| National Club Championship results |
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SCOTTISH OPEN CHAMPIONSHIPS |
Loretto School, Musselburgh, 2nd/3rd May 2009 |
[posted 16 April 2009] |
Organiser Neil Roberts is now accepting entries for the Scottish Open Championships, which will be held at Loretto over the first weekend in May. As usual, the singles tournament will be held on the Saturday, with the doubles tournament on the Sunday, and plate competitions for early-round losers in both. As is also usual at this event, players enter the doubles competition as individuals, and the pairs are selected by the organiser, drawing the top seeds with the rest of the players at random. For full details, download the official entry form by clicking on the link below.
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| Scottish Open Championships entry form [Word file, 40KB] |
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NATIONAL VETERANS' & MASTERS' CHAMPIONSHIPS |
Christ's Hospital, 4th/5th April 2009 |
[posted 06 April 2009] |
Neil Roberts once again dominated the Veterans' Championships, writes organiser Dave Hebden, winning the Singles for the fourth time, and teaming up with Wayne Enstone to pick up the Doubles, also for their fourth successive win.
However, in the pack chasing Neil in the Singles, there was little to choose between the next six players, and this produced some very exciting Fives. Included in this group were three newly qualified entrants, John Walter, Richard Christie and Ian Jackson, all of whom acquitted themselves very well during the day’s play. And they were joined by long-standing Veterans Brian Nithsdale, Bob Sandie and Stuart Kirby to produce some entertaining early-round matches.
In the top half of the draw, Stuart Kirby got the better of a determined Brian Nithsdale 12-10 in the third, before losing out to Neil Roberts in the semi-final. Meanwhile in the lower half, there were two epic quarter-final struggles, with Bob Sandie losing to John Walter, and Ian Jackson only just getting the better of a much-improved Richard Christie from Derby in three games. In the semi-final, Ian Jackson had to endure another three-gamer before finally beating John Walter who played some impressive Fives during a gruelling day’s competition. In the final, Ian, suffering somewhat from his earlier tussles, but even more from his opponent’s power, skill and steadiness of hitting, found it difficult to challenge Neil Roberts, who went on to take the trophy 15-1, 15-0 in dominant style. Brian Nithsdale just pipped Richard Christie to take the Plate, whilst Stuart Kirby took a third place play-off against John Walter.
A sunny Sunday morning saw 8 pairs line up for the Doubles. The pick of the first round matches saw the scratch pair of Ian Jackson & Brian Nithsdale getting the better of Bernard Atkinson & Mark Kitely, earning them the dubious privilege of challenging Wayne Enstone & Neil Roberts in the semi-final. In the lower half of the draw, Stuart Kirby & Brian Kirk and Bob Sandie & Richard Sutcliffe both won their 1st round matches comfortably to set up a keenly fought semi-final. The White Rose pair eventually prevailed 15-11, 15-12 in an excellent battle. Sandie & Sutcliffe went on to put up valiant resistance in the final, where some excellent Fives was played by all four players, but the champions proved too strong and ended up as worthy winners. There were some good matches in the Plate where Bernard Atkinson, partnered by Mark Kitely, won back the trophy he had first presented with Chris Arnold some 20 odd years earlier. Stuart Kirby & Brian Kirk completed the proceedings with a 3rd place play-off win against Ian Jackson & Brian Nithsdale.
• The National Masters' Championship was held at the same venue over the same weekend, and Bernard Atkinson has sent this report:
Given that the RFA Masters Tournament is for players over the age of 65, it represents something of a triumph of hope over experience. Notwithstanding (no pun intended), three pairs did battle on Saturday 4th April at Christ’s Hospital, and to say that none was prepared to lose was something of an understatement.
In the end, the trophy was won by Bawtree (71) and Atkinson (68) from the 2008 holders Boag and Rice, with Maltby and Wolstenholme contesting every step of the way. The quality of the play was of a high order all round, and the winners were actively engaged in their task on court for two hours to complete the four games to 15.
Bawtree and Atkinson beat Maltby and Wolstenholme 15-9, 15-7, and Rice and Boag 16-14, 15-10, while Rice and Boag beat Maltby and Wolstenholme 15-11, 15-7. It must not be forgotten, however, that some of these lads are still young and will continue to improve like fine wines over the coming years.
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National Veterans' Championships results National Masters' Championship results |
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NATIONAL SCHOOLS' CHAMPIONSHIPS |
St Paul's School, Barnes, 30th March/2nd April 2009 |
[posted 04 April 2009] |
A smaller entry than usual, caused at least in part by abnormally disparate dates for school holidays, did not detract from the quality or enjoyment of the tournament, and some excellent players were on show, writes Peter King. Fifteen schools were represented, and it was good to have substantial groups from Rossall and Blundell's, as well as the usual suspects from the Home Counties circuit.
The Open Singles was dominated by St Paul’s and Alleyn’s, perhaps not unexpectedly. With only eight preliminary groups, there was less scope for lower seeds to proceed in the main draw, but the Plate was correspondingly strong. In the two all-Pauline quarter-finals, Ed Kay cruised past Henry Jefferies, but Mark Hine was sternly tested by George Barnes in two close games. Both Alleynians survived, Peter Hanton given the more severe challenge by Joe Harris, and whereas Kay managed to defeat Adam George in straight games in the semi, it took a three-game tussle against Hine before Hanton was able to join him in a repeat of the 2008 Colts’ final. The final itself was an epic, with magnificent attacking and defensive Fives from both players: Kay won the first, had his chances at 9-7 in the second, but was hauled back; and in the final game, Hanton went in to a 9-1 lead, but Kay rallied, winning some significant rallies to give his opponent some doubts, and as fatigue set in, he eventually came out the winner 11-9 – Peter’s first championship defeat at the hands of one of his own year-group.
In the Open Doubles, injuries from the first-day singles and one school’s withdrawal reduced the field to 11 pairs, and preliminary groups were formed as for the singles. Two Pauline pairs and the top Alleyn’s pair proceeded fairly comfortably, but the final place in the semi-finals was hotly contested as KCS survived two three-gamers to oust Sedbergh and St Paul’s IV. They also gave a good account of themselves against the top Pauline pair, while in the other semi-final Kay and Barnes continued to hold the edge over Hanton and George, which had seen them on top in the term’s school matches. The all-Pauline final was an anti-climax, with Kay exhausted after the singles, and the consistency and power of Mark Hine and Joe Harris saw them comfortably home.
In contrast to the Open, the Colts’ Singles had eight schools represented for the ten-man knockout stage. Bradfield’s David Butler survived a three-game marathon on the Monday evening against Lee Robinson (Whitgift) to reach the quarter-final, but here he got little change out of Luke Thomson (Christ’s Hospital), winner of the West of England tournament and clear favourite. In the top half of the draw, Ben Stephens (Alleyn’s) beat Dan Aldham (KCS) in the semi-final, and it was Tonbridgian Alfred Ainsworth who faced Thomson. Although few of the knockout games had scores that indicate close matches, the quality of play was very high, and an encouraging sign for years to come, as several schools clearly have significant numbers of strong players enjoying the game.
In the Colts’ Doubles, the presence of two strong left- and right-hand combinations looked likely to hold sway, and so it proved, with Tonbridge (Ainsworth and Jonny Short) defeating St Paul’s to qualify for the final against Christ’s Hospital, who defeated Whitgift in the semi-final. This meant that there would be a first-time winner of this championship, and after a tense scrap in the first game, Thomson and his partner Seb Stracey emerged the stronger in the second to take the Marchant Cup to its new home.
The Under 14 competition was always likely to be dominated by a very strong Alleyn’s squad, whose experience (and success in the previous year’s U13 event) and skill combined to make them favourites.
It was to the credit of many of the challengers that they scored a number of successes. Five of the six singles finalists were from the school, their sixth player having been removed 12-10 by the very promising Under 13 champion Sam Wyatt-Haines (Blundells). In a minor upset, the plate went to Charlie Williams, with a 16-15 win over Sam Browett, but in the main final the consistency and range of shot possessed by Zack Brubert proved too much for his doubles partner Sam Redmayne. Matthew Shaw of St Paul’s picked up the second plate as a token win for “the rest”! The doubles was well fought, and Rossall did well to remove Alleyn’s II (the two plate singles finalists) in the semi-final. But,
the consistency of Brubert and Redmayne was again decisive in the final, where a charge in the second by Rossall was cut short by a break for injury, so that last year's U13 champs retained their crown. It was generally agreed that the standard in this year’s U14 competition was extremely high, which bodes well for the future.
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.
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| National Schools' Championships results |
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OFFICIAL RFA RANKINGS |
London, 2nd April 2009 |
[posted 03 April 2009] |
The RFA has today published the latest official rankings, which are prepared for the Association by Dave Hebden. There will be a full review of the latest standings at the end of the season after the Scottish Open in May, but in the meantime, there are a few notable moves: Dan Tristao enters the top four of the singles rankings for the first time, while Hal Mohammed enters the top 20; and, in the doubles rankings, Will Ellison and Robin Perry climb several places in the top 10; National Doubles Plate winer Nick Wolstenholme is a new entry in the rankings, just outside the top 30, and Tom Maconie (runner-up in the Plate) climbs more than 20 places. For the full list, simply click on the link below.
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| Official RFA rankings |
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NATIONAL VINTAGE CHAMPIONSHIPS |
Oundle, 26th April 2009 |
[posted 02 April 2009] |
John East is now accepting entries for the National Vintage Championships, which are to be held at Oundle School on Sunday April 26th. Both singles and doubles competitions will be held on the same day, and there will be Plate competitions for both. The
qualifying age for the tournament is 55 years on or before 27th April 2009, and entries must be received by April 20th. 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, 40KB] |
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NATIONAL DOUBLES CHAMPIONSHIP (CYRIAX CUP) |
Alleyn's School, Dulwich, London, 28/29th March 2009 |
[posted 29 March 2009] |
Reigning champions Hamish Buchanan and Robin Perry today claimed their sixth consecutive win in the National Doubles Championship with a win over Will Ellison and Marcus Bate.
However, they were made to work hard for it every step of the way. Tom Maconie and Andy Pringle were close to taking a game off the champions in the quarter-final, while in a repeat of the 2008 final, Matt Cavanagh and Ed Fuller belied their reputations as singles specialists to push Hamish and Robin hard in the semi-final. Nevertheless, whatever their opponents threw at them, the defending champions had an answer and they prevailed to reach their ninth consecutive final appearance in this competition.
Their opponents, too, had a tough route to the final. Alex Rew and Jim Hughes made Will and Marcus work hard in the quarter-final, but the younger pair faced an even bigger challenge in the semi-final, the second seeds. John Minta and Phil Bishop had already beaten them en route to the North of England Doubles Championships in February, but in London Will and Marcus gained their revenge, coming back from a game down to clinch a place in the final in three games.
The final itself was a predictably tough encounter, but played in a wonderful, fair spirit. Both games were very even, but for a crucial passage of play in the middle of each when the champions scored a run of five points. That allowed them to eke out a lead they never lost, and they claimed the title 15-9, 15-7.
The plate competition, too, was keenly contested, ending up in a final between the Executioners pairing of Pringle & Maconie and the Wessex pair of Hal Mohammed & Nick Wolstenholme. The first two games were shared between the pairs, but it was the Wessex pair who were stronger in the third, and they duly claimed the Plate - a fitting reward for their day's efforts after they had pushed the second seeds so close in the quarter-final and scored a good win over the left/right-hand pair of Jack Furniss and Charlie Brooks to reach the Plate final.
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| National Doubles Championship results |
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WINCHESTER FIVES NATIONAL MIXED DOUBLES TOURNAMENT |
Winchester College, 26th April 2009 |
[posted 20 March 2009] |
Organiser Emma Howie is now accepting entries for the Winchester Fives Mixed doubles tournament, which will be held at Winchester College on April 26th (NB Not Bradfield, as in the Pocket Book). Play will start at 11am and everyone - from novices upwards - is very welcome. Entries must be received by April 14th, and for full details simply click on the link below to download the official entry form.
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| Winchester Fives Mixed Doubles entry form [Word file, 28KB] |
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NATIONAL MASTERS CHAMPIONSHIP |
Christ's Hospital, 4th April 2009 |
[posted 20 March 2009] |
David Bawtree is now accepting entries for the National Masters Championship, which will be held at Chrst's Hospital on the afternoon of Saturday 4th April, the time depending on the timing of the singles matches in the Veterans' championships, which are taking place at the same time. The qualifying age is 65 years on or before 4th April 2009. Entry fees are £20.00 per pair, but players interested in taking part who have no partner are asked to forward their names and addresses with a single entry fee of £10.00. Every effort will be made to match them up compatibly. For full details simply click on the link below to download the official entry form.
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| National Masters Championship entry form [Word file, 28KB] |
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NATIONAL UNDER 13s CHAMPIONSHIPS |
St Paul's School, London, 15th March 2009 |
[posted 18 March 2009] |
The game in the Under 13 age group appears to be in rude health, writes Peter de Winton, organiser of the Under 13s Championships. Entries were received from nine schools, and the enthusiasm from both the boys and the coaches helped to make it another hard-fought competition of a high playing standard.
It was also very pleasing to welcome two schools that had not been at the Under 13s recently, Blundells and Sutton Valence. They both punched above their weight, with Blundells showing strength in depth and carrying off the two main trophies. But it was not all one-way traffic: nearly all the schools were represented in the knockout competitions in both the Singles and Doubles.
Blundells have an outstanding player in Sam Wyatt-Haines, who dropped only six points in eight matches on his way to winning the final of the Singles. His strength, timing and court sense enabled him to regularly hit winners for which his opponents had no answer. He quickly swept them aside, and in the final, overcame Henry Duxfield (Pilgrims), whose steadiness and ability to retrieve had earned him successive victories, but could not cope with the onslaught. The Plate Final was a closer affair, with Joe Leale-Green, the Sutton Valence number one player, taking the game from George Herring of Pilgrims.
In the Doubles, which became a test of stamina at the end of a long day, Blundells I were triumphant, as they outgunned a steady Loretto pair, who themselves had just come through a closely fought match against Derby Moor. And in the Plate Final, Sutton Valence narrowly missed capturing their second Plate competition of the day when they were pipped 12-10 by Blundells II.
Though the day was successful and enjoyable, it may be that a change in the format is needed in future to enable more players from different schools to take part, as the demand to compete is likely to grow.
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| National Under 13s championships results |
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WINCHESTER FIVES NATIONAL DOUBLES TOURNAMENT |
Malvern College, Worcestershire, 15th March 2009 |
[posted 15 March 2009] |
On a day when David Barnes was unable to attend the Winchester Fives National Doubles tournament, the championship produced a result that brought a huge smile to his face. Winners of the Barnes Bridge trophy were Old Wykehamists Hal Mohammed and Will Ellison, while the runners-up were Wessex Club member Nick Wolstenholme and Old Bradfieldian Ed Ronan.
It is believed that Hal and Will's win is the first by an all-student pairing, but David Barnes has confirmed that it makes them the youngest ever winners of the tournament. And, they did it in some style, without dropping a single game on their way to the title, and only once conceding more than 10 points in a game.
The final was a truly impressive affair, with four 'proper' Winchester Fives players on court. Their ability to hit the buttress and retrieve the ball from it was fantastic - and a lesson to the enthralled spectators who were mostly more used to Rugby Fives. The first game of the final game ebbed and flowed one way then the other to reach 12-12, when Hal and Will produced a run of three points to take it. The bad news for Ed and Nick after that was that the two students then raised their game, playing superb, aggressive Winchester Fives to take the second game comfortably and, with it, the title.
However, Ed and Nick can at least console themselves with the fact that they had produced the biggest upset of the day, defeating the defending champions Hamish Buchanan and John Minta. This was another fantastic encounter, and it went down to the wire in front of spellbound spectators. The pairs shared the first two games to set up a deciding third, and this was nip and tuck all the way. It all boiled down to a nail-biting session at the end which seemed to last for ever - and in which both pairs had game-ball. Hand after hand was served out without either pair scoring, but eventually Ed and Nick found a way past John and Hamish's defence and struck the killer blow, taking the third game 16-15 to the loudest applause of the day.
The plate competition - open to all except the semi-finalists in the main competition - also produced some superb play, resulting in a final between Andy Pringle & Jez Sinton and Andy Passey & Gareth Price. This was a repeat of a first-round clash which (like three of the four first-round matches) had gone to three games and saw a win for Andy and Gareth. Needless to say, the return match also went to three games and, although Andy and Jez took an early lead in the final game, their opponents worked their way back into it and eventually took it by 15 points to 13. There was little between the pairs, but in the end, Andy Passey's superior buttress skills probably just gave him and his partner the edge. It was a fitting end to a great day's competition - and one in which the genuine Winchester Fives players shone.
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| Winchester Fives National Doubles tournament results |
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NATIONAL VETERANS' CHAMPIONSHIPS |
Christ's Hospital, Horsham, 4th/5th April 2009 |
[posted 05 March 2009] |
Organiser Dave Hebden is now accepting entries for the National Veterans' Championships, which will be held at Christ's Hospital over the weekend of April 4th and 5th. Both singles and doubles competitions will be held, with Plate competitions for first-round losers in both. To qualify for entry, players must be 45 years old on or before April 27th 2009, but for further details, simply click on the link below to download the official entry form.
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| National Veterans' Championships entry form [Word file, 52KB] |
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NORTH OF ENGLAND OPEN CHAMPIONSHIPS |
Durham, 28th February/1st March 2009 |
[posted 01 March 2009] |
STOP PRESS: In a tournament high on quality and quantity, Ed Fuller claimed the North of England Singles Championship for the first time, after a three-game win over BUCS and Under 25 champion Dan Tristao. However, Ed was denied the double when he and his partner, Hamish Buchanan, lost in the final of the doubles to the defending champions, Phil Bishop and John Minta.
(Full report to follow)
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| North of England Championships results |
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VARSITY MATCH |
St Paul's School, Barnes, 21st February 2009 |
[posted 21 February 2009] |
Oxford retained the Jock Burnet trophy by a massive margin, in the process displaying some excellent fives, with strength throughout the team of eight.
Cambridge were unable to recover from a tough morning’s singles, where the experience of Fabes and Ronan at two and three proved decisive as back-up to the known quality of Tristao at one. Freshman Dewhurst gave the Oxford captain Park some anxious moments in the fourth game, but could not quite sustain his challenge.
Cambridge were known to have competed well in the doubles in previous matches, but their hopes were blown away by devastating performances from the top two Oxford pairs: Tristao and Ronan conceded only five points in the afternoon (at least one of these a service into the bar) and, although Cambridge's top pair (Jones/Brubert) contested their second match vigorously, there was still a convincing win for the Oxford captain and his new partner, who was making his debut for the dark blues as a mature former-captain-of-the-other-place.
A titanic struggle took place between the third pairs, with the Cambridge freshmen Dewhurst and Kelly winning a sole game for their side, that game alone lasting longer than the whole of the top doubles. Unfortunately, this took a great deal out of them and they succumbed heavily to the old-Pauline pair of Hoolahan and Baker. The Cambridge fourth pair also gave a good account of themselves without quite threatening to take a game, although they almost pinched the final game when Emmett took a tumble and limped through the last few points.
It was unfortunate that injuries to potential Sparrows meant that the reserves’ match was cancelled. Thanks and congratulations to all who did take part in a characteristically sporting and genial spirit.
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| Varsity Match results |
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VARSITY MATCH |
St Paul's School, Barnes, 21st February 2009 |
[posted 19 February 2009] |
The captains of Oxford and Cambridge have announced their teams for the annual Varsity Match, which takes place at St Paul's School, London, on February 21st.
Playing for last year's winners Oxford will be Dan Tristao (St Paul's and Lincoln),
Ed Ronan (Bradfield and St Hugh's),
Jeremy Fabes (Clifton College and Green),
David Park (Sherborne and St Catherine's), Sam Adcock (Eastbourne and St Edmund's Hall),
Ed Emmett (St Paul's and Christchurch),
Tim Hoolahan (St Paul's and Christchurch) and
Jonny Baker (St Paul's and Pembroke).
Meanwhile, representing Cambridge will be Chris Jones (Tonbridge & Emmanuel), Alqahir Ladak (St. Paul's & Christ's), Rupert Walter (Tonbridge & St. John's), Charles Compton (Eastbourne & St. John's), Anand Ashok (St. Paul's & Queens'), Jacob Brubert (Alleyn's & Queens'), Charlie Dewhurst (St. Paul's & St. John's), Fred Kelly (Winchester & Girton).
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RFA v BUCS |
Christ's Hospital, 8th February 2009 |
[posted 08 February 2009] |
The excellent health of univeristy Fives was shown as a six-strong team of students clashed with a team representing the RFA in the annual fixture between the two organisations. Although the RFA eventually came out on top by 59 points, it was only in the final round of doubles games that they pulled clear.
Indeed, in the opening singles matches, honours were even, with each side winning three games. For BUCS, Jonny Major did well to beat Sam Roberts, and there were also excellent wins for Dan Tristao and Will Ellison, who followed up their appearance in last week's Under 25 singles final by each narrowly beating a former national singles champion. Meanwhile, more comfortable wins from the RFA's Tom Maconie, Andy Pringle and Robin Perry saw the RFA take a 12 point lead into the doubles.
Over the first two rounds of doubles, honours were again even, with each side winning three matches. However, as in the singles, it was the RFA's experience that counted, with their more comfortable wins more than compensating for their generally narrow defeats. The one exception was Will Ellison and Hal Mohammed's 15-4 win over Pringle & Maconie, where the Wykehamists hit a rich vein of form.
They then continued this in the final round of matches, where each pair played two games against their opposite numbers. Facing current national doubles champions Hamish Buchanan and Robin Perry, Will and Hal had the temerity to win the first game 16-15 and then staged a massive comeback in the second before losing 15-13. It was a truly superb performance - and, indeed, this second game was the only one the pair lost all afternoon.
However, their team-mates weren't able to put up such strong resistance, and comfortable wins for Cavanagh & Roberts and Maconie & Pringle saw the RFA through to a deserved overall victory.
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| RFA v BUCS results |
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SOUTH WEST OPEN CHAMPIONSHIPS |
Blundell's School, Tiverton, Devon, 11/12th July 2009 |
[posted 07 February 2009] |
In a display of forward planning almost unheard of in the Fives world, organiser Wayne Enstone has published the entry form for the 2009 South West Open Championships - which take place in July. As usual, the singles and doubles tournaments will take place at Blundell's School, but this year there will be an extra tournament: American doubles, for those not involved in the final, and in which the best player will be paired with a novice and so on. As ever, it promises to be a fine social event, too, with an evening meal planned at the Butterleigh Inn. Entries must be received by July 1st, but for full details, just click on the link below to download the official entry form.
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| South West Open Championships entry form [Word file, 28KB] |
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UNDER 25 CHAMPIONSHIPS |
Merchant Taylors School, Northwood, 31st January/1st February 2009 |
[posted 01 February 2009] |
The RFA has now received a report from organiser Dan Grant on the Under 25 championships, written in his own inimitable style. We are happy to publish it here in an abridged form…
A hardy troop braved the freezing weather and a completely shattered Underground system for another smashing weekend of U25s fives. There was a wealth of competition in both the singles and the doubles, some top-quality towel display and some awe-inspiring flair!
We’ll start with the doubles, as nothing overly shocking happened, although Sjostrom and Dean almost caused an upset in the quarter-finals against second seeds Grant and Lee, taking the duo to three sets before bowing out. In the semis, Grant and Lee were up against Brooks and Furniss and, with absolutely no bias whatsoever by the writer of this article, after a closely contested first set, Grant found the ‘awesome’ streak he’d been looking for and quickly racked up seven amazing nick shots and flair spin volleys within five minutes to tie up the match.
On the other side of the draw, Ellison and Korris smashed through all opposition and eased through to the final, which went much like the rest of the tournament. The first set went comfortably to Ellison and Korris, a crazily pingy new ball suiting the hard-hitting pair’s game to a tee. They kindly allowed a new ball in the second set and the pinginess was replaced by some serious seam action. This set was slightly longer, but Dan (having lost his ‘awesome’ streak) and Ady (whose arms were about to fall off) had no answer for their opponents’ relentless power and precision. Korris and Ellison reclaimed their title.
Notable mentions go to Hanton and George for winning the plate, and to Tong and Somji for taking a decent pairing of Gibbor and Burrows to three sets in the opening round.
The singles was far more exciting, with an epic first-round match between Furniss and Hay, Hay winning by the narrowest of margins. Everything then went with seeding until the quarter-finals, when Korris smashed Lee out in a blaze of resistance, laughing in the face of spin shots and jammy drops.
The semi-finals were both three-set affairs. In the top half of the draw, Tristao took the first set off Korris by the narrowest of margins (16-15) before Korris doggedly fought back to take a close second set. This clearly angered Dan, because he came out guns blazing in the third, thrashing Steve 15-1.
On the other side, Grant played Ellison. Dan made Will very uncomfortable in the first set, altering his game to a pace Will was not happy with and took the game 15-10. But Will came back in the second and third with those firey eyes, banging of gloves and shouted ‘come-ons’ to switch things around, sucking Dan into his game and, in the end, winning quite comfortably.
The final was something very special – an amazingly long game, with top form from both athletes. Every set was closely contested and after some truly mind-blowing stuff, Nadal beat Federer in the fifth.
Back on the fives court, Dan and Will were having their own maximum-setter. The rallies were relentless, and Will took the first set 15-8. But as mentioned, it is not wise to win a set against Dan because it will anger him. The second was kinda close, Dan coming through 15-8, but the third was quickly over. Dan T won his first U25s title and left Will still searching for that elusive first singles accolade.
Elsewhere, in a cracking plate final and with no time-outs taken, Burrows managed to win 25-14. The U25s singles ‘super’ bowl and doubles plate will now form a part of the yearly crockery-ware.
Perhaps most important this weekend was the ‘flair’ competition. Under the ever-watchful gaze of the Ady Lee Flair-o-Meter, each and every player tried to rack up the ‘ultimate flair’ accolade. Dean came close with a reverse behind-the-back pick-up; Sjostrom came closer with a spin-spectacular backwards finger-diddler; but the eventual winner was Furniss, decimating the opposition with a lob shot through the roof rafters to produce a winning nick roller! Smashing stuff!
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| U25 Championships results |
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NORTH OF ENGLAND OPEN CHAMPIONSHIPS |
Durham, 28th February/1st March 2009 |
[posted 30 January 2009] |
Ady Lee is now accepting entries for the 2009 North of England Open Championships, which take place in Durham over the weekend of February 28th/March 1st. There will be both singles and doubles championships, but there is no official entry form. To enter, simply click on the link below to send the organiser an email.
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| Click here to send Ady Lee an email |
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WINCHESTER FIVES NATIONAL DOUBLES CHAMPIONSHIP |
Malvern College, 15th March 2009 |
[posted 28 January 2009] |
Organiser David Barnes is now accepting entries for the Winchester Fives National Doubles Championship. The men's competition takes place in Malvern on Sunday March 15th, the day after the ladies' tournament. It costs £18 per pair to enter, and entries must be sent to David by post before Friday February 27th. For more details, click on the link below for the official entry form.
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| Winchester Fives National Doubles Championship [PDF, 60KB] |
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NORTH WEST OPEN CHAMPIONSHIPS |
Manchester, 24/25th January 2009 |
[posted 25 January 2009] |
STOP PRESS: Manchester's John Minta claimed his first ever double on his home courts by beating defending champion Ed Fuller to take the North West Open Singles title and then teaming up with Phil Bishop to also take the doubles title. The runners-up in the doubles were Hamish Buchanan and Ben Taberner, while the quality of the field was demonstrated by the Plate winners: England handball international Dan Grant claimed the singles plate, while the plate doubles went to the pairing of Neil Roberts and Ed Fuller, respectively former national champion and defending NW champion.
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| North West Open Championships results |
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LADIES NATIONAL WINCHESTER FIVES CHAMPIONSHIPS |
Malvern, 14th March 2009 |
[posted 21 January 2009] |
Organiser Denise Hall-Wilton is now accepting entries for the Ladies National Winchester Fives Championships. Both singles and doubles tournaments will be played at Malvern College on Saturday March 14th, the day before the Men's Winchester Fives Championship. Entry costs between £5 and £10, and entries must be received by Wednesday February 25th. For full details, click on the link below to download the official entry form.
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| Ladies Winchester Fives Championships entry form [Word file, 32KB] |
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NATIONAL DOUBLES CHAMPIONSHIP (QUALIFYING ROUND) |
Alleyn's School, London, 10th January 2009 |
[posted 12 January 2009] |
The London qualifying tournament for the final rounds of the National Doubles Championship defied the sub-zero temperatures off-court to produce some outstanding and nail-biting matches on-court.
The 12 competing pairs started the day with a round-robin, after which eight went through to a straight knockout tournament. From there, it was three of the four group winners who won through to the semi-finals, although – in a very open competition – none of them had easy passages. The one exception was Tom Maconie and Andy Pringle, who had finished as runners-up in Group D, but beat Group B winners Steve Korris and Ed Hatton to claim a semi-final place. Here they faced the left- and right-hand combination of Jack Furniss and Charlie Brooks in a match that went down to the wire.
Charlie and Jack edged the first game 15-13, only for Andy and Tom to come back to take the second
15-9. Things started very evenly in the decider, but a poor run of play from Andy and Tom gave their opponents a good lead and, although Andy and Tom fought back strongly towards the end, they had left themselves too much to do. Jack and Charlie went through with a 15-13 win in the third game.
Mind you, even that was not as close as the second semi-final on the neighbouring court. This too went the distance once Ady Lee and Dan Grant had fought back to take the second game after losing the first to Hal Mohammed and Nick Wolstenholme. Throughout the final game, it was nip and tuck, with rarely more than a point or two between the pairs, Hal’s aggression matched by more adventurous angled shots from Dan and Ady, while Nick – encouraged loudly by his father from the back of the court – retrieved manfully and was never afraid to look for winners himself.
It was the Wessex pair who reached game-ball first, but Dan and Ady survived and, after several tense rallies, they finally clinched the win by the narrowest of margins, 16-15. As a result, they will join Charlie and Jack (who had already conceded the qualifier’s final match, with Jack’s left hand badly bruised) in the final rounds of the National Doubles Championship in March. Here they will face the top four seeded pairs and one qualifier from the forthcoming south-west qualifying tournament.
With three places in the finals up for grabs from the London tournament, there should have been a play-off between the two losing semi-finalists. However, Andy and Tom had to withdraw, leaving Hal and Nick to claim the last place in the final rounds.
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| National Doubles (London qualifying round) results |
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WEST OF ENGLAND SCHOOLS' CHAMPIONSHIPS |
Sherborne, 3rd/4th January 2009 |
[posted 5 January 2009] |
STOP PRESS: Boys from Alleyn's dominated the Open category of the West of England Schools' Championships, with Peter Hanton beating his own doubles partner, Adam George, to take the singles title, before the pair teamed up to win the doubles title with a win against the top pair from St Paul's. In the Colts section, the singles title went to Luke Thomson from Christ's Hospital, while the doubles was won by Winchester – represented by singles runner-up James Kennedy and Henry Owen – who beat St Paul's in a two-game final.
(Full report to follow)
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| West of England Schools' Championships results |
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OFFICIAL RFA RANKINGS |
London, 12th December 2008 |
[posted 13 December 2008] |
The latest RFA rankings, prepared by Dave Hebden, see the finalists in the recent National Singles Championship remaining at the top, with champion James Toop extending his lead over Ed Fuller. Meanwhile, John Minta, who reached the semi-finals in Manchester, has edged past Hamish Buchanan into third place. Dan Tristao, Phil Bishop and Will Ellison all had excellent performances in the Championships and consolidate or improve their positions in the top 10, while Neil Roberts makes a return to the top 10 after reaching the Quarter-Finals.
Matt Bowness makes a huge leap into the top 20 at 14 after outstanding performances in the NW Qualifier and in winning the Singles Plate, while losing Plate finalist Tom Maconie enters the top 20 for the first time. Chris Burrows also did well to qualify from the London Qualifying event and makes a significant move up to 39.
The new rankings also reflect the BUCS Championships. Finalists Tristao and Ellison are both in the top 8 of the rankings, reflecting the strength of University Fives at the moment, while Hal Mohammed, Chris Hay, Mark Gibbor, Inigo Ackland and Ed Ronan all picked up points to climb up the table.
The doubles rankings only reflect the results of the student championships, so there's little change at the top of the table. Highest movers are the new BUCS champions Inigo Ackland and Alex Griffiths who enter the rankings at joint 34. Chris Burrows is also a new entry at 41 after reaching the final with Will Ellison, who is already at number 7. For the full rankings, click on the link below.
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| The latest official RFA rankings |
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NORTH WEST OPEN CHAMPIONSHIPS |
Manchester Y Club, 24/25th January 2009 |
[posted 08 December 2009] |
Organiser John Beswick is now accepting entries for the 2009 North West Open Championships, which are to be held at the Manchester YMCA on the weekend of January 24/25th. Entries must be received by January 10th, and full details of the tournament are available by clicking on the link below.
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| NW Open Championships entry form [Word file, 28KB] |
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RFA CLUB PRESIDENT'S CUP |
Merchant Taylors' School, Northwood, 7th December 2008 |
[posted 07 December 2008] |
The 50th running of the President's Cup saw a triumph for youth and experience – and the game's statisticians scurrying to their record books. After a day's traditionally tough competition, it was Hamish Buchanan who again lifted the President's Cup, partnered this year by Jay Gravatt, a 16-year old schoolboy from KCS Wimbledon, who is generally reckoned to be the youngest ever winner of the tournament in what was certainly one of the closest finals on record. In doing so, they also were able to claim the distinction of winning the title without losing a single game.
The final against Mark Gibbor and Merchant Taylors' teacher Nick Hillier was an enthralling contest that had the gallery spell-bound. It was nip and tuck in both games, and Mark and Nick had game ball in the first game before Hamish and Jay nicked it 16-15. By this stage, however, it was clear that Jay's right hand was in major pain and he was in real discomfort at the start of the second game. Almost inevitably, he and Hamish fell behind, but then the adrenaline seemed to kick in to mask the pain. With Jay's right hand starting to fire again, he and his partner fought their way back into the game, drew level and eventually found the shots to clinch the title with a nail-biting 15-13 win in the second game.
Such a close game was typical of the whole day's play. Six of the eight first-round games, for example, went to three games, and the 16 closely matched pairs ensured that there were no one-sided games in the whole tournament. In the three plate competitions, too, competition was fierce, so even winning one of those was a real achievement. The Love Mug went to the left/right hand combination of Jack Furniss and Richard Christie (his first ever piece of silverware in his fives career), while the Mate's Plate went to Daniel Ackland and Freddie Sjostrom (who had already done well to reach the semi-finals of the main competition) and the T-Pot was won by Peter White and Chris Burrows, the latter emulating his father's performance of last year.
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| President's Cup results |
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NATIONAL UNDER 25 CHAMPIONSHIPS |
Merchant Taylors' School, 31st January/1st February 2009 |
[posted 07 December 2009] |
Organiser Dan Grant has now made available the entry form for the National Under 25 Championships - all written in his own inimtable style. The tournament – also in Dan's inimitable style and including an award for Best Novelty Towel as well as the more traditional singles and doubles championships – will be held at Merchant Taylors' School at the end of January next year. For full details, click on the link below to download the official entry form.
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| Under 25s Championships entry form [Word file, 32KB] |
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