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NORTH OF ENGLAND CHAMPIONSHIPS |
Durham, 27/28th February 2010 |
[posted 01 February 2010] |
Organiser Ady Lee is now accepting entries for the North of England Championships, which will be held in Durham over the last weekend of February. The singles championship will take place on the Saturday, with the doubles following on the Sunday, and the closing date for entries is Sunday February 21st. For full details, simply click on the link below to download the official entry form.
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North of England Championships entry form [Word file, 40KB] |
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UNDER 25s CHAMPIONSHIPS |
Merchant Taylors School, Northwood, 30th/31st January 2010 |
[posted 31 January 2010] |
And so it was that time of year again when some of the best athletes in the world all came under one roof to compete for some of the most prestigious awards in sport. Yes, the Australian Open was in full swing in Melbourne. But at Merchant Taylors’ School, the Under 25s Nationals was also rocking the world.
The first match on Singles Saturday was a lonely preliminary match between veteran Abecassis and top MTS school boy Judge. The youngster pulled out some impressive resilience which saw the senior player collapse on the floor with exhaustion after nearly every point. However, in the end it was wisdom over teenage beauty as Abecassis nicked the second game 16-15 to ensure his place in the first round. However, it was to be fashion sense over wisdom from there on in as Steve Korris went on to annihilate Abecassis in record time. The rest of the 1st round matches also went on seeding, with relatively easy matches for all, except for 8th seed Inigo Ackland, who was closely beaten in a tasty match by stalwart good-guy Charlie Brooks 15-3, 16-15.
The quarter finals was also a mainly seeded-led affair, though Dan Tristao was pushed to two 16-14 sets by Brooks, who once again played his best fives. However, the second upset of the day came as Dean, who had worked hard over the past months to gain a 4th seeding, worked equally hard to lose it on that day as he was creamed by Burrows 15-1, 15-0. The semi-finals were almost a repeat of last year, except this time Dan Tristao was playing Burrows instead of Korris (who had been easily beaten by Ellison in the quarters). Again Tristao infuriated his opponent by purposefully allowing him to smell the glory, before whipping it away from under his nose, as he won 16-14, 16-14 for a second time. In the other semi, Ellison faced up against Grant. The first set was close with a few silly mistakes creeping in at the end, allowing Ellison to win 15-10. However, if Dan G had banked on Ellison to have another mammoth sugar crash (see National prelims), he would be disappointed, as Will came out strongly to take the second set 15-5.
This left us with a repeat of last year’s final. Tristao vs. Ellison. Last year it was a marathon match, and so it was this year. The fives was, as always special (though unfortunately there was a special tennis match on at the same time which drew many of the spectators and, shamefully, this organiser to a nearby TV set). However, in good fortune Federer won in three, so at least we could all watch the end of the match! Ellison, who was in his 158,000th singles final, and still yet to win, walked on court with fire in his eyes. He dominated the first game and took it decisively 15-6. Dan fought back in the second though, and steady pace shined through as he took the game to a third set with a 15-10 scoreline. Now, no-one really knows what happened next. Some say Ellison blacked-out and his limbs acted on their own accord. Others say Tristao whispered to the ball and it magically began to follow his every command. Perhaps it is no coincidence that Dean who watched Murray, also watched Ellison. Whatever happened, Will Ellison shot to a 14-3 lead in the third. What followed, was a comeback so unbelievable that you may dismiss it as embellished storytelling. Don’t! It actually happened. Tristao faced 11 match points and Ellison had 5 chances to win. But Dan clawed back, like the resilient mongrel he is, overcoming tiring fitness and mental anguish along the way to attain an incredible victory, winning 16-14. A quite spectacular finish to reclaim the singles trophy. Which is useful, because he hadn’t engraved it from last year yet.
An arduous plate match also saw Dan Ackland win over Bowden, with a respectable 25-17 scoreline.
Now to doubles! Unfortunately there were several withdrawals, which made the draw a lot smaller than we’d have hoped, but the valiant twenty fivesers soldiered on to make the most of it. In the bottom of the draw, the virgin pairing of Dan Grant and Dan Tristao (Dan Squared) easily reached the final with a comfortable win over Burrows and Dean. The top half, however, was not so clean cut. Last year Ellison and Korris, the no.1 seeds, had decimated all opposition, but this year they were taken to three sets by some quite remarkable fives from Hay and Brooks. The latter excelling himself, producing some of the best fives the world has ever seen. Midway through the third game, with Brooks and Hay up 7-3, tragedy occurred as Ellison’s scream echoed through the rafters. He had fallen badly on his thumb. Dr Frank Ackerman rushed to the rescue and it turns out the thumb didn’t need amputating. So Will bravely soldiered on, playing predominantly on the left (even serving there too). This may have actually been a blessing in disguise as this tactic was too difficult for Brooks and Hay to counter. With Steve far stronger on the right, smashing everything into the nicks with gusto, and poor little Hay being picked on worse than that ginger fat kid at school, it was not long before the no.1 seeds took their place in the final once more. It was no surprise that Brooks and Hay then went on to win the plate with a 25-4 scoreline over a decent pairing of George and Hunter, who had taken out Burrows and Dean in the semis.
And so that left the final. Defending champions Korris and Ellison, whose thumb was now feeling hittable again, vs Tristao and Grant, in their first and third U25s doubles final respectively. In front of a few sturdy spectators, the four played some superb fives in a brilliant final, if I say so myself. The Dan’s raced to the lead in the first set, only to have the experienced duo power back with several quick points on the trot. In a nail biting finish, the Dan’s clinched the first set 16-14. The second set was also impressive, but this time the Dan’s began to harmonise at partners. Tristao’s retrieval was exceptional and even under constant bombardment, rarely hit a shot down. When the ball eventually made its way to Grant, the ball was returned with more aggression which unbalanced the no.1 seeds. Combined with quick volleys and rolling nick shots, Dan Squared raced to a 14-5 lead. Ellison and Korris fought back valiantly, but could only get to 9 before the inevitable hammer thundered down. Grant, who you should never play against with a loved one watching (you have been warned), winning his first Rugby Fives national title since the schoolboy singles seven years ago and Tristao attaining the double.
Though things were not over. The prestigious flair award –or the Jack “Furniss” Off Booby Prize as it is otherwise known – was still to be presented. Each flair shot was assessed over several criteria, marked out of 10. Poise, intentionality, grace, limb flails, finish and gloating were all taken into account. Schoolboy Smith made a fine attempt at flair with what has been described as a “Matrix followed by a reach-around”. This organiser doesn’t want to know what the ‘reach-around’ involved. Veteran Brooks showed that fives is an instinct, and not a learned skill, as a reverse-angle-back-handed-nick-flipper scored him 30 points. Grant topped it with a Mortal Kombat “FINISH HIM” Spin Dice Drop, which astounded all on court, including himself, with a remarkable drop shot, slowly spinning midway off the sidewall on match point (finishing marks were high!). But not to be outdone, and with a clean-sweep possibility, Tristao won the award, achieving 31 points for intentionally allowing a game to go to 16 on not one, not two, but SIX occasions! A remarkable feat; the gloating to Ellison sealing the deal!
We look forward to next year’s tournament, but know there’s work to be done to increase numbers and keep the tournament a healthy success.
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Under 25s Championships results |
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EASTBOURNE COLLEGE LADIES' FIVES |
Oundle School, 24th January 2010 |
[posted 30 January 2010] |
Tessa Mills and Charlotte Dodds made history by becoming the first ever girls to represent Eastbourne College at Fives – in a match against Oundle School. Playing singles and doubles on unfamiliar courts against an Oundle pair of Bryony Choy and Suzi Burrows, the Eastbourne girls won by 66 points to 13, a score which did not do justice to how well the Oundle girls had played.
After the match, Eastbourne coach Alex Smith (himself an Old Oundelian and RFA board member) said, "It has been fantastic to see the girls play so well in their first competitive Fives fixture." The girls won't be resting on their laurels, though. They already have their next match lined up against Christ's Hospital, and hope to take part in the Ladies' Winchester Fives tournament at Bradfield on March 13th, where they will be joined by another of their schoolteachers, Kathleen Briedenham.
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| Eastbourne College's website |
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NORTH WEST OPEN CHAMPIONSHIPS |
Y Club, Manchester, 23rd/24th January 2010 |
[posted 24 January 2010] |
STOP PRESS: Players from Manchester dominated their home championships, with John Minta taking the singles title before teaming up with Phil Bishop to win the doubles as well – and securing Phil's fifth consecutive North West doubles title in the process. Even the doubles plate went to a Manchester pair – John Beswick and Matt Bowness – and the only main prize not to stay in Manchester was the singles plate, won by Londoner Charlie Brooks. However, Charlie may take more pride in his first ever appearance in an Open championships final, as he and James Bristow finished as runners-up in the doubles tournament. Also taking a runner-up's tankard back down south was James's fellow Old Wykehamist Will Ellison, who was runner-up to John Minta in the three-game singles final.
Full report to follow...
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North West Open Championships results
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LADIES WINCHESTER FIVES CHAMPIONSHIPS |
Bradfield College, 13th March 2010 |
[posted 24 January 2010] |
Denise Hall-Wilton is now accepting entries for the Ladies National Winchester Fives Championships, which are being held at Bradfield on Saturday March 13th. The championhips include both singles and doubles, and players of all standards are welcome – including novices. Play will start at about 11am, and entries must be received by Wednesday 24th February. For full details, simply click on the link below to download the official entry form.
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Ladies Winchester Fives Championships entry form [PDF, 72KB] |
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NATIONAL UNDER 25 CHAMPIONSHIPS |
Merchant Taylors School, Northwood, 30th/31st January 2010 |
[posted 14 January 2010] |
Organiser Dan Grant is now accepting entries for the Under 25 Championships, which (after some debate!) are now confirmed to be held at Merchant Taylors over the weekend of January 30th/31st. There will be singles and doubles championships, as well as some awards unique to these championships, such as the Best Dressed Player and Best Flair Shot. For full details, simply click on the link below to download the official entry form.
One thing potential players in the championships should know is that the organiser has advised the RFA that there may well be some difficulties getting to the school by public transport on the day. Players are strongly advised to go to the event by car - or at the very least arrange lifts as soon as possible.
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Under 25 Championships entry form [Word file, 36KB] |
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NATIONAL OPEN DOUBLES CHAMPIONSHIP |
St Paul's School, Barnes, 9th January 2010 |
[posted 10 January 2010] |
Despite the treacherous weather conditions, several pairs – including two from Derby – took part in the London qualifying tournament for the National Doubles Championship, with three places in the finals up for grabs. In fact, the only concession to the weather was to transfer the event from Alleyn's to St Paul's, where the courts are warmer – and indoors!
The beauty of this year's tournament was that, although there were plenty of familiar names in the draw, they were playing in unfamiliar pairs. That said, it was two established pairs who made it through the preliminary rounds: Derby's Kirk and Christie beat the ex-Malvern pair of Bishop and Murray, while St Paul's current top pair of Kay and Ward scored a good win over old Paulines Furniss and Barlow.
In the end, though, it was the more fancied pairs who won through to the semi-finals. In the top half, Steve Korris and Hal Mohammed (who had never played as a pair before, but had both partnered Will Ellison to doubles titles in 2009) scored a fine win over Mark Gibbor and Chris Burrows. Meanwhile, the bottom half produced the closest match of the day. Andy Pringle & Tom Dean shared the first two games with Charlie Brooks and James Bristow, and staged a huge fightback in the third game, coming back from 2-12 down to lead 13-12; however, at the crucial moment, their concentration lapsed and James and Charlie closed the game out 15-13, to seal a place in the final.
Here, they were soundly beaten by Hal and Steve, but both pairs safely sealed their place in the last eight, alongside the top four seeded pairs (reigning champions Hamish Buchanan & Robin Perry, 2009 runners-up Will Ellison & Marcus Bate, plus Manchester's John Minta & Ben Taberner, and the England handballers Ady Lee and Dan Grant). That left one Finals place up for grabs, with a match between the two losing semi-finalists to decide it. In the end, despite some major bruising to his left hand, Tom Dean and his partner Andy Pringle hung on to beat Mark and Chris in two close games.
The eighth Finals place will be decided at a South-West qualifying tournament later in the year.
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London Qualifying tournament results |
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WEST OF ENGLAND SCHOOLS' CHAMPIONSHIPS |
Sherborne, 9/10th January 2010 |
[posted 09 January 2010] |
Because of the adverse weather conditions affecting the whole of the UK, and after consultation with the competing schools, the RFA has decided to postpone this weekend's West of England Schools' Championships, which were due to be held in Sherborne. The organisers are now looking into playing the event on the weekend of February 13/14th and will advise potential players as soon as possible.
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OFFICIAL RFA RANKINGS |
London, 30th December 2009 |
[posted 31 December 2009] |
James Toop and Hamish Buchanan have, respectively, secured top spots in the latest singles and doubles rankings. Prepared for the RFA by Dave Hebden, the latest tables reflect the results of the National Singles and Student Championships.
As a result, James Toop, who retained the national singles title (and who has not lost a singles match in
a tournament since the final of the London Open in September 2008), now has clear daylight between himself and the chasing pack, while runner-up John Minta has closed the gap on second-placed Ed Fuller, who missed the National Singles Championship. Also making good progress in the top 10 is Dan Grant – up three places to eighth – while good results for Ed Hatton and Plate-winner Tom Dean and have seen them into the top 20 and top 30 for the first time, respectively.
With the doubles rankings only taking into account the BUCS championships, there's little movement in the top 20. However, after retaining their title in Sherborne, the Durham pair of Inigo Ackland and Alex Griffiths have jumped 14 places to 21st. Runners-up Ed Ronan and Jez Fabes also jump up the rankings, as do Oxford's Sam Adcock, Mark Hine and David Park, who all lost in the semi-finals.
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Click here to see the full rankings |
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SPANISH CIJB DELEGATION VISITS ENGLAND |
London, 16th December 2009 |
[posted 24 December 2009] |
England Handball, the Eton Fives Association and the Rugby Fives Association welcomed a Spanish delegation from world pelota organisation the Confederation Internationale du Jeu de Balle (CIJB), who were visiting to accept England into their federation in time for the Europilota 2010 championships to be held in Valencia.
The CIJB President José Luís López, along with two other officials, watched high quality demonstration matches of both Eton and Rugby fives, before remarking that the skills required for both codes ranked extremely highly in a world context. The day ended with an excellent dinner hosted by Mr López, with Michael Constantinidi and Ron Pattison representing the EFA, Andy Pringle the RFA, and Peter Cohen from England Handball.
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Click here to see Spanish Press coverage of the visit [PDF, 900KB] |
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NATIONAL DOUBLES CHAMPIONSHIP |
Qualifying: regionally, 9/10th January 2010; Finals: Alleyn's School, Dulwich, 27/28th March 2010 |
[posted 20 December 20090] |
Organiser Hamish Buchanan is now accepting entries for the 2010 National Doubles Championship. The four top-seeded pairs will go through automatically to the final rounds at the end of March, with four pairs from the regional qualifying tournaments joining them. Depending on the level of entries, these qualifiers will take place in London, Tiverton and the North over the weekend of 9/10th January 2010. Closing date for entries is January 4th 2010, but for further details simply click on the link below to download the official entry form.
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National Doubles Championship entry form [Word file, 36KB] |
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PRESIDENT'S CUP |
Merchant Taylors School, Northwood, 13th December 2009 |
[posted 13 December 2009] |
As in 2008, so in 2009, the topic of conversation at the end of the President's Cup was of ages and potential records. However, whereas last year saw the youngest ever winner, keen observers of the game thought this year's tournament saw perhaps the widest ever spread of ages in a final, with 16-year old Max Frost facing his fellow Derby Moor player Rob Grey, who is more than 40 years his senior. They were partnered by Ady Lee and John Minta respectively, but in the end it was the experience of John and Rob that won the day, beating their younger opponents comfortably in two games - the first time either of the two has won this trophy.
In truth, these two pairs were arguably the strongest pairs right from the off, and they both came comfortably through their matches on the way to the final without dropping a game. Ady and Max did well to defeat the fancied pair of Bruce Hanton and Bhaswar Baral in the semi-finals, while John and Rob beat the left/right-hand combination of Tom Dean and Alan Bowden at the same stage. Naturally, one pair had to lose their first game in the final, and it was Ady and Max who had to give second best to the power and aggression of John, ably backed by his ever-steady partner.
As is expected on President's Cup day, competition for the three Plate competitions was every bit as fierce, with the closest final being Richard Price and John Keyes' three-game win over Dan Grant and Ian Roberts to claim the T-Pot - John and Richard's second three-game match in that Plate in succession. Keen to emulate his brother, Gareth Price got in on the act, too, combining with Nick Hillier (a last-minute sub for Mark Kiteley, who had to withdraw after the first round) to win the Love Mug, while Bruce Hanton and Bhaswar Baral gained some comfort for their defeat in the main competition's semi-final by taking the Mate's Plate with a dominant display in the final.
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President's Cup results |
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NORTH WEST OPEN CHAMPIONSHIPS |
Y Club, Manchester, 23rd/24th January 2009 |
[posted 11 December 2009] |
Organiser John Beswick is now accepting entries for next year's North West Open Championships, which will be held at the Manchester YMCA Club on the 23rd and 24th of January. Entries for the singles and doubles tournaments close on Saturday January 16th, but for full details, simply click on the link below to download the official entry form.
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NW Open Championships entry form [Word file, 28KB] |
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NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIPS |
St Paul's School, London, 5/6th December 2009 |
[posted 06 December 2009] |
It was a year of emphatic victories in the Men's and Ladies national championships, with James Toop becoming the first man since Ian Fuller in 1998 to retain the national singles title, and Claire Knowles taking the ladies singles and doubles titles for the ninth consecutive time.
Indeed, through the course of the championship, it was clear that James was the class of the field. He conceded just a single point in his first round match, and no more than seven in any one game on his way to the final. By contrast, the rest of the field was having much closer matches: former champion Hamish Buchanan needed three games to beat Alex Rew in the first round, while there were frighteningly tight matches in the quarter-finals between Dan Tristao & Will Ellison and John Minta & Dan Grant.
In the end, it was Dan and John who reached the semis - but with very different outcomes. John had a relatively routine win over former champion Matt Cavanagh, but Dan had to face James Toop, a man clearly on a mission. Indeed, James's form at the start of the first game of their semi was nothing short of breathtaking, and Dan simply had no answer. Sadly for John, James picked up in the final where he left off in the semi, blitzing his opponent with his array of clean winners, accurate hitting, amazing retrieval and sheer speed around the court. Like Dan before him, John had no answer, and although he started the second game well, James soon reeled him in and went on to take the title comfortably.
It was a similar story in the Ladies' championships, where Claire Knowles was again a class apart, winning the singles title without dropping a single point. In the doubles, too, it looked to be heading for a similar conclusion as Claire and partner Melanie Whitehead reached the final after dropping just two points in their semi-final.
However, in the final, they were to face Anita Ganguly and Charlotta Cooley, a pair who had conceded just one point in their first two matches. Although they were playing in their first Rugby Fives tournament, both used their considerable Eton- and 1-Wall Fives experience to push the reigning champions hard. Both girls improved visibly during the day's play, and it's testament to how far they came in just that time that they forced Claire to visibly raise her game in response. In the end, Claire and Melanie emerged as the winners - and rightly so - but Anita and Charlotta can take great credit from their performance. Likewise, in the plate, the spoils went to another pairing more used to the three-walled game, with Cambridge's Emmalina Thompsell and Charlie Farquharson-Roberts beating Megan Griffith and Caroline Makepeace in two keenly contested games.
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National Open Singles Championship results National Ladies' Championships results |
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NATIONAL STUDENT/BUCS CHAMPIONSHIPS |
Sherborne, 20th/22nd November 2009 |
[posted 22 November 2009] |
The venue may have moved from Edinburgh to Sherborne, but it was the same winners as in 2008 who walked away with the main prizes at the 2009 BUCS Championships. That meant that Oxford's Dan Tristao won the singles championship - making this his third consecutive title in the event - while Durham's Inigo Ackland and Alex Griffiths took the doubles title.
In both cases, players from Oxford were the runners-up, and Jez Fabes had the unenviable claim to fame of being a double runner-up, in both the singles and (with partner Ed Ronan) in the doubles. However, there was a wide spread of universities represented in the latter stages of both the main and plate competitions, with an Imperial pair winning the plate doubles over a pair from Glasgow and Middlesex.
That said, according to Dave Hebden's calculations for the unoficial Team Championship, the BUCS event saw a dominant performance from Oxford University - and, indeed, three of the four doubles semi-finals were from there, as were the two singles finalists. Durham were clear in second place, while Glasgow (through Richie Murby's efforts) took third place.
The event was the 50th running of the championships, and it - like every previous one - was overseen by David Gardner. So, on the Saturday evening of the tournament, a reception was hosted by Sherborne School, where a gathering of past and present players and champions gathered to show their appreciation of his efforts over so many years. After speeches from RFA President Frank Akerman and BUCS Chief Executive Karen Rothery, David was presented with a small memento to mark his 50 years' organisation and duly received the prolonged round of applause he so richly deserved.
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BUCS Championships results |
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HANDBALL END-OF-SEASON TOURNAMENT |
Westway Sports Centre, London, 28th November 2009 |
[posted 16 November 2009] |
England Handball are celebrating the end of their most successful season ever with a doubles tournament at the end of November, and are inviting all Rugby Fives players to come along and have a go. Several well known Rugby Fives players – including RFA Gen Sec Andy Pringle and his fellow board member Ady Lee, as well as OMTs Dan Grant, Richard Price and Gareth Price – are already signed up to play, and more are welcome. The organisers also hope to have friends from all over the world playing, including a couple from the USA, one of whom is the current World Doubles Champion.
The competition will be a round-robin handicapped doubles competition, and every player will have at least six matches, each with a different partner, accruing points during the day. The final will then be between the four top-scoring players, and the winners and runners-up will take away prizes. After the day's play, everyone will retire to a local pub, where the 'Player of the Season' will also receive an award.
Anyone who is interested in playing should click on the link below to email organiser Anita Ganguly as soon as possible.
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Click here to send an email to Anita Ganguly |
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WINCHESTER FIVES NORTHERN DOUBLES TOURNAMENT |
Sedbergh School, Sedbergh, Cumbria, 8th November 2009 |
[posted 12 November 2009] |
Ten pairs entered the tournament, including three pairs from Rossall, led by their master i/c fives Tom Root, a couple of pairs from the White Rose Club and players from the Manchester YMCA, as well as a good showing from the Sedbergh boys and staff. Two groups of five pairs played a round robin from which the top two in each group went into the main semi finals and the third and fourth placed pairs went into the plate.
The groups went largely as predicted, setting up a mouth watering main final between Richard Guthrie/David Fox and John Minta/Bob Sandie. It was a classic match-up between the hard-hitting Minta/Sandie combination and the guile and accuracy of a pair much more accustomed to the Winchester courts. The high quality match was close at all stages and fittingly went deep into the third game of a best of three to 15, with Guthrie and Fox coming out on top winning 15-13 in the decider. Rarely can a buttress have been hit so often and so hard!
The plate final was between the 'Sedbergh Classics masters' pairing of Jon Lidiard and Lawrence Catlow and the Rossall pair of Tom Root and one of his senior players. The best of three to 11 match looked set to go the distance when the lead in the first game changed hands several times before the Rossall pair edged it 11-9. This was not to be the case, however, as the Sedbergh pairing faded in the second game, giving the big hitting Rossall pair a deserved 2-0 win.
It is to be hoped that more pairs will be able to enter this tournament in the future and raise the overall standard of the event to give the top couple of pairs, who produced a final of high pace and real quality, a bit more competition!
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Winchester Fives Northern Doubles tournament results |
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SCHOOLS' WINCHESTER FIVES DOUBLES CHAMPIONSHIP |
Winchester College, 8th November 2009 |
[posted 08 November 2009] |
Twelve pairs entered from five schools, including a first entry from Blundell's whose young players gained some valuable experience in the art of Winchester Fives. It was good to have entries from Radley, where a Fives renaissance is starting under Ed Brooke, and from the ever-reliable Marlborough, whose first pair gave Winchester I a real battle in the quarter-finals and took away the plate as a deserved reward for their efforts.
But it was St. Paul's and Winchester who dominated the later stages of the main competition, their top two pairs contesting both semi-finals, with the respective first pairs reaching the final. The final was a good three-game match, the hard-hitting Winchester pair taking the first game but failing to match the increasing accuracy and court-craft of the Paulines, who won the next two games with comparative ease. This was the fourth win for St. Paul's in the eight years of this event.
Many thanks to Winchester College for its facilities and to Giles Munn, the new master-in-charge, for his assistance.
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Schools' Winchester Fives Doubles results |
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NATIONAL LADIES' CHAMPIONSHIPS |
St Paul's School, Barnes, 6th December 2009 |
[posted 08 November 2009] |
Organiser Melanie Whitehead is now accepting entries for the Ladies Championships, which will take place at St Paul's on the first Sunday of December. Both the singles and doubles events will take place on the same day, and the closing date for entries is Wednesday 25th November. For full details, click on the link below to download the official entry form.
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Ladies Championships entry form [Word file, 32KB] |
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BUCS/NATIONAL STUDENT CHAMPIONSHIPS |
Sherborne, Dorset, 20th/22nd November 2009 |
[posted 08 November 2009] |
BUCS has today published the draw for its Rugby Fives championships. Held at Sherborne in just under a fortnight, what is the 50th running of the event promises to be a fine event. In both the singles and doubles, the champions are back to defend their title - the Durham pair of Inigo Ackland & Alex Griffiths in the doubles, and Oxford's Dan Tristao in the singles, who is looking for his third successive win at the event. For the full draw - and information regarding the tournament - click on the links below.
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BUCS Championships draw [Excel file, 88KB] Tournament information [PDF, 96KB] |
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OFFICIAL RFA RANKINGS |
London, 8th November 2009 |
[posted 08 November 2009] |
The latest official rankings, prepared on behalf of the RFA by Dave Hebden, have just been released, and they make very interesting reading - especially given the upcoming qualifying tournaments for the National Singles Championship.
The top four in the rankings automatically qualify for the finals of the National Singles, which made Dan Tristao's loss to Dan Grant in the West of England Championship crucial. As a result, while Dan G jumped up four places to 11th, Dan T dropped down to fifth, allowing Hamish Buchanan to claim the vital fourth spot in the rankings. Also climbing up one spot in the top 10 was Will Ellison, while the top three of James Toop, Ed Fuller and John Minta was unchanged. The only other major move in the top 20 was Alan Beverly's rise to 16th, and the biggest moves happened much lower down, with Gareth Price climbing into the top 50, James Bristow rising 10 places to 54th and Ed Brooke a new entrant at 55th.
In the doubles rankings, too, the top three were unaltered, with Hamish Buchanan clearly in first place, followed by John Minta and Marcus Bate. However, following his win in Clifton, Will Ellison climbs to fourth, and while his partner Hal Mohammed only climed one place to ninth, he has put clear daylight between him and those immediately behind him.
Again, the biggest moves were lower down: Charlie Brooks and Alan Beverly both had big leaps up the chart after reaching the semi-finals in Clifton, while Bob Sandie jumped 13 places after reaching the final in the Yorkshire Open. The biggest jump came from Paul Manning, plate winner at Giggleswick, while Derby Moor schoolboy Anthony Goodwin climbed 19 places to 47th after reaching the quarter-finals at Clifton. For the full rankings, simply click on the link below.
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Click here to see the latest RFA rankings |
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UCS RUGBY FIVES CLUB |
London, 8th November 2009 |
[posted 08 November 2009] |
UCS Old Boys Rugby Fives Club has been in touch with the RFA to say that it is looking to grow its membership. The club plays at UCS school, in Hampstead, North London, on Monday and Wednesday evenings from 6.30pm and on other days by arrangement. Organiser Huw Aveston says that the club members are 'a friendly bunch in our late twenties with occasional players right through the age range.'
He invites anyone who might be interested in playing the game - whether local players who normally go to other clubs, or lapsed players of the game - to get in touch with him, either by email using the link below or by mobile phone on 07780 975 315.
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Click here to send an email to Huw Aveston |
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BOOK ABOUT JESTERS' CO-FOUNDER JOCK BURNET |
8th November 2009 |
[posted 08 November 2009] |
Jock Burnet was Bursar of Magdalene College, Cambridge, from 1949 to 1977. But he was much more than that, for he was a man who touched many lives. He was a don who had much influence behind the scenes, not least in Cambridge, the Church of England, independent education and court games. He co-founded the Jesters Cricket Club while still a schoolboy at St Paul’,s and out of that grew the premier court games club in the world – the Jesters.
To mark the 80th anniversary of the Jesters in 2008 and, in 2009, the 60th anniversary of the match and fixture known as the Past versus Present, Richard Morgan has put together this portrait of the man who for forty years was President of Cambridge University Rugby Fives Club. A fine player of the game at
St. Paul’s and Cambridge, Jock Burnet left a legacy that enriched the game at all levels. The list of contributors to this very readable book includes three former captains of Cambridge Fives, Dennis Silk, Richard Morgan and Bob Dolby, the latter relating Jock’s particular contribution to Fives.
Profits from this privately published book will go to Mencap. A copy can be obtained at a cost of £27.50 (inc. p&p) from Richard Morgan at: Warmans, Bodenham, Salisbury, Wiltshire SP5 4EU (cheques to be made out to Richard Morgan – Book Account).
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PRESIDENT'S CUP |
Merchant Taylors' School, Northwood, 13th December 2009 |
[posted 03 November 2009] |
Applications for entry into this years' President's Cup are now being accepted. However, everyone who wishes to play should be aware of the changes to the usual procedure. In the light of the problems we encountered with the postal service
last year, as well as the further problems caused by various postal strikes earlier this year (and potentially more in the future), we have abandoned the previous postal
entry system in favour of an email-based approach.
The entry form is being distributed by email and here on the RFA website, and we ask everyone who would like to be considered for an
entry into the competition to apply to the organisers by email. If you do not have access to email, they will also accept entries by
telephone. They will acknowledge receipt of every application, and all entries must be received by Sunday November 29th. Then, on Monday
30th, a random draw will take place to select from the applicants the 32 players who will compete on the day, as well as a list of
reserves, all of whom will be notified immediately of their successful application. For full details, simply click on the link below to download the official entry form.
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2009 President's Cup entry form [PDF, 68KB] |
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NATIONAL SINGLES CHAMPIONSHIP |
Qualifying - various locations, 14/15th November
Finals - St Paul's School, Barnes, 5/6th December 2009 |
[posted 28 October 2009] |
Organiser Ed Hatton is now accepting entries for the National Singles Championship. This will start with three regional qualifying events (in London, the North and the South West), which will produce 12 players to join the top four ranked players, who qualify automatically for the final rounds.
The regional events will take place on either the 14th or 15th of November, depending on the location, with the final rounds taking place at St Paul's School, Barnes, on the weekend of December 5/6th. For full details, use the link below to download the official entry form.
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National Singles Championship entry form [Word file, 44KB] |
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RUGBY SCHOOL'S NEW COURTS |
Rugby, September 2010 |
[posted 28 October 2009] |
The superb news that Rugby School is definitely going ahead with the building of its propsed new Fives courts has just reached the RFA. Work will start next month, and it is hoped that, following the long drying-out process for the structure, the first ball will be hit in anger on the courts in September 2010.
The news marks the culmination of a successful appeal to raise £200,000, which has been contributed to by many Fives players, as well as the RFA itself and the RFA Charitable Trust. The school paid particular tribute to Old Rugbeian - and now RFA Deputy President - Dick Warner, whose efforts in the 2008 Crick Run at the school raised more than £10,000 alone.
The plan is for work to work to start in November, with a party to christen the courts next September. As the Rugbeians' own website says, "This has been a triumph of generosity, cooperation and camaraderie over the demons of doubt and pessimism. Thank you so much and here's to next September!"
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WEST OF ENGLAND CHAMPIONSHIPS |
Clifton College, Bristol, 24/25th October 2009 |
[posted 25 October 2009] |
A field that was big on quality and quantity assembled for the West of England Championships, which made a return to Clifton after a year away in Sherborne last year.
That quality meant that close games were guaranteed from the off: in the first round, for example, England Handball captain Ady Lee went out to James Bristow, while Gareth Price scored a notable win over Jim Hughes in three games. The tightest game of the round, though, pitted together the masters in charge of Fives at Radley and Marlborough, resulting in a win for Radley’s Ed Brooke over Tom Kiggell – 12-10 in the third.
In the second round, too, there were plenty of close matches – including Dave Fox needing three games to beat Andy Pringle – but in the end, the top seeds made it through to the quarter-finals. Here, in the top half of the draw, first and fourth seeds James Toop and Will Ellison had comfortable wins, while second seed John Minta also safely secured his place in the semis. The highlight of the quarter-finals, though, was a meeting of the two Dans – Grant and Tristao – and although Dan T staged a remarkable comeback to nick a first game that Dan G really should have won, Dan G held his nerve to win the next two.
He then pushed John Minta hard in the first game of their semi-final, but John took that 11-8, before going on win the second comfortably. The other semi-final was a very different affair, and in a topsy-turvy match, James and Will shared the first two games, before James took the third comfortably.
The final, though, was all very much one-way traffic. James quickly took the initiative, forcing John onto the back foot and into an uncharacteristically large number of errors. The defending champion was on top throughout, and although John could claim to have been the victim of poor luck a couple of times, James comfortably regained his title in two games – his third successive title at these championships.
The doubles, too, proved to be a remarkable competition, and it was great to see the College’s courts graced not just by some Clifton schoolboys, but also by their headmaster and master-in-charge. In the end, though, the seedings generally held good, and seven of the eight seeds reached the quarter-finals. The one non-seeded pair was the young Derby Moor pair Anthony Goodwin and Max Frost, who had benefited from Jim Hughes’ withdrawal to win their first-round match.
In the quarter-finals, though, they had a rude awakening against Will Ellison and Hal Mohammed, who won in two swift games. Will and Hal were joined in the semis by the defending champions, Marcus Bate & James Toop, as well as many people’s favourites for the title, John Minta and Hamish Buchanan. The closest match of the quarters saw Dan Grant & Ady Lee clash with the ex-Cambridge pairing of Alan Beverly and Charlie Brooks. Ady and Dan took the first, only for their opponents to hit back, taking a close second game and then sealing the match with an 11-5 win in the third.
Almost incredibly, both semi-finals went the distance, where the quality of Fives was just as incredible. In the first match, Will and Hal just held their nerve to take the first game against John and Hamish, but the more experienced pair hit back to take the second comfortably. The third game was nip and tuck to 6-all, but then Hall and – especially – Will stepped up a gear, hitting clean winners from all over the court and wrapping up the last five points in double-quick time.
In the other semi, meanwhile, Marcus and James were struggling with the power and persistent retrieval of their younger opponents, and Alan and Charlie took the first game. James and Marcus came back to take the second game, but the third seemed to be slipping away from then when they found themselves 9-7 down. However, a couple of vital unforced errors from the opposition allowed them back into the game, and they eventually sealed their place in the final.
This was a repeat of last year’s final in this event, but the result was to be very different. The first game was very tight, and both pairs had game-ball before Will and Hal eventually took it 12-10. But, it was what happened in the next game that will live long in Fives folklore. Incredibly, both Will and Hal stepped up a gear, and both started to hit clean winners seemingly at will. Faced with such an onslaught, James and Marcus simply couldn’t get into the rallies, and they lost the game to love, as Will and Hal won their first ever open Rugby Fives title together.
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West of England Championships results |
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WINCHESTER FIVES NORTHERN DOUBLES TOURNAMENT |
Sedbergh School, Sedbergh, Cumbria, 8th November 2009 |
[posted 20 October 2009] |
Organiser Laurence Catlow is now accepting entries for this year's Winchester Fives Northern Doubles tournament, which takes place at Sedbergh School on Sunday November 8th. Entries must be received (either by post to Laurence or by email to the school's new master in charge, Jon Liddiard) by November 4th, and it costs £10 per pair to enter, with the exception of schoolby pairs, for whom there is no charge. For full details of the event, simply click on the link below to download the official entry form.
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Winchester Fives Northern Doubles entry form [PDF, 340KB] |
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OFFICIAL RFA RANKINGS |
London, 16th October 2009 |
[posted 18 October 2009] |
The latest RFA rankings - prepared on behalf of the Association by Dave Hebden - have just been published. They take into account last month's London Championships and, while there is little movement at the top of the singles rankings, there are interesting moves lower down.
In the singles, James Toop, Ed Fuller and John Minta retain first, second and third positions respectively, but Hamish Buchanan is only just behind Dan Tristao, who remains in fourth spot. A strong performance in the forthcoming West of England Championships could see those positions swap round, which will have important ramifications, as the top four in the singles rankings will qualfy automatically for the last 16 of the National Singles Championship. Meanwhile, lower down, Will Ellison jumps up a place and closes in on Matt Cavanagh who clings on to sixth place, and Tom Maconie jumps up to 11th place.
In the doubles, John Minta's win in the London Open (with Ed Fuller) sees him overtake Marcus Bate and secure second place behind Hamish, whose London partner, Ben Taberner, climbs to fourth. Meanwhile, London semi-finalist Hal Mohammed makes the top 10, and there are good moves upwards for Alan Beverly, Mark Gibbor, Ed Ronan, James Bristow and Jez Fabes. To see the full rankings, simply click on the link below.
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WORLD HANDBALL CHAMPIONSHIPS |
Portland, Oregon, USA, 4/11th October 2009 |
[posted 14 October 2009] |
The largest number of English players ever to compete in the World Handball Championships have ensured that the 2009 event has been the most successful event ever for the country.
A total of 12 players competed – nine men and three women – and Team England had some truly impressive results: in the men's C grade, for instance, Richard Price was a semi-finalist in both the One Wall Big Ball singles and (with partner Andy Pringle) doubles, while Luke Stradwick and Gareth Price reached the quarter-finals of the four-wall event. This latter effort was a particularly notbable achivement, given that none of the English players had even set foot on a four-wall handball court, let alone played the game, before reaching Portland.
The most success, however, came in the Men's B category: not only did Dan Grant reach the semi-final of the One Wall Big Ball singles, the doubles final was an all-English affair, with the Rugby Fives pairing of Ady Lee and Dan Grant defeating the Eton Fives pair of Pete White and (a sadly flu-ridden) Pete Cohen. This ensured England's first ever piece of crystalware from a World Handball Championship.
However, this wasn't the last win for England in Portland, as the Federation Cup (a Davis Cup-style event) ran alongside the World Championships. Although neither the men's nor ladies' teams qualified for the Federation Cup finals, they both reached the final of the ELA Cup (an event that performs a role like the Europa League does compared to the Champions League in football). The women (Kerry White, Anita Ganguly and Emmalina Thompsell) lost out to the Dutch, but the men (Ady, Dan and the two Petes) went one better, claiming their ELA Cup with a 2-0 win over Mexico. As a result, the men are now ranked fifth in the world, while the women are even higher, in fourth.
Last, but very definitely not least, the entire English team also played an Ashes series – singles and doubles – against their friends and rivals from Australia, and the good news is that, just as in cricket, so in handball, the Ashes are now back in England! Which, at the time of writing, is more than squad-member Gareth Price is, after he mistakenly booked his return flight for a day later than the rest of the team...
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YORKSHIRE OPEN DOUBLES TOURNAMENT |
Giggleswick School, 10th October 2009 |
[posted 13 October 2009] |
Pirate bandannas, knee braces and a psychedelically decorated Goth were all in evidence at the 2009 Yorkshire Open Double Tournament; and that was just amongst the players, writes Ian Roberts.
A small (but select) entry of seven pairs led the organiser to abandon the usual knock-out format for the Tournament, and instead all pairs were initially pitted against each other in a 21-game Round Robin, playing one game to 15. This split the pairs into the top four and the bottom three. The two top pairs would play the final of the Main Tournament, and the third and fourth pairs played in the Plate final.
The results of the Round Robin games were not wholly predictable, and an excellent 15-13 victory by trans-Pennine partners John Minta and Bob Sandie secured their place in the Main Final against top seeds Hamish Buchanan and Ben Taberner, relegating Neil Roberts and Richard Sutcliffe to the Plate Final against locals Tim Widdop and Paul Manning.
According to the Tournament rules, the two Finals were to be played as best of three games to 11, but in the Main Competition, the masochistic finalists agreed to play their games to 15 instead. The Final was notable for its hard hitting, with Ben piling the pressure onto Bob, and John Minta occasionally leaping into action with volleys to try to break up the action. One spectacular dive (after all, he does play for a Manchester-based club!) saw him get a finger tip to a ball achieving a cross court shot that had Ben diving for the front wall himself on the left, despite his surgical supporter, but without the same success. Nevertheless, notwithstanding the energy expended, John and Bob were not rewarded with success, with the final rally of the match being determined by a scorching shot from Ben which hit Bob on the full toss. An eminently satisfactory result for Ben on his first outing to the Giggleswick courts with regular attendee Hamish as they took the JH Whitley Trophy.
Over on the second court, Richard Sutcliffe took in some reefs on his own knee brace as he joined Neil Roberts to sally forth in the Plate Final against WRRFC stalwarts 'Tiger' Tim Widdop (so called from the branding of the yellow heavy-duty gardening gloves that he now wears as a cheaper alternative to more conventional manual protection) and Paul Manning. Paul and the Tiger had succumbed to Neil and Richard in their Round Robin preliminary; would this result be sustained or reversed? The result was indeed a reversal, and by a convincing 11-3, 11-5 scoreline, suggesting that the senior players were tiring and their younger opponents had sharpened their partnership.
The Round Robin format for the initial games meant that the Tournament flowed swiftly after its 11am start, with a minimum of players being left standing around waiting for a court. As a result, the Finals could start by 4-45 pm, even allowing for a half-hour rest after the last games in the Round Robin. Both finals even finished in daylight hours, provoking concern that the Black Horse might not yet be open for the obligatory post-Tournament Taylor’s Landlord Bitter and food. Mercifully, the former worry proved to be unjustified, although the latter issue led to us eating a little later than hoped. Much hilarity was had by all asking Bob Sandie how high he could raise his arm before the onset of his shoulder strain, and getting a graphic demonstration, which a passing waitress somehow interpreted as a call for extra vegetables at the table, which were despatched with gusto, regardless of his muscular spasms.
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Yorkshire Open Results |
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WEST OF ENGLAND CHAMPIONSHIPS |
Clifton College, Bristol, 24/25th October 2009 |
[posted 30 September 2009] |
Organiser Peter Dunscombe is now accepting entries for the West of England Championships, which are returning to Clifton College this year. They will be played over the weekend of October 24/25th, with the singles on the Saturday and doubles on the Sunday, as usual. Entry costs £12 for the singles and £16 per pair for the doubles (or £14 and £20 respectively for non-RFA members) and entries must be received by Wednesday October 14th, with the draws being made on the 16th. For full details, simply click on the link below to download the official entry form.
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West of England Championships entry form [Word file, 32KB] |
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OWERS TROPHY |
St Paul's School, Barnes, 26th September 2009 |
[posted 27 September 2009] |
Eight teams took part in this year's Owers Trophy, but the title went to a team making its debut in the competition, and one which was the first to represent the old boys of a prep school: the Old Pilgrims.
Right from the start of the round-robin group stages, the team had looked very impressive, chalking up a victory over the three-times winners, the Alleyn Old Boys. The only disappointment came when an injury to Harry Akerman forced him to withdraw. However, with Jules Pearce-Smith drafted into to replace him, the Old Pilgrims duly topped their group to claim a semi-final place alongside the Alleyn Old Boys, who had comfortable wins in their remaining games to take second place.
The second pool, by contrast, was a much tighter affair, with the Old Paulines, Old Olavians and Old Eastbournians fighting for the two semi-final places. All three took maximum points against the Old Oundelians, and in the end just 18 points separated first place from third in the group.
Filling that third place were the Old Eastbournians, but they had some consolation for their failure to reach the semi-final with a victory in the Plate competition. In the end, although the Olavians beat the Paulines (a remarkable feat, given that St Olave's has no Rugby Fives courts), it was the Paulines who topped the group, thanks to a higher points total.
That meant that the first semi-final was a repeat of the last three finals: the Old Paulines faced the Alleyn Old Boys. In the first round of matches, the Paulines effectively sealed the tie. Ady Lee and Charlie Brooks conceded just a point in beating the Ackland brothers, while Mark Gibbor and Alex Griffiths narrowly beat Hamish Buchanan and Peter Hanton, so the Paulines were 16 points up ahead of the return matches. Although they lost both, the games were tight, and the Paulines took the match by 10 points.
The second semi-final was not quite as close, with the Pilgrims first pair of Will Ellison and Hal Mohammed scoring two wins in their two matches, including a fine 15-8 win over the hitherto unbeaten Olavians, James Toop and Peter Cohen. Although James and Pete hit back to beat Nick Wolstenholme and Jules Pearce-Smith, the relative lack of Rugby Fives experience in the Olavian second pair (Peter White and Howard Wiseman) cost them, and the Old Pilgrims notched up a 20-point win overall.
In the final, Hal and Will picked up where they left off, winning their first game and conceding just six points. However, perhaps more crucially, Pilgrims' second pair (Nick and Jules) scored 12 in losing to Mark and Alex, meaning that Pilgrims went into the second round of matches six points to the good.
As
a result, although Ady and Charlie beat Nick and Jules to four, it wasn't enough - on the neighbouring court, Will and Hal beat Mark and Alex by the same score, ensuring a six-point win for the Old Pilgrims.
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Owers Trophy results |
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NATIONAL STUDENT/BUCS CHAMPIONSHIPS |
Sherborne, 20th-22nd November 2009 |
[posted 27 September 2009] |
Players have just a month to complete their entry forms for the 2009 National Student Championships, and the forms are now available here on the RFA website. Entries close on October 29th, and the competition will include both singles and doubles championships, with Plate competitions if there is sufficient time and interest. In addition, as this is the 50th running of the event, there will be a reception at the host school on the Saturday evening, and entrants are asked to advise the organisers if they plan to attend, so as to allow them to gauge roughly how many people will be there. For full details of the weekend's events, simply download the relevant forms using the links below.
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BUCS Championships information sheet [PDF, 20KB] BUCS Championships entry form [PDF, 16KB] |
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OWERS TROPHY |
St Paul's School, Barnes, 26th September 2009 |
[posted 14 September 2009] |
Organiser Alex Smith is now accepting entries for the Owers Trophy, which is to be held at St Paul's School on Saturday September 26th. The competition is open to teams of old boys from the same school, and although the precise format will depend on the number of entries, it is expected to consist of a round-robin group stage followed by a knockout. A Plate competition will also be played. Teams are allowed to have a squad, but players can only be swapped between (and not during) matches. Entries close on Wednesday September 23rd, and for full details, simply click on the link below to download the official entry form, which can be emailed back to Alex to enter.
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Owers Trophy entry form [Word document, 40KB] |
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LONDON OPEN CHAMPIONSHIPS |
Whigift School, Croydon, 12/13th September 2009 |
[posted 13 September 2009] |
The return of the London Open to Whitgift was accompanied by some welcome late-summer sunshine - for the singles at least - and the broadest smiles at the end of two days' fierce competition were on the faces of the three title-winners, none of whom had ever won a title at these championships before.
In both competitions, the high quality of entrants ensured some tight matches from the off: in just the first round of the singles, Andy Pringle and Tom Dean had a full-blooded encounter that saw Tom prevail in two tight games, while it took eighth seed Ed Hatton three games to overcome the challenge of Gareth Price. It was little wonder, then, that the losers of these two games would go on to contest the Plate final, with Andy surviving a fightback from Gareth to emerge on top with a 15-11 win.
Generally, though, the tournament went with the seedings, and the top seven seeds all made it through to the quarter-finals. The only non-seeded player remaining was Alan Beverly, returning to tournament play after a while away. Sadly for him, he faced national champion James Toop, and the top seed was in good form, taking a win in two games. Also following the form book into the semi-finals were the second and third seeds, Ed Fuller and John Minta, with wins over Marcus Bate and Tom Maconie respectively.
However, the fourth quarter-final saw something of an upset, when Will Ellison put out the three-time winner of this event, Hamish Buchanan. With Hamish struggling to find his length, Will could dominate the match and finally secure a tournament win over Hamish. It was all the more impressive, given that the pair's last tournament match - in July's South West Open - had seen a crushing win for Hamish.
Come the semi-finals, the form book held sway again: Ed Fuller was simply too steady for John Minta, who by his own admission was a little below par, while Will struggled to lift his game again after his win in the previous round. That said, he retrieved manfully against James and played plenty of good shots in a match full of superb rallies. However, more often that not, James could find the crucial winner, and won through to face Ed in a repeat of the last two years' finals in this competition.
That, though, was where the similarity ended. This time, Ed struggled to find his length, allowing James to dominate the match, dictating the pace and forcing errors from the defending champion. James took the first game quickly, and followed it by taking a good lead in the second; and, although Ed fought back, James was able to close the match out, claiming one of the few titles that has so far eluded him.
In the doubles, too, the quality of the entry was impressively high - so high in fact that, when two seeded pairs fell at the first hurdle, neither result was exactly an upset. Still, for the pairings of James Bristow/Nick Wolstenholme and Chris Burrows/Mark Gibbor, their wins over Pringle/Maconie and Hatton/Korris were notable victories.
In the end, the semi-final line-up was completed by the four top seeds - but not without a fight. Will Ellison and Hal Mohammed only edged past Dan Grant and Ady Lee, while Bristow & Wolstenholme came close to taking a game off Marcus Bate & James Toop before losing in two. However, the highlight of the quarter-finals was a no-holds-barred, hard-hitting clash between defending champions Hamish Buchanan & Ben Taberner and Alan Beverly & Charlie Brooks. It went down to the wire, with both sides having match-ball in the third game, before Hamish Ben finally sealed it 12-11.
Ominously, though, it was the previously untested pairing of Ed Fuller and John Minta who had the easiest path through the draw. They conceded just two points in a quarter-final win over Burrows & Gibbor, and followed that with an comprehensive win over Bate & Toop to reach the final. Here they would face Ben & Hamish, who had beaten Will & Hal in a strange match - the younger pair came out with all guns blazing, hitting winners from all over the court to take an apparently unassailable 8-1 lead; yet, from then on, the momentum changed, mistakes crept in, and Hamish and Ben fought back, scoring 10 unanswered points to take the first game, then following that up with an 11-4 win in the second.
The final promised drama, and it delivered - before the players had even got on court. In a moment of madness, Hamish locked his gloves in his van and, despite frantic phone calls home for the spare keys, he had to take to court with a pair of gloves borrowed from his opponents! Perhaps unsurprisingly, Ed and John went into an early lead, and although Hamish and Ben pegged them back, they clung on to take a tight first game 11-9. The second game, on the other hand, was pretty much one-way traffic, and Ed and John took it 11-3, sealing their first title in their first competition together. Sadly, however, they weren't able to lift their first trophy together. That too was locked in Hamish's van...
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London Open Championships results |
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UK OPEN SINGLES HANDBALL CHAMPIONSHIPS |
Westway Sports Centre, London, 5th September 2009 |
[posted 07 September 2009] |
With players from as far afield as Wales, Ireland and Belgium joining the English handballers, there was a real international flavour to the 31 players in this year's UK Open Handball Championships. In the end, though, it was home-grown players who picked up the day's top trophies.
There were separate competitions for men and women, with the men’s split into two categories - Open and Challenger - but every competition began with a group stage, and the top players from each group qualified for the knockout stage. With every match played to a strict 15-minute time limit, the action throughout the day was fast and frenetic, with some players literally throwing themselves around the court in a desperate bid to return the ball.
The final of the women’s competition was an all-English affair, and saw Kerry White confirm her position as England’s top player with an emphatic win over Ashley Lumbard.
The Men’s Challenger category saw a real mix of players, and in the end, the final was played out between Irishman Fintan Creamer ( runner-up in the same category in the Irish National Championships) and top-ten-ranked Rugby Fives player Will Ellison, who was trying handball for the first time.
Perhaps amazingly, Will took the first game in the best-of-three final, only to see Fintan take a tight second game to send the match into a decider. Here, after a tentative start from both players, eventually it was Fintan’s greater experience that proved crucial, taking him through to a well-deserved win. Ireland was also the destination for the Men's Open Plate, after Tadgh Carroll beat Anthony Theodossi.
In the Men’s Open, there was plenty of local success, with no less than five of the eight quarter-finalists coming from England: the country’s top four of Ady Lee, Pete Cohen, Dan Grant and Pete White joined by RFA General Secretary Andy Pringle.
The draw meant that at least two had to fall at this hurdle, though, and while England captain Ady overwhelmed fellow RFA board member Andy, the EFA's Pete Cohen had to play his best to edge out Dan of the RFA. Also falling at this stage was EFA member Pete White, who lost out to Justin Evans from Wales. The last quarter-final, meanwhile, was an all-international affair, and saw Belgium’s Bastien Van Nuffelen knock out Welshman Keith Wilde.
Sadly, hopes of an all-English final were dashed when Justin beat Ady in their semi-final; and, for a while, it looked as if there might be no Englishman at all in the final, as Pete Cohen was 9-11 down to Bastien with just a couple of minutes to play in their semi-final. However, showing true grit and determination, Pete rallied at the crucial time, and managed to close the game out 13-11. It was this form that he carried through to the final, where his hard hitting and fine athleticism carried him through to a comfortable win over Justin.
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UK Open Singles Handball Championships results |
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YORKSHIRE OPEN DOUBLES TOURNAMENT |
Giggleswick, 10th October 2009 |
[posted 06 September 2009] |
Organiser Ian Roberts is now accepting entries for the Yorkshire Open Doubles Tournament, which will take place at Gigleswick School on Saturday October 10th. Entry costs £10 per person (or £8 for RFA members), and entries must be received by Thursday October 8th. Play will start at 11am on the day, and the whole competition (including a Plate tournament) will be played on the dame day – a day which, the organiser assures us, will finish with 'some traditional Yorkshire hospitality'. For full details of the event, simply click on the link below to download the official entry form.
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Yorkshire Open Doubles entry form [Word document, 52KB] |
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OFFICIAL RFA RANKINGS |
London, 31st August 2009 |
[posted 31 August 2009] |
The RFA today published the latest official singles and doubles rankings. And, while there is not much change at the very top of the lists, there are some interesting moves lower down.
The latest rankings take into account the most recent tournament - the South West Open Championships - and see the tournament's top performers gain ground on those ahead of them. Although singles winner Hamish Buchanan and runner-up Will Ellison remain in fifth and eighth positions respectively, they have considerably narrowed the gap on those in fourth and seventh. A little lower down, good results in Tiverton have seen see Tom Maconie, Ed Hatton, Pete Cohen, Jim Hughes, Tom Kiggell, Stuart Watson, John Savery and Gareth Price make good progress up the rankings .
Likewise, in the doubles rankings, Hamish Buchanan (champion again in the South West Championship) retains his top spot, but below there are some significant changes. In particular, Marcus Bate overtakes John Minta to take second position in the rankings, while his partner Will Ellison closes in on fourth position. Significant moves up the rankings also come from John Beswick and Tom Maconie, both losing semi-finalists, partnering John Minta and Andy Pringle respectively, while Andy moves into the top ten for the first time. Gareth and Richard Price, Hew Aveston, Ed Brooke, Richard Bury, Tom Kiggell, and Seb King also make upward progress following the South West, but for the full details of the new rankings, simply click on the link below.
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Click here for the latest official RFA rankings |
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RFA WEBSITE |
London, 31st August 2009 |
[posted 31 August 2009] |
The more keen-eyed observers of the RFA website will notice a couple of new additions in the left-hand menu from today: Links and Videos. To make it easier to get around the site, we have moved the Links from the bottom of the page to the main navigation menu; and, at the same time, a more major addition is that of the Videos section.
This will exist side-by-side with the existing Gallery (for still photographs), and will include reports and films that we think will be of interest to RFA members. Already on the site are reports from RFA tournaments from the last year, as well as some films on 1-Wall Fives. All these have already been seen on Facebook and Youtube, but we are publishing them here so that all our members - and casual web browsrers, for that matter - can find and see them more easily. More clips and reports will be added in due course, and (as is the case for photographs) the RFA welcomes any submissions from members.
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Click here to see the RFA's new Videos page |
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FUND-RAISING APPEAL FOR COURTS AT RUGBY |
Rugby School, 19th August 2009 |
[posted 20 August 2009] |
Given the depths of the economic crisis we find ourselves in, it's great news to be able to report that the appeal for funds to build two new Fives courts at Rugby School has already raised £160,000. However, word has just reached the RFA of a fantastic offer from Old Rugbeian John Harland in a bid to reach the ultimate target of £200,000.
He has promised to match any donation from a first-time donor to the appeal between now and the end of this year. This is a fantastic opportunity, and we would encourage anyone who has not yet donated to this most significant of appeals to make a donation. We would also encourage everyone to spread the word of this offer, as the School is ready to start building as soon as the funds are in place.
As a final incentive, both the school and John are happy to honour their sides of the bargain if, rather than make a substantial donation at once, any donor wishes to spread the donation over a period of 10 years. In other words, rather donate £1000 now, you could make an annual donation of £1000 for the next 10 years. Combined with Gift Aid and John's extreme generosity, this will hopefully allow the appeal to reach its target very soon.
If you would like to make a donation - and we sincerely hope many of you will - you can download a donation form from the link below.
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Click here for a donation form And here to read more about the appeal |
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FIVES/HANDBALL IN THE SUN ONLINE |
The internet, 10th August 2009 |
[posted 12 August 2009] |
Fives/Handball has been featured in a campaign spearheaded by former England footballer Ian Wright and which appears on the website of The Sun newspaper. The tie-up happened after the RFA's General Secretary was asked by the campaign's organisers to contribute some writing to the campaign which would promote simple forms of the game. It was only after they received the words that they confessed that they had thought our game was something to do with Rugby Football, but they published what was written anyway. We hope that it will generate plenty of interest in both Fives and Handball.
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Click here to see the article on The Sun's website |
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UK ONE WALL HANDBALL SINGLES CHAMPIONSHIP |
Westway Sports Centre, London, 5th September 2009 |
[posted 02 August 2009] |
The UK Open One Wall Handball singles championship takes place on Saturday 5th September at the Westway Sports Centre in London. There will be Challenger grades for beginners (no experience necessary), and Open grades for more advanced players (including competitors from abroad), both with plate competitions, so plenty of opportunity for everyone to play.
Entries need to be in by email by August 16th, so please ensure you enter as soon as possible to confirm your place. If you fancy getting a bit of practice in first, 'Handball for beginners' continues every Sunday at Westway at 10am - all are welcome. In the meantime, you can find full details about the championship by clicking on one of the links below, either to download the official entry form or to visit the England Handball website.
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Click here to download the official entry form [PDF, 208KB]...
...and here to view the tournament details on England Handball's website |
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LONDON OPEN CHAMPIONSHIPS |
Whitgift School, Croydon, 12/13th September 2009 |
[posted 01 August 2009] |
Entries are now being accepted for the London Open Champiosnhips, which are to be held at Whitgift School in September - singles on Saturday 12th and doubles on the following day. It costs £10 for an RFA member to enter the singles (£12 for non-members) and £20 per pair in the doubles (£24 for non-members). For full details, simply click on the link below to download the official entry form.
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London Open entry form [Word document, 44KB] |
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RFA CALENDAR OF 2009/10 EVENTS AND CLUB MATCHES |
London, 13th June 2009 |
[posted 13 June 2009] |
Ahead of the publication of the RFA Pocket Book and Annual Review, the RFA has today published its provisiosnal schedule of tournaments and RFA Club matches for next season. Most are already set in stone, but there are a few still to be confirmed, including the North of England Winchester Fives tournament, as well as the Winchester Fives Mixed Doubles tournament. These will added on to the schedule as soon details are confirmed.
Those with a keen eye for forward planning are advised to stick the dates in their diary now, especially for the team events such as the Owers Trophy (the Old Boys' tournament), which takes place in London over the final weekend of September this year. Players eager to try their hand(s) at 1-wall Fives should also note that a tournament will be played in London on the first Saturday in September. Full details (including entry forms) will be available here as soon as possible.
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Click here for the provisional schedule of 2009/10 events |
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SOUTH WEST OPEN CHAMPIONSHIPS |
Blundell's School, Tiverton, Devon, 11/12th July 2009 |
[posted 12 July 2009] |
Hamish Buchanan celebrated the 10th anniversary of his first win in the South West Open by repeating his 1999 feat and winning both the doubles and singles titles. His display drew nothing but admiration from the spectators, with ‘awesome’ and ‘man on a mission’ among the praise dished out.
From the word go, he had made his intentions clear, with good wins over Ed Brooke, Jim Hughes and Tom Maconie on his way to the final. At the opposite end of the draw, meanwhile, second seed Will Ellison was also making imperious progress, brutally dispatching his opposition.
Elsewhere, the high-quality field led to some titanic battles: Stuart Watson beat Andy Pringle, top England handballer Pete Cohen beat Kevin Henry, and Tom Kiggell put out Ben Taberner. The toughest battle, however, saw Ed Hatton tackle Alex Rew, with Ed winning the third and final game 12-11. Ed also had the toughest quarter-final – another three-gamer, in which he scored a notable win over Marcus Bate. This secured his first Open singles competition semi-final place, where he was joined by Hamish, Will and Tom Maconie, the latter also making his first ever semi-final appearance.
As it turned out, the two semis were relatively one-sided. In both, the higher-seeded player took the first game to love, and while Tom pushed Hamish hard in the second, the top seeds won through to ensure a repeat of the 2008 final. Surprisingly, though, the final was also one-sided. Hamish came out of the blocks at some pace and a shell-shocked Will simply had no answer to his opponent’s outstanding play. Hamish took the title in two quick-fire games, conceding just three points.
In the doubles, too, most early games went with the form book, and in the quarter-finals, the top seeds – Buchanan & Taberner and Ellison & Bate – had easy wins, while the two Johns, Beswick and Minta, disposed of Hughes and Rew. The closest match was between Tom Maconie & Andy Pringle and Wayne Enstone & Kevin Henry, in which the Londoners came back from a game down to win it in three.
The semi-finals produced two great matches. In a no-holds barred encounter between Minta & Beswick and Bate & Ellison, the younger pair came back strongly from losing the first game to take the match in three. The other match may have been over in two games, but they were both incredibly tight. In the end, though, Hamish & Ben just edged out Tom & Andy.
The best Fives of the weekend was saved for the final. And, if the singles had been unexpectedly one-sided, the doubles couldn’t have been more different. This was a tremendous encounter, with superb play from all four men. Hamish and Ben saved game-ball to bounce back and nick the first game, only for Will and Marcus to take the second convincingly. The final game was suitably close, but in the end it was Hamish and Ben who clung on to take it 11-8.
Although there was no local interest in the finals, the plate competitions featured plenty of South West talent. John Savery took the singles plate, while Richard Bury and Tom Kiggell won the doubles. In a new addition to the tournament this year, an ‘American doubles’ competition featured four players rotating as partners through three games of doubles, with the winner being the one with most points at the end. The result was close, but Andy Pringle just edged out Brian Kirk.
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South West Open Championships results |
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INGRAM CUP/DERBY MOOR FIVES CLUB TOURNAMENT |
Merchant Taylors, 6th June/Derby, 28th June 2009 |
[posted 01 July 2009] |
Derby Moor juniors Max Frost (U15) and Anthony Goodwin (U17) are celebrating a June double after Anthony won the Ingram Cup on the first weekend of the month at Northwood and Max won the Derby Moor Invitation Doubles on the last Sunday of the month at Littleover. Goodwin successfully partnered Gareth Price in the final of the OMTs' event against Brian Kirk and John Walter, while Frost drew ex-National Singles champion Phil Bishop and carried him to victory in the East Midlands tournament against John Minta and Matt Orr, an ex-junior form Derby Moor. For Phil it was a second success in this competition: he won the first tournament of its sort in 2004 with John East. It was also his second sucess of the summer, after winning the inaugural Douglas Butt Trophy, a competition for Old Dunstonians, in which he beat Steve Korris in the final.
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Derby Moor Fives Club Tournament results |
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