2017 Northern Tournament: Toop and Wiseman Roll Back The Years
06/02/17: An astonishing 73 pairs - a new record - took part in a vintage Northern Tournament over the weekend. The absence due to work commitments of superstars Tom Dunbar and Matthew Wiseman was disappointing in one way, of course, but it did mean that for the first time in a while at a major tournament the draw looked wide open and the business end a lot more unpredictable.
Dunbar and Cooley Show Northern Composure
08/02/16: The 2016 Northern Tournament took place on Saturday and Sunday with 55 pairs braving the traditional Shrewsbury cold, wind and rain to produce the equally traditional fantastic weekend of Fives. The main tournament saw a small but high quality field battle it out in a terrific series of matches, with the final a repeat of the pre-Christmas London Tournament, Tom Dunbar & Seb Cooley taking the title for a sixth consecutive year with a win over James Toop & Tom Gallagher.
Feb 2015: Five in a Row - Dunbar & Cooley Conquer the Frozen North Yet Again
02/02/15: The 2015 Northern Tournament at Shrewsbury was, as always, a huge success, with nearly 60 pairs braving the usual arctic early February conditions to enjoy an enjoyable weekend's Fives.
Northern Tournament 2014: Cooley and Dunbar win again but are pushed all the way
The 2014 Northern Tournament saw a record (surely?) 72 pairs take part over the weekend in the main tournament, the festival and an assortment of plate competitions. Players from all points of the Fives compass made the trip to Shrewsbury and were rewarded with the traditional two days of fun, cameraderie and Fives.
2013 Northern Tournament: Dunbar and Cooley unchallenged
For the second time in three years, the final of the 2013 Northern Tournament at Shrewsbury turned out to be something of an anticlimax. Two years ago an eye injury to James Toop brought an early end to the final; this year the final never got started as Peter Dunbar was forced to withdraw due to an ankle injury sustained towards the end of his and George Campbell's semi-final victory over Toop and Howard Wiseman. It is surely a unique feat for Tom and Seb to have won this competition three years in a row having only had to win three games in the final in three years!
2012 Northern Tournament Festival: Cymru am Byth
The Northern Tournament Festival was won at the weekend by Cardiff University pair Alex Yusaf and Edward Leakey, who defeated Shrewsbury School pair Sansom Yick and Jamie Humes 2-1 (12-7, 11-12, 12-5) in the final to win the Malcolm Mitchell Memorial Shields.
North Stars: Cooley and Dunbar retain the 2012 Northern
Top seeds Tom Dunbar and Seb Cooley retained their Northern Tournament title with a convincing 3-0 (12-7, 12-3, 12-7) win over James Toop and Matthew Wiseman at Shrewsbury on Sunday.
2011 Northern Tournament: Shrewsbury injury jinx hands title to Dunbar and Cooley
The Northern Tournament took place at Shrewsbury over the weekend with around 50 pairs taking part, split across the main tournament and the festival. Much of the interest was centred on how the newly formed partnership of Tom Dunbar and Seb Cooley would perform. A slightly tentative start in their semi-final against Howard Wiseman and Peter Cohen was soon overcome as they won through in straight games to face top seeds James Toop and Matthew Wiseman, who had seen off a determined challenge from Peter White and George Campbell in the other semi.
2010 Northern Tournament
Andrew Mitchell reports:
A highly successful Northern Tournament was held at Shrewsbury over the weekend of Feb 6th/7th and was won by James Toop and Matthew Wiseman, who beat the Dunbar brothers in the final 3-2, having lost the first two games, won the third 14-13 and then been given the last two after Peter Dunbar had to withdraw due to cramp.
2009 Northern Tournament
Andrew Mitchell reports:
Championship
This was the strongest field for many years, both in terms of numbers (26 pairs) and quality.