Sept 2014: Jivan and Jonny have the Wood on the opposition

John Reynolds reports:

This year's edition of the Wood Plate was won by a schoolboy for the first time (that anyone can remember). Current CLS Fives captain Jivan Navani carried Jonny Powell to victory in a pulsating final over Alex Nice and Dan Rose.

But there was much more to the day, at the courts in Highgate, than that - it featured

* a former schools' champion, Paul Hawkes, returning to the courts for the first time in some 40 years, albeit for a brief knock

* an equally brief comeback by schools' U14 and U16 finalist Lance Conway, after an almost equally lengthy layoff

* 14 Old Citizens and one current Citizen playing Fives

* A participant, Wood Plate debutant Martin East, all the way from Germany

Half the entry were seeded and then the random draw, made by Paul Hawkes, paired Roman Heindorff with Dan Floyd, Stephen Kelly with Saeed Hattea, Stephen Mullin with Martin East, Alex Nice with Dan Rose, Jonny Powell with Jivan Navani, and Mark George Jacobs with David Cooper.

The two eventual finalists pairs were challenged by Kelly and former international fast bowler Hattea (an increasingly reluctant participant) and Mullin and East (who failed to make the final by a whisker).

The venerable Geoff Bates presented the trophy, donated back in the 1970s by Tom Wood.

Afterwards we had food and beer at the Bull.