Aberconway Cup: Win Number Three For The Wisemans

Aberconway Cup: Win Number Three For The Wisemans

24/04/23: Howard & Gwydion Wiseman made it a hat-trick of wins in the Aberconway Cup in association with Advanta Wealth with victory at Highgate on Sunday.

A good sized entry of 16 pairs made it to a damp and drizzly Highgate on Sunday morning; for most of the week leading up to the tournament it looked like there would be a record 20+ pair entry but a range of factors from illness and injury to holidays, work commitments, exam revision and birthday parties meant several pairs, including some of the top contenders, had to pull out before the competition got going.

A disappointment for some meant an opportunity for others, with several pairs sensing a real chance to go deep in the competition which they might not have been expecting, including experienced Aberconway competitors the Gregorys, Caplins, Hollands, Christies and Walters. There were also several first-timers to watch out for - the Salopian/Harrovian Tates, the Salopian/Carthusian Leach/Michalskis, a new mother/daughter pairing in the shape of the Lilienthals and a first ever Aberconway entry from Burford courtesy of Calin & Luca Saftoiu. Seventeen-times Kinnaird champion Tom Dunbar was also lurking in the draw, alongside 9 year old son Jamie, with the Cooley clan represented by John & Charlotta. David Cooper took the honours (as he generally does) as oldest competitor alongside son Rob and there were welcome reappearances from the Osens, the Barnes/Butchers (a second mother/daughter pairing) and the Steeles.

The first order of business was the group stage, with four pools of four playing for places in the quarter-finals of either the main competition or the Mike Fenn Plate. Group A was won by the Wisemans, although the Christies and Osens both gave good accounts of themselves, the Christies coming out on top in the game to decide the group runners-up. The Saftoius got their first taste of competitive Fives as a pair and found themselves on a steep learning curve; they responded well, however, benefitting hugely from a Wiseman coaching masterclass masquerading as a group game, although Calin did need a lie down in a darkened room for a bit to get his breath back afterwards.

The Caplins finished top of Group B, overcoming some initial resistance from John & Will Tate who qualified comfortably in second place. The Coopers finished third, denying Brian & Henry Steele a first win in the Aberconway Cup in their third year of competing. Their time would come...

Tom & Natasha Gregory cruised through Group C, although the Tom Leach & Jan Michalski pairing showed some promising signs (Jan clearly one to watch in future years as he gains experience) and scored convincing wins over the Cooleys and the Mandie Barnes/Abi Butcher combination. Group D was the closest by far with the Hollands, Dunbars and Walters all in contention, while Natalie & Sarah Lilienthal gained valuable experience with an eye on some of their later matches. The Hollands drew first blood, with a 15-4 win over Aberconway perennials Tony & T Walters - who made their tournament debut as a pair in 1992 in only the second running of the event - before the Walters edged past Tom & Jamie Dunbar 15-12. Tom & Jamie were beginning to hit their stride, however, and with Jamie growing in confidence and Tom being Tom, their match against the Hollands was a long, close battle all the way up to 11-11. In the end Paul & James Holland just about managed to get their noses in front to claim the win and top spot in the group, leaving the Dunbars to concentrate on the Plate competition and their attempt to go one better than their runners-up finish last year.

A much-needed break for lunch was followed by the start of the knockout phase, with the stakes getting higher and the tension rising. The four group winners all won their respective quarter-finals: the Wisemans ended the run of the Leach/Michalskis, whose time will come, the Caplins ended chances of a first Walters win in the Aberconway since 2003, the Gregorys held off a determined challenge from Bill & Connor Christie and the Hollands kept their winning run going with a 15-10 triumph over the Tates.

Keeping that winning run going through the semi-finals was a bridge too far for Paul & James Holland, however, the Newbury pair succumbing to the all-conquering Wisemans 12-6, 12-2. The other semi-final was much closer as James & Noah Caplin took on Tim & Natasha Gregory. This was one of those absorbing tactical battles that you often get in the latter stages of the Aberconway Cup, with Tim looking to target James at the back, Noah looking to intercept as much as possible, Natasha focusing hard on her set piece and defending the buttress and James looking to provide solid support to the all-action Noah. The first game was tight from start to finish, but with the Gregorys making most of the running for the majority of the game, preventing Noah from dominating and with Tim hitting winners into the hole on several occasions. They got to 11-9 and had two gilt-edged chances to take a 1-0 lead; they couldn't take them, however, and were punished for it, Noah taking control of proceedings with James giving away little or nothing when called upon. 9-11 quickly became 14-11 and the second game went comfortably the way of the Caplins, taking them through to the final for the first time.

It was always going to be a tough challenge to better last year's final, a 15-14 deciding game classic between the Wisemans and the Williams, and this year's game was never likely to manage that. Nevertheless, Noah & James gave an excellent account of themselves in the first game of the final, taking 8 points off Howard & Gwydion before James was forced to concede due to injury, thus allowing the Wisemans to lift the trophy for a third successive year.

Elsewhere, the focus was on the Mike Fenn plate and who would be able to add their names to the illustrious list of previous winners. The Coopers managed one last effort to get past Mandie & Abi before retiring gracefully; the Steeles search for that elusive win continued with defeat at the hands of Gideon & Elana Osen and the possibility of a Dunbar v Cooley final moved one step closer with wins for John & Charlotta over the Lilienthals and for Tom & Jamie over the Saftoius.

The withdrawal of the Coopers gave the Barnes/Butcher combo a second chance, but they weren't able to take advantage as the Dunbars moved smoothly into the final for the second year in a row. The other semi was a much tighter affair as the two father/daughter pairings did battle, the Cooleys eventually emerging 15-10 winners over the Osens to set up the hotly-anticipated final with the Dunbars. This was a terrific match and a great advert for both the Aberconway Cup and Fives in general. A seventeen time open national champion, a twelve time women's national champion, a nine year old boy and a man well over 60 years his senior were able to combine to produce a fun and entertaining encounter with both pairs enjoying themselves hugely and John only having to resort to whacking Jamie in the head and reducing him to tears once. It wasn't enough, though, as Jamie shrugged off his injuries and got fully involved in supporting his dad (a four time winner of the Aberconway with father Graham in the late nineties) all the way to a 15-11 victory and a chance for Tom to get his hands on one of the few Fives trophies he hadn't ever won before. How many years will it be before we see them in the main final trying to get their hands on the Aberconway Cup itself?

There were a few loose ends still to tidy up; Plate B saw the Steeles, Saftoius and Lilienthals all in search of their first ever tournament win as a pair. The Saftoius were first out of the blocks with a 15-8 victory over the Lilienthals but were quickly overhauled by Brian & Henry Steele, who finally broke their duck and did it in style, a pair of 15-5 and 15-1 wins powering them to victory in Plate B. The Lilienthals had one last chance for some glory as they finished off by taking part in the first ever mothers/daughters final at the Aberconway. They showed - Sarah especially - how much they had improved during the day but sadly for them, so had Abi Butcher and she and Mandie Barnes took the title with a 15-5 win.

My thanks go to Highgate for hosting the tournament, to Advanta Wealth for their continued support and to everyone who came and played and made it such an enjoyable day. Here's to 20+ pairs next year...

Quarter-Finals

H & G Wiseman beat T Leach & J Michalski 15-6

P & J Holland beat J & W Tate 15-10

T & N Gregory beat B & C Christie 15-11

N & J Caplin beat A & T Walters 15-5

Semi-Finals

H & G Wiseman beat P & J Holland 2-0 (12-6, 12-2)

N & J Caplin beat T & N Gregory 2-0 (14-11, 12-4)

Final

H & G Wiseman beat N & J Caplin 2-0 (12-8, ret)

3rd/4th

T & N Gregory beat P & J Holland 15-12