The Andrew Aitken Trophy 2022

Laurie Brock reports:

20/09/22: The latest edition of the Andrew Aitken Trophy took place on Saturday 10 September, in clement conditions.

Riki Houlden & Alex Weiss beat Ed Rose & Darshan Fernando 12-8

Any minor disappointment on the part of the organisers at the slightly smaller than usual entry was outweighed by delight at the presence of no fewer than four school players (two current pupils and two very recent leavers) at the tournament, the highest for a number of years. With the main organiser present but still nursing a long-term injury, that left 14 players in total, divided into two pools; with the top two pairs in each pool to progress to the semi-finals.

Pool A (Four pairs, one game to 10)

In Pool A, club superstar Riki Houlden and pupil Alex Weiss began against the enthusiastic pairing of Matt Lewin and Ben Merrett. Any concerns Riki might have had at Alex's revelation that he does not even play fives as his main sport ("station") at school were quickly dispelled as Alex settled quickly and looked in sharp touch on top step especially, an ominous sign for their future opponents. Matt and Ben combined well (with Matt's easy power as always a threat) and briefly threatened an upset, before Riki and Alex pulled away to win 10-6.

On the other court, Ed Rose and recent school leaver Darshan Fernando got off to a shaky start against Nick Choustikov and last year's winner Oliver Black, trailing 2-6. However, in the first of a number of journeys on the comeback trail from them on the day, Ed and Darshan rallied first to level the match and then, with Ed's power and precision coming to the fore, pull away to a 10-6 win.

In round 2, Ed and Darshan again found themselves in dire straits against an inspired Matt and Ben, this time trailing 7-2. Once again they hauled themselves back, first to parity, and then to the brink of victory at 9-8. However, despite a number of hands on step, they were unable to close things out as Matt and Ben held firm; and in the end it was Matt and Ben who edged a terrific game 10-9.

Meanwhile, a further comfortable (10-3) win for Riki and Alex against Nick and Oliver meant they went into their final round match against Ed and Darshan as favourites to win and top the group. However, Ed and Darshan were by now really starting to hit their stride, with Ed cutting superbly as usual and Darshan displaying some of his best fives of the afternoon (especially from back court). The match was nip and tuck but Ed and Darshan had the upper hand throughout, and ran out deserved 10-8 winners.

That meant that Ed and Darshan topped the group (pipping Riki and Alex by a single point), whilst a 10-6 win for Matt and Ben in the final round (and 26 points from 30 overall) was, unfortunately, not enough; Matt and Ben were left to rue allowing Ed and Darshan to recover in their match.

Pool B (three pairs, one game to 15)

In Pool B (which involved a bye for one pair in each round), the first match saw last year's winner Hugo Young and recent school leaver Bryan Kwok take on Can Koksal and Elana Osen. Can and Elana settled much the better and, with Hugo and Bryan struggling initially (both in terms of their partnership and in terms of unforced errors) established an early lead. Whilst Hugo and Bryan improved as the match went on, they were ultimately unable to close the gap as Can and Elana remained admirably solid; and secured a 15-9 win.

In round 2, Can and Elana next faced fives legend (and honorary OW) John Reynolds and pupil Henry Williamson. Again, Can and Elana made a fast start, with John and Henry's first round bye perhaps counting against them in the early stages against well warmed-up opponents. However, John is a dangerous opponent at any time and, as he warmed to his task and his partnership with Henry (who improved markedly as the match went on) developed, the gap narrowed and the match turned into a classic attritional battle; and the longest of the day. With every rally hard-fought and points hard to come by, the score inched upwards until, much to their credit, Can and Elana emerged victorious 15-12, securing first place in the group.

It was perhaps unsurprising that after such a long game (and the wrong result), John and Henry found it difficult to recover for their match against a fresh Hugo and Bryan in round 3. With Hugo now finding his trademark sharp and aggressive volleys from on (and all around) top step, and Bryan supporting him increasingly well, the outcome of this final match was never really in doubt, as Hugo and Bryan ran out 15-5 winners.

Semi-Finals (one game to 12)

The first semi-final (between Riki/Alex and Can/Elana) had started whilst Pool B was still finishing, with Can and Elana technically favourites having won their Pool. However, Riki had (typically) spent most of his "rest" period drilling his shots on a spare court, and he and an increasingly impressive Alex were in imperious form at the start of the match, moving out fairly quickly to a 5-1 and then 8-3 lead. Can and Elana managed to stem the tide for a while, playing some excellent fives of their own and reducing the deficit to 9-6; but Riki and Alex were not to be denied and claimed their place in the final.

The second semi-final, between Ed/Darshan and Hugo/Bryan, was probably the match of the afternoon. Hugo and Bryan maintained their rich vein of form from their second pool match and led early on, but (once again) Ed and Darshan pulled back to level at 5-5 and from there, amidst some terrific rallies, it was anyone's match. Ed and Hugo had some tremendous exchanges on both top and back step but Darshan and Bryan more than played their part, with Darshan in particular returning cut well and producing some excellent shots from back court especially. In the end, to Ed's delight, it was he and Darshan who clinched the final point to win through to the final 12-10.

The Final (one game to 12)

The Final was, as always, an excellent spectacle, and particularly so this year for the presence of two school players. Ed and Darshan, buoyed by their clutch victory in the semis, came out firing and determined not to let Riki have things all his own way. Unfortunately, Riki tends to cope with more or less anything thrown at him these days, and his experience of matches at the very highest level, combined with some sharp top court play (and solid defence) from Alex, saw them first edge ahead and then widen the gap to lead 7-4. Ed and Darshan dug in and this period of the match saw some of the best rallies of the day, despite any tiredness (for those other than Riki) and and the lure of the pub. Ultimately, despite strong resistance from Ed and Darshan, Riki and Alex were too strong and a final, unfortunate, cut out of court saw them claim the title 12-8.

Thanks to all those who played (as well as those who responded with apologies) and I look forward to next year: at which thoughts on how best to handicap Riki further will be welcome...