National Schools' Championships: Day Three Round Up
Hotting Up at Repton
20/03/24: It was another action packed day at Repton yesterday, with Berkhamsted winning the U16 final and some thrilling action (and a late finish!) in the Open.
Seb Cooley reports: The Open tournament lit a fire under the Championships yesterday. Two seeds were upset in their pool matches, leading to a shake-up of the draw – indeed three pairs from the same pool made it through to the last sixteen, causing the organisers some headaches working out the draw. After much fives and some tight 2-1 finishes in the last 16, the quarter-finals kicked off around 5:30pm. Berkhamsted eased past a limping St Olave’s 2 3-0; Eton 1 survived a tight 3rd-game scare to see off Harrow 3. Ipswich lost out to Eton 3. The most spectacular was to be Harrow1 vs St Olave’s 1 – Harrow, second seeds, had lost a group match which threw the draw into some disarray, then got through a very tight last 16 game 2-1. The top seeded St Olave’s’ progress, by contrast, had been untroubled.
This match, which might have been the final had all gone to seeding, therefore appeared in the quarters; had it been the final it would have been a worthy one for the record books. Harrow found a blazing energy, a consistency to their shots and a level of retrieving which had eluded them earlier in the day. They took a tight first game: my feeling was that it would be difficult to maintain the intensity and that the Olavians, with a calmer style, would maintain their level more easily. So when the second game went the way of the first seeds, it seemed likely that they would manage to assert some dominance. The third game also went their way. Harrow had found a level and some energy though and the fourth game was close throughout, reaching 9-9 with long rallies characterised by breathtaking retrieving from both pairs. Two points at any stage threatened to swing the whole match but then didn’t, as the opposing pair would grind away then pick up two of their own. The fourth was, almost inevitably, set at 10-10 and after what seemed aeons of the two pairs chiselling out points more slowly than you could carve them from granite with a teaspoon, Harrow came away with a 15-12 levelling and a roar to rival Andy Murray in his pomp. The crowd were to be treated to a decider. The organisers swiftly added every layer of clothing they could find, so as to be able to continue watching as the evening cooled.
If anyone thought that tired legs would start to have a sway on rallies, they were much mistaken. While this is where mistakes can be made as feet are not quite where they should be, a defining feature of this set as it had been in the whole match was the almost complete absence of unforced errors from either side. There were, inevitably, some tight calls for up or down or for lets: it was telling that while the pairs disagreed and often put their case strongly, a sensible decision was always reached amongst the players and they never let it affect them further – or so it certainly looked. The retrieving (from the buttress, off the back bricks, sometimes from apparently impossible angles off the back of court) remained breathtaking at times, frequently three or four consecutive shots being played of a phenomenal standard, each worthy of a rally on its own but not taking it. Not a soul was surprised to see 11-11 reached. “Foot at 13” was of course the decision and it took many rotations of serve for points to be scored, with both pairs also cutting deliberately and effectively to their opponents’ weaknesses. It was St Olave’s who crept a point ahead, then two. I no longer know whether Harrow pulled one back but entire group matches have been finished in a shorter time than it took St Olave’s finally to break down the Harrovian resistance and claim the match from 11-11. And at the winning moment, for the first time in the match, there was an Olavian burst of emotion from the players who had been the picture of calm for almost every minute of the four hours of the battle.
Let’s hope that semi-finals and final can live up to the same level. Those present were absolutely treated to the best that Schools’ fives has to offer.
Results
Open
Last 16
St.Olave's 1 beat Cranleigh 1 2-0 (12-0, 12-1)
Harrow 1 beat Eton 5 2-1 (12-0, 6-12, 15-10)
Ipswich 1 beat Shrewsbury 3 2-0 (12-1, 12-3)
Eton 1 beat Shrewsbury 2 2-0 (12-3, 12-4)
Berkhamsted 1 beat St.Olave's 3 2-0 (12-4, 12-6)
St.Olave's 2 beat Eton 2 2-1 (6-12, 12-4, 12-9)
Eton 3 beat Ipswich 2 2-0 (12-4, 12-5)
Harrow 2 beat St.Olave's 5 2-0 (12-6, 12-5)
Quarter-Finals
St.Olave's 1 (T.Arjaria & A.Agarwal) beat Harrow 1 (G.Stanhope & A.Anderson) 3-2 (12-14, 12-10, 12-4, 11-15, 14-12)
Eton 3 (L.Turcan & H.Turpin) beat Ipswich 1 (E.Caldwell & A.Phillips) 3-0 (15-12, 12-6, 15-10)
Eton 1 (D.Hurst & T.Webster) beat Harrow 2 (V.Balingal & C.Allday) 3-0 (12-3, 12-4, 14-11)
Berkhamsted 1 (B.Spooner & S.Kaynama) beat St.Olave's 2 (T.Farmer & A.Anoop) 3-0 (12-3, 12-2, 12-5)
Under 16s
Quarter-Finals
Berkhamsted 1 beat Ipswich 2 3-1 (12-8, 10-12, 12-11, 12-0)
Berkhamsted 2 beat Harrow 1 3-0 (12-6, 12-8, 14-11)
Highgate 1 beat St.Olave's 1 3-0 (12-8, 12-4, 12-5)
Shrewsbury 1 beat Berkhamsted 3 3-1 (6-12, 12-4, 12-3, 12-6)
Semi-Finals
Berkhamsted 1 (T.Aston & E.Horsley) beat Berkhamsted 2 (R.Morjaria & T.Patel) 3-0 (12-6, 12-0, 12-8)
Shrewsbury 1 (M.Draper & G.Battersby) beat Highgate 1 (M.Wijeyeratne & B.Musikant) 3-1 (9-12, 12-8, 12-6, 15-10)
Final
Berkhamsted 1 beat Shrewsbury 1 3-0 (12-5, 12-6, 12-2)
Girls Under 16s
Quarter-Finals
Highgate 1 beat Repton 1 2-0 (8-0, 8-0)
Shrewsbury 2 beat Highgate 2 2-0 (8-3, 8-3)
Ipswich 1 beat Shrewsbury 3 2-1 (2-8, 12-5, 12-6)
Shrewsbury 1 beat Repton 3 2-0 (8-2, 8-0)
Semi-Finals
Highgate 1 (M.Roxburgh & Z.Kirstein) beat Shrewsbury 2 (W.Bowett & S.Earles) 2-0 (12-2, 12-1)
Shrewsbury 1 (M.Parry & E.Clark) beat Ipswich 1 (E.Oxborrow & M.Lee-Steward) 2-0 (12-8, 12-7)
Final
Highgate 1 beat Shrewsbury 1 2-0 (12-7, 12-3)
Under 15s
Quarter-Finals
Berkhamsted 1 beat QEB 3 3-0 (12-8, 12-8, 12-2)
Charterhouse 1 beat Eton 1 3-2 (12-4, 9-12, 10-13, 12-8, 12-8)
QEB 2 beat St.Olave's 1 3-1 (12-2, 12-2, 10-13, 12-6)
Shrewsbury 1 beat Harrow 1 (12-8, 12-4, 12-4)
Semi-Finals
Berkhamsted 1 (L.Clarke & L.Faulkner) beat Charterhouse 1 (J.Formige & M.Gilardini) 3-0 (12-9, 12-5, 12-11)
QEB 2 (A.Lele & P.Patel) beat Shrewsbury 1 (M.Sharman & S.Spiby) 3-0 (13-10, 12-8, 12-8)
Final
Berkhamsted 1 beat QEB 2 3-1 (12-6, 5-12, 12-9, 12-6)
Girls U15
Quarter-Finals
Highgate 1 beat Shrewsbury 3 2-0 (8-0, 8-0)
Ipswich 1 beat Shrewsbury 5 2-0 (8-0, 8-0)
Highgate 2 beat Shrewsbury 2 2-0 (8-7, 8-6)
Shrewsbury 1 beat Repton 1 2-0 (8-1, 8-2)
Semi-Finals
Highgate 1 (M.Roxburgh & Z.Kirstein) beat Highgate 2 (S.Valensise & A.Holmes) 2-0 (12-3, 12-0)
Shrewsbury 1 (M.Parry & S.Earles) beat Ipswich 1 (M.Hodgkinson & B.Laws) 2-1 (6-12, 12-10, 12-8)
Final
Highgate 1 beat Shrewsbury 1 (12-3, 12-2)
