Kinnaird Cup and Ladies Championships Finals 2025 Preview

Kinnaird Cup And Ladies Championships Finals 2025 Preview

03/04/25: The finals of the 2025 Kinnaird Cup and Ladies Championships in association with Advanta Wealth take place at Berkhamsted on Sunday, starting at 2:30pm.

This year's Kinnaird Cup has attracted national and international press interest in recent months and sees a third consecutive final between Seb Cooley & Tom Dunbar - winners from 2011 to 2023 - and the pair that finally dethroned them in 2024, Riki Houlden & Hugo Young.

Tom and Seb are already first and second in the all time individual list of winners and Tom - in what will be his 24th consecutive final - will be looking to win for the 20th time. Riki and Hugo will of course be aiming to retain the title and get their names on the list of multiple winners.

The match should be a cracker if the past two Kinnaird finals are anything to go by and the scene is set for a fantastic match. Having won the Kinnaird last year, Riki & Hugo continued their winning run in the majors at the London Tournament at Harrow in December only to find the tables turned in the Northern Tournament at Shrewsbury in February as they fell to a 0-3 defeat against a resurgent Tom & Seb.

According to Hugo's maths, in the five major finals between the two pairs to date, Riki & Hugo have won three matches, ten games and 192 points and Tom & Seb have won two matches, nine games and 193 points. It's all set up for a fantastic afternoon of Fives.

If the two pairs in the Kinnaird final know each other pretty well, the two pairs contesting this year's Ladies Championships final are even more familiar with each other.

Champions Karen Hird & Charlotta Cooley - unbeaten in the competition since first teaming up in 2013 - will once again be taking on Ashley Lumbard & Emily Scoones, who have been runners-up in seven of the last eight finals, the only exception being when Ashley was on maternity leave in 2021. Charlotta & Karen are top of the all time winners list and looking to stretch away still further, while Ashley & Emily continue to strive for that elusive first title.

The matches will be played on the courts at Berkhamsted Prep School on Sunday, starting at 2:30pm. Spectators are welcome and directions can be found HERE. There will be car parking available next to the courts.

Most Kinnaird Cup wins

19 Tom Dunbar

13 Seb Cooley

11 John Reynolds

10 Brian Matthews

9 Tony Hughes

8 Gordon Campbell

8 Robin Mason

5 Denys Firth

5 Jonathan Mole

4 Jimmy Biggs

4 Howard Fabian