Kinnaird Cup Final Unfinished
07/04/25: A remarkable Kinnaird Cup final in association with Advanta Wealth ended unresolved after over four hours of play at Berkhamsted Prep School yesterday afternoon.
With the match deep in the fifth game an accidental collision between Riki Houlden and Tom Dunbar at the back of the court resulted in a nasty looking finger dislocation and probably fracture for Tom. Riki & Hugo were adamant that they didn't want to win the Kinnaird final because of an injury default and have therefore offered to replay the final later in the summer or at the start of next season, should Tom's finger recover in time to allow him to play.
It was a sad way to prematurely end a spellbinding match, which had kept a large crowd captivated all afternoon with neither pair ever quite able to break away from the other.
The first game started in a way that would become familiar as the match progressed, as Riki & Hugo made the better start, returning well and going 5-0 and 7-1 in front. There was lots to admire, of course, as you would expext from these four exceptional players, but there were also plenty of mistakes as the first game progressed with some of Tom & Seb's early errors then mirrored by Riki & Hugo as the 1-7 deficit was close to 6-7. Riki & Hugo stalled the comeback just in time, adding a couple more points quickly to restore a lead that they never let go, converting their first gameball opportunity to take the game 12-9.
The second game followed a different pattern, with all four players tightening up their game, the rallies getting longer and the unforced error count dropping. This time it was Tom & Seb who generally kept a point or two ahead with the key passage of play in the game taking place at 7-8 where several hands went by with no one adding to the score before two fine winners from Seb and a trademark Tom volley broke the shackles and took Seb & Tom to a match-levelling lead.
Game three started with a bang as Riki & Hugo produced a stunning first hand, some terrific returning and a double change giving them a 6-0 lead before they'd even hit a cut. Once again, though, they were unable to capitalise on the early lead, as a result perhaps of a combination of things - their patient style of play looking to force mistakes rather than to create winners and their difficulties in cutting Tom & Seb down (in itself due to a combination of things including Riki carrying an injury preventing him from hitting his right-handed cuts at 100% and the fact that Tom & Seb are actually pretty good at returning). Tom & Seb steadied the ship well but at 4-9 down were still in trouble; gradually, though, they began to reel in their opponents one point at a time before eventually edging past them into a 10-9 lead. Some clutch cuting from Riki and another point levelled at 10-10, setting up a thrilling finish with all four players playing some of their best Fives of the match and one or two incredibly long rallies with some defensive retrieving from both pairs that took the breath away at times. The cutting percentages and the scoring opportunities, however, were stacking up in Tom & Seb's favour during this period of play and it was they who made the first move, initially to 11-10, then 13-10 and 14-11 before a vintage Dunbar return and Cooley finish took the winning point, much to their delight.
Undeterred, Riki & Hugo got back to work at the start of the fourth, again getting on top early and forcing mistakes from Tom & Seb thanks to a combination of good returning and relentless accuracy. This time the early lead was 5-1 but once again Tom & Seb found a way back, getting the score back to 6-6. Riki & Hugo scored a couple of points to retake the lead at 8-6 and the score stayed there for a while, with Riki & Hugo slowly turning the screw and not giving anything away before taking their opportunities and moving away impressively to take the game 12-6 and into a decider.
There was some discussion before the fifth game around whether Tom had ever been involved in a fifth game in his previous 23 Kinnaird finals (answer - just once, in 2008) before the players returned to the court with the match now well over the three hour mark and all four players having to dig deep into their impressive reserves of fitness. Again it was Riki & Hugo who started better, this time with a 3-0 lead from the first hand, but thoughts of a quick finish were soon shelved as Tom & Seb again hit back to level at 3-3. At this point, there was an extended break in play as Seb took a ball to the eye from a shot from Riki, who switched seamlessly into professional doctor mode (not for the last time as things would transpire). Thankfully, Seb was ok to continue, but it was Riki & Hugo who began to take control at this point, looking as fresh as they had at the start of the match, no mean feat given how long and intense the match had been. Tom & Seb were not exactly wilting either - a mighty effort against younger opponents - but the Westminster pair had got themselves to within three points of victory when Riki ran across Tom at the back of the court as he lined up a shot and got in the way of Tom's hand. The immediate cry of pain made it clear that this was a bad one, the middle finger of Tom's right hand not only dislocated but also twisted. Riki moved back into doctor mode and looked to replace the dislocated finger but quickly realised that a likely fracture made this impossible. Match over and a trip to the hospital for Tom, along with what is likely to be a significant lay off.
In the normal run of things, having to stop through injury would equal conceding the match, but Riki & Hugo were adamant that this was not the way they wanted to win and refused to accept this as an outcome, instead offering to replay the match from the start later in the summer or at the start of next season, if Tom is able to play. This was a remarkable gesture in the circumstances and Riki & Hugo can only be commended for their terrific sportsmanship. Further details about a possibly replayed final will be published in due course.
Kinnaird Cup Final in association with Advanta Wealth:
R.Houlden & H.Young v T.Dunbar & S.Cooley 2-2 (12-9, 8-12, 11-15, 12-6, 9-4 match abandoned due to injury)
