2024/25 School Reports
Read on to find out the schools' views on their 2024/25 seasons. Missing reports will hopefully be added shortly...
Aldenham
Aldenham take on Repton in the Vargas Trophy
This season has been a steep learning curve for our students across all age groups.
We had reasonable success with the friendly fixtures in terms of results and our senior pairs did well in the national competition at Shrewsbury School.
Our school hosted the Vargas bowl in March and our U18 pairs played competitively against some strong schools from across the country.
A measure of our success has to be considered by the number of yr7 students we have joining the game for the first time. This year, the uptake has been as strong as I can remember and should hold the school in an excellent position for future years if these youngsters remain in the game and continue to practice keenly.
Unfortunately, our fixtures have been limited again largely due to the ability to match timetables and court space with neighbouring schools. Something that I will endeavour to work with other school staff members to rectify and increase game times across all years.
I have had an enjoyable season, coaching, facilitating and organising as many games and practices as possible, and my thanks go to our OAs for offering the opportunity for our senior pairs to join them for extra training in their regular after school sessions.
Next year, I will try to broaden our regular schools’ fixtures with games from further afield and encourage our students to be available to travel to play.
Aldenham School is looking forward to 2025/26 season and hopefully more success!
David Goodchild
Berkhamsted
Berkhamsted on World Fives Day; Open runners-up; U14 runners-up
This has been a highly successful and rewarding season for Fives at Berkhamsted. Our players have demonstrated not only technical skill and competitive spirit but also the values of reflection, resilience, and sportsmanship that define our programme.
Senior Success and Leadership
We are fortunate to have a strong cohort of senior players, and their achievements this year have been outstanding. Our top six players remained unbeaten in the league—a testament to their consistency and teamwork.
Special recognition goes to Ben and Ed, who defended the national title with distinction. They fell only to an exceptional St Olave’s pair in the final, following a gruelling five-set semi-final against Eton. Their performance was nothing short of heroic.
The key lesson at this level is clear: the top players are playing club Fives regularly. They are sharp on set pieces, dominant on the top step, and make very few unforced errors. That is the standard we must continue to pursue.
Girls: a small group but what an impact.
Whilst this was our smallest group of players they were perhaps the most committed and dedicated. Rosie and Indie were runners up in the U14 nationals losing semi-finalists in the U15 competition and were part of the mixed team that debuted at the nationals . They also attended senior national tournaments making the most of all opportunities available to them
At the U18 nationals Hannah and Hannah reached the quarter-finals and Ellie and Imogen were plate winners in the same competition. Whilst at U12 level Matilda made her national debut at qualifiers.
Middle School: Maintaining Momentum
Sustaining engagement in the middle school years remains a challenge, but there were encouraging signs. We fielded a strong number of pairs at U14 level, with nine pairs competing. However, the U15 and U16 groups struggled for consistent court time, which was partly reflected in their results.
Archie and James, our top U16 pair, were unable to shift the momentum in their key matches, while Lawrence and Theo were edged out by a single point against QEB—a result that shaped their tournament pathway.
Several younger players stepped up to play above their age group, embracing the challenge and gaining valuable experience. Conor, Ben, Beau and Seb and all impressed at U16 level and I hope they are looking to return next year. At U15 level, Felix and Matt reached the final despite limited preparation. Though disappointed with the result, they should be proud of their journey. Both Adam and Henrik really improved throughout the year, and it was great to see Seb and Rocky back on court after a late season audition!
U14 & U13: Depth and Development
The U14s trained regularly and showed their progress by dominating the national qualifying event. The full tournament revealed areas for improvement—particularly in set-piece execution and movement around the buttress. Our First pair of Dilan and Flynn lost in a tight quarter- final. The competition was intense and athletic, and we hope it has whetted their appetite for next year, when the top eight pairs will be seeded out presenting opportunity for others.
The U13s also had a promising season. Theo and Seb performed well at the Prep Schools competition, narrowly losing to a strong Sunningdale pair. Several U13s competed at U14 level at Shrewsbury and made a real impact. Players like Theo, Austin, Charlie, and Ollie have the potential to reach the final stages next year. I hope the current year 8’s can see the future potential they have and the core group of Hayden , James , Sam, Ted, Charlie and Will who have played in most of the matches really developed their base game . Now to improve consistency and develop a big cut!
A national final defeat and a plate win at U14 level are strong foundations to build on.
U12: A Rising Generation
Our U12 group has shown excellent development in both numbers and quality. Too many to mention them all but they know who they are. Our first pair had an outstanding season; Oscar and Harry won a thrilling national final in a third-set reset, displaying tremendous character and composure. Four of our pairs reached the quarterfinals—an outstanding achievement and it shows our real potential in this year group- well done to Campbell, Rafa, Theo , Wiliam , Cam and James. Oscar also won the Rugby Fives singles and doubles. We had the courts full on Friday night practice and I hope we can maintain that energy enthusiasm and quality next year. There are several players who can make a big impact at U13 level – Jack , two Charlies, Arthur, Barnaby and Will to name but 6. Micah and Charlie have come so far having never played before and I really hope we can continue to impress in fixtures and at competition level.
Final Reflections
I’ve been consistently impressed by the way our players embraced every opportunity while remaining gracious and respectful—on and off the court. Fives is unique: there’s no VAR, no referee to appeal to. It demands cooperation with your opponent while competing fiercely. It challenges modern sporting norms—and is all the better for it.
To all our players: thank you for your commitment, your courage, and your character. I hope you’ve enjoyed the journey.
Andy Stephenson
Bryanston
No report received yet
Charterhouse
Charterhouse on World Fives Day; Turnbull Trophy; U15s;U16s
Results-wise, the 2024/2025 season was a topsy-turvy, up-and-down kind of year. We gained a few players, we lost a few players. It was the best of times, it was the worst of times. We were hit by injuries and fixture clashes but we also learned to adapt and try new, winning partnerships.
There were expected defeats against much more experienced Brigands/OC sides with 6 losses out of 6 in the first match of the year including some very tough going for our U15s playing at 4th, 5th and 6th pairs but much closer for our U16/Senior pairings in the top 3 pairs. There was another drubbing at the hands of the Brigands before half-term in OQ with only our 6th pair managing a draw albeit with our top 3 pairs in close tussles once more. By the 3rd match towards the end of LQ, Charterhouse were getting closer and closer to the Brigands but with the same result on paper. Regardless of the results, these fixtures are a great opportunity for our boys to learn a few tricks of the trade from the adults and to enjoy a convivial meal together afterwards in the Peter May Pavilion.
There were also a couple of testing away fixtures against Harrow mainly featuring our U16s and U15s but often playing against pairings at least a year or more above their age group – e.g. our U16 1st pair playing Harrow’s U18 1st pair. The initial 7-pair whitewash at Harrow’s hands in OQ was repeated in LQ.
There were 3 fixtures against Eton including a bumper 12-pair event. Whilst our 6 U15 pairs had a tough time of that first fixture, our U14 pairings fared a little better with a win and a draw from their 3 pairs and our U16s/Seniors won 14-12, 12-10 (Jan&Khalel), 12-5, 12-7 (Jules&Matteo) and 5-12, 12-7, 8-7 (Bertie&Jack). It was Eton’s turn to visit a very damp Charterhouse next time around where a slightly weaker Eton team (and our home court superiority) meant 5 wins out of 5 for Charterhouse at U15 and U14 level. The deciding fixture in LQ saw Eton have out their best and finest to greet us with a 6-2 overall victory for them.
Eton was also the neutral venue for a 7-pair extravaganza against Berkhamsted, where we were unfortunately without several of our top players due to injury. Highlights were a good win for our U15 1st pair Jack&Ben and also for U15 pairing Henry&Milo. Our 1st pair of Jan&Khalel narrowly lost a thriller 9-12, 6-12, 12-14.
There was a challenging visit from Mill Hill. Our ever-changing 1st pair (this time Jan&Jules) went close against a very athletic Mill Hill 6th form pair losing 6-12, 8-12, 12-9. Khalel&Bertie did better at 2nd pair coming back from a 4-12 loss in the 2nd set (after a 12-5 win in the 1st) to clinch the deciding 3rd set 14-13. There was a concerning loss for Jack&Ben at 3rd pair and Kin&Arthur at 4th pair but there were victories down the scorecard for Sacha &Jake and Lenny & George as well as some good fives from our new Daviesites Specs.
There were plenty of bright spots in the year though - 6 wins out of 6 for our U15s and U14s against Westminster at home. Also, despite a first chastening visit to Cranleigh for our U14s top 3 pairs who all lost 0-12, our U15s thankfully all won their matches to tie the day. There was also a draw at home against Cranleigh Prep, a tight match against Sunningdale, another visit to Cranleigh but this time with the heavy artillery of our top Senior, U16 and U15 pairs providing victories for all 6 pairs… …and a pre-Nationals trip for the Juniors to Cranleigh where a confidence-boosting 6-0 victory was again the order of the day.
There was a cameo for Bertie for the Brigands in the EFA trophy where (playing alongside coach, Tom Leach) they managed a draw – and therefore a crucial point - against Oxford University Peppers 2nd pair (featuring last year’s Charterhouse skipper, Will Bishop, for the opposition!) Bertie then reached the London Festival plate quarter-final with Tom Leach the following weekend going out to a strong Ipswich pair. Later in the season Jan also made it to the semi-final of the Aberconway Cup intergenerational event with Tom Leach.
A massive turnout (more than 50 players) for Senior House Fives pitted strong favourites, Verites (Jan&Matteo) in the final against Lockites (Jules&Max) with Verites in the end comfortably taking home the trophy. Next up was Junior House Fives featuring a massive and very loud 27 pairs where Jake&Sacha came up trumps for Daviesites in the final against George&David from Saunderites. The girls’ competition was won by Fletcherites.
Charterhouse made an appearance at the Turnbull Trophy at Eton for the first time since 2016 sending 4 Charterhouse/OC pairs. Alex Knight and Matteo did well to make it out of their group with 2 wins and just the 1 loss before coming up against some tough opposition in the form of QEB’s 1st pair in the knockout stages going out 3-15. Tom Leach and Jan won 2 and lost 2 eventually ending up in the B2 Plate where they narrowly defeated Shrewsbury in the semi-finals and Repton 4th pair in the final 12-8 to bring back some silverware. Matt Davis and Bertie also made it to the Plate C Final and despite leading 7-2 were eventually undone by a strong Repton 3rd pair 8-12. J-B Garway-Templeman and Jules forged a strong relationship which improved throughout the day and ended up bronze medallists in Plate B beating Ipswich’s 2nd pair 12-4 in the 3rd/4th play-off!
Preparations for the 2025 Nationals continued with a visit from 4 strong Shrewsbury pairings. Our 1st pair of Jules&Matteo narrowly lost 11-14, 12-8, 7-12 whilst at pair 2, Jan&Bertie also went down 10-12, 12-10, 10-12. Our U15/U14 mixed pairings struggled to make much inroads against some decent Salopian 3rd and 4th pairs.
The U16 Nationals official qualifying event was hosted by Charterhouse with visiting pairs from QEB, Aldenham and Repton. Charterhouse 1st and 2nd pairs both won their groups and received byes to the quarter-finals whereas our 3rd pair of Jack&Sacha had to qualify the hard way after coming 2nd in their group by beating QEB 3rd pair 8:1 in the play-offs. Charterhouse 2nd pair (Jules&Matteo) were fuming to go out first against QEB 2nd pair 12-3, 10-12, 10-12 in a match they felt they should have nicked. 3rd pair, Jack&Sacha pushed Aldenham 1st pair the whole way but went out 12-5, 9-12, 8-12. Jan&Bertie were up against QEB’s 1st pair and won 12-2, 12-3 to reach the semi-finals. Here they came up against eventual winners, Repton 1 and lost 6-12, 6-12 against a very solid-looking pairing.
The Vargas Salver in 2025 (an all-day tournament held at Aldenham) relies on points being scored by 3 pairs. Already handicapped by the fact we only had 2.5 pairs (and therefore were immediately giving away our 3rd pairing’s points) we were also up against the crème de la crème of Ipswich, Repton and Aldenham. A Jan&Bertie win at 1st pair against Aldenham at least gave us 2 points in our first match but missing 3 of our best players we were always going to be up against it in the Ipswich and Repton fixtures and despite very close sets we weren’t able to add to our tally. Last but not disgraced especially as the bulk of our team has another 2 years left to compete in this competition!
As always the final official hurrah is the National Schools, this year held again away up North at Shrewsbury and hence involving various logistical challenges which meant we would only take U14 Novice, U15 and U16 age groups.
U16 Nationals: On the back of their more regular commitment to practice session and backed-up by their performance at the official U16 qualifying tournament, it was decided Jan&Bertie would represent Charterhouse at 1st pair with Jules&Matteo (last year’s U15 3rd seeds and semi-finalists) at 2nd pair and Jack&Sacha (also playing in the U15 event) at 3rd pair. With none of our pairs seeded this year and an excellent field of pairings in the tournament, we were going to have to peak at the right moment to make any impact in Shropshire.
In the group stages our 1st pair easily beat Repton2 8-3 and Shrewsbury7 8-0 and followed up with a high tempo and well-fought victory against Highgate1 8-7. Jan&Bertie were pumping by this stage and almost took down 6th seeds, StOlave’s3, only inexplicably to give the opposition a third opportunity 😲 at serving on step at 7-7 which was enough to go down 7-8 and to be pipped to top spot. Our 2nd pair lost their 1st match to 7th seeds Berkhamsted2 6-8 and again to their nemesis, QEB 1st pair 6-8 in the group of death. An 8-4 win against St Olave’s 6 left Jules&Matteo needing to beat Harrow’s 2nd pair to squeeze into the next round which they duly did 8-2. Our 3rd pair also lost their 1st match to 8th seeds Shrewsbury1 8-1and then narrowly to a very decent QEB2 6-8. After beating St.Olave’s7 8-4 Jack&Sacha also needed a win against Uppingham1 to get through to the knockout stages. With the scores level at 5-5 an unfortunate ball to the head resulting in mild concussion for Jack left us conceding…
With Jack & Sacha now virtual spectators, the focus of attention was on our top 2 pairings who both needed to get through a knock-out round to qualify for the last 16. Jan&Bertie, thanks to their 2nd-place group finish, were rewarded with something of a potential banana-skin in the form of Shrewsbury4 (actually an U15 pair who had been winners of 2024’s edition of the U14 Novices at Repton) who had finished 3rd in their group behind 3rd seeds Eton1 and a polished, Ipswich 2. Thankfully Jan & Bertie won this 8-3 to set up a Round-Of-16 encounter with 4th seeds, StOlave’s2. Meanwhile Jules&Matteo were punished for their 3rd-place group finish with a real test against No.1 seeds Berkhamsted 1 (who had actually finished 2nd in their group behind Shrewsbury2) in the knockout round. There was a flurry of excitement outside court 1 as it looked as though the top seeds were going to crash out before the quarters as Jules&Matteo led 7-5. Alas, for our boys, Berkhamsted somehow stepped on the gas and closed it out 8-7 consigning our 2nd pair to the Plate
Jan & Bertie, meanwhile, were forced to play some of their best fives of the day in a best-of-3 round-of-16 against a sublime 4th seeded StOlave’s 2nd pair. There were some amazing rallies with squeals of delight from the amassed crowds but there was only ever one winner as the Olave’s pair triumphed 12-3, 12-1. (This impressive Olave’s pair unfortunately had to retire due to an injury in the quarter finals whilst 13-14, 7-9 down against eventual champions, Ipswich1). Jan&Bertie then set off on their own Plate C adventure with a quarter-final match against Repton1 who had beaten our boys 12-6, 12-6 in the U16 semi-final qualifiers to win that particular tournament in early Feb and had done the double on us at the Vargas Salver 12-8, 12-11 earlier in March. No time for history to interfere with our day out, Jan&Bertie running out clear winners today 12-6 and with a place in the semis! QEB2 (who Jack & Sacha had got so close to in the group stages) were now firing on all cylinders and gave us the match of the day. A 5-3 lead for us was reduced to parity at 8-8 and then 10-10. It could clearly have gone either way but QEB2 took it 12:10 and then went on to easily beat Harrow1 12-2 in the final. Our boys perhaps most disappointed not to have a chance to face Harrow1 (who had also beaten us twice during the season) and where this day we definitely felt we would have had the upper hand.
Emboldened by their display against the top seeds, there was only one thought on Jules&Matteo’s mind – to win the Plate! First up were Uppingham1 and now this was personal – taking revenge for Jack’s concussion was also on the agenda. Payback was delivered with a 12-5 victory for the Bahamians. Ipswich2 were their next opponents in the semi-finals. At 3-9 down, it looked like the morning prayers in Shrewsbury School chapel may have caught God on a busy day but suddenly the Miracle of Nassau occurred and we came back to win 12-9 and surge into the Plate B Final! The day was not yet over – the Charterhouse faithful gathered behind court 7 to watch Jules & Matteo play out their Plate B final against Berkhamsted3. This was now also personal after that group stage loss 6-8 to Berko2 and the 7-8 defeat in the knockout round to Berko1. The Beachboys comfortably closed this one out 12-5 to bring home some silverware to GU7.
U15 Nationals: It is fair to say our U15s went up to Shrewsbury with moderate expectations. Charterhouse’s 6th pair, Justin & Peter can be satisfied with some fine cutting and even pinching 3 points off Eton1 in their group match! 5th pair, Tim & Henry exceeded expectations in the group stages with fine play throughout and an 8-4 win against a local Shrewsbury5 pairing. 3rd and 4th pairs, Kin & George and Arthur & Milo battled hard but ultimately were unable to get a win under their belts at the group stage despite improving considerably during the day. Our 2nd pair, Jake & Lenny needed 2 wins to get out of their group and despite an early 8-2 win, they could not quite manage to get over the line against Harrow3 going down 7-8. With pairs 2 to 6 in the Plates, we were now relying on 1st pair, Jack & Sacha to offer something more in the main tournament and we were not to be disappointed. Pair 1 recorded straight victories over QEB6, Eton4 and Shrewsbury3 in the group stages, thereby securing a bye straight to the Round-Of-16 where they were paired against a very decent Harrow2 pair. Their match went on for well over 2 hours stretching to a full 3 sets with Harrow2 eventual victors 12:8, 9:12, 12:10.
U14 Novices Nationals: 1st pair, PierGiorgio and Daniel, got off to a flier with wins against Eton 9, QEB 7 and Eton 7… …only failing to register a victory against a strong Shrewsbury 3rd pair and thereby qualifying as 2nd in their group. Our 2nd pair of Curtis and Denis, meanwhile, were playing some of the best fives around, narrowly losing 5-8 to a solid Shrewsbury 4 pair and then conspiring to lose 7-8 against QEB 6 despite having led 6-2. An easy 8-1 victory against Shrewsbury 9 in the play-offs was not enough to get them into the knockout stage that their play deserved. 3rd pair, Angus and Ed, also were off to a winning start with an easy victory over Eton 12 before a tight loss against Eton 5. This meant we required a win in a play-off match against Shrewsbury 6 to qualify for the afternoon’s knockout round. Alas, Shrewsbury had slightly too much for us as we went down 4-8. 4th pair, Connor and Nick, also played well and were able to sneak a victory 8-6 against a Shrewsbury pair to finish 4th in their group. 5th pair, Sean and Teyen, were winless in the morning session despite toughing it out in their group and having some marathon matches.
Our solitary hopes for U14 Novice glory, PG and Daniel, played a 3rd-placed pair from QEB in the first knockout round winning 8-6 and qualifying for the Round-Of-16 and their first potential 3-set match of the day. Alas we were drawn against (eventual runaway winners) Eton 1 and whilst our cutting was strong enough to lengthen the time on court, Eton’s overall play enabled them to progress 12-1, 12-3 into the quarter-finals.
For our other 4 pairs, the afternoon Plate consisted of 36 matches. After 3 hours of games, ‘Charterhouse 5’ in the form of Ed and Sean qualified for the Plate A quarter-finals whilst the consistent and ever-improving 2nd pair of Curtis and Denis also reached the same stage after 4 group wins against various pairs from the Wrekin, Shrewsbury and Eton. Our 5th pair didn’t quite have the firepower to get past Eton in their quarter which in any case would potentially have resulted in an all-C’house semi against Curtis and Denis if only our 2nd pair could defeat Wrekin 2 in their quarter… …which they did - 8-5! A 3-0 headstart for Charterhouse2 in the semi-final had the amassed crowds crossing their fingers. Denis was now popping balls in the hole with abandon and flicking cuts up over his shoulder whilst Curtis was, as he had done all day, bossing everything else. At 6:6 it could have gone either way but it eventually went to Eton 8:6 thereby concluding our long week in Shrewsbury.
Khalel’s leadership throughout the year was exemplary. Despite not having a regular partner, he led from the front, set an excellent example at practice sessions and was ambassadorial at away matches. More amazingly he also inspired 4 other Daviesites Specs to join for practices and matches – we also wish Will, Oscar, Zander and Fraser well with their next steps.
All-in-all another exceptional year for Fives at Charterhouse taking part in tournaments we had not attended in many years, playing in multi-pair fixtures against the more established Fives schools and growing the U14, U15 and U16 bases. The performances from our top pairs particularly and their success in reaching the final 16 at the Nationals in each of those U14 Novice, U15 and U16 categories is quite an achievement – a feat only matched this year by Eton, Harrow, Shrewsbury and QEB! Still to look forward to is the Pattison Plate in May and the re-opening of Charterhouse’s 9th Fives court later in the Summer.
We cannot wait to see what the 2025/2025 season will bring!
Tom Leach
City of London
Fives continues to muddle along at CLS with a small eclectic band of some very tidy court players mixed with pure novices. The more accomplished players have been welcomed to various OC league matches and annual tournaments: Noah J should be noted in particular for being the first CLS school boy to win a league match for the OCs in some time. We would like to thank the OCs for their ever-present enthusiasm and encouragement of the boys, as well as the impressive OC representation in this year’s Varsity match giving inspiration to those continuing to play after they have left school.
That we are entering our 39th year sans courts, is a testament to the resilience of the OCEFC with their promotion of the game. Their latest proposal to have some half-courts installed onsite is making its way through the approval process and we are very much fingers-crossed that it will get the go ahead so that we can finally have a concrete foothold with this fine game at the school after so long.
Rahim Dharamshi
Cranleigh
Cranleigh on World Fives Day; Fixture v Charterhouse; Junior Team; Turnbull Trophy
This year’s Fives season has been a successful and rewarding one for all involved.
It has been a year of new challenges and new players.
For the first time, Cranleigh entered a pair in the Turnball Trophy. It was a valuable and rewarding experience for Matilda F (Y9) and Charlotte B (OC) who, despite the loss, held their own against older and more experienced pairs.
We also expanded our fixture list, playing Mill Hill this year in addition to local rival Charterhouse, and Cranleigh Prep. I am particularly proud of our top 3 U14 girls and boys pairs who all beat Charterhouse 12-0 early in the season.
The enthusiasm and dedication from players this year has been incredible to see.
We hosted visitors from Cranleigh Abu Dhabi, Chengdu and Changsha and gave them an introduction to Eton Fives! This was a really exciting opportunity for the Cranleigh students to get some coaching experience and pass on their expertise and passion for the sport.
We have had a new influx of enthusiastic U14 beginners, who have taken to the sport well and have a bright future in Fives ahead of them.
Lowri White
Cranleigh Prep
U12 boys; U13 girls; U13 girls champions; U13 boys
Cranleigh Prep School Fives has enjoyed probably its best season ever. As a non-selective club which runs once a week for the children we are very much at the whim of who turns up and how often they turn up. This year the school has played in 2 National Qualifiers, 3 National Finals providing 5 semi-finalists across the three National competitions and we also finally managed to get over the line with a convincing win in the u13 girls’ Nationals- our first ever all Prep School National title in this or any other age group! We also played in the Prep Schools competition where we provided two of the quarter-finalists and narrowly missed a semi-final place.
Part of the joy of Cranleigh Fives is that we have a real range of players taking part and it has been pleasing to note the improvements that they all have made and the enjoyment they have had.
Before I move onto a more comprehensive review of the season I should begin by making special mention of my co-conspirator in all things to do with Fives at the school- Mr Harry Thomas. Harry is undoubtedly the unsung hero of Cranleigh Fives. He has given so much to the development of the game at the school and after 15 years now leaves us to head off to South Africa. It will be a very difficult hole to fill. He is both an excellent coach and an excellent person as well. He will be sorely missed on all fronts.
Our season started in earnest just before Christmas with annual 4 school event where we get to play Sunningdale, Summer Fields and Ludgrove in a 3 pair competition. We upset tradition this year by coming second and were competitive even against Sunningdale. This gave us all great hope for the Lent term.
Lent Term: First up was the U13 Girls’ Nationals held at Highgate. We fielded 4 pairs and spirits were high. In the qualifying groups 3 of the 4 pairs qualified with only Lucinda and Daisy narrowly missing out- this was a remarkable achievement in itself as Lucinda has only just started playing! The pair made huge strides forward in their play over the day and eventually ended up as plate -winners.
From 3 pairs in the quarters this was whittled down to 2 into the semis with Tilly and Ceci losing a close encounter against our 2nd pair of Piper and Aoife. The semi-finals proved to be the stumbling block for Piper and Aoife who lost a close fought game against Highgate.
The final was dominated by our first pair of Hattie and Olive who ran out comfortable winners 12-0, 12-2.
Following our success here we moved onto the u13 Boys’qualifiers at Eton followed soon after by the Nationals at Harrow. Cranleigh entered 5 pairs with the top 8 pairs on the day being invited back for the Elite finals at Harrow the following week.
The day started with pairs being allocated to 4 groups with the top 3 moving through to the main competition. 4 pairs qualified as right with only Jamie and James narrowly missing out after some fantastic performances against strong competition.
Spirits were high with three out of the 4 securing top places in their groups and therefore being seeded into the quarters. George and Avey did brilliantly well to progress through their play-off round securing a place both in the quarter-finals and qualification for Finals.
With qualification to the finals secured the only question which remained was who was going to triumph on the day. From 4 pairs in the quarters we succeeded in getting 3 pairs through to the semis with Avey and George losing to another Cranleigh pair. In the semis Wilbur and Freddie and Huxley and Josh went out after strong performances.
The final was undoubtedly the match of the day with Finn and Monty taking on Belmont 1 from North London. It was a tight and entertaining match with Cranleigh winning the first game before Belmont squared the match in the second. The third and deciding game went all the way to the wire before Belmont eventually ran out 12-9 winners on the day.
An unprecedented 5 Cranleigh pairs had now progressed through to the finals at Harrow boosted by the return of Olly from injury. Qualifying went relatively smoothly and all pairs reached the second round. After a further round of play-offs we found ourselves with 4 pairs in the last 16 with only George and Avey narrowly missing out. This achievement was incredibly pleasing because it illustrates the strength in depth which we have in this age group. Pairs 3(Josh and Huxley) and 4 (Freddie and Jake) fell at this stage with Pair 4 putting up a great fight against a strong pair from Belmont. Our top two pairs of Olly and Wilbur and Fynn and Monty negotiated the quarters with Olly and Wilbur winning in style and Fynn and Monty fighting back after losing the first game in the best of 3s.
Getting two pairs into the semis is a first for Cranleigh and hope was high that we might go one stage further but unfortunately is was not to be and both pairs fell at the final hurdle in close encounters where we had our chances and led in both games. It was a fantastic effort from all the boys who have made huge steps forward in their play and can rank themselves amongst the best. Many thanks to all the parents who came to support.
The next instalment saw our u12s test their mettle for what turned out to be a very strong and competitive competition. 6 pairs set out for the qualifying day at Harrow for this 24 pair competition with a place in the finals guaranteed for the top 8 pairs on the day.
I was delighted by all the boys who played. They can all take great pride from their performances and by the improvements they made over the course of the day. Special mention must go to Ben and Will who kindly stepped in at the last minute to ensure that everybody who wanted to play could play. From the 6 pairs who entered 3 of the pairs qualified for the finals and indeed were the top 3 pairs on the day. It is the third time that we have won the qualifying tournament but the first time that the final has been an all Cranleigh affair. The winners on the day were Ollie and Carter but congratulations to all for their efforts over the day.
The U12 National Finals marked a step up in class and quality with the elite schools entering the fray. We took 4 pairs along in the day and performed admirably against some very talented opposition. It was a real opportunity for the boys to pit their skills against the top pairs in the country. I am delighted to say all the pairs acquitted themselves with distinction, improved their play and have a better understanding of what is required to win at the top level.
The top pair of Ollie F and Jake J made it all the way to the semi-finals before going out to the top seeds and eventual winners Berkhamsted.
Our final outing of the year came at the Prep Schools tournament where two pairs reached the quarters. Special mention should go to both to Huxley and Josh who came through a group that contained two 1st pairs from other schools. Although overpowered in the next round they should be very proud of their achievements. Olly playing with Fynn played their best Fives of the season but narrowly came up short against a strong Sunningdale pair.
This year has seen unprecedented success for Cranleigh in all age groups. The trick will be to maintain this level next year. My thanks to all the boys and girls for all their efforts this year and also to Mr Thomas for all he has done over the years.
Mark Halstead
Eton
U14 finalists; U14 novices winners; Richard Barber Cup team; EFA Coach of the Year
No report received yet
Harrow
Harrow celebrate World Fives Day
A very solid season from all concerned resulting in 3 pairs making quarter finals and a further 2 making the semi finals in the Championships held at Shrewsbury this year. The boys performed at their peak and should be proud of their progress.
We also had several boys involved in the Shaftesbury Enterprise scheme which was much enjoyed by all.
Some of the seniors led by Captain Charlie Allday played for the OHs in the league and we hope will continue to play after school.
Looking ahead we will have strong squads again across all year groups and we all look forward the upcoming season.
Ian Hutchinson
Highgate
U16 champions; U15 finalists
Another pleasing season in 2025 for Highgate Fives, particularly seeing the progress and achievements of our girls’ squads! Millie Roxburgh and Zara Kirstein continued their success in taking the U16 championship win, only to have play stopped in the U18 final, as Zara suffered an injury during the U16 competition, finding it too difficult to continue.
U15 girls pairs Laila Offeringa and Veronica Maslovsky, continue to cement their partnership and finished runners-up during Nationals week, with Annabelle Holmes and Stella Valensise winning the plate. Annabelle and Stella also won the Festival competition at the EFA Ladies’ Championships.
U13 fives was also a particular highlight this year, with Adi Chandramouli and Cyrus Soroush Dehmeshki winning the U13 Championships and seven girls pairs competing in the U13 Girls Championships. Zohar Vigder and Isabel Grady finished as runners-up, whilst Imogen Williets and Evie Walker took the plate competition. Particular thanks to Jack Flowers for continuing to develop our U12 and U13 players, even with his promotion to Head of Lower School!
Unfortunately, injuries to two of our key players in the U18 squad, left us mixing up players partners for the National Schools’. Massive credit here to captain Joe Lever, supporting his new partner Haris Ameri, to progress through the tournament.
A final note to thank Kieran Tuck for all his work on fives this season, we wish him all the best during his travels over the coming year and also to Fernando Lee, our 2023-24 captain, who returned to the school in a coaching capacity. We hope to continue to see Fernando at Highgate during university breaks and also on the fives circuit.
Billy Bolton
Holyport
Holyport on World Fives Day; The opening of the new courts at Holyport
No report received yet
Ipswich
U16 champions; U14 champions; Vargas Salver winners; Advanta Unsung Hero 2025
A weird year really, with the fives budget being cut in half at the beginning of the season, leading to our sadly being unable to enter several competitions to which we would normally have taken players. It could so easily have been a disappointing one but Daniel and Charlie’s historic victory in the Schools’ U16s and Betsy and Millie winning the U14 Girls, with a semi-final in the U15 Girls for good measure, led to 2024-25 ranking as the best year ever for Ipswich School fives. Harry and Josh also did brilliantly to make the U14 Boys quarter-finals.
A huge plus this year was our having Sam Cook as our Keeper of Fives. Sam lives and breathes fives and is an inspiration to all, both by his keenness and his application, though perhaps not so much for his on-court observations to his playing partners. To say he was ever present at the courts is not quite true but, more often than not, he was there. He had a good season, though his ambition to win the Midland Festival was scuppered by making the last sixteen of the main event. He had a good run in the Turnbull Trophy with OI Simon Cass and helped the Ipswichian team to second place in the Boughton Bowl, as well as winning the quarter-finals losers Plate at the London Festival and taking the A Plate at the Northern Festival. Sam captained a School ‘A’ team of U16s and 15s to victory in the Vargas Salver, and led a mixed side to a first victory over the EFA, as well as missing the final of the Kinnaird Festival by a single point. Sam is the deserving winner of the Martin Shortland-Jones Cup for most promising senior player.
We lacked strength at sixth form level (several decent players deciding to concentrate their efforts beyond the fives courts) but when Liam could be released from Drama duty he and Sam had a respectable showing in the Schools’ Festival, making the quarter-final. It was good too to see Jackson and Digby making the third round in the same competition and having a good win against Repton at Cambridge, reflecting the continuing improvement in their game.
A resurgence of interest from Year 10 boys was great to see, Jake and Max reaching the Midland Festival semi-final and, with Richard and Jacob, helping us win the Vargas Salver, as well as bringing us close to victory over the OIs. Few were available for the Schools’ Championship though, which was a pity, although John and Richard were honoured with the C Plate at the London Festival. It will be important for us to maintain and build on their interest.
The brilliance of our U14 girls (Anastasia and Rebecca, third, and Emily and Carys, fifth, in the Schools’ Championship) rather hides the paucity of girls we have playing. Betsy, Millie, Anastasia and Bella helped Ipswich to third place in the Richard Black Cup and the first two won the A Plate in the Ladies’ Championship, whilst Emily helped the organiser to the B Plate. We know we have several very talented girls in the higher years, so need to find ways to entice them back on court.
As always we were indebted to those who organised and ran the various tournaments across the year, without these we would struggle to maintain standards. Daniel (who has to be Ipswich player of the year) and Charlie’s play in the Northern Championship not only sharpened them for the Schools’ win but enabled us to learn that they were serious contenders, with very useful feedback from Howard and Adam in particular. They had won the London Festival but it was the feedback from the Northern that gave the perspective we needed.
We were pleased to be able to take three pairs to the U11s and a couple of pairs to the U12s, getting recognition for the great work done by Stubbsy. He has such great rapport with the pupils and how lovely that he was recognised at the End of Season Awards with the Lifetime Achievement Award. Marvellous!
Our thanks to all who administer our wonderful game and provide hospitality and services and particular thanks this year to Charlotta Cooley and Tim Wyndham for giving of their time so freely and without which we could not have achieved half so much.
Peter Boughton
KES Birmingham
KES celebrate World Fives Day and play in the Northern Tournament
Last year I quoted Chaucer and ‘out of acorns do mighty oaks grow’ and the acorns are growing slowly and steadily. We have a group of very enthusiastic Year 8s who will only get better as they develop and if we can get them matches next year. That must be the focus.
We did have representation in the Northern Tournament where our stalwart H.Phillips led the line and together with Coach Shorrocks acquitted themselves admirably, coming 14th the the Festival Competition. Following that noticeable success, not surprisingly numbers went up in the Seniors. Now we just need to keep them…..and get the courts repaired. So the challenge for next year is to get competitive with matches and tournaments, to recruit more especially from the sister school next door and to make some progress on the courts. Things are slowly moving forward, patience being the key.
Jon Shorrocks
Lancing
The newly painted Lancing courts
Fives at Lancing is very much in the stage of regrouping and resolidifying, epitomising the slogan "think big, start small". This small start has consisted of OL Matt Davis being appointed Fives Coach at the start of this calendar year, bringing youthful energy and experienced knowledge to the College, as well as enabling the club night to return to Lancing College on the renovated courts. Thankfully, the College has continued its carousel for the new Third Formers to try their hand at Eton Fives for three hours over three weeks, with the hopes of recruiting new players to join the reliable cohort of Fifth Formers who, until the recent return of the club night, have also been limited to just one hour per week. No matches have come to fruition since the start of my tenure, but solid groundwork has been set for future fixtures, primarily with close ties to Charterhouse via The Brigands. Moreover, re-integration into the school system has been slow, but Fives is slowly returning to be on the radar of students and staff alike.
Matt Davis
Ludgrove
Ludgrove pupils celebrate World Fives Day
The courts have been busy this year, interestingly more from the younger end of the school. After last year's stellar performances in the Prep Schools Fives, recently it has been the U12s, U11s, U10s and even some U9s who were more frequently on court. Mixed results in our fixtures but some very tightly fought finals in the school tournaments. George E and Charlie W won the School Fives defeating Augustus S and Merlin R; George E and Augustus S beat Merlin R and Charlie W in the Colquhoun Cup.
Guy Smith-Bingham
Lyceum Alpinum Zuoz
Zuoz players at Shrewsbury and Geneva; Boys Festival Winners
Fives at the Lyceum continues to thrive.
The annual Summer Games Championship in July 2024, followed by the 100-year celebratory championship in July, served as the perfect finale to the season.
The Benny Oei Championship in Veigy in September 2024 proved to be the perfect start to the competitive season. As always, this event is a delight to be involved with, and the standard of play shown by students and visiting old boys alike once again served as the perfect tribute to Benny Oei.
At the School's Championships in Shrewsbury 2025, Konstantin and Kai won the Boy's Festival against a strong Repton 1st pair. Despite being only 14 and 15 years of age, respectively, Kai and Konstantin played incredibly well to win the title back for the Lyceum.
Another fantastic season for us, and with the Summer Games Championship in July of this year, the Fives program here at the Lyceum keeps driving forward.
Well done to all involved.
Matthew Wiseman
Marlborough
Action from the National Schools' Championships
It was a pleasure to make a brief reappearance on the EF scene in 2025, thanks to the skilful and keen boys we inherited from prep school. Henry Ashworth and Caspar Robarts donned MC colours and gave an excellent account of themselves at the U14 Nationals, on the back of some weekly training [Henry] and/ or one quick game the week before [Caspar]. Tarka Rawley was primed to play until Rosslyn Park Sevens got in the way, but will surely do so in the future. They narrowly failed to qualify for the main event from their pool, despite beating the Eton pair who did qualify, then charged through to the plate final. In their 9th match of the day, it hung in the balance almost all the way, but they were finally bested by ?Berkhampstead*. It was a tremendous effort, and the standard of their play bodes well for the future. We look forward to building on this in 2026.
Tom Kiggell
Mill Hill
Mill Hill pupils celebrate World Fives Day
No report received yet
Oakham
World Fives Day at Oakham
I am pleased to report on an excellent year of Eton Fives at Oakham School. We have taken part in and had some success in fixtures against Uppingham, Repton and Shrewsbury. Importantly, the success has been relative, and many students have made great personal strides and achieved well within the sport. A number of the playing cohort will be leaving this year as they come to the end of their schooling with us, I do however hope they will continue with their Fives adventure as they move on to their next challenges and beyond. It has been a real pleasure in working with this group of students, and although it now leaves us in transition, I will look forward to developing the next set in the future.
Nayan Chohan
QE Barnet
World Fives Day; Senior Squad; U14s; Turnbull Trophy squad
This Eton Fives season has been a hugely positive and enjoyable one, with over 60 pupils across the school actively taking part and gaining valuable competitive experience. From weekly fixtures to major tournaments, the enthusiasm and commitment from all players has been exceptional.
We are extremely grateful to the schools who have welcomed us and provided excellent opportunities for our players to compete and develop — special thanks go to Mill Hill, Highgate, Berkhamsted, Aldenham, Harrow, and St Olave’s for their generous hospitality throughout the season.
The season culminated in a highly successful and rewarding week at the National Schools' Championships in Shrewsbury, where our players represented QE with great spirit, sportsmanship, and determination.
A particular highlight of the year has been the leadership shown by our senior players, who have taken on the responsibility of coaching and mentoring the younger year groups. Their dedication has played a crucial role in nurturing emerging talent and building a strong foundation for the future of the sport at QE.
Looking ahead, Year 9 pupils are currently holding trials with the Year 8 cohort to identify and develop the next generation of competitive players. With such strong engagement and promising talent, the future of Eton Fives at Queen Elizabeth’s School looks very bright indeed.
Jon Hart
Repton
U16 Qualifying winners; U14 Girls Beginners; Priory Court
Another enjoyable year of fives has been had at Repton. Spurred by HM and DoS backing, there has been much to enjoy in training, fixtures and at the National Schools’ Championships. Karen Hird has once again provided insatiable enthusiasm and boundless coaching skill. This has ensured opportunities for play were maximised and that opportunities for skill development amongst our most able and committed put them in their best possible position to stretch themselves at the School’s Championships and my heartfelt thanks go to her for her support and excellent work.
Around 10% of the school have graced fives courts at Repton this year and a combination of Sports Option selections and play outside of core sports is now possible along with Sunday sessions and House Matches in the Lent Term. For any ORs reading, Field House and Abbey were inseparable by any metric in the time available for the senior girl’s competition. Garden were triumphant in the junior girls, as were Priory in the junior boys after narrowly edging out School House. In the senior boy’s competition, The Cross made it four in a row to take home one of the most coveted, spectacular trophies in the school.
In school matches, 27 different players reached a level good enough to represent the school and there were some enjoyable fixtures with the ORs, Shrewsbury (twice), Ipswich (twice), Oakham and Stowe. The larger day long events that have become our bread and butter were enjoyable once again for our top end with the Richard Black Cup, The Graham Turnbull Trophy and the National School’s Qualifiers each providing much enjoyment for the relevant pairs. The highlight of these days was a long trip to Charterhouse where Tom Gilbody and Freddie Tebbs became the first ever Repton pair to win a qualifying event in the under 16 version. The National School’s week and preceding Under 14 Girls tournament brought some satisfying success, but it is a mark of the ambition of the players that they finished the season wanting more! Gracie Gilbertson and Tess Reid were the highest ranked beginner’s pair at the under 14 girls event at Highgate, making the Quarter-final which bodes well for the future, whilst Freddie and Tom made the last 16 of the under 16 main before later in the week agonisingly losing a three-setter in the under 18 ‘festival’ to Zuoz. In the girl’s older age groups, a strong partnership was formed by BeBe Stannard and Meghna Rajan finishing 3rd overall in the under 16 event and Meghna and captain Bri Hansen Hoare finished a creditable 5th in the under 18 event. All of these pupils will be back for more next year and are raring to go already.
One final note to report is that we are (nearly) in a position to re-acquire a 13th court to our facilities. The court in The Priory has been cleaned out, re-wired and pigeon protected, a game of top-step is possible, but once the drains have been sorted and back curtains have been fitted, this court should be fully operational next school year and provide plenty of informal opportunity for all players, but Priory boys in particular.
David Exley
RGS High Wycombe
World Fives Day at RGS
No report received yet
Rydal Penrhos
Welsh Invitational players and winners; World Fives Day
No report received yet
St.Bartholomew's, Newbury
St.Bart's players at the Mixed and on World Fives Day
Fives at St Bart's has had its most successful year since the COVID pandemic. We now have a regular group of players (mostly Y8) attending activity time and after school social and coaching sessions. The sessions are often led by experienced coaches from the Newbury Fives Club. We had four Y11 girls enter the Mixed Championships at Eton partnered by members from the Newbury Fives Club. This was exceptionally brave of them as they had only been playing for a few months and still hadn't learnt all of the intricacies of the rules! But they enjoyed their time and competed well in the competition. From these initiatives Newbury was nominated for club of the year recently. We are currently planning our inaugural Cooper Cup, named in honour of veteran player and coach David Cooper who has donated a trophy for the competition. This will be held on 20th June for students of any ability at the school. This has garnered quite a bit of interest amongst the students and we are hoping for a first fun foray into competitive Fives for the students. We are also busy arranging our first fixtures against other schools for the autumn term. Additionally a reporter from the local newspaper the Newbury Weekly News visited us recently and we had a fantastic write up in the newspaper (image attached). All in all a very busy year and the kernel of a revival of Fives is beginning to bear fruit.
John Talbot
St.Bees
St.Bees at the Midlands, the Northern and on World Fives Day
No report received yet
St.Olave's
St.Olave's winners: Williams Cup; Hughes Cup; Open; EFA Awards
It has been an outstanding season for St.Olave’s. The more experienced players continue to establish their independence as young adult players, taking part in various tournaments around the country as well as teaming up with various Old Olavian league teams. For the first time, both players from our top senior pair took part in the adult Barber Cup final, in which they played a key part in the ultimate win. Tanish and Aadi were both nominees for the EFA’s “Young Player of the Year” .. which was awarded to Aadi. The team won the Williams Cup and Hughes Cup and the Open category of the Nationals, as well as being Finalists in the U13’s and U16’s. St.Olave’s were awarded “Team of the Year” by the Eton Fives Association.
Fives is not part of the curriculum at St.Olave’s. It is a lunchtime and after school activity; totally voluntary, with all recruitment and supervision of the courts at lunchtime, run by the 6th form Fives players/ senior Fives Prefects. The Team and the courts are in the ownership of the pupils themselves. The Baton is handed on each year to two new Captains who help oversee Fives across the school. In this way, conflict with other sports is avoided, as is the pull on time from any staff at the school. Roughly 150 pupils choose to give up their time to play and compete for the school. Many become part of the adult game before leaving school and naturally, continue playing into adulthood.
Many thanks to Prajeeth and Dominique who help to support with additional coaching and logistics.
Howard Wiseman
Shrewsbury
Shrewsbury winners: Richard Barber Cup; Girls U15s; Boys U15s; Mixed
It has been another strong season for Shrewsbury School Fives, with Shrewsbury reaching the final in six of the nine year group competitions. Numbers of Fives players at Shrewsbury remain healthy and we continue to attract a core of cricketers and tennis players, which has benefitted our sports provision as a whole. The benefits for cricketers playing Fives at Shrewsbury remain visible for all to see, with last year’s leavers and first pair Jack Home and Theo Wylie gaining international recognition with England Under 19s.
This year Shrewsbury completed the double in the U15 Boys and Girls competition, achieving a 4th consecutive all-Shrewsbury Final in the mixed and were finalists in the U14 beginners, U16 girls and our U18 Girls first pair remain hopeful of completing the U18 Girls Open competition, which was postponed due to an injury of an opposition player. In addition to this, Shrewsbury retained both the Richard Barber Cup and the Graham Turnbull Trophy. Despite some challenges, the future remains bright for Shrewsbury School Fives.
Adam Morris
Stowe
World Fives Day at Stowe
No report received yet
Summer Fields
No report received yet
Sunningdale
U11 Champions
Another successful term for fives at Sunningdale. The Lent term is the swansong of the Fives season. Trophies on offer, names on honours board to be inked and immortal glory to be won. Sunningdale has always punched well above its weight when it comes to competing with larger schools and the boys deserve tremendous credit for competing across all age groups.
In the U11s Championships, held at Charterhouse, three pairs represented the school. Our first pair of Ugwu and Bathurst mi made smooth progress to the final of the competition. Dispatching all pairs who stood in their way. Our second pair, Blundell mi and Hoare mi, continued the onslaught. After beating the tournament favourites, Berkhamsted One, in the groups, they marched their way into the final with a mixture of enthusiasm and Fives panache!
With both pairs safely in the final, it meant a much more relaxed match for their coach, who watched Ugwu and Bathurst get over the line in a tightly contested 2-0 victory.
In an equally competitive U12s Competition, with over 50 pairs entered. Logue and Lintott narrowly lost in the final in an epic match. They looked down and out half way through but battled extremely well before losing 14-15 in a deciding set.
The Prep Schools is always the swansong of the Fives calendar and in recent years, have a successful track record in the competition. Held at Eton, Sunningdale entered five pairs, in their bid to reclaim the trophy won by Ludgrove last year. Sunningdale's fifth pair, consisting of Ugwu and Bathurst mi, battled hard against much older boys before finishing runners up on the plate competition. Our fourth and third pair, Brogan, Xu, Campion and Dougherty, managed to progress out of the groups before coming up against strong Berkhamsted opposition. Our second pair, Lintott and Logue, had a sniff of making it an all Sunningdale final but fell agonisingly short, losing to Berkhamsted's first pair. Our own first pair of Hoare and Guest, made smooth progress to the final, before dismantling a very talented (and tall) Berkhamsted first pair, who simply could not keep up with the pace and skill Hoare and Guest displayed. A hugely convincing and deserved victory for the first pair who have shown great dedication and attitude on court over several years. Well done to all boys who played in competitive fixtures this year. My thanks goes to all the staff who also spent their freetime, competing against the boys: Mr Darling, Mr Logue, Mr Guest and Mr Dawson.
The winners of the house competition were:
Senior: Girdlestone (Hoare ma & Sasegbon)
Junior: Fox (Ugwu & Blundell mi)
The Fives Cup was won by Hoare ma.
Senior Fives: Guest, Hoare ma, Logue, Lintott, Campion, Dougherty, Brogan, Q.Xu, Sasegbon and Myles
Junior Fives: Ugwu, Hoare mi, Blundell mi, Bathurst mi, Bo Ros, Rona, Corn and Rous.
George Thomason
Uppingham
World Fives Day at Uppingham
It has been an excellent season of Fives at Uppingham with fixtures against Oakham, Shrewsbury, the Old Uppinghamians and the local Uppingham Fives Club. A particular highlight was seeing the Brooklands House Fives courts back in action at the OU game – a court which hasn’t hosted a competitive Fives fixture for many a year! Long may this continue. Another pleasing moment was to see Uppingham represented at the Nationals this year at Shrewsbury where the U16 1st Pair played superbly and represented the school with aplomb. And finally, this year it has been terrific to host Witham Hall Prep School for their Fives Club on Friday afternoons where we hope to inspire the next generation of Fives players. No doubt next year, Fives at Uppingham will go from strength to strength with an exciting and busy fixture list already in the pipeline.
James Holroyd
Westminster
U14 squad; Top Shot winner; World Fives Day
As a new crop of enthusiastic U14 juniors represent Westminster in most of our friendly matches against other schools, we are cultivating a fresh wave of players who will hopefully commit to further growth and improvement in the seasons to come. The senior team, competing mainly for the "Abbey Club," has gained invaluable experience through their league representation.
We would like to express our heartfelt thanks to this year's departing Fives Captain, Kieran Saujani-Lee, and Vice Captain, Sacha Hunter. Their unwavering dedication to the sport and tireless efforts in promoting Fives among new students have been truly commendable.
A significant number of players joined the Old Boys for the highly anticipated annual "Andrew Atiken Cup," showcasing remarkable progress and skill development.
Top squad training sessions continue to attract a number of dedicated participants, ensuring the ongoing growth of our Fives community.
This year, Andrew Zhang emerged victorious in the esteemed Top Shot House Competition, earning his name a well-deserved engraving on the prestigious courtside House Trophy.
With record-high student enrollment for Fives during the Summer term, we eagerly anticipate a thriving competitive season in September 2025.
We extend our deepest gratitude to all the devoted staff and coaches who have shown unwavering commitment to Fives at Westminster throughout the year. Their steadfast dedication and support make our achievements possible and ensure the continued success of our program.
Matthew Wiseman
Wolverhampton Grammar School
A small group of enthusiastic year 7 and 8 boys enjoyed the significant challenge of learning to play Fives when not blessed with good hand-eye co-ordination. By the end of the season they were playing games and fulfilled a fixture against a Shrewsbury team of appropriate standard. The improvements in hand-eye co-ordination will hopefully help other aspects of their lives and I hope they’ll be back next season.
Andrew Husselbee
Wrekin
World Fives Day at Wrekin
No report received yet