Annabel Griffiths (1989-2025)

09/04/25: We are deeply saddened to hear of the recent death of Annabel Griffiths at the age of just 35.

Annabel learned to play Fives at Ipswich School and on moving from there to Cambridge University in 2007, she found herself in the right place at the right time to be the driving force behind the development of the women's Varsity Match from a pair here and there to the full six pair match sharing equal billing with the men's match that we now have.

She almost single-handedly recruited a whole host of new players at Cambridge, many of whom have continued playing subsequently. Annabel's passion for Fives and her organisational flair were apparent almost immediately and as well as more or less creating and captaining the Cambridge University women's team, she also ran her own club, organised the National Under 25 tournament and spent a couple of years on the EFA Board. When you asked Annabel to do a job, you knew it was going to be done as thoroughly and as well as humanly possible.

She was also a fine and determined player; the first female half-blue for Eton Fives at Cambridge, Universities champion in 2009 and Under 25 finalist in 2011.

Annabel drifted away from the game after a while, although there was occasional talk of a comeback (it would have happened eventually, I'm sure!) but she most definitely made her mark in the world of Fives and perhaps more importantly made a lot of friends in the world of Fives. It came as a huge shock to us all to learn of the illness that led to her passing at such a young age and she will be sorely missed.