Kinnaird and Ladies Finals at Eton on Sunday
05/04/18: This Sunday sees the final of the two Eton Fives national championships with 2017 champions Tom Dunbar & Seb Cooley and Karen Hird & Charlotta Cooley defending their titles against Jonny Ho & Riki Houlden and Ashley Lumbard & Emily Scoones respectively. The ladies final kicks off at Eton at 1pm, with the Kinnaird final following at 2:30pm. All spectators are welcome!
The Kinnaird Cup final sees the arrival of the first new finalists since George Campbell in 2013 following four consecutive Dunbar & Cooley v Toop & Wiseman finals. Jonny Ho & Riki Houlden played Tom Dunbar & Seb Cooley in the Northern final at Shrewsbury earlier in the season, but failed to make much of an impression following a near four hour semi-final in the morning. They will be hoping that things will be very different this time around with much better preparation, but Tom & Seb are gunning for an eighth successive win in the competition and are still to be beaten in a competitive match, a remarkable statistic given that this is their eighth season of playing together.
- Jonny Ho becomes the seventeenth Old Cholmeleian to play in the Kinnaird final and the first since Ed Wass & Jamie Halstead in 2002.
- Riki Houlden becomes only the second Old Westminster to make the final and the first since TG Lund way back in 1936.
- Tom Dunbar is aiming to extend his record and win the Kinnaird Cup for the 14th time. This will be his 17th consecutive appearance in the final, dating back to his first win in 2002, tying James Toop's total of final appearances and moving to within two of the all time record of 19, held by Tony Hughes.
- Seb Cooley is looking to win the Kinnaird for the eighth time, which would take him to joint fifth on the all-time list, level with Old Edwardians Robin Mason and Gordon Campbell.
The Ladies final is a repeat of last year's exciting contest, with defending champions Charlotta Cooley & Karen Hird aiming for a sixth successive title together (a seventh in total for Charlotta). Standing in their way once again are Ashley Lumbard & Emily Scoones, who pushed the champions hard last year and will be looking to go one better on Sunday and get their hands on the trophy for the first time.
Most Kinnaird Cup wins
13 Tom Dunbar
11 John Reynolds
10 Brian Matthews
9 Tony Hughes
8 Gordon Campbell
8 Robin Mason
7 Seb Cooley
5 Denys Firth
5 Jonathan Mole
4 Jimmy Biggs
4 Howard Fabian
4 James Toop
Most Kinnaird Final Appearances (not including 2018)
19 Tony Hughes
17 James Toop
16 Tom Dunbar
13 Gordon Campbell
12 Jimmy Biggs
12 John Reynolds
12 Matthew Wiseman
11 Robin Mason
11 Brian Matthews
8 Denys Firth
8 Jonathan Mole
7 Seb Cooley
7 Peter Dunbar
7 Howard Fabian
7 Andy Gibson
7 Martin Shortland-Jones
7 Doug Wainwright
7 Ed Wass
6 Jamie Halstead
6 Dick Kittermaster
6 Robin Moulsdale
5 David Guilford
5 Malcolm Keeling
Most Ladies Final Wins
12 Kerry White
11 Karen Runnacles
9 Lynn Wootten (née Parker)
8 Dominique Redmond
6 Charlotta Cooley
5 Karen Hird
4 Erica Tadman
4 Krystyna Vargas