Sept 2014: The Only Way is Asia

Anthony Theodossi reports:

The first time I ever heard about courts in Malaysia was oddly enough my first time I ever set foot on a Fives court; it was the day the courts were re-opened at Emanuel School and I asked coach Howard Wiseman where else in the world this strange, but wonderful, game was played. Little did I realise that 18 years down the line I would be jetting off there with my partner in crime, Ryan Perrie, to coach in this wonderful country.

For those unaware, the courts are located in a premier residential school called Malay College Kuala Kangsar (MCKK). Kuala Kangsar is the royal town of the Sultan of that region and he also attended the school. The school was established in 1905 under the guidance of R J Wilkinson, Inspector of Schools for the Federated Malay States, who in 1904 wrote about "establishing at a suitable locality in the F.M.S., a special residential school for the education of Malays of good family and for the training of Malay boys for admission to certain branches of Government service". With the school education being heavily based on the English boarding system, so too was the sporting side: rugby, football, cricket, hockey and of course Eton Fives.

On Saturday 9th August we arrived early at Kuala Lumpur International airport and were greeted by two smiling old boys, Ayob and Baharomothman, who kindly picked us up and took us to a wonderful 4 star hotel for the weekend. We were treated to a traditional Malaysian breakfast (our third of the day having already had one in London and another on the 13 hour flight!) of spicy chicken and rice while they all sat around us and ordered traditional English breakfasts! We were then entertained that evening to a traditional Chinese meal and music/karaoke with the Old Boys and Principal Mr Anand bin Baharuddin.

On Sunday we were picked up early by the PE staff from the school and set off to Kuala Kangsar on our four hour journey, a trip that I managed to sleep though the entire way! Upon arriving at our ‘rest house’ we were greeted by four senior boys from the school who represented the four different Houses. We opted for an early night in preparation for a 6am start the next day and settled in to our new home for the next two weeks.

On the Monday we were introduced to the whole school during assembly where I was made to give an unprepared speech to an audience of about 900 staff and pupils. Within one hour we were already at the courts ready to give our first lesson. My first impression of the courts was actually a pleasant surprise. I had assumed they would be in a far worse state, having not been used for 50 years, but in all they just required a bit of a sweep and later on a little bit of cement to fill a few cracks as well as the addition of a blackguard line. With only two courts we were a little concerned when our first class turned up consisting of around 40 pupils. But by the end of the hour lesson we managed to introduce them all to the basics of the game and had them in some games of simple doubles. It wasn’t until after school at 4pm that we would have another lesson, so we took the time to familiarise ourselves with the school and the surrounding town.

When 4pm finally came we turned up not knowing how many we’d expect on our first day. As soon as we walked round the corner we were shocked; there must have been around 150 pupils that had turned out! Trying to squeeze that many on two courts was certainly a challenge but we kept them there on court until about 7.30pm playing on the side as well as the back walls. The rest of the week was a similar set up with coaching year group U13 – U16 across the week and numbers after-school averaging out to around 80 each day.

At the weekend we were made part of the school’s Peace Day celebrations, a day dedicated peace and understanding not only amongst the school but worldwide events also.

The following week of Fives proved to be even more successful. The school also has a separate Prep and as is always the key to success with Fives and any sport, the earlier you can get them playing the better. Our lessons increased across the week, though Ryan was left to coach on his own for two days as I fell ill with a case of suspected Dengue fever. Fortunately, it was nothing quite so exotic, but a simple virus.

By the time the end of the second week had arrived, we had already coached about 85% of the 700 boys in the school including a few of the senior boys from the International Bachelor section of the school who, although they weren’t part of the timetabled lessons, had come to try their hand at the game as the courts were conveniently located in between the main school and the IB block.

The two weeks were to culminate in a grand re-opening of the courts after their 50 year break with the re-appearance of many of the Old Boys from the class of ’63. This year had been the last year to play the game, which had now tried to re-introduce it to the school, being the main supporters of the event. We began with an Inter-House Fives initiative between the 4 Houses with a junior and senior category. It was wonderful to see all the pupils and old boys turn out to support in their House colours.

The day was slightly marred by the sudden arrival of heavy rain calling off all play and moving the event to a nearby inside dining hall. This did have the positive outcome however that it was recognised that the courts needed to be roofed so they could be used all year round and money and construction plans have already been put in place for this to happen.

The Old boys Ayob and Baharomothman gave a passionate speech about their love for the game which I’m sure hit a strong chord with many of the younger players, particularly those who were in the same Houses they used to be in at school. After the speeches were done and the rain had subsided, the official plaque was unveiled by the Principal to commemorate the occasion.

As our two weeks came to close, we were quite sad to be leaving the school, but looked forward to our day and overnight stay in George Town on the west coast at Penang. After locating an English pub we enjoyed a bit of downtime with a drink and pool. This was the evening before Ryan’s 25th birthday on the 25th so he was treated to his first ever Thai massage, but we won’t give away too many details on that one…

The following day we jumped on a train bound for the capital Kuala Lumpur and upon arriving were again greeted by a smiling Ayob who dropped us off at an incredible 5 star hotel the Old Boys had booked up for us (mainly because it was owned by one of the old boys!). That night was to be the final night hosted by the Old Boys at a local sports club. There was a good attendance of around 60, many of whom had never seen, heard or played the game, but who were in full support of the project at hand to revive it for the school. There were again many fine and passionate speeches from Ayob, Baharomothman and the President of the Old Boys Association. Ryan was then asked to give a small speech, something he had been dreading across the whole two weeks, but it turned out to simply be a distraction, as they presented him with a surprise birthday cake for the occasion.

The following evening was a much quieter affair with a few select old boys taking us out for a superb Chinese meal and saying our goodbyes before our early flight back to London the next day.

All in all, it was a very successful venture and the game has been left there in a very healthy state with players still turning up regularly to after-school clubs and practices and initiatives already in place for coaching during PE lessons as well as future school competitions. As with many schools, even here in the UK, the game will require constant vigilance to keep up its success; a bold plan has already been agreed to try and bring a team over to take part in the 2015 Schools Nationals in March, a move that will really help to cement the game at the school as a core sport.

There are so many people to thank; the PE staff at the school Mr Fidzamil and Mr Fami for their support of the game and help during coaching (though sometimes we struggled to get them off the courts to allow the pupils time to play!) and to the Old Boys for their kindness and generosity throughout our stay there. A special mention to Ayob and Baharomothman in particular for their determination and drive to see this project pushed to its limits with their dedication to the sport and the school itself. To the Principal Mr Anand bin Baharuddin, for, not only his unwavering support to seeing the project a success, but also his kindness in making us feel at home and welcome to the school. And finally a big thank you to the Jesters, particularly Michael Rowan, for the drive and determination in getting this project off the ground in the first place, and the financial support from Richard Black, Dake Vargas and the EFCT.

We look forward to seeing the future of Fives evolve at Malay College, the ‘Eton of the East’, and welcoming them over in March to show them the same kindness and hospitality they have extended to us.