Oxford University EFC Celebrates 100 Years In Style

Rachel McCormack reports:

03/12/25: On the 18th of November recent graduates, long-standing alumni and current players of Oxford University EFC gathered to celebrate 100 years of Eton Fives at the university.

It was a brilliant evening, with many old friends reconnecting, new friends being made and lots of delicious food and wine; and of course it wouldn’t be a Fives event without an afternoon of matches!

The festivities began out on court, with several players dusting off gloves that had been sitting idly for fifteen years. Many took a moment to note just how much the courts had changed since their university days, perhaps this may have been because the wall they once “accidentally” broke appeared to have been discreetly repaired in their absence. Others were less enthused by the Iffley Road courts’ famously “open plan” design, which provided little shelter for spectators from the cold and rain on this fine November evening. And yet roof or no roof, some very competitive and highly entertaining Fives unfolded. It was a pity that many of the University boys were nursing very sore shoulders, but they bravely adopted a strict left hand only policy and soldiered on. On the neighbouring court, an alumni/EFA bigwigs clash featuring T.Leach & M.Chinery versus A.Knight & A Sentance produced rallies of utter brilliance. One might argue this was due to the fashion statement which M.Chinery made with his goggles, but this author couldn’t possibly comment. We were delighted to also have Mark Williams on hand, keeping a characteristically watchful and encouraging eye over proceedings, as well as recent graduate Joel Robb, who very heroically stepped  into his former captaincy role to organise all the match pairings.

After some very well played matches, dinner and drinks were very well earned and it was an absolute treat to be able to host the dinner in Christ Church College. The evening started with glasses of bubbly in the college buttery before dinner in the McKenna room. Fear not, the party did get to enjoy the ambience of the Great Hall for teas and coffees, but not before a speech from Nigel Cox… does anyone know the score of the Varsity Match from 1925 by the way?

For many, the evening ended here, with well wishes and hopes to return to Oxford soon. For others, the party continued towards St Peter's College, the home of the OUEFC Secretary. And for some, the night was still young, with great relief that no early start awaited them the next morning. It was an evening spent in great company and wonderful food, and I would like to thank all of the committee members for their support to make the evening happen. I would also like to thank all the guests who joined us for the celebration; we hope to see you all again soon. And finally, I would like to extend my gratitude to Gareth Hoskins, for all of his work behind the scenes and for his continued support of the women’s side.