North Oxford Regain The Crown In Bumper Boughton Bowl

North Oxford Regain The Crown In Bumper Boughton Bowl

19/10/26:

Elana Garfield-Osen reports: The Mixed Teams tournament is in its seventh iteration and in recent years has grown and expanded almost as rapidly as the sports facilities at Eton.

Last year’s impressive entry of 10 teams was blown out of the water by the 12 teams who turned up this year, filling every court Eton boasts (and needing two more!). Berkhamsted were back with another impressive line-up to try to defend the trophy, and North Oxford once again brought two strong teams to try to wrest it back. Regulars Westway and Ipswich were in attendance, though an unfortunate mix-up meant they were only sporting 11 players between them as they both were laying claim to Louise Rymall. The Old Cholmeleians returned for the first time since their 2023 win, and Highgate School fielded their first all-pupil side. The tournament welcomed debutants Westminster (a mix of school players and alumnae and Jack Ledigo of the Old Cholms, who stepped in gallantly as a ringer following an eleventh-hour, OW dropout), Brigands/Lancing, and St Olave’s School (who very impressively turned out two whole teams of beginner girls alongside their top-tier schoolboys).

As always, the Wiseman rule was in force, and teams were free to chop and change pairs throughout the day as long as all pairs were mixed and stratified according to ability. The teams were split into two groups of six, who played games to 12 for the opening round (which lasted until gone 15:00, by which time a sopping drizzle had snuffed out the morning’s crisp, autumn sunshine).

In Group A, Berkhamsted qualified comfortably in first place, winning all but one of their games at first and second pair (with the Old Cholms managing a scalp at first pair that would prove crucial). North Oxford A sailed through Group B with a clean sweep, scooping up 15 wins barely conceding any points.

Despite the wide range of experience on show—some players having decades of play-time and others mere minutes—it was a testament to the grit of the competitors that (behind the group-topping teams) both group results went to the wire. Third and fourth place finishes in Group A were decided by a head-to-head result between the Old Cholms and Westway; both were pipped to the knockouts by a single game, North Oxford B managing to qualify despite losing 2-1 to the Old Cantabs, who ended up in fifth. Even more finely balanced was the battle to reach the main knockouts in Group B. Ipswich did incredibly well to be in contention with no eligible third pair, but the second-place slot was decided by a single point at second pair that swung in Highgate School’s favour. In fact, Group B was as tight as they come, only three games separating five teams, and Westminster missed out on a shot at Plate A by a single game, the 11-12 loss at third pair to the Knight twins of Brigands/Lancing allowing the latter to progress. In both groups, St Olave’s School brought up the rear, nevertheless registering wins on the board that represented their girls’ first tournament victories.

Knockouts then awaited for all the teams: the top two finishers from each group qualifying for the main knockouts, the middle two for Plate A, and the bottom two for Plate B. A first-to-15 semi-final was followed by a best-of-three final for the victors, or an optional bronze-medal playoff for the losers.

In Plate B, St Olave’s A managed a 2-1, semi-final win against the Westminsters to meet the Old Cantabs in the final. The first pair of St Olave’s A then pushed the Old Cantabs to the limit before succumbing 14-15, and the Old Cantabs finished the job at second and third pair to nab Plate B after a flawless knockout campaign.

Plate A’s semi-finals were fought over only two pairs, with Ipswich still down a female player and Brigands/Lancing having lost their third pair at the close of the group stage. With a single (but emphatic) win at first pair, the Old Cholms therefore dispatched Brigands/Lancing despite their second pair’s 12-15 loss. Ipswich managed to overcome their disadvantage once more by convincing wins in their first and second pairs over Westway, thus avenging the loss of their third female player to the aforementioned administrative mishap. However, even with Betsy Laws playing blisteringly throughout the day, and despite the tutelage of plate-specialist Peter Boughton, it was a step too far for Ipswich to overcome the Old Cholms in the Plate A final. It was familiar territory for Isaac Weaver of Ipswich, whose Mixed Championship dreams had been crushed by the Old Cholms’ Emily Scoones in the 2025 semi-finals. Only Emily will know whether she was prouder of her 2025 Mixed Championship cup than the 2026 Boughton Bowl’s illusory Plate A: surely a toss-up.

The main knockout once again hosted a North Oxford derby, and team A came out clear winners (with a doughnut at third pair just to hammer the point home). Berkhamsted were troubled at third pair by Highgate School but nevertheless also managed a 3-0 semi-final win. North Oxford B recovered from their derby defeat to win the bronze-medal match 2-1.

The final in large part was a replay of last year’s tournament, in which Berkhamsted had come out 2-1 ahead by winning the top two pairs, and with an almost identical team. North Oxford, though, considered themselves to have a stronger side this time, fourteen(!)-time Ladies National Champion Karen Hird this year partnered by a battle-hardened Fred Prickett, and so it transpired as they triumphed over Bethan Miles and Jack Pemberton. But once again, Berkhamsted’s second pair of Ryan Perrie and Zoe Wheale proved too much for Harriet Asquith, this year playing with Nick Shaw (promoted from last year’s third pair), over two games that generated much laughter (including from Harriet’s over-the-shoulder flick from back-court). Fittingly for a team tournament that demands strength in depth, it was left to the third pair to decide the destination of the Boughton Bowl and North Oxford’s Rachel Wood and Jack Hopkins left nothing to chance, allowing only two points in two games against James Wheale and newcomer Rosie Whitby.

The trophy presentation was gratifyingly well-attended due to the tournament’s impeccably curated 17:11 finish—or, more likely, the abundance of players all finishing more-or-less simultaneously due to the symmetrical structure enabled by the mathematically pleasing entry—and Peter Boughton handed over his bowl to North Oxford A, who sported an extra pair of legs for their winners’ photograph.

Many thanks as always are due to Gareth Hoskins for helping to organise the day, to Eton College for hosting, and to the numerous team organisers: Gareth Hoskins, Zoe Wheale, Billy Bolton, Emily Scoones and Aroop Bhattacharya, Peter Boughton, Matt Davis (whose keg of beer was scrumptious and a welcome addition to the tournament, hopefully to return in the future alongside Brigands/Lancing!), Natalie Lilienthal (remote from Mauritius!), Lewis Drummond, Riki Houlden, and Yifan Luo and Howard Wiseman.

Semi-Finals

Berkhamsted beat Highgate School 3-0

North Oxford A beat North Oxford B 3-0

Final

North Oxford A beat Berkhamsted 2-1

K.Hird & F.Prickett beat B.Miles & J.Pemberton 2-0 (12-4, 12-4)

H.Asquith & N.Shaw lost to Z.Wheale & R.Perrie 0-2 (4-12, 5-12)

R.Wood & J.Hopkins beat R.Whitby & J.Wheale 2-0 (12-1, 12-1)

3rd/4th

North Oxford B beat Highgate School 2-1

Plate A

Semi-Finals