November 2013: Cambridge Courts Officially Opened

Saturday Nov 9th marked a red letter day in the history of Eton Fives, as after the near 20 wait since the demolition of Portugal Place and after a huge fundraising effort, led by Richard Black, Rodney Knight and Dale Vargas, the three new courts in the state of the art Cambridge University sports centre were finally officially opened.

The ribbon was cut by University Director of Sport Tony Lemons in front of a large crowd of EFA representatives and CUEFC players past and present. There followed a brief reception and a series of matches featuring the current Cambridge team against an assortment of challengers from among the assembled crowd.

A new era is born in Cambridge University’s Fives history on Saturday Nov. 9th when Director of CU Sport Tony Lemons cuts the tape to open the new courts in the state-of-the-art Sports Centre on the West Cambridge site.

It has taken 18 years to replace the Fives courts demolished with other court facilities in Portugal Place, but Tony Lemons has always supported Rodney Knight, President of the university Eton fives Club and Bob Dolby, his equivalent in the Rugby fives Club, in their determination one day to find a new venue for the sport.

It was only in 2011 that Tony could finally allocate space for six courts to play these exciting and physically demanding games and that was inside the planned Sports Centre. The bad news was that there was no money to pay for such specialised facilities and the challenge had to be issued to the two Clubs to find nearly £1million from alumni and well-wishers and all in less than a year, to meet the builder’s schedule for the Centre.

Nearly a quarter of that was offered by the CU Trust set up after the Portugal Place demolition in honour of Jock Burnet, long-time President of the Clubs, but the task seemed almost impossible until two benefactors came forward with very large donations, leaving Rodney and Bob to find the rest from their past players. This was just achieved by the deadline with the help of the sports’ supporting charities and court building was able to go ahead in the Spring of 2013.

Rugby fives players coming to the university have had no courts to play on since 1995 and Eton fives players only one at Magdalene College, so these new courts will galvanise the Clubs and permit players in the local community and the city to play. Women did not play the game at Portugal Place, whereas Cambridgehas boasted some of the best national women players in the last decade. Charlotta Cooley and Karen Hird are current National Ladies Champions. The men’s Eton Fives team won the Varsity Match this year and the first pair, Rob Wilson and Jamie Abbott won the Universities Tournament for the second time last month.

The superb fives suite opened by Tony Lemons on Saturday uniquely boasts the courts of both codes of fives and will lead to a big expansion in the playing of both games and to an ever-higher standard.

Below is a copy of CUEFC President Rodney Knight's welcoming address:

Ladies and Gentlemen

Can I greet you warmly on behalf of the Cambridge University Eton Fives Club on this wonderful day for us, at the start of a new era for Fives at Cambridge. And the warmth is not only in the welcome, as those among you who have watched fives in the open over the years know only too well!

It is really good to be able to celebrate with so many of you who have made it all possible.

You should all have received a programme for the day; but if not a copy is on the notice board here. It is quite simple, we are going to have some fun and commemorate the day with lots of photographs, fives and some decent champagne.

A special welcome and thanks to the staff of the Centre who have helped me put the event together; Simon Cornish and Lauren Thomas and a very warm acknowledgement of the very long-serving officers of the Fives and Rackets Association Trust, whom we are also very glad to have among us today to share our celebration after 20 years of effort together; Ken Moody, John Bray and Peter Reynolds.

I am joined here by my very good friends in the Eton Fives Association; Dale Vargas, my indispensible right-hand on the Appeal and Chairman of the Trust, Jonathan Asquith, our also indispensable lead donor and Richard Black, Chairman and Richard Barber President of the EFA, whose support for this project has gone far beyond what we alumni could possibly have expected (and quite regardless of their affiliation to ‘the other place’ !).

But let me now welcome and introduce to you our Guest of Honour, without whose utter determination to create this marvelous Sports Centre, none of us would be standing here today. Director of CU Sport Tony Lemons had a dream of a new Sports Centre. With all his other sports responsibilities, he did not need to take a serious interest in Bob Dolby and Rodney Knight and their curious handball games. But he did and has always said that he would do his utmost to fit our court games into his future Sports Hall.

It is a huge pleasure today to invite him to cut the tape which rejuvenates both codes of fives at Cambridge and realises his dream and his pledge to us.