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Northern Tournament 2014: Cooley and Dunbar win again but are pushed all the way

The 2014 Northern Tournament saw a record (surely?) 72 pairs take part over the weekend in the main tournament, the festival and an assortment of plate competitions. Players from all points of the Fives compass made the trip to Shrewsbury and were rewarded with the traditional two days of fun, cameraderie and Fives.

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Ipswich Tournament 2014: Any Port in a Storm

The 2014 Ipswich Tournament took place at the weekend, with the usual assortment of Ipswichians past and present plus guests taking part in a splendid weekend of Fives. Seb Cooley and Charlie Blackmore emerged from the wreckage of the Saturday night dinner to take the title, defeating Will Gibbons and Karen Hird in the final.

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Alan Barber Cup 2014: Eleven in a row for the Olavians

Mark Williams reports:

The Old Olavians won the Alan Barber Cup at Eton on Sunday 25th January for the eleventh successive year with a 2-1 win in the final over the Old Salopians.

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Dec 2013: Aldenham Fancy Dress Fives

Phil Lyndon reports:

Players at the Aldenham Heath Fives Club turned out in fancy dress last night (Tuesday 18 December) for an evening of fun and frolics. The theme this year was facial hair with a prize for the best effort. Left-hander Chris Austin won with his Frenchman get-up. His prize: the last sandwich on the tray (ham salad) in the Round Bush.

Peter Knowles

Jan 2014: It is with great sadness that we report the death last week of Peter Knowles. Peter was one of the great servants of the game, as a player then as a coach, especially at Highgate School. He ran the the National Schools' Championships, was the EFA's archivist, secretary of the Eton Fives Charitable Trust and co-author of "A History of Eton Fives". A full obituary appears below:

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Dec 2013: Fives in Nigeria

Eton Fives is not purely a UK sport; if you ever had any doubts check out the recent article on Nigerian Fives in the Economist by CLICKING HERE

Roddy Forman: An Obituary

Jan 2014: Roddy Forman was master in charge of Fives at Eton for several years and, in retirement, was an ardent coach at Summer Fields, Oxford. He was the ideal person to instil in young players the ethos of the game and was no mean performer himself.

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London Tournament 2013: Last Hurrah for Highgate

The weekend of December 7/8 saw the end of an era as the top courts at Highgate were used for the final time before being knocked down. The 2013 London Tournament gave them a terrific send off, with a weekend of high quality Fives and great entertainment. The main tournament was won by top seeds Tom Dunbar and Seb Cooley who beat defending champions Peter Dunbar and George Campbell in a repeat of last season's Kinnaird final. The Festival was won by Carl and Andrew Rennie, who had the honour of winning the final point on the courts.

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Jan 2014: Lord Kingsdown - A Tribute

Gordon Stringer writes:

Lord Kingsdown, KG, PC (1927 – 2013)

It is with a great sense of loss that we record the death of Robin Leigh-Pemberton, Lord Kingsdown, who had been Patron of the EFA since 1997. He followed another distinguished Old Etonian, Sir Alec Douglas-Home, and filled the role with equal aplomb.

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Dec 2013: A Rose Among Thorns

The 2013 Aldenham Ladder has been won by Josh Rose. He topped five of the eight ladders in 2013 and was presented with the new Phil Marsh Trophy by Club Secretary Phil Lyndon. The final ladder event last night (3rd December) was shared by Josh, Nirav Patel, Andrew Rennie and Rubel Malik as shown in the picture above. Throughout the competition Josh has remained "head and shoulders" above the rest. A worthy winner!