Two Old Carthusians formed arguably the finest playing pair in the history of Eton Fives. The former England cricket captain PHB May joined forced with his brother John and they were never defeated. In fact, once only were they taken to five games. They proved their invincibility when winning the Kinnaird Cup in 1951, 1952 and 1953, ruthlessly demolishing all opponents 3-0, except in the final when they lost one game in the match.

By coincidence in 1951 another promising cricketer, a young ACD Ingleby-Mackenzie, won the Open Schools Championships before heading to Hampshire CCC. Many cricketers have dominated fives courts including another Hampshire captain, Nick Pocock, winner of the schools championships in 1970.

Peter may was highly regarded on the cricket field for his gentlemanly conduct, and Ingleby-Mackenzie and Pocock held an equally generous sporting attitude. These values were of course partly learnt in the fives court where games are entirely reliant on such attitudes. Fives etiquette dictates, “The more lets offered and the fewer claimed the better”. The procedure is for the player who feels he has been impeded his opponent to offer a let and then the opponent decides whether to accept it or not. A let should only be asked for when it is felt that there is a very strong case and one has not been offered. The success of any game of fives depends on all four players being scrupulously fair at all times.

Katherine Tressider Correspondent, Country Gentlemen's Association (CGA)

A Court of Fair Play
Created 11th January 2005 by Mike Fenn
efa@etonfives.co.uk

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