Readers will of course be totally aware that the inaugural European One Wall Handball Championships were held in Mid-Wales at the May Bank Holiday, 1995. This Tournament followed the successful World Championships held in Dublin in October 1994.

Thus I searched diligently the more proficient Eton Fives World in the months leading up to these Championships, in the hope of finding players who would compromise and attempt another sport which simply consists of hitting a ball against a wall. There were a few takers, but to his considerable credit, Robin Mason the present British Eton Fives Champion, was not only keen and excited about competing, but also agreed to play with me in the doubles. The Championships were based at Nelson, where Handball has been played in the village since 1860.

We were requested to attend the reception party on the Friday evening, and were advised that the presentations and final ceremony would take place on late Monday afternoon. We could hardly imagine that the event would encompass three and a half days. We were wrong. The time went very quickly, we were never bored, and very simply the whole event was an outstanding success.

On the Friday afternoon, Robin and I practised Four Wall Handball in London, and played several competitive games, the results of which are contained at the end of the article. London traffic being what it is, we arrived late at the opening party where we found Welsh, Belgians, English, Irish and Americans. I did venture to mumble as to why Americans were eligible for European Championships, but apparently it is something to do with established air bases in the United Kingdom!

The Tournament was held at three venues. Abergoed, which Mason was unable to find by car and is unknown by the local police station situated one mile from Abergoed, Caerphilly, where we failed to find any cheese, and the village of Nelson: the first two venues were in sports centres. One Wall Handball consists of a front wall, and a court marked away from the wall with various service lines, rather like one side of a tennis court. It is a relatively basic and simple game, with limited use of spin and therefore not as esoteric as Eton Fives. Nevertheless, one has to say that it is enjoyable and watching the expert Americans, the game obviously has it's individual skills. It is played both singles and doubles.

We did not win a single match, either in the main Competitions or in the Plates. Indeed, we only won one game in the doubles. Our excuse was that we were insufficiently practised with the ball, and in truth I believed this to be accurate. One more day's practice would have changed the results of several close matches.

We were able to trade volleys at the front of the court, with the best, but we were simply unable to control a ball bouncing high at the back of the court. Nevertheless, both together and separately we had very many enjoyable games, and an excellent weekend. Handball requires you to either referee, take a line or get involved! The moment you go on court to practice, you are always joined by someone else. The weekend was one of total involvement with players of all countries. Admittedly, the weather was excellent, but I would ask you to envisage a court situated right in the middle of a Welsh village, with a local pub literally on the left-hand side of the court, and a row of terraced houses on the right, and the main road and shops behind. On Finals day. you could mingle with the local spectators, Alastair MacKenzie and David Barnes of Rugby Fives, Sean McEntee the Irish Handball President and Paul Williams the organiser of One Wall Handball in New York City (with more than 2,000 courts). The scene has been described perfectly by the veritable Tom O'Connor our quintessential Irishman, whose dream child this event was last October, and who wrote in World Handball.

"There is a Welcome in the Valleys" 'We saw the soul of handball in Wales this May. This was the only standard 60 x 30 court built in Britain and was put up for the Irish immigrants who went to work in Wales in the 1860s. Handball became the major sport in the village and for their annual tournaments the court and square around it would be black with spectators, old and young. Again this year the court became the centre of village life. The old Irish game of One Wall Handball was gloriously resurrected in a weekend favoured by ideal weather conditions. We saw the game as it was originally devised, a street game, a game of the people especially of the children.

What are the abiding memories of this Tournament?

Firstly finding Robin Mason during the final ceremony hiding in the car park during the presentations as he might have been required to give a rendering of a typical English folk tune. Robin is a very capable singer and musician! Secondly, my description of Eton Fives when interviewed by Radio Wales, describing to listeners that the front ledge was about six inches higher than "this table here"!

The third is that having considered myself for many years probably the most competitive Fives player, I now discover that Robin Mason is many stages ahead. With no exaggeration, I was required to practise at quarter to twelve on the Sunday evening, by the lights of his car in the main street, and such is the enthusiasm that we were joined by the Americans to make up a four. Handball is like that; I have even played a doubles with David Chapman the World Champion. Even worse, I was required to play Robin a competitive match the next morning starting at quarter to eight. Midway through the second game, the local cleaning cart came to sweep the courts. The match was unfinished, but again the results are described at the end of this article.

Handball is fun. The rules on lets and timeouts leave any Barber Cup Final totally in the shade, and the sheer friendlinesss of the players from the various countries has to be seen to be believed.

Next year, the European Championships move to Belgium, and the following year the World Championships go to Winnipeg in Canada. I thought I played quite well in the doubles, but Mason is immediately looking for another partner for Belgium. I hope that more Eton Fives Players will consider both of these events in the next couple of years. and if anybody is interestsd, would they like to ring me or chat about it during the season.

Oh, the results of the matches! Well, Mike Fenn says that the article is too long already, so he has cut that bit out. Anyway, Mason is younger than I am!

A.H.

European One Wall Handball Championships by A Hughes
Created 3rd June 2003
efa@etonfives.co.uk

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