Old Harrovians Eton Fives Club
A Tribute to Monty Moss
On Tuesday, 24 October 2000, the Old Harrovian Eton Fives Club held a Dinner in
the Shepherd Churchill Room, Harrow School, in honour of their recently
retired President, Monty Moss.
The new President, Dale Vargas proposed his
health (text below) and Monty replied.
Ladies and Gentlemen,
We are here as you know this evening to pay tribute to Monty Moss and to recognise his devotion to Harrow
Fives for as long as anyone can remember.
First, I would like to pass on messages from some people who were going to be here tonight but sadly can’t be.
Philip Curtis, former President of the Eton Fives Association, now Chairman of the Eton Fives Charitable Trust,
has had to fly to Holland today as Mareka’s father died yesterday. David Guilford, who is about to go into
hospital for a hip replacement operation. Graham Dunbar, formerly Master in charge of Fives and the new House
Master of Bradbys is in the north of Scotland for half term and Tom Dawson, the new Master in charge of Fives
is also away. All send their very best wishes to you, Monty, for a happy evening.
For me, and I suspect many others, Monty is Harrow Fives. I feel completely inadequate in summarising such a
vast influence over such a long period. All I can attempt to do is to give you a couple of snapshots and hope
that your own experiences, memories and imagination will paint the fuller picture.
Fives at Harrow has long been concentrated in a few Houses but interestingly not the same Houses. In my time in
the School, it was Rendalls, Moretons and Druries; later it moved to Newlands, The Head Masters, the Park and The
Knoll. Before then it had been Elmfield and Bradbys. Monty entered Bradbys in 1938. I don’t know how he started
playing fives. Probably it was the influence of his House Master with the practical introduction and coaching by
senior boys. The House Master was Oliver Bowlby, himself an Old Etonian and no mean player.
Monty clearly took to the game and the game to him. He was appointed Captain of School Fives in 1941. His partner
in the first pair was William Ropner of Elmfield, but was replaced mid-season by a fellow Bradbeian, Alexander
Fletcher. Its good to know that cronyism was alive and well in the ‘forties.
They were, by all accounts a useful rather than outstanding pair, winning against Charterhouse, but being outclassed
by Eton who were very strong in these years and at that time, boasted no fewer than 63 fives courts. Of course,
these were the dark days of war and very few matches against other schools were being played.
One of the match reports, away to Aldenham, reads: "The School were much depleted in this match because of the
risk of mumps." I then looked down and to my alarm saw that Monty’s name was missing from the team sheet. It was a
relief to realise that no lasting damage could have been done and here today are Andrew and David to prove it!
Incidentally, Bradbys won the final of the House Fives that year but were overpowered in the three pair by Elmfield
whose second pair boasted the mighty JF Leaf, in spite of the inclusion of MG Eiloart in the Bradbys team..
Monty left in 1942 and this event was obviously taken very seriously by the Head Master. One might even say that
he overreacted for he promptly resigned as Head Master and closed Bradbys.
I first played fives against Monty in December 1957. I was rather surprised to find that he could take the time
off from minding the shop on a Saturday afternoon.
The match was rather unusually abandoned with the score at one all. The explanation was that heavy condensation
had made the walls and floor so wet that every cut skimmed into the back left hand corner. I remember it vaguely:
none of us could get any cuts up and it was getting darker and darker. There were no lights in the courts in those
days.
A further explanation may have been that we were of course playing with the old leather covered ball, which used
to split when it became wet, and at four shillings and sixpence a time that was a consideration.
The Harrovian however rather pointedly wrote: "It says much for the tenacity of the players that only one match
had to be abandoned."
Forty three years on and overconfident with my new hips I thought I might challenge Monty to finish off that match
but sadly Monty’s partner that afternoon, Johnny Day, died last year so it will have to be played at a later date
in the great fives court in the sky. Even then I expect my partner Stephen Minoprio will be late.
As a player, Monty did not perhaps have the volley of a Smart, the rapier left hand of a Shortland-Jones, the
court craft of a Guilford, the cut of a Batting, the retrieving skills of a Hewens, or the physical dominance of the
court of a Mark Williams have I missed anyone out? but he did have one quality above all others: he was the most
delightful person either to play with or against, the most courteous of players. A let was always offered before
it could be claimed and conceded graciously however outrageous the acceptance.
Monty was, and is, forever the gentleman, a pleasure to do business with, and an object lesson in manners on court
to many of the young players of today and looking around this room, to some of the not so young as well.
As years passed, Monty began playing a larger role in the administrative side of the OH Fives Club. I remember
AGMs in Monty’s comfortable office at Moss Bros, when anyone who turned up was automatically elected to the
Committee. Monty became Chairman - by popular acclaim I hasten to add, not just because he was the only one at
the AGM.
I also remember in the days before football finals claimed the morning of Founder’s Day, when the match against
the School was a big occasion, Jane and Monty bringing up delicious lunches, which were enjoyed by the players
in one or other of the beaks’ houses. Happy days.
And now, forty and fifty and sixty years on, he has stood down as President. Monty, no one has done more for
Harrow Fives than you. I salute you and thank you and Jane for all you have been to us.
I would like to present to you, on behalf of the club, this book which is the recently published History of the
School by Christopher Tyerman. This copy has been signed by the author but that should not seriously detract from
its second hand value. It is 566 pages long and fives isn’t mentioned. What were we doing all those happy hours?
It comes with our love and best wishes.
J D C V
A Tribute to Monty Moss by Dale Vargas
Constructed 19th June 2001
efa@etonfives.co.uk