Visit of Katsina Fives Club to England - 1989
Extract from the Eton Fives Annual Report.
During our visit to Nigeria in December, it had been suggested that the Nigerians should make a return visit to England to challenge for the Kinnaird Cup. Such is the standard of play in Nigeria, and the belief in their own ability, it must be realised that they fully expected to win the Trophy.
The Nigerian party, consisting of two players, Muazu Turaki and Abdu Mamman, and two Officials, Dr Yushau Armiyau, Chairman Katsina fives Association and Adamu Yakabu, Secretary Fives Association of Nigeria, were met at Heathrew Airport by Messrs Hughes and Tyler the weekend before the Kinnaird. After a rapid pilgrimage to the original court and lunch in Windsor, the Nigerians were driven back to Birmingham where they were entertained in our homes.
The social and cultural highlights in Birmingham involved a visit to the Mosque, an Easter Feast prepared by Gill Hughes, and a visit to the Royal Shakespeare Theatre at Stratford to see "a Midsummer's Night Dream". Matches were played at the King Edward School on Easter Sunday, and it was immediately obvious that the Nigerians were less at home in England than in their own Country. Despite this, they tested Tony and myself to the limit in a lengthy and somewhat controversial two-all draw, a game which unfortunately could not be finished. Matches had been arranged in the following week at Highgate, so that the Nigerians would have the opportunity of playing some of the London based players. The Nigerian pair performed very credibly, and I think amazed some of the leading English players, and, in fact, only lost one match to Matthews and Reynolds.
Match results: M. Turaki and A. Mamman
beat
N Rathbone and M J Moore 12-5, 12-1
A Taylor and J Pinner 12-7, 12-3
E Wass and G D P Williams 9-12, 12-8, 12-4
M C Blundell and M R Keeling 12-8, 12-8
Lost to:
B C Matthews and J P Reynolds 3-12, 4-12
Unfortunately, their performance in the Kinnaird was a total disappointment, and they completely failed to do themselves justice, after a somewhat unseemly squabble over the money they had been given by the Nigerian Government, one of the players refused to try. Consequently, they failed to take advantage of the opportunity to demonstrate their skills to the English Fives playing cognoscenti. It was also a disappointment to me that they did not make a greater effort to get to know any of the other English players, and to tell them what Nigerian Fives is all about, but hopefully our visitors enjoyed their trip, and perhaps have learned that it is not quite so easy to play winning Fives in a foreign environment. We were both brought to realism when the Nigerian National Secretary first saw our Fives courts and christened them "Graveyards" by virtue of the fact that they are often deserted and rarely used. Let us hope that in time we can redress the situation in future years.
On the positive side, the link between Fives in the United Kingdom and in Nigeria has been re-established. In the long run I am certain that with their enthusiasm, hundreds of players and high standard of play, the Nigerians have much to offer to the game.
R.C.T./A.H.
Katsina Club, Nigeria - Visit to the UK by Richard Tyler and Tony Hughes
Constructed 19th November 2001
efa@etonfives.co.uk