It is easy to think that Eton Fives at Westway has been up and running for years, but in fact at the time of writing this at the end of June, the courts have been active for just on nine months. And in those nine months we have come a long way.

Mark Herring was in charge when the courts were opened and he has spent a busy, successful (and he says enjoyable) seven months or so introducing Fives to the locals. Mark did an excellent job of visiting local schools and persuading a number of them to bring their pupils for weekly lessons. Meanwhile league matches are being played there and Ronald Pattison and John Reynolds have been instrumental in setting up a regular weekly get together on a Monday evening.

However the greatest achievement was for Westway to ask Howard Wiseman to take on the organisation of the Fives at Westway over the next year or so, which is remarkably exciting. The combined enthusiasm of Westway and Howard should produce some remarkable results.

Westway is a hive of activity. The Centre is now achieving 8,500 weekly admissions, which is a substantial increase of the budgeted 5,000 following the redevelopment. The climbing wall, in particular, has surpassed all expectations and the football pitches bring in more than 120 teams a week.

Westway is Eton Fives’ opportunity to develop a centre for Eton Fives. Although the courts are not ours, it is a sports centre in London with good changing facilities, quality sports facilities, and reasonably easy access from most parts of London, where over the next few years we have the opportunity to build a focal point for the game in particular for adult (as opposed to schoolboy) Fives.

If we wish it, Westway has the potential to become to us what Queen’s is to Real Tennis. The T&RA no more own Queen’s than we do Westway, but Queen’s gives them a focal point from which, in fact, they now operate. Westway could fulfil quite a similar role for us.

But beyond that, Westway is crucial to the future development of Eton Fives, as success at Westway will open up a new era of Eton Fives as an inner city sport.

A.R.W.

Westway Report 2002-2003 by Anthony Wagg
Created 9th September 2003
efa@etonfives.co.uk

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