Last week I was down in a town near Zürich named Zug. More accurately, I visited a school on a mountain above Zug, following up rumours of Eton Fives courts. These rumours turned out to be true: the school originally had four completely standard courts. Two are unfortunately almost entirely demolished; the front walls remain and one side wall as far as the butress - no more floors or steps. The other two remain intact. One is used as the groudsman's shed, a story with which we are all too familiar. The other is playable (though it is currently the official smoking area, another familiar plight), but needs lights as a top priority. Unusually, the courts apparently used to have a step down into the court and at some point, the whole rear step was filled in with concrete so there is now no step at all on the court. Later still, drainage was put in the middle of the back step... the result is a very poor floor, particularly on the back court.
One member of staff who was here at Zuoz last year is very keen to get Fives going. He already has the promise of lighting and is quite positive about his chances of getting the floor dug out and re-surfaced. He has even said he'll take a hammer to the old floor himself during the summer holidays and dig out the back step! I got a good deal of enthusiasm from the students who will hopefully make up the new fives club, and I think if it really takes off and is maintained for a year or two, we will stand a good chance of reclaiming the other court (whose floor has not been filled in, so which I hope is more playable.) I have said that I'd be prepared to drive down occasionally at weekends to do some coaching and give further introduction to the game. Zuoz will have get fixture out of it, after all!
We made some enquiries as to when the other two courts may have been demolished. One housemaster has been at the school 31 years and does not remember them ever being there. There are also the trunks of reasonably sizeable trees in places where there should be court, so they must have gone some time ago. Pity, they would clearly have been the better courts, as they faced the school buildings, had the midday sun and had three tiers of spectator viewing, which I have previously only seen at Harrow.
Hopefully digital photos will be on their way shortly. More news as it comes in.
Report by Seb Cooley, Zuoz Switzerland
Constructed 14th January 2006 by Mike Fenn
efa@etonfives.co.uk