Eton Fives 80 years ago – in the 1920’s
It is very frustrating that the earliest surviving minute book of the Eton Fives Association dates from only 1934. The first meeting recorded is that of 1st February, 1934. From the minutes of that year, it is clear that the Eton Fives Association had been in existence for some years, but there is no clue as to when it was set up. All we can glean is that Mr.R.Straus (i) wished to resign from the Eton Fives Association “of which he was one of the first founders.” By 1934, there was also a ‘Squash Rackets, Fives, Tennis and Rackets’ magazine, but the first issue dates back only to 22 October 1932. The Lonsdale Library book on ‘Rackets, Squash Rackets, Tennis, Fives and Badminton’ published in 1933 , provides just an outline of the earlier history and makes no mention of the beginnings of the Eton Fives Association. The ‘Eton and Rugby Fives’ book, published about 1936, by David Egerton and John Armitage contains only extracts from their contribution to the earlier Lonsdale Library book and adds nothing more. So I thought I would see if the contemporary issues of The Times provide any useful information – and they do, though in a somewhat inconsistent and tantalising way.

On the basis of the fives results published in The Times in the years immediately after the 1914-18 war, the schools soon started their programme of matches and a number of the old boy teams were arranging fixtures. In 1919 and 1920, there are results of matches involving Eton, Harrow, Shrewsbury and Charterhouse. In November 1923, Westminster have their first mention when they played the Old Reptonians. The first post-war old boy match reported was the Old Citizens v. Queens Club on December 19, 1921. By 1924 the Old Aldenhamians, the Old Cholmeleians, the Old Citizens and the Old Reptonians had played the occasional match. On the 7 March 1925, an Old Etonian Fives Association was formed after the Eton College v. Old Etonians match with Mr.J.G.King elected as the Honorary Secretary. (ii) The Queens Club, which had been opened in 1887, and had one open Eton Fives court, had a range of fixtures in the spring of 1924 with three of the schools, three Old Boys Clubs and even one against the London Hospitals. (iii) The arrangement of fixtures outside the schools was spasmodic and depended upon the enthusiasm of one or two individual players among the old boys. There was no national organisation or competitions.

In his introduction to the Lonsdale Library Book, J.N.Armitage wrote that although there was an Eton Fives Association before 1927, it was not until that year that the Rugby Fives Association was formed. It would seem that the Eton Fives Association emerged sometime in the mid - 1920’s. I use the word emerged advisedly, because I still cannot find evidence that states unequivocally that a particular meeting was the inaugural meeting of the Eton Fives Association, but I have tried to piece together what evidence there is about the early years.

The Formation of the Fives Association.
The starting point is November 1923. On Wednesday, 7 November , there appeared in The Times on page 7, a small paragraph which read , “A Fives Association has been formed to popularise the game and organise the club matches on the lines of the Bath Club Squash Rackets Club.” The Chairman was (Sir) Lionel Alexander, the Hon. Secretary was Mr.M.W.Prior and among those on the Committee were Lord Kinnaird and Mr.E.B.Noel.

Three weeks later, on 27 November 1923, there was a further notice of which the full text was as follows:

“ It has been decided to form an Eton Fives Association of Old Boys Clubs and other organisations which play the game. Among its objects will be the increasing of facilities and the arrangement of inter club matches.

The Association has received the approval of the Headmaster of Eton. Application for representation on the Tennis and Rackets Association will be made later.

Correspondence should be sent to the temporary Hon.Sec., Mr.C.M.W.Prior, c/o The Secretary, The Queens Club, West Kensington, W.14.”

The problem here is that the first meeting on 7th. November refers to a “ Fives Association”, implying that it included Eton, Rugby and Winchester Fives, especially as one of the committee members, Mr.E.B.Noel, was from Winchester. This umbrella organisation is confirmed in the reports of 1924, as we shall see. The second meeting states specifically that its purpose was to form an “Eton Fives Association.” It could be read more as a statement of intent, with no indication who was taking the initiative . No officers seem to have been elected, and Mr. Prior was acting as the secretary for both organisations. The further problem is that the word “Fives” during these years is used quite loosely and might mean either Eton Fives or Rugby Fives. The results in The Times of both games were listed as “Fives” throughout the 1920’s.

‘Fives Association’ Meeting, 22 October 1924

Confirmation of the “Fives Association” appeared nearly a year later in The Times with a much more detailed report of a meeting held at the Queens Club on Wednesday 22 October 1924. The officers elected included Sir Lionel Alexander, as Chairman. He did not chair the meeting because he was away electioneering. (iv) In his place, Mr.R.Straus ( Old Harrovian) presided. Mr.E.B.Noel (Winchester) became temporary acting Secretary. The Treasurer seems to have been Mr.C.K.Martin who is described as “ Treasurer of Fives at Eton.” If the reporter has the facts correct, there were representatives from ten schools, Eton, Cheltenham, Harrow (Mr N.M.Ford) Charterhouse (2), Clifton, Aldenham, Westminster, University College School and Mr. Noel from Winchester. There was a representative from Cambridge University (Mr W.H.Powell) and from three old boy clubs, Old Paulines, Old Marlburians and Old Reptonians. There is clearly a mixture of Eton and Rugby Fives schools and clubs in that list.

At this meeting it was agreed that the Fives Association would be affiliated to the Tennis and Rackets Association (v) . Clubs should pay a subscription of 10s. (50p) a year and schools would pay nothing. Donations from individuals “would be accepted with the customary thanks,” hardly a stimulus to reach for one’s cheque book. Eton Fives, Rugby Fives and Winchester Fives would run their own inter-club and school matches. The reporter emphasised that, “it immensely strengthened the standing of the Association that the Headmasters of Eton and Harrow have given not only their support but encouragement to this association”, an interesting reflection of the contemporary influence of these two gentlemen. Is it perhaps significant that both these schools played Eton Fives? There is no mention of , let us say, the Headmaster of St. Pauls or Clifton.

The writer concluded his report by reflecting that the Association was only a baby but seeing how Squash Rackets had grown since the first inter-club matches, “one has great faith without undue optimism, in the future of fives.”

‘Fives Association’ Committee meeting, 6 November 1924.

Three weeks later on Thursday, November 6th., a committee meeting of the Fives Association was held at the Queens Club. Now that the general election was over, Sir Lionel Alexander (vi) chaired the meeting. The vice-chairman was Dr.Edgar Cyriax (University College School). 14 other members are listed, including Mr.W.Adam-Clark of St. Bartholomew’s Fives Club. There is no account of the committee meeting itself, but the reporter had some fascinating observations to make about both Eton and Rugby fives.(vii)

First of all, he stated that the Rugby Fives clubs seemed very well organised. “Dr. Cyriax collected his committee directly after the meeting and he has Rugby Fives very much under control.” There were less complimentary remarks about Eton Fives, which he described as “ a game that is so good that not enough people play it.” He goes on to add that “Eton Fives is detestably difficult”, which seems a strange comment, but the whole tenor of the report could suggest that he was a Rugby Fives rather than an Eton Fives player. He continued in critical vein. “ In Eton Fives particularly, the Old Boys do not quite know how to set about it. To take a case in point, Mr. Ridge Jones (Charterhouse) has had no letter in connexion with fives: he would be glad to hear from Carthusians who would support by playing this competition. (viii) Mr. Straus would be happy to hear from all Harrovians.” We get a hint of the composition of the Eton Fives sub committee. Col. A.H.C.Kearsey was apparently able “to persuade Mr.C.H.K.Marten to join his board and one immediately knew that Eton Fives was established.” Lord Kinnaird was coopted to the Fives Committee and so was Lord Wodehouse.

From all this, the general position seems to be that in November 1923 an overall Fives Association was established to act as an umbrella organisation for the three versions of fives. Within that Fives Association, Eton, Rugby and Winchester Fives would have their own sub committee which would be responsible for running their own affairs. As far as Eton Fives was concerned, it would seem that R.Straus and C.H.K.Marten were among the original members of the sub committee, with Lords Kinnaird and Wodehouse. What is not clear is whether a separate Eton Fives Association had in fact been formed after the announcement in The Times at the end of November 1923. There is no mention in the Times of a specific Eton Fives Association between 1924 and 1927, and the next specific mention is in 1931 when it was quite clearly in existence, and had been for a few years.

We shall see below that the report on the opening of the Queens Club in 1927 states it is still the Fives Association, rather than any Eton Fives Association, that will send out notices for the 1927-8 Kinnaird Cup. If that is correct and if J.N.Armitage is also correct in writing that the Eton Fives Association predated the Rugby Fives Association, then it is very difficult to establish when the Eton Fives Association was formed. It would be interesting to know why it was Sir Lionel Alexander was the chairman at the first meetings of the ‘Fives Association’in October and November of 1924? Which version of the game did he support? Where did he go to school? It may be relevant that at the Committee meeting of the Fives Association in November, we are told that Dr.Cyriax collected his committee (Rugby Fives – and Winchester Fives?) afterwards, leaving the Eton Fives group to deal with their affairs. The Rugby Fives Association seems to have emerged from the Fives Association to become an independent organisation in 1927. My unsubstantiated hunch is that the Eton Fives Association, following the notice of intent in November 1923, dates from the meeting of 24 October 1924 (which specifically had the backing of the Headmasters of Eton and Harrow), and that it was called the ‘Fives Association’ until the Rugby Fives Association was set up in 1927, and then became the Eton Fives Association. But this interpretation must remain open to question. Any further information would be very welcome.

The start of the Kinnaird Cup

In the report about the committee meeting on 6 November 1924, the writer mentioned that two cups, one for Eton Fives and one for Rugby Fives, had been offered for competition. This is the first mention of the Kinnaird Cup. A month later, a report appeared in The Times that arrangements were being made for an Eton Fives Competition which “will be run under the management of the Fives Association.” (ix) Entries would close on 31 December. The report continued:

“Lord Kinnaird has presented a cup for competition annually by pairs of Eton Fives players. Entries are open to pairs representing any club, association, university, university college, hospital, institution or recognised service unit. No players shall, during the competition represent more than one club, association etc and the number of pairs from each club etc. shall be limited to three. The Hon. Secretary of the competition is Mr. T.S.Hankey (x) , Fives Association 15 Southwick Street, London W.2.” The significant point here is that the new Eton Fives Competition is clearly stated to be under the management of the “Fives Association.”

We can glean some further information about the Competition. The second round, which was to be held at the London Hospital’s court (was that at St. Bartholomew’s hospital?), comprised sixteen pairs. It is worth mentioning the teams, with the names of some of the players:
Old Reptonians v. Beaurepair Park (J.A.King and J.G.King); H.Burton’s Old Boys v. The Westminster Bank; Old Etonians B v. Old Cholmeleians A; Old Aldenhamians A v. Hill Bank (W.W. Hill Wood & T.A.L.Brocklebank); London Hospital v. Highgate Masters; Old Aldenhamians B v. Old Cholmeleians B; Old Etonians A v. Old Reptonians C; Harrow Duffers (R.Straus & F.O.G.Lloyd) v. The Half Pinks. There is a wide range of pairs here, not by any means confined to Old Boys’ clubs.(xi)

The draw for the semi-final of the competition was published on 12 May 1925. It was as follows:
Beaurepair Park ( J.A.King & J.G.King) v. Old Etonians A (R.G. de Quetteville & R.A.Redhead ); H.Burton’s Old Boys ( R.J.F Remnant & P.F.Remnant) v. Old Aldenhamians A ( A.J.Conyers & G.C.F. Mead).

I cannot track down the result of that semi-final, nor indeed of the final. But over two years later, there was a report of the opening of the new and first covered court at the Queen’s Club on Saturday 19 November 1927. The focal point of that occasion was an exhibition match in which R.G.de Quetteville & R.A.Redhead (Old Etonians) beat N.M.Ford & K.C.Gander-Dower (Old Harrovians) by 3 – 0 (15-6,18-17,15-4). In the report of the occasion, the writer referred to some of the contemporary players. He considered that de Quetteville and Redhead were probably the best pair of current Eton Fives players, but fairly close to them, when in full practice, were the King brothers, who played as Beaurepair Park in the 1924-5 competition, and the Remnant brothers ( H.Burton’s Old Boys). Whatever flag they might be playing under, all six players were Old Etonians. (xii)

The writer continued in his article that, “ De Quetteville and Redhead won the Kinnaird Cup in the only year in which the competition was played and still hold the cup. This competition has lapsed in the last two seasons, but the Fives Association will shortly send out notices announcing conditions and times for the competition for the season.” 20 pairs were expected to enter. We do not know the other pair in the final of the 1924-5. In another article which appeared in The Times two days earlier previewing the opening ceremony, after the correspondent had stated that de Quetteville and Redhead had won the “Lord Kinnaird Cup…in the first and only year played”, then mentioned that the second best pair was the King brothers, but they would have lost in the semi-final. I would expect the Remnant brothers were the other finalists: perhaps Eton College sources might hold the answer. (xiii)

So the results of the early years of the Kinnaird Cup would seem to read:

1924-5 R.G.de Quetteville & R.A.Redhead (Old Etonians)
1925-6 No competition
1926-7 No competition
1927-8 R.G.de Quetteville & R.A.Redhead.(Old Etonians)

Any claim by David Egerton that he won the Kinnaird Cup is entirely without foundation. He was only 13 in 1924: Lancing, where he was at school, only built their Eton Fives courts in 1926, and 1926-7 was the school’s first season of Eton Fives. No Lancing player would have had the experience or competence to measure up to the quality of such players as the Etonians and Harrovians of those years.

A footnote to the opening ceremony at the Queen’s Club was that another game was played “by electric light.” The report considered that “Eton Fives by electric light is quite as playable as squash rackets by electric light.”

The Eton Fives Association 1928-1930
I have not yet searched The Times of 1928 and 1929 so there might be some further useful information to fill in this gap in other records. The Public Schools Handicap competition was introduced in 1929 and was dominated by Harrow in the early years. Another feature was the emergence of the Wyverns Club, whose first matches are reported in November 1930.(xiv) But an announcement which appeared in The Times on 13 March 1931 will provide a taster of what is to come.

The article concerned the reorganisation of the Eton Fives Association, “to keep alive the interest in Eton Fives in the schools, among old boys and at the universities. A letter has been issued by the Eton Fives Association and the Wyverns Eton Fives Club to all interested in the game.” The Association had been reorganised for administrative purposes and the tasks would include the standardisation of courts and rules as far as possible and the promotion and efficient running of its competitions. There was an invitation to schools,old boy clubs and universities which play Eton Fives “to affiliate to the Eton Fives Association, the fee being one guinea a year (£1.05p.- and the equivalent of about £45 or more in present day values!)

The announcement continued to deal with the role of the Wyverns Club. “ The Wyverns is to be run as a branch of the Eton Fives Association and is making it possible for all Eton Fives players to put themselves up for election. A high standard of play is not essential. Fixtures are to be organised in all the holidays for those at Public Schools and a special feature is to be made of the Public School membership for which there is no entrance fee and a membership of 10s.(50 p.). It is hoped to arrange at least 80 fixtures between October 1931 and April 1932.”

The inspiration behind all this is clearly young Mr.David Egerton (xv) who, at the age of 19 in 1930, was seething with ambitious plans. The next article will look at the last two years of the 1920’s, the meteoric rise and fall of Egerton, the later relationship of the Wyverns with the E.F.A. and then consider the fortunes of Eton Fives up to the outbreak of war in 1939.

R.B.

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(i) Mr.Ralph Straus was born in Manchester on 5 September 1882. He was educated at Harrow and Pembroke College, Cambridge. He was a novelist and biographer and wrote a long list of books. He died in 1950, and was 52 when he resigned from the E.F.A. (Who was Who 1930 Vol.iv)
(ii) This is the only formation of an Old Boy Club that I have so far come across in the 1920’s, though I have found a reference to W.J.Gerrish “who started and ran the Old Westminsters Fives Club for many years” but no dates. Are the dates of the formation of any other Old Boys Fives Clubs known?
(iii) Between January and April 1924, the Queens Club had fixtures with the London Hospitals, Eton, Charterhouse, Harrow and the Old Aldenhamians, Old Citizens and the Old Reptonians. The Times: Jan 15,Feb.4., Mar. 4,5,and 6, Apr.2 and 4.
(iv) The General Election took place a week later on 29 October. The Conservatives, with 419 seats, replaced the first Labour Government. It is not clear what electioneering Sir Lionel Alexander was undertaking. He is not in the list of candidates for the election, so he was presumably busy canvassing or presiding over election meetings.
(v) The Tennis and Rackets Association had been set up in 1907.
(vi) Sir Lionel was the 6th Baronet. He was born on 23 September 1886, so he would have been 38 at the time of these meetings at the end of 1924. I cannot find out at present where he was at school. He served in the First World War and was awarded the DSO. He was High Sheriff of Cambridgeshire and Huntingdonshire in 1929. He died 6 August 1956. This is gleaned from Who Was Who 1930 Vol.vi Further information would be very much appreciated.
(vii) The Times 8 November 1924.
(viii) The competition referred to here must be the new Eton Fives Competition.
(ix) The Times 9 December 1924.
(x) T.S.Hankey (Eton) had been elected Hon. Sec of the Fives Assocation to replace E.B.Noel at the meeting on the 6 November, an election which, according to the reporter, “was hailed with great relief.”
(xi) The Times 10 March 1925.
(xii) The Times 19 November 1927
(xiii) The Times 19 and 21 November 1927
(xiv) The Times 12, 13 and 28 November 1930.
(xv) David Peirson de Malpas Egerton was born 17 July 1911, son of J.R.Egerton of Rushmere. He was education at Lancing College, leaving in July 1928. Magdalene College, Cambridge, 1929 Founder of the Wyverns. Schoolmaster. (Lancing College Register).

Delving into the Past by Roger Beament
Created 14th January 2006 by Mike Fenn
efa@etonfives.co.uk

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