International Report
(1999/2000 Season)
Last season's participation in the European youth one-wall Handball championships by a joint Rugby and Eton Fives England team has led to numerous invitations for an England Youth Team to take part in various competitions around the world. At some point in the near future, an England team will no doubt represent English Handball (Fives!) abroad again. It is important that we make some contribution towards international events, since Fives is simply one of fifty versions of Handball that is played all over the world.
As far as Eton Fives is concerned, there is only good news to report. In Switzerland, a second court is about to be built in Zurich by the Zuoz Old Boys. In Zuoz itself, fives is positively thriving, both in terms of the very large number of girls and boys playing the sport, but also due to the dramatic rise in standards of play over the past two seasons. Thanks to the healthy state of fives in Switzerland, there is an awakening worldwide of Zuoz Old Boys, about the possibility of building courts in their own countries.
The development of fives at Zuoz School may well lead to an International Schoolgirls championship taking place at Zuoz every three years. Zuoz itself can field girls pairs from over ten different countries. It would be a great incentive to all of their players as well as those schoolgirls playing in England, if the British players were to travel to the Swiss Alps once every three years in order to compete. There is also the possibility of an international boys championship being held at Zuoz every five years. In theory, such a tournament could draw players from England, Australia, Nigeria, India, Malaysia, Wales, Ireland and Argentina in years to come, as well as numerous country representations from within Zuoz School itself.
Eton Fives at Geelong Grammar school is going well. Having had James Toop as a coach last summer, Seb Cooley is presently there for five months in order to continue the good work, and it is excellent news that Tom Dunbar will be there for the whole of next year. The relaunch of fives at Geelong could not have had a better start! There is every chance that Geelong may well participate in the national schools championships in England before very long.
It is interesting that Fives courts were discovered at a school in Brussels only last September. The courts had apparently been in good use within the school - indeed they were discovered by the fact that a pupil at the school moved to Stowe school, and could clearly already play Eton Fives. The courts, as chance would have it, were due to be demolished virtually at the same time as they became known to the EFA. A shame! However, there are still likely to be courts elsewhere in the world - some possibly in good use, which we simply do not know about. Once found and with the assistance of the Rugby and Eton Fives Coaching Agency coaching could be arranged possibly free of charge each Summer Term, so keep your eyes open, and let me know if you find any!
Howard Wiseman
Constructed by Mike Fenn
28th October 2000
efa@etonfives.co.uk