Rugby and Eton Fives Coaching Agency Report
(2000-2001 Season)
The number of schools in which REFCA works was increased again this past year.
The outstanding success of the year has certainly been the re-emergence of Marlborough College. Marlborough has in fact had a very busy year as a Fives-playing School. Matthew Arnott, who was supplied by REFCA as a Graduate Assistant to teach biology, sport and run the Rugby and Eton Fives at the school, has been so successful at reintroducing the sport, that Marlborough played an official school fixture every week, and were represented in numerous tournaments. Marlborough won the Harrow Beginners' Eton Fives Championship, and were host to both the Millenium Fives Championships for Rugby and Eton Fives, and also the West of England Schools Fives Championships. Marlborough took part in the Rugby Fives National Championships held over the Easter Holidays. Congratulations to Marlborough College for the outstanding renovation of their eight Fives courts and congratulations also to Matthew Arnott for making such a huge success of it all. Matthew has been appointed onto the full-time Academic staff at Marlborough College for this coming September, and has officially become Master-in-Charge of Fives.
The other very important news from this season is the REFCA placement at Cranleigh School. James Birch (Old Edwardian, Eton & Rugby Fives Half Blue- Cambridge), has been appointed as Master-in Charge of Fives on a one-year Graduate Assistant placement. It is clear that Cranleigh wishes to make a serious commitment to Eton Fives, a sport that has remained very neglected for some years, and that James will receive all the support that he needs from within the school, in order to ensure Fives at Cranleigh make a successful come-back. Both Marlborough and Cranleigh will soon be very valuable fixtures in the Fives Calandar.
REFCA has continued to run several tournaments. There are now too many schools to comment on each one individually. One experiment - the entry of Emanuel School playing in League 3 with coaches past and present has proven to be a great success and has immensely improved the standard of play amongst the senior squad.
Out of the twenty-eight schools in which REFCA operates, all of them played competitive matches, and most of them took part in some of the tournaments during the season. It was particularly pleasing to see City of London School competing well again in the National Schools' Championships. Congratulations to Robin Nagy and the coaches who have worked with him over the past two seasons. I would like to thank an outstanding REFCA coaching team for this past year who have worked so hard and with great enthusiasm throughout those dark winter months. Thank you in particular to Matthew Wiseman, Sanjay Ransinghe, Ed Rose, and William Powell who have put their all into serving the sport on a daily basis. Many thanks also to Matthew Arnott and Huw Aveston for their superb full-time work at Marlborough College and Oundle respectively, and also to Mark Marriott and Rupert Wilcox who both made a valuable contribution to REFCA this past season.
Any Fives players who are interested in gap-year work either as a Graduate or before joining University, should contact Howard Wiseman on: 020 8778 0752.
Howard Wiseman
Constructed by Mike Fenn
10 September 2001
efa@etonfives.co.uk