Schools
The health of Eton Fives at schools is a top priority of the EFA. There are now few schools which are not making good use of their Fives courts, and over the past few years we have seen some very under-used courts bounce back into life. Lancing College, Oakham, Uppingham and Cranleigh are all examples of how courts can be under-used for some years, but then provide the stage for vibrant activity that can bring together pupils of all ages within one school.

Lancing had both a master-in-charge and a visiting coach for some seven or eight years before the Fives really took off as a popular activity, but it is now well established there, strongly underpinned by the investment in re-furbishing the courts which the school undertook last year. Oakham and Uppingham had completely dormant courts, but these have now been re-activated with a change of personnel. They have built on their re-emergence onto the Fives scene, and future prospects at both look very encouraging. At Uppingham, the enthusiasm of Chris Stevens (Brooklands) and David Kirk (Fircroft) together with financial support from the School and the Eton Fives Charitable Trust has helped to re-establish Fives on their boarding house courts.

James Birch is taking over as master-in-charge from Seth Bolderow , who will be moving to Oakham. A graduate Fives assistant was taken on for one term last year, and this coming season, Oakham will be taking on a full-time Fives' general sports assistant supplied by REFCA.

Another major re-entrant to the School Fives scene in the last season has been Cranleigh. Under the splendid leadership of Jon Carr, a school team strong in both numbers and skill has emerged, which performed well in the National Schools’ Championships. Regular REFCA coaching has been brought into Cranleigh, Jon himself has attended coaching sessions at Westway, and there is to be a REFCA staff Fives afternoon at Cranleigh next September at the start of the season.

Westway
Outside the traditional Fives-playing schools, the most important development this year has been the progress made at Westway. REFCA coaches have put in hours of spare time for free to help establish this important new project. Westway is a superb launch-pad for many new ideas that need testing – a real “test-laboratory” for Fives.
The Future
The game of Fives at many schools in which REFCA has worked was very fragile. We seem to now have at least stabilised the situation in most of them and will soon be looking to build on this strong position in the future. It is clear that when courts are not in frequent use, damaging decisions can be made. There are now relatively few schools where such decisions can be taken based simply on lack of activity. In order to consolidate this, it is essential for all masters-in-charge to make sure that Fives is given due publicity in the school magazine and assembly reports, and to raise the general awareness in the profile which Fives holds within the school.

The EFA and REFCA share the twin aims of ensuring that all schools which possess Fives courts use them well; and that school players continue to play the game as adults beyond their schooldays, since Fives should be a sport for life. REFCA now works at some twenty-five schools, but there is still much more to do – especially in terms of coaching at Rugby Fives schools, and of creating more opportunities for schoolgirls and boys to play outside school. We are looking at ways of expanding without over-stretching what we can do at present. More full-time professionals in Fives is perhaps the right way forward.

H.M.E.W.

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Rugby & Eton Fives Coaching Agency Report 2003-2004 by Howard Wiseman
Created 17th December 2004 by Mike Fenn
efa@etonfives.co.uk

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