The State of the Game
Once more it’s time to review what’s been happening in the world of Eton Fives over the last season. Looking back to my first Report after I became Chairman in 2003, I expressed my concern that Eton Fives was faltering in many areas of the game – at a number of schools, in many clubs and in the poor participation we then had in many of our competitions, including the Kinnaird Cup. But the game was on the move, momentum was driven by a new Strategy for Eton Fives, and this season that momentum has continued.
Highlights of 2007/08
Some of the highlights have been
- A record number of 750 young people taking part in the Schools’ Nationals, held at Shrewsbury, superbly organised by the School during term time and splendidly run by Mark Williams, Ken Hughes and Peter Knowles.
- The celebrations at Ipswich of the centenary of their first courts, built in 1908.
- The appointment of three new Directors of the EFA – Nick Bunyan, Gareth Hoskins and Mark Yates, all of whom have made a tremendous contribution already both inside and outside the board meetings.
- The start of a new Eton Fives coaching initiative led by Dale Vargas and Mark Yates, taken forward through the Fives Federation with the Rugby Fives Association, which has the potential to transform the quality of our coaching up and down the land.
- A new plan for Westway has been put into the water with the Westway management.
- The continued support for Eton Fives by HSBC through their generous grant and support of the Schools’ Nationals.
- A grant from the Jesters Club – the biggest they have ever made the EFA – to support FivesOnline and development of the game among our younger members.
- And the continued determination of the Charitable Trust to press forward with their fundraising drive to secure the financial future of the game.
More Fives being played
And looking at the wider picture, I can report that there is now more Eton Fives being played up and down the land than at any time in the last decade. There is
- Inner City Fives at Westway.
- One Wall Fives rolling out across London’s boroughs under the leadership of James Toop and the City Fives Association.
- Growth in local community Fives.
- Growth too in Ladies’ Fives with the introduction of the game this season at King Edward VI High School for Girls in Birmingham.
- Summer Fives.
- Ladder Fives which now regularly fills 8 or 9 courts every few weeks, all organised with the minimum of human intervention through the FivesOnline website – a wonderful innovation, put in place by Ed Taylor, and driven forward by Ronald Pattison and Nick Bunyan.
- Most excitingly there is Fives being played by resurgent clubs which have been dormant for some time – such as the Old Cholmeleians under the leadership of Mark Williams and Niifio Addy; the Old Berkhamstedians with Mark Herring and Doug Foster; the Old Stoics under Jürgen Hütter; and the return of Fives, after nearly 15 years’ absence, at Wolverhampton Grammar School and among the Old Wulfrunians.
Three Concerns
Do I have any concerns about the game? Yes. Three.
First, there are some schools, including one at the very forefront of the game, where Eton Fives is on very weak ground. It must be their and the EFA’s absolute priority to turn these schools’ Fives around, for the good of the game everywhere.
Second, well over 90% of all school fives players are lost to the game after they leave school. This is a terrible leakage. It is a matter of absolute priority to ensure that all the skill and enthusiasm of school Fives players is fed through into the adult game. Only in this way will we keep the game vibrant through a steady flow of new players. This requires just two things:
- That the Clubs keep in touch with players as soon as they leave school. FivesOnline has a major role to play in enabling us to do that.
- That Schools’ Masters in Charge and Club Secretaries are strong, that schools actively inform Clubs of their Fives-playing leavers and that both recognise an equal share of responsibility in ensuring that this pull-through from the school to the adult game really does happen.
- Third, many Clubs themselves need to be strengthened. Some of the actions to do so include:
- Keeping members regularly informed
- Strengthening links with their school and seeking new players from school leavers
- encouraging members to register on FivesOnline, and making sure that their Club details are registered there too (many have not yet done this.)
- developing strong ties with their Old Boys’ Clubs
- holding a Club AGM
- planning succession for the vital role of Secretary.
People
Discussion of the Club Secretary leads me to reflect that one of the features of all amateur sport is that its organisation at Schools and Clubs usually depends on one single devoted individual to get all the moving parts working together, and who inspires and motivates players with his enthusiasm.
This season I think of Steve Piper’s leadership at Westway; of Howard Wiseman’s leadership throughout the game, crowned this year by his well-deserved victory with James Toop in the Kinnaird Cup; of Nick Bunyan’s drive in overseeing the Ladder competition, and driving our Data Base and FivesOnline strategy forward; of James Toop’s drive in One Wall Fives; Martin Powell’s devoted stewardship of our finances; Rodney Knight’s energy in leading the work of the Charitable Trust; of Dan Hawkins readiness to do and to organise anything to do with Eton Fives; and of all our tournament organisers whose efforts are beyond price. To all these wonderful servants of the game everyone who plays the game is hugely indebted.
Every Eton Fives player will be able to think back to those special people who inspired us in our youth. When you find them, they are like gold-dust – and they don’t often get the plaudits. I would like briefly to salute four particular such people:
First three schoolmasters:
- Jon Carr at Cranleigh, squash player and Fives coach, has been an inspirational coach, motivator and guide to many years of Cranleighans. This summer will be Jon’s last term at Cranleigh – he leaves for pastures new with our most heartfelt thanks for the wonderful job he’s done during his reign as Master in Charge.
- At St. John’s Leatherhead, David Wells-Cole will be retiring this summer. David has been the keenest advocate of the very special form of Fives played at the school, coaching generations of boys. He has recently investigated the possibility of converting two of its hundred year old courts into standard Eton Fives courts but this initiative is currently on hold pending the likely extension of the sports hall. We are hugely grateful for all that David has done for the game.
- At Ludgrove Gerald Barber comes to the end of 35 years as Headmaster this term. He has been a legend in his own lifetime at Ludgrove, and among his many achievements has been the running of the Prep Schools competition for the last 11 years with unique enthusiasm and efficiency. We salute the job he’s done for Eton Fives, and send him our best wishes for his retirement. And we welcome James Woodcock from Summer Fields as his successor under whose watch the prep schools will continue to go from strength to strength.
And from outside the world of academia, I would also like to put on record our huge appreciation of the work which has been done at Wolverhampton Grammar School and among the Old Wulfrunians by Mark Yates. Although he has his own business to run, Mark has nevertheless found the time single-handedly to resurrect the game at WGS in the last year, and has taken the Old Wulfrunians to the final of the EFA Trophy in the first year they’ve entered it since the early nineties. Mark also joined the Board of the EFA last autumn, in which he’s taken on a major responsibility for driving a national Fives coaching agenda. We extend to Mark our most heartfelt thanks for his inspiring and tireless work on behalf of Eton Fives.
The EFA Board
As I indicated in my Report last year, this year has been my first as Chairman of the Home Farm Trust, a leading charity caring for adults with learning disabilities. Consequently I have been more than ever reliant in the EFA on the activities of Board members – I mention particularly the support I have received from Anthony Wagg as Vice Chairman, and from the huge enthusiasm of Nick Bunyan, Dan Hawkins, Gareth Hoskins and Mark Yates. To Martin Powell and Mark Williams go my undiluted thanks for all they do to keep the games finances and competitions in good shape. And with much regret, and gratitude for their contributions, we say farewell from the Board to Steve Plummer, Master in Charge at Mill Hill, and to Dan Hawkins.
And finally my thanks to the EFA’s sécretaire extraordinare, Mike Fenn. Mike is known and respected all over the Fives playing world; and to me personally he has been a tower of support and strength throughout my Chairmanship. In this centenary year of Ipswich School’s courts, I conclude with a special salute to the founder of the Ipswich Fives Club and one of the greatest servants of Eton Fives:
Fives! Fives!
Where the player contrives
To hit true to the pepper; and when
Your opponents have lots
Of magnificent shots
Yet the EFA’s always got Fenn!
So roars! roars! of celebratory applause,
From the EFA’s ladies and men!
And it’s clear that the cheer
Will reach Ipswich from here!
Raise your glass to the EFA - and Fenn!
R.P.F.B. – May 2008
Chairman's Report 2007-2008 by Richard Barber
Created 27th January 2009 : Mike Fenn
efa@etonfives.co.uk
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