20 coaches covered 35 sessions each week at a variety of state and private schools. The game continues to steadily build each year at the grass-roots level. Here is a brief summary of most of the REFCA schools:

Emanuel School: has taken a massive step forward this year – now boasting a large Junior team of some 45 girls and boys with ring-fenced priority match dates and a new 1-Wall handball court to help with the over-flow of players.

Stoke Newington School: the courts have been renovated and roofed. The six courts are now coming back into use after a break from the game due to the prolonged and delayed building work. Fives here has been very strong in recent years – the system is about to roll into action again with an Old Boys / Girls and Open Community club night for adults also due to start.

Lancing College: has enjoyed perhaps its most successful year ever. Seeded in Girls Open, Boys Open and U16s, the team is certainly the strongest the College has ever had. Mylo Scurr won the Rossall Open Singles, and is due to become the gap-year assistant at Rossall next year.

Whitgift School: David Mew has continued his coaching here across two days and the game remains in a healthy state under the guidance of Nick Morgan.St Dunstan’s: continues to be coached by Matthew Wiseman and Andy Pringle, enjoying good support from the Director of Sport who arranges a busy match programme for the team.

Royal Grammar School, High Wycombe: Fives, as ever, is a popular choice in activity options, but the floor is very slippery when wet. As an open air facility, this is a disaster! It has been agreed that all efforts should now be ploughed into having a roof built and the floor re-laid before coaching continues.

Orley Farm: have been progressing well by themselves for years. REFCA were booked to provide weekly coaching for the first time this season, and eight staff enjoyed a Fives inset day which was run for them at Westway.

Cranleigh School: all is going well, with Ryan Perrie providing weekly coaching in both the Senior and Junior school. A busy match programme is well run by the excellent Master in Charge.

Alleyn’s School: roughly five years ago, REFCA set up a contract with Alleyn’s to import a surrogate Master in Charge who would run every aspect of the sport at the school from coaching, booking teas and running all matches. In a short space of time, this system, run brilliantly by Ian Fuller, has swiftly moved Alleyn’s forwards to become one of the very strongest Rugby Fives schools in the country, becoming multiple Schools’ National Champions at various ages in the past few years. An outstanding success.

St Olave’s Grammar School: this runs with an identical system to Alleyn’s, with coaching and match organisation shared between several REFCA staff. St.Olave’s enjoyed another superb season, engaging 150 girls and boys across some 60 fixtures and events, culminating in winning the U15s and reaching the final of the U14s at the National Schools’ Championships. The Seniors lost in the semi-finals. Fives is the largest activity at St.Olave’s and also its most successful sport.

Stowe: enjoyed another good season. They won the Southern Schools’ Championships and their Master in Charge arranged numerous matches for the team as well as participation in a couple of weekend events. Numbers are low, but the game is slowly building. City of Norwich School: Will Gibbons has done a great job here with weekly lessons being rotated in amongst the academic lesson time. A small but very keen following that will grow appreciably next September.

St Bartholomew’s, Newbury: great work here by Anthony Theodossi and Ryan Perrie. Numbers are high and the youngsters are so keen that many have opted for their lessons to be on Saturdays. This school entered 14 pairs into the U14 beginners tournament at the National Schools’ Championships – higher than any other school. The young girls team is also strong.

King Edward’s High School for Girls: Mark Yates has done a great job, introducing fixtures and more events for the girls to participate in. The introduction of Fives using the courts at the Boy’s School site has been a real success.

Charterhouse: REFCA assist the brilliant work of Gilles Gergaud and John Troy by providing David Mew as the coach. The numbers are now high, as is the standard. Charterhouse are one of the most rapidly improving Eton Fives teams around.

Wolverhampton Grammar School: re-introduced only two years ago and they are back! Mark Yates has patiently built up both the player base and the fixture list. WGS performed well in the National Schools’ Championships and are growing rapidly. REFCA’s role at Wolverhampton will be upgraded in line with St.Olave’s and Alleyn’s for the 09-10 season, with Mark Yates at the helm of Wulfrunian Fives.

King Edward’s School, Birmingham: George Worthington has worked his magic at KES for close to 30 years, always sustaining good numbers and a high standard. For a number of years, REFCA have supplied support coaching – Mark Herring and more recently Mark Yates have both worked hard in this area. KES enjoyed yet another busy and successful year. George is soon to retire, and in his absence, KES is appointing REFCA to upgrade the coaching provision to the full imported Master in Charge package that Alleyn’s and St.Olave’s use.

Rossall School: Rossall burst onto the scene only three years ago. Having not made much use of their valuable eight-court facility for years, Master in Charge, Tom Root, assisted by various REFCA gap-year Fives/sports coaches, has made an enormous success of the sport. The standard is very high indeed, as is the general level of interest amongst the pupils. An outstanding success story – keenly supported by the Games Department and Headmaster, Dr.Winkley. Rossall School hosted the tenth annual Rossall Schools’ Championships in October.

Bedford School: Daniel Grant coached here in the Christmas Term to assist in preparing the team for the match programme that would take place in the Easter Term. The Bedford youngsters are extremely keen, and it was a pleasure for REFCA to be involved there.

Many thanks to all the wonderful Masters in Charge with whom we work. Without their input the game would not be flourishing as it is now.

Enjoy a great 09/10 season everyone!

H.M.E.W.

Rugby & Eton Fives Coaching Agency Report 2008-2009 by Howard Wiseman
Created 14th December by Mike Fenn
efa@etonfives.co.uk

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