EFA
Fives at Berkhamsted
Article by Bertie Owen and Derek Whitehead
(Old Berkhamstedian - Spring 1997 and precised in the 1997-98 EFA Annual Report.)Fives has had a long and distinguished history at the School. Those two marvellous exponents of the game and tellers of old stories, Bertie Owen, and Derek Whitehead, have compiled the following record of the game there. Each wishes to dissociate himself from compliments of the other.
Early Days (1868-1918)It was recommended that fives courts should be built as far back as 1868. The Headmaster, Dr Bartrum was in no hurry to build but he did obtain the Governors' permission in 1878 and the original courts were completed in 1880. Bartrum did not appear to know what fives was and, at the Prize Giving in 1881 he referred to the spacious 'tennis courts'.
During the early period and to the end of the First World War, hand fives, bat fives and racquet fives were all played on the same courts, and results are shown for singles and doubles. Hand fives was less popular as the courts were probably too large for this version of the game. Perhaps the fact that many games resulted in pairs scratching suggests badly bruised hands. In 1880 a letter appeared in The Berkhamstedian signed by a 'small boy' and bemoaning the lack of interest in fives. There was very little reporting of the game until 1903 when interest seemed to gather pace again.
New Rules (1907)In 1907 rules were drawn up by the captain, assisted by a sub-committee of two masters. Reference was made to a board on the front wall which elaborated a form of Rugby fives. The game was to 15 points as it was until 1950 or thereabouts. At 14-all the game continued to 20 points, and at 19-all to 25. First Match (1919)
The first match against another school seems to have been in 1919, away to Aldenham, where the courts were covered. Only one pair went as the weather was so bad, and the match was lost, so the excuse goes, because of the unfamiliar court and the small ball used. New Courts and Consolidation (1926-1939)
The present fives courts were built at the same time as the Music School in 1926 and after the River Bulbourne had been diverted. There were to be three courts, but as the financial position had improved, the plan was doubled to six courts. These were declared open on the 27th March. a match against the Old Berkhamstedians (OBs) followed. The OB side included J.S.Morgan, C.M.Cox, H.I.Willis and T.H.C.Hopkins. In April a match took place against the masters, for whom A.T.Hill, F.Dale, P.L.Rawes, R.G.Gulland, C.M.Cox and E.G.Davis played.
The year 1927 saw a big increase in fixtures, with opposition from City of London School, Old Cititens, Old Aldenhamians, Old Cholmeleians, Old Westminsters and, of course, Old Berkhamstedians. Why was there only one school in the fixture list? W.V.L.Caldwell was said to have been an energetic captain, and effective in knocking an opponent off the court! It seems that until 1927 fives may only have been a senior activity as in this year there is mention of allotting courts to the Junior School.
In 1928 Highgate was added to the fixture list, and so began a long rivalry. That year the School lost badly. Under-15 matches were arranged for the first time and, in 1929, Under-16 matches. Two pairs were entered in this year for the Public Schools' Championship at Oueen's Club. The first pair reached the semi-finals when they were beaten by Shrewsbury. In the following year they lost again in the semi-finals to the eventual winners, Harrow.
In 1932, fives was put on a School rather than House basis, and was played on three days a week. There were now more masters playing and they could raise six pairs against the School:E Bullock, B.L.Deed, R.O.Felton, H.B.Goodgridge, P.W.Goodwin, R.G.Gulland, A.T.Hill, E.T.B.Meyrick-Jones, J.S.Morgan, D.S.Oscroft, P.L.Rawes and A.S.Wright. This being so, it was strange that by 1937 there had been a down-turn in the game's popularity and the captain, R.W.Atkinson, was complaining about the lack of enthusiasm. The arrival of H. C. Owen in this year helped to revive interest. It was one of the requirements of his joining the staff that he should take over the fives; Jackie Hill now feeling the effects of age. Bertie Owen had been Captain of Fives at Clare, and had played frequently for the University but, unfortunately, never against Oxford.
In pre-war days there was afternoon school from 4.10 until 5.30 to allow more rugger to be played, but fives took precedence on Thursdays.
Ball Shortages and Decline (1940-1953)Ron Atkinson, Duncan Livingstone, and Daly were all killed in the war. Ron Atkinson was the uncle of Geoffrey Atkinson (who married Jane Harrison, daughter of John Harrison, Head of Classics).
Not only was Bertie whisked away for the war effort, but during the war no new balls were available, and gym shoes were almost impossible to obtain. There were two matches against Aldenham and Highgate in 1944 but the problem of equipment continued into 1947 when all fives games were cancelled owing to lack of balls.
H.C.O. was demobbed in 1945. Bob Gulland has been a splendid force for keeping fives alive in difficult times. He was an Old Cholmeleian and a very good player, and, as Housemaster of Overton, the boarders had received excellent grounding in the game. The proof of the coaching was that in 1946 one noteworthy match against the Staff resulted in Ronnie Birrell and Derek Morgan defeating Bertie Owen and Reggie Gulland - the match going to five hotly contested games.
A New Dawn (1954-1998)The ball shortage was eased by P. L. Rawes taking it upon himself to stitch new covers on to any old balls that had survived, but a further difficulty was with the state of the courts when it rained, for the glass roof had been broken. However, Bertie had become Housemaster of Adders and so was more conveniently able to coach and play fives, to encourage enthusiasms at the U15 and U16 ages, and to build up the fixtures list. He raised a team of fellow Old Salopians (including 'Spud' Longrigg) to play against the School. The Old Citizens, too, were most supportive, and, eventually in 1954, Sir Humphrey Haslam, Chairman of Governors and some of his colleagues were persuaded to inspect the situation during a practice session. They agreed to reroof the courts and, even more important, to install lighting. This was an enormous boost to the game, enabling boys to play after dark and in all conditions. In this year three pairs were entered for the Public Schools' Championships, and these new developments encouraged Derek Whitehead to form the OB Fives Section. The School owes Derek a great debt. Under his guidance the OB Fives flourished. Boys who enjoyed the game at School now knew that they could carry on after they had left.
Although the OBA played the School in 1957, the OB Fives Club was not officially formed until 1958 during a social gathering at Geoff Reeve's home. He became Chairman, Roger Oakins was Treasurer and Derek Whitehead the Secretary. Other OBs at that meeting were Colin Biffa, Ken Hughes, Barry Jackson and Tony Papps. Bertie was now living in St George's and was able to open up the courts and changing room whenever required, and to help with matches. With the assistance of Martin Shortland-Jones four fixtures were arranged in 1958, followed by 17 in 1959. Subsequently the annual fixture list has increased to around 40 matches.
In 1955 Bertie moved to Overton, and Brian McTurk, who was a Rugby fives player, took over. Three years later, in 1958, he was succeeded by Martin Shortland-Jones, who was not only a great player himself, but tireless and inspirational in his coaching. Martin had been the losing finalist in the Kinnaird in 1953 and 1957, but he won the Cup in 1959 and 1960, and was runner-up in 1967 and 1970. His enthusiasm for the game spread through both Junior and Senior Schools and it was during this time that Berkhamsted became a power in the world of Eton Fives. With this personal stimulus and with Bertie Owen now Head Master of the Junior School and supplying the senior teams with talented players, the fixture list became more impressive, and we entered teams for the IAPS Championships with considerable success. Graham May and Dennis Firth are names that spring to mind as products of that golden era. The one disappointment must be that fives was, in general, a Lent Term game, whereas out main competitors played throughout both winter terms.
By 1960 the OBs could muster six to eight pairs for the School match. In this year the results was a 4-2 win for the OBs who have not lost to the School ever since.
When Martin left us for Eton in 1962 Berkhamsted was indeed fortunate to have Paul Dicker, who had joined the staff in 1961, to carry on his good work and take over the full responsibility. He became a very fine player with one particular special shot which became known as the'Dicker Flick'. The benefits of high-class coaching were now beginning to flow through, and in 1970 I. R. Fletcher and J. V. Watson won the Preparatory Schools' Championships, and further success came with J. R. C. Bowen and D. J. Dee in 1974.
Senior pairs were not without success either and, in 1972, for the first time, Berkhamsted produced winners of the Public Schools' Championships in M. C. Blundell and R. J. Williams. There were many fine players during the Sixties and Seventies but it needs two to come together at the same time for success. There were a number of losing finalists, but in 1977 with J. M. Shorrocks and J. R. M. Turner, and in 1981 with M. J. Parson and J. R. C. Bowen, the School registered further winning pairs.
The OBs, meanwhile, were establishing themselves as a team not to be taken lightly. 1974, in particular, was the highest peak with Dennis Firth and Graham May winning the Kinnaird National Championships and the Midlands Tournament. The Barber Cup was won, as well as the top division of the League, That feat has not been accomplished by any other club.
The Seventies were certainly the glory years. In the Kinnaird Dennis Firth won twice with Graham May and three times with Malcolm Keeling, and would most probably have won on a further two occasions if injuries during the finals had not brought the games to an abrupt end. The Barber Cup was again won in 1976, and the League in 1973. The only success since the Seventies has been in winning the League again in 1985.
The courts had been reroofed again in the late Sixties thanks to the efforts of Graham May, and then again in 1988 when the lights were replaced through the generosity of Mark Blundell, Nigel Lane and Derek Whitehead. However, the combination of an increase in alternative sports and a dispersal of boys away from the Berkhamsted area has not assisted the OB Club to retain its previous high position.
Schools must benefit from having an Eton fives player as coach. When Paul Dicker retired, Stephen Jones, a Rugby fives devotee, threw his energy into the intricacies of the Eton version, and was just beginning to get to grips with the complexities of the game when he moved to Radley.
Since 1995 Geoff Tolchard has been in charge of senior fives and his ability to adapt to ball games is apparent from the way he more than holds his own on Mondays when there are usually three courts in action consisting of both boys and OBs.
Unlike rugby, cricket and hockey, fives is a game which can be played effectively by both young and old. Schools find it remarkably difficult to beat OB teams, as experience more than counters aggression.
(Footnote: It is interesting to see in the national press that ex-public schoolboys are applying for a lottery grant to take fives into the inner city schools as a way of allowing urban youths to let off steam.)
H.C.O./D.W.
Fives at Berkhamsted by Bertie Owen and Derek Whitehead
Created 9th January 2004 by Mike Fenn
efa@etonfives.co.uk