Early Fives at Uppingham
An extract from a lecture on 'Early Days at Uppingham' delivered by F Rawnsley
(at School 1855-64)
Extracts from Early Records
on November 29th 1924 and printed in the School Magazine of March 1925.
'Fives was great at Uppingham. Thring himself was a first-rate player in the Eton court, and every year he and another Etonian master, Daddy Witts, played the best school pair, and generally won. On one occasion when I was playing against him, Thring hit, with all his might, a fine low ball which would have taken the back wall just above the line and come back beautifully into the pepper-box, but that Daddy's head was a little too high and received the ball instead. We looked for some word of commiseration, but what we heard was "Why don't you keep your head out of the light!"
Thring played a fine game till rheumatism seized him by the leg, when he was turned 50. At Uppingham we have always played the Eton game, as of course when he came he bought with him the tradition of the first Eton fives court with its pepper-box and curious buttress. In Dr Holden's time there was only a bat fives court, consisting of a back and two end walls the other side being open, but it was roofed, and the roof on the open side rested on two tall brick pillars; this was called 'The Tectum'. The floor was paved with bricks, one stone set in the middle on which to bounce the ball on starting the game. The bats were like wooden battledores. There was, when I first arrived, already an Eton court open to the weather, between which and the School Lane wall, was placed in later years the Eton court built by Thring, originally in the Tectum. That was our first covered court and many a game have I played in it, but the whole thing had to be moved when the Chapel and adjoining School Room were built (1863-65) and the roof was re-created over a new court alongside the School Lane wall.'
School Magazine 1864
On Tuesday the 15th March the Headmaster and the Rev. F Witts maintained their reputation for Fives by beating the Champions. Ditto April 1864.
Rules for the Championship Cup
'That the marks for the Championship Cup be given for everything that can be tried individually, including Fives, Gymnastics, Swimming and Cricket averages both in batting and bowling.'A letter to the School Magazine - September 1869
Dear Sir,
As most of the houses have now fives courts of their own, from which the rest of the School are, to a certain extent excluded, why should not School House and
Mr Cormshi's(?) enjoy the same privileges? There are, I acknowledge, two Fives courts belonging to these houses, but they are both open to the whole school. Could
not some rule be made, by which the use of at least one of the courts might be confined to these two houses.
Resolutions passed by the Committee of games October 4th 1869
1. That there be House Matches at Fives.School Magazine December 1869
The House matches at Fives commenced on SaturdaySchool Magazine April 1899
A report of a Fives Match v Shrewsbury states 'This is the third time the match has been played: Uppingham has won all three, though the margin has decreased each year'.
From all this it seems clear that Eton Fives was introduced between 1853 and 1865.
That by 1864 it was popular enough to count in a championship Cup.
That House matches started in 1869.
That the first School match was against Shrewsbury in 1897.
T.R.Bell
Constructed by Mike Fenn
3 April 2000
efa@etonfives.co.uk