Foreword

This Tournament has now run for five years. It has been fully booked every year and has seen a very wide representation from the Fives-playing schools over these years. The tournament is here to stay at both school and adult level, and succeeds in attracting the very finest competitors, as well as embracing less experienced Fives players. Everyone plays the same amount of Fives in the Tournament!! The Rossall courts make for a simply brilliant game, and what a superb setting - Rossall school is a most beautiful school, set on the seafront in Fleetwood, just a couple of miles along the coast from Blackpool. We are very grateful to the kind permission of the Headmaster at Rossall for hosting these championships and for the wonderful food that the catering staff provide every year for all of the players. Local hotels and the Rossall Cricket Pavilion are used to accommodate everyone.

Entries

Major engineering work in the Blackpool area did not put youngsters off travelling to Blackpool for the Fifth National Schools' All Fives Championships. Forty four singles entries and twenty two doubles entries from fifteen schools from Ireland, England and Wales ensured that this event was fully booked for the fifth year in a row. The Irish sent their National U18 Doubles and Singles Champions as usual, and the Welsh Handball Association also entered several players. A large number of schools from the London area took part in the event, and it was particularly pleasing to see Berkhamsted enter for the first time. Lancing College must be congratulated for sending two girls and four boys - Lancing College is near Brighton - a fantastic effort and display of commitment from those individuals.

The weather was very kind - Rossall unusually seemed to escape the poor weather that most of the rest of the country was experiencing. Perhaps there was a special consideration for the large number of spectators who had travelled to support the Irish National team?

Reception

All of the participants arrived on Saturday in time for an early evening Reception. Practice on the unique courts at Rossall quickly followed. There are eight Rossall Fives courts. They are the only facility that exists on which Rugby, Eton and Winchester Fives players can come together on equal terms. The courts are a hybrid between all three codes. The Irish and Welsh Handballers also adapt very quickly to this form of handball. It is so exciting to see so many different styles of play competing against one another!!

Singles

Saturday evening and Sunday morning and afternoon are packed with Fives, with all the players thrown together many new friends are always made. The Singles was dominated by the fantastic Irish players, for whom entry to this event is the prize for winning their National Championships in Ireland. Three of the four Semi-finalists were from Ireland. The Final was won convincingly 15-5 by Noel McHugh from Glenamaddy VS in County Galway. Noel's accuracy to the back bricks of the courts was quite superb and the complete lack of any unforced errors ensured a comfortable win in the Final against Johnny Willoughby. Noel is the only player so far to have won the championship for two years in a row, carrying away the famous "Good Shot" Trophy.

Doubles

The Doubles was again an all Irish Final. Noel McHugh, in partnership with Thomas Connaughton, also from Glenmaddy VS won the event 15-9 against Johnny Willoughby and Richard Walshe from FCJ, Bunclody, County Wicklow.

Summary

A superb weekend!!! Congratulations to our Irish friends for their superb clean sweep for the second year in a row!! James Toop (St.Olave's) , Alick Varma (Highgate) and Matthew Barter (St.Olave's) are the Fives players who have managed to win the Singles event in defiance of the Irish strength. Let's see who can be the next British player to triumph in this Championship!!

Rossall Schools International 2002-2003 by Howard Wiseman
Finalised 11th November 2002
efa@etonfives.co.uk

Go to EFA Home page