Foreword
After the usual last minute entries, withdrawals and travel problems, a total of thirty-eight pairs arrived for the tournament, split equally between the main tournament and the festival. Although there was a fairly stiff wind all weekend, it was possible to shelter from this while watching the Fives and the weather was mainly dry. The warmth of the main pavilion was also available for refreshments and a more comfortable base to socialise with other competitors and supporters.
The Championship
There was a lot of Fives on the Saturday, with most pairs having four pool matches to play.
Pools
There were no major surprises in the pool stages, with the first five seeds progressing comfortably to the quarter-finals. There was a bit more competition for the other three places, with Mark Graves & Courtney Friend narrowly beating Anthony Walters & Grant Williams and scratch pair, Mark Yates & Mark Marriott, edging out Nick Shaw & Paul Thompson. Tom Fletcher & Nick Gill upheld the honour of Cambridge University by claiming the last quarter-final spot.
Quarter-finals
The quarter-finals began bright and early (?) on Sunday morning. Three were over fairly quickly, with easy wins for the top three seeds. The fourth match was, as expected, a much more closely fought affair between the fourth and fifth seeds, before Karl Rudman & Seb Cooley emerged 2–1 winners over Howard Wiseman & Chris Cooley.
Semi-finals
Because of the length of this match, the semi-final against Matt Wiseman & James Toop had to be restricted to the best of three games. Karl & Seb resisted stoutly before running out of steam and losing 12–7, 12–5.
In the other semi, Robin Mason & Tom Dunbar beat Ed Taylor & Richard Tyler. The match was rather more hard-fought than the 3–0 scoreline might suggest but, in the end, Tom & Robin progressed easily enough.
Final
After a short break, the final kicked off on time and Tom & Robin were quickly into their stride, winning the first game against Matt and James 12 – 3. The second game was more competitive, in more ways than one, but Tom & Robin won this one too, 12–9 before easing through the third 12–6. They thus completed the tournament without dropping a game by winning and so regained the trophy they last won in 2002.
The Plate
Meanwhile, in the plate, two rounds of pool matches were followed by a final between John Caudle & Tim Fletcher and Nick Shaw & Paul Thompson. The Cambridge pair emerged 2–1 victors
The Festival
The field was strengthened by the entry this year of the top schoolboy pairs from Westminster and King Edwards Birmingham. The luck of the draw plays an important part in the Festival and one or two pairs were unlucky to be drawn in particularly strong groups, but it was good to see three mixed pairs progressing to the knockout stages.
By the semi-finals, the cream had risen to the top and, in due course, Neil Curtis & Dhruv Parikh (KES) beat Peter & Edward Boughton (Old Ipswichians) to set up a final with Peter Kennedy & Freddy Krespi (Westminster), who beat Ian Mitchell & John Garnons Williams (Monday Fives Club).
In the final Curtis & Parikh won the first game but Kennedy & Krespi won the next two to wrap up victory.
In the final of the plate competition, Anthony Theodossi & Jemma Turner (Emanuel) beat John Howsley & Alex Bowditch (Ipswich).
Results
Championship Semi-Finals:
Robin Mason & Tom Dunbar (Edwardian/Harrovian) beat Ed Taylor & Richard Tyler (Salopian/Edwardian)
12-6, 12-9, 15-12
Matt Wiseman & James Toop (Olavians) beat Seb Cooley & Karl Rudman (Olavians)
12–7, 12–5: best of 3 due to shortage of time
Final:
Robin Mason & Tom Dunbar beat Matt Wiseman & James Toop
12–3, 12–9, 12–6
Plate Final:
Nick Shaw & Paul Thompson (Cambridge University) beat John Caudle & Tim Fletcher (Ipswichian/Ipswich) 2-1
Festival Final:
Peter Kennedy & Freddy Krespi (Westminster) beat Neil Curtis & Dhruv Parikh (King Edwards) 2–1
Festival Plate Final:
Anthony Theodossi & Jemma Turner (Emanuel) beat Alex Bowditch & Jonathan Howsley (Ipswich) 2-0
A.D.M.
Northern Championship Report 2003-2004 by Andrew Mitchell
Created 17th February 2004 by Mike Fenn
efa@etonfives.co.uk
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