On June 18th, the City Fives Association held its first adult 1-wall Fives competition at the Westway Sports Centre. 1-wall competitions are a great way of bringing together all Fives and Handball players, and this was no exception. The tournament received entries from Rugby and Eton Fives players, as well as Irish and American Handball players based in London and teachers from CFA schools who had never played Fives before. All together, 38 players took part in the men’s and women’s competitions.
After a visit from Paul Williams, President of the World Handball Council to last year’s school competitions, we were once again supported by the international handball community who are pleased that 1-Wall is developing in England. We were delighted to welcome Irish representation from Irish National 1-Wall Champion, Dave King and Irish Handball Association’s International Officer, Tom O’Connor. The men’s competition began on the two indoor courts marked out against the walls surrounding the centre’s indoor tennis courts, and the two outdoor courts. Matches were timed, the winner being the player with the most points after 10 minutes. Playing with the International Big Blue Handball there were some interesting early encounters as the Rugby Fives players got used to playing lots of overarm shots above their heads due to the high bounce of the ball, and the Eton players adapted to the idea of playing low, hard winning drives which would normally go down or out on an Eton court. The traditional handball players looked assured as the moved through the draw, but elsewhere there were some very close encounters as Eton and Rugby Fives players clashed. John Minta (RFA) and Dave Mew (EFA) met in a hard-hitting encounter, Chris Jones (RFA) lost in a very close match to American Handballer Charlie White 12-10, and Rugby Fives doubles partners James Toop and Marcus Bate clashed in another quarter final. In the ladies competition, Eton Fives doubles partners Dominique Redmond and Kerry White made it to the final beating some new Fives players from some of the CFA schools in Croydon along the way. It was great to see the teachers who have supported the CFA in that borough being able to play the game themselves, as well as meet and compete against other Fives players. The final turned out to be very close encounter with Dominique coming through in the final minute to beat Kerry.Having beaten a fellow Irish handballer in the quarter-finals, Dave King was joined by Pete Cohen (EFA), Dave Mew (EFA) and James Toop (EFA/RFA) in the semi finals. Despite having only played a few times, Pete pushed Dave hard, which bodes well for Pete who will be representing England in the World Handball Championships in Edmonton this summer. In the other semi final, James Toop beat Dave Mew.
The final was played over 15 minutes and from the beginning Dave dominated, pushing James off the back of the court with his deep serves and then taking a position at the front of the court from where he could play low, hard winners, taking advantage of the fact that there is no bar or ledge in 1-Wall Fives. James managed to stay in the game but as soon as he got close, Dave upped his game with spinning serves and drives down the line, really showing what a skilful and diverse game 1-Wall Fives can be. Dave continued to maintain a steady advantage and at the end of the 15 minutes, he held a winning lead 22-9.Thanks to Westway for the facilities and to Tom O’Connor and Dave King for their support. The competition was enjoyed by all Fives players new and experienced, and this is the first of many 1-Wall competitions to come. Links have now been made to the American, Irish and Basque Handball Associations and we are actively trying to arrange more international matches and competitions. The other nations are keen to support 1-Wall in England and this could be a fantastic way to get Fives players into international competition. Despite not having played before, everyone who participated in the competition would agree that they picked 1-Wall up quickly and had an excellent time. In a few years we might have an English 1-Wall champion!
Look out for next year’s competition and please get in touch if you are interested in playing 1-wall Fives or supporting and learning more about the City Fives Association work in London schools.Men’s Competition
Quarter Finals
Dave King (IHA) bt. John McGrath 15-6
Pete Cohen (EFA) bt. Charlie White (USHA) 9-8
Dave Mew (EFA) bt. Sanjaya Ransinghe (EFA) 16-9
James Toop (EFA/RFA) bt. Marcus Bate (RFA) 15-11
Semi Finals
Dave King bt. Pete Cohen 16-7
James Toop bt. Dave Mew 18-1
Final
Dave King bt. James Toop 22-9
Ladies Competition
Quarter Finals
George Silk (CFA) bt. Gemma Reece (CFA) 15-2
Ashley Lumbard (EFA) bt. Becky Forni (CFA) 15-11
Domnique Redmond and Kerry White, bye
Semi-Finals
Dominique Redmond bt. Ashley Lumbard 16-7
Kerry White bt. George Silk 17-4
Final
Dominique Redmond bt. Kerry White 14-13
J.P.T.
City Fives One Wall Tournament 2006 by James Toop
Created 27 March 2007 by Mike Fenn
efa@etonfives.co.uk