Information about Fives

Fives is a British sport believed to derive from the same origins as many racket sports. In fives, a ball is propelled against the walls of a special court using gloved or bare hands as though they were a racquet.

Background

The name may be derived from the slang expression "a bunch of fives" (meaning a fist). The game has also been known as hand-tennis and historically was often played between the buttresses of church buildings in England. There are links between Fives and the Irish and North American handball games and indeed, in recent years, British clubs have begun to establish ties with clubs in those countries.

Fives is not the same as Long Fives, which is played in a real tennis court.

The game

There are two main forms of the game:

• Rugby Fives and
• Eton Fives.

Eton Fives

Eton Fives is played competitively as a doubles game, whilst Rugby Fives is played as both a singles and a doubles game. The rules for Eton and Rugby Fives were both published in 1931, and Rugby Fives had an official varsity match from 1925. The ball in rugby and Winchester Fives are fairly hard and so the gloves are thicker. In Eton Fives the ball is softer and lighter, and the gloves are fairly thin.

The Eton Fives court is modelled on part of Eton College's Chapel and is enclosed on three sides and open at the back. A small step splits the court into upper and lower sections, and sloping ledges run horizontally across the walls, one of which forms the "line". There is a large obstruction, known as a butress, which is known as a pepper or a pepper pot to fives players, on the left-hand side of the court in line with the step. This extends approximately 80cm into the court and is around 2m high. The first courts at Eton were built in 1840.

Eton Fives has a more complex variation and some specific court features or 'hazards'.

Rugby Fives

Rugby Fives, developed at Rugby School, uses a simpler court, quite similar to a squash court, and has a back wall - here there are no hazards. So to play Rugby Fives on a court with hazards, one plays a let when the ball hits the hazard and when playing house rules - then the the hazard affects play.

Winchester Fives

A further variation is Winchester Fives which differs again by the addition of a buttress (resembling the tambour of a real tennis court) on the left-hand wall - something also found in Eton Fives. Winchester Fives also has a lower backwall than Rugby Fives.

Clifton Fives - and other variants

Many public schools have their own variation on the court - at Clifton College for instance, the court has a half-height back wall. If one were to play Clifton Fives, one would use the back wall as part of the game - so a ball going out, would be out - but if you were to play Rugby Fives rules on the court, then the ball going out would merely be a let.

Players

Fives is a small sport played by enthusiasts numbering perhaps 4,000 active adult players in the United Kingdom. A similar number play in schools.

About forty schools are affiliated to the Eton Fives Association (the governing body of the Eton Fives variation), and there are a number of Old Boys' and university clubs. There are some well-established clubs overseas, such as the Zuoz Fives Club in Switzerland, and the game is also vigorously pursued in northern Nigeria.

The Rugby Fives Association (the governing body of Rugby Fives, founded in 1927) has affiliations from over forty schools and thirty-two clubs, from Edinburgh to Tavistock, and there are also a number of clubs overseas, for example in South Africa and the United States.

Early match

The first match on record between schools was when an Eton pair played at Harrow in 1885 (F. Thomas and C. Barclay of Eton beat E.M. Butler and B. R. Warren of Harrow).

Today

Although the image of Fives has been dominated by the well-known eponymous public schools, courts do exist at state schools, and in recent years many of these have been brought into full use. The advantages of economy of space and low playing costs (ball and gloves) make it an attractive sport for schools. Fives continues to develop in England and has started to attract interest from the wider community.[1]

There are also numerous championships, notably the (doubles) Eton Fives Kinnaird Cup and the Rugby Fives Open Singles championship (The Jesters' Cup) and Open Doubles championship (The Cyriax Cup). Other events include schools (Under 13 singles and doubles, Under 14 singles and doubles, Colts singles and doubles [U16], Open singles and doubles [U18]), university, age-group, Winchester and (recently) Ladies championships (See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rugby_Fives#Tournaments for more details.)

Notable players in recent times have included:.

• John Patrick Reynolds
• Brian Matthews (Old Citizens, Kinnaird Cup).
• John Pretlove (Alleyn's).
• Wayne Enstone (Manchester Y.M.C.A., Rugby Fives) setting a record of 23 National Rugby Fives Singles Titles, and over 140 tournament wins.
• Dave Hebden (Alleyn's and Cambridge) who recently won his 100th Rugby Fives tournament.
• Ian Fuller (Tonbridge).
• Alex Peppiatt

External links

• Eton Fives
• Rugby Fives Association (UK)
• Cambridge University Rugby Fives Club
• Executioners (A London Fives Club)
• White Rose Fives Club (A Club based in West Yorkshire)
• Old Merchant Taylors Rugby Fives Club

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