Gerald Barber reports:
The 39th HSBC Tournament was played at Harrow on a cold and gloomy day with 72 contestants taking part; some excellent fives was witnessed though the competition once again was dominated by Highgate.
The Quarter-finals saw four pairs from Highgate, two from Summer Fields and one each from Ludgrove and Sunningdale. In the senior finals Highgate I defeated Highgate II very comfortably while Highgate II overcame Ludgrove I without difficulty.
The final was of a very high standard with Most and Koran (Highgate I) dominating the match. I don?t think we have ever seen such a powerful pair in our competition. It is the first time a pair have won the competition two years in a row and many congratulations go to the two boys for displaying such an impressive standard of fives.
In the Jeremy Marston Plate great credit goes to the young Summer Fields IV pair who battled their way to the final only to be out gunned by a more mature Cranleigh I. This is the first year that Cranleigh's name has been engraved on the plate. Many congratulations to them. Next year we return to Eton. Can anyone stop the Highgate tide? We shall see.
Results
Semi-finals:
Highgate 1 (C Most & M Kovar) beat Highgate 3 (O Moore & J Airley) 12-2, 12-3
Highgate 2 (J Curry & A Pavitt) beat Ludgrove 1 (M Sangster & F Hutley) 12-3,12-1
Final:
Highgate 1 beat Highgate 2 12-3, 12-1
Jeremy Marston Plate
Semi-finals:
Cranleigh 1 beat Ludgrove 3 12-9
Summer Fields 4 beat Orley Farm 1 12-7
Final:
Cranleigh 1 (M Storey & T Butcher) beat Summer Fields 4 (C Courtenay & G Taylor) 12-5
Quarter-Finals Competition
Semi-finals:
Sunningdale 1 beat Summer Fields 3 12-0, 12-0
Highgate 4 beat Summer Fields 1 12-6, 12-4
Final:
Highgate 4 (C Kennedy & A Davidson) beat Sunningdale 1 14-11