Dominique Redmond reports:
Graham Turnbull Trophy at Eton - 6th December
It was a special day of Fives at Eton College. The U12s event, the Barber Cup clash between Lancing and KES, Eton College House Cup Final and the Turnbull Trophy all dovetailed wonderfully into place across the long afternoon, with the sixteen courts remaining full constantly from noon until almost 6pm.
The Turnbull was therefore competed for amidst the most wonderful backdrop of Fives involvement, featuring players from age 11 to 60+, representing school and adult Fives. The purpose of the Turnbull Trophy is of course to bring school and adult Fives together. 2009 was a particularly good year in this respect. Eighteen pairs competed, representing partnerships from the Citizens, Berkhamstedians, Lancing, Olavians, Emanuels, Carthusians, Westminsters and Ipswichians. There were nine very strong pairs and nine less experienced. It was particularly pleasing to see girls taking part as well as the rare sight of a Headmaster taking part too - well done to Berkhamsted for appointing such a good man! All pairs played a full afternoon of Fives and the school boys and girls clearly loved it and improved throughout the event. The quarter-finals onwards became serious business - eight very level pairs in the line-up with little to tell them apart. In the semi-finals, the Olavians lost to Lancing, and the Carthusians lost to Westminster. The final featured two pairs who had met in their first match of the day four hours earlier. Laurie and Callum Brock from Westminster had beaten the Lancing partnership of Jamie Betts and Howard Wiseman 15-14 in that first encounter. The Final was almost as close - the outcome just as uncertain. Both school players were playing rather better than they had earlier and it was a tremendous battle. Lancing squeezed through 15-11, Jamie becomes the second Lancing schoolboy to win this event and the second member of the Betts family to do so. The Final was concluded shortly after the Lancing Old Boys' historic victory in the Barber Cup had been sealed on the court next door. In all, a momentous day in the history of Lancing Fives.