05/11/18: The fifth anniversary of the new Cambridge courts was marked on Saturday by a large and distinguished gathering of Fives players with a splendid match between Cambridge University and the Jesters as the centrepiece.
Since the opening of the courts in 2013, the game at Cambridge has gone from strength to strength. The University club have benefited hugely from having access to such an impressive facility and the arrival on the scene of Nick Preston has seen a surge in interest in the last eighteen months or so with adult beginners and local schools all now seizing the opportunity to get on court and learn how to play.
Saturday's event was a real celebration of Cambridge Fives; Rodney Knight and Dale Vargas had organised lunch and tea for the large number of players and spectators attending and a series of matches featuring both local and former Cambridge players was followed by the current University team taking on a strong Jesters team organised by Nick himself, which included two current n/national champions in Seb Cooley and Karen Hird. The result was a 3-0 win for the Jesters but the Cambridge team put up a strong showing as you would expect from a side containing 2018 Kinnaird finalist Riki Houlden and 2017 Schools' champion Kosi Nwuba.
With a similar event happening on the adjacent Rugby Fives courts, it was great to see the Fives section of the sports centre buzzing with activity, rivalling the dancesport event taking place in the main sports hall for numbers if not for elegance of movement in some cases. Hopefully this is a sign that Fives in Cambridge will continue to progress and it is hoped that the Cambridge Jesters day may become an annual event.