Graham Pulsford reports:
Veterans Competitions 28th April 2013
The 2013 Veterans Tournament took place at Eton at the weekend and saw wins for Mike Hughes and Grant Williams in the open competition, Chris Davies and Chris Lloyd in the Over 50s and for Ronald Pattison and Tony Walters in the Over 60s.
A very pleasant day for playing fives. Warm enough for a steady flow of spectators to watch throughout the day and no need for raincoats or umbrellas. It was good to see a healthy addition of newcomers who included Andy Husselbee, Andy Stephenson, Michael Leon, Andrew Pilkington, Jo Loring, Mark Goddard, and Ben Young. It was also pleasing to welcome back Freddie ‘the engraver’ Rowe with his Westway Wannabees, Martin Powell, Richard Tyler and Paul Kendall.
The outcome of the three Veterans Tournament finals was as follows:
Open Competition for the MJS-J Cup
Mike Hughes & Grant Williams beat Graham Pulsford & Richard Tyler 15-13
The MJS-J Cup was won by Mike Hughes & Grant Williams who narrowly beat Graham Pulsford & Richard Tyler 15-13 in a lengthy and highly competitive final. This was the closest that the holders have come to being challenged in recent years and the tension showed as the score crept up slowly to 12-12. The sizeable crowd were treated to a series of long and nerve jangling rallies as all four players gave 100% before the reigning champions were able to ‘close out’ the match. There were some close matches in the rest of the draw with Andy Husselbee & Andy Stephenson, Courtney Friend & Pete Scholey, Greg Hammond & Phil Bullock and Phil Lyndon & Nick Bunyan all providing some heavyweight opposition.
Over 50s Competition for the Chris Cup(s)
Chris Davies & Chris Lloyd beat Peter Boughton & Simon Woolfries 15- 10
The highly competitive over 50s competition was won by the current champions Chris Davies & Chris Lloyd who beat Peter Boughton & Simon Woolfries 15-10 in a repeat of the 2012 final. The evergreen Chris Davies scored the points while his partner Chris Lloyd denied their opponents any chance of points with a clinical demonstration of cutting technique and skill. The games between the Westway pairs were hotly contested and played throughout with great humour and good sportsmanship. Paul Kendall & Martin Powell could have been the dark horses in this category but the order of play did not help their cause.
Over 60s Competition for the Walters Cup
Ronald Pattison & Tony Walters beat Anthony Wagg & Tim Best 15-8
The Over 60s Competition for the Walters Cup was won by Ronald Pattison & Tony Walters who beat the 2011 and 2012 champions Anthony Wagg & Tim Best in a very sporting game. Ronald was on top form and with a lighter weight Tony providing consistent support this was a reversal of last year’s result. Neil Margerison was welcomed into this competition for the first time and partnered Jo Seelig to push but not quiet beat the two finalists. The most social game was Richard Black & David Cooper against Jim Fredenham & Michael Leon – nice to see a Stoic in the mix! CLICK HERE to see a video clip of the trophy presentation.
Many thanks to those who helped make the day enjoyable and for Chris and Chris who provided fitting trophies, ‘the Chris Cups’, for the over 50s competition.
The only fatality of the day was Courtney Friend’s jaguar – it faithfully managed to get him to the courts but this was probably its last journey. Courtney was last seen waiting for the AA….
Note: - If you are over 40 you are eligible for these competitions
Note: - 2014 is the 30th Veterans Competition – the more pairs the merrier!