Preliminary Rounds (Weeekend 17-18th February - Eton)
Recruitment for the Kinnaird was started rather later that one would ideally like, due to unforseen circumstances. However, 110 people still took part in the preliminary weekend, which broke down into 35 pairs for the main draw, and 20 pairs into the Festival on the Sunday. As ever, Eton proved to be a fantastic venue. The Marquee was up, and crucially Mark Williams was in it – armed with his lap-top computer, the Fives balls and the Draw.
The catering had been franchised out to the Girls Fives Captain from St.Olave’s who did a fantastic job at ensuring that everyone had access to marvellous sandwiches, nibles and drink throughout the weekend. Her team of catering assistants even doubled up as players in the Festival when gaps needed to be covered due to injury and illness. There were more spectators this year – perhaps word has spread about the relative comfort provided these days to spectators and players alike at the Kinnaird – no longer a place to get rained on and hungry. It is possible that the Kinnaird 2008, at Eton, will be furnished rather more like a professional tennis tournament– after all, it is our Wimbledon!!
Fiercely contested Fives took place throughout both Saturday and Sunday – the Festival kicking in as a one-day event on the Sunday. The atmosphere has sometimes been lacking come the Sunday afternoon of the Kinnaird, but with the courts full all day and with plenty of people watching and waiting to get back on court, it really did feel like a great event – not just that Eton was a venue for a Tournament. It was most encouraging to see many younger faces playing in the Kinnaird for the first time with a real sense from the Draw in general that there is a whole new wave of youger blood that is coming successfully through to the adult game. It is also noteworthy that most of the established Old boys clubs were represented in the Kinnaird this year.
There were no shock results through to the end of the quarter-finals, although the 4th and 5th seed match between Tyler and Sorrell & Cohen and Mew did live up to expectation. It was a very level contest and the fourth seeds were no doubt delighted to win is three hard-fought games.
Semi-finals (Sunday 18th March - Westway)
1st Semi-final - Tom and Peter Dunbar v Richard Tyler and Will Sorrell. This was Will Sorrell's first semi-final and he had the honour of partnering Richard Tyler, for whom this was his 13th semi-final with his 5th different partner over the last eighteen years, having gone on to reach the final twice in 1990 and 1998 - quite an achievement on Richard's part, who always sets an exemplary example on court of both fairness and competitiveness. Richard and Will had their glory, however, in the quarter-finals and never looked like disturbing Tom and Peter, who enjoyed a comfortable victory 12-6, 12-3, 12-3.
2nd Semi-final - James Toop and Matthew Wiseman v Howard Wiseman and Seb Cooley, an all Old Olavian match, which illustrates their strength in depth. The Olavians have much to thank Howard for this achievement, as do all Fives players for everything Howard has done and continues to do for both Club and Game. Where would we all be without the Toops, the Wisemans and the Cooleys, whose various family members, not least the inimitable Ann Wiseman, often play an unsung part in various aspects of the game! This was a closer contest, with Howard and Seb taking the second game, but James and Matthew finally came through as worthy winners 12-9, 7-12, 12-6, 12-4.
Final (Sunday 1st April - Westway)
The Final lived up to expectations. Furious long rallies with great volleying both in defense and attack and both pairs very evenly balanced. The first game saw a more consistant start from the Dunbars who made very few errors and managed to force Matt and James to retrieve their volleys from the buttress, hence keeping the advantage through most rallies. All players were playing brilliantly by the end of the game and the second was very much nip and tuck through towards the end. Still, however, Peter and Tom seemed to have been able to play their prefered game of attack withexcellent volleys which on balance edged a win to the second game over brilliant defense and counter-volleying from Matt and James.
The third game typically saw the true ability of Matt and James shine through, having played their way into the match and gained full confidence from their performance in the second game. The volleying from the Dunbars was now met with aggressive counter-volleys from both Matt and James, so that Tom and Peter suddenly had to retrieve and just hang on in the rallies. It was a quick third game as Matt and James, the previous victors from this meeting in the Kinnaird two years before, seemed to establish their dominance on the court.
The fourth continued in a similar fashion, and it seemed inconceivable that Tom and Peter could win the match - they were not only well behind , but crucially, Peter had completely run out of steam and had to swap with his brother so that Tom always took the top step. It was clear that a fifth game would be a one-horse race for Matt and James. However, at 8-3 up, a couple of errors crept in from Matt and James as the pressure to finish the crucial fourth game changed the atmosphere and sense of urgency on court. Peter hung on in there at back step and Tom kept fighting. The momentum dramatically swung the other way, and the Dunbars clawed their way back to level the score, and closed out what was to be the final game. It was a nervous ending to a great match - one that could have gone either way. In the end, the desperation to cling on and win the fourth game by the Dunbars, prevailed over the nerves that afflicted their opponents in finishing them off!! It was a fantastic match to watch, played with great spirit and fairness.
Preliminary Round (Eton):
E Rose & M Skjott beat H Tobias & L Redmond 12-3, 12-0, 12-2
C Friend & G Pulsford beat C Smith & A Kalra 9-12, 12-1, 12-6, 12-2
G Coren & F Nicholson beat C Cooley & M Rees 12-2, 12-6, 12-1
First Round (Eton):
T Dunbar & P Dunbar (1) beat A Burrows & J Comer 12-1, 12-2, 12-6
E Knight & M Andrew beat D Cooper & N Higgins 12-8, 12-6, 12-2
E Taylor & A Taylor (6=) beat P Nichols & D Davis 14-15, 12-2, 12-3, 12-4
D Smith & S Federoc beat A Yusaf & A Williams 12-10, 12-8, 12-8
R Tyler & W Sorrell (4) beat T Saunders & C Michaels 12-1, 12-3, 12-8
E Rose & M Skjott beat M Powell & A Knight 12-7, 12-4, 12-9
P Cohen & D Mew (5) beat W Betts & T Betts 12-0, 12-0, 12-0
C Friend & G Pulsford beat G Coren & F Nicholson 9-12, 12-3, 12-6, 12-7
H Wiseman & S Cooley (3) beat T MacDonald & C Jewkes 12-5, 12-5, 12-4
R Desai & B Kailey beat J Caudle & P Boughton 15-12, 12-0, 12-6
G Chapman & G Hoskins (6=) beat J Rees & S Piper 12-3, 12-8, 12-2
N Bunyan & V Bhymjiyani beat J Hicks & P Baxter 12-0, 12-4, 12-0
P White & S Ranasinghe (6=) beat E Leach & O Watts 12-1, 12-3, 12-2
A Theodossi & R Perrie beat T L Fletcher & A O'Callaghan 12-13, 12-4, 12-9, 12-7
S Payne & D Eames beat N Scott & S Regan 12-6, 12-6, 12-6
J Toop & M Wiseman (2) beat K White & D Redmond 12-0, 12-1, 12-0
Second Round (Eton):
T Dunbar & P Dunbar (1) beat E Knight & M Andrew 12-2, 12-0, 12-1
E Taylor & A Taylor (6=) beat D Smith & S Federoc 12-5, 12-2, 12-5
R Tyler & W Sorrell (4) beat E Rose & M Skjott 12-4, 12-3, 12-6
P Cohen & D Mew (5) beat C Friend & G Pulsford 12-5, 12-1, 12-2
H Wiseman & S Cooley (3) beat R Desai & B Kailey 12-9, 12-6, 12-3
G Chapman & G Hoskins (6=) beat N Bunyan & V Bhymjiyani 4-12, 12-9, 12-8, 5-12, 12-8
P White & S Ranasinghe (6=) beat A Theodossi & R Perrie 12-11, 15-14, 12-8
J Toop & M Wiseman (2) beat S Payne & D Eames 12-1, 12-3, 12-1
Quarter-finals (Eton):
T Dunbar & P Dunbar (1) beat E Taylor & A Taylor (6=) 12-9, 12-1, 12-3
R Tyler & W Sorrell (4) beat P Cohen & D Mew (5) 12-6, 14-11, 12-5
H Wiseman & S Cooley (3) beat G Chapman & G Hoskins (6=) 12-9, 12-6, 12-4
J Toop & M Wiseman (2) beat P White & S Ranasinghe (6=) 12-1, 12-7, 12-1
Semi-finals (Westway):
T Dunbar & P Dunbar (1) beat R Tyler & W Sorrell (4) 12-6, 12-3, 12-3
J Toop & M Wiseman (2) beat H Wiseman & S Cooley (3) 7-12, 12-9, 12-6, 12-4
Final (Westway):
T & P Dunbar (1) beat J Toop & M Wiseman (2) 12-4, 12-8, 4-12, 12-8
Plate A (Pepperpot Trophy)
Preliminary Round:
T MacDonald & C Jewkes beat H Tobias & L Redmond 12-4, 12-7, 12-8
First Round:
A Burrows & J Comer beat K White & D Redmond 12-5, 12-4, 12-5
T MacDonald & C Jewkes beat T L Fletcher & A O'Callaghan 9-12, 12-8, 12-8, 12-9
T Saunders & C Michaels beat C Cooley & M Rees 12-1, 12-1, 12-3
J Rees & S Piper beat N Scott & S Regan 12-3, 12-5, 12-0
E Leach & O Watts beat W Betts & T Betts 5-12, 5-12, 3-11 w/o
D Cooper & N Higgins beat J Hicks & P Baxter 8-12, 12-7, 12-6, 15-10
A Yusaf & A Williams beat C Smith & A Kalra 2-12, 8-12, 7-11 w/o
J Caudle & P Boughton beat M Powell & A Knight 12-6, 9-12, 12-5, 12-4
Quarter-finals:
A Burrows & J Comer beat T MacDonald & C Jewkes scratched
T Saunders & C Michaels beat J Rees & S Piper 12-2, 12-8, 8-12, 12-10
E Leach & O Watts beat D Cooper & N Higgins 12-8, 15-12, 12-4
J Caudle & P Boughton beat A Yusaf & A Williams 12-9, 12-5, 12-5
Semi-finals:
A Burrows & J Comer beat T Saunders & C Michaels 12-8, 7-12, 14-11, 12-7
J Caudle & P Boughton beat E Leach & O Watts 12-10, 12-7, 12-3
Final:
A Burrows & J Comer beat J Caudle & P Boughton w/o
Plate B - Group Round Robin
E Knight & M Andrew lost to A Theodossi & R Perrie 7-12, 1-12, 5-12
A Knight & M Andrew lost to M Skjott & N Bunyan 7-12, 9-12, 10-12
A Knight & M Andrew lost to D Foster & M Herring 2-12, 14-11, 0-12, 2-12
A Theodossi & R Perrie beat M Skjott & N Bunyan 12-4, 12-7, 12-3
A Theodossi & R Perrie lost to D Foster & M Herring 5-12, 9-12, 10-13
M Skjott & N Bunyan lost to D Foster & M Herring 4-12, 6-12, 4-12
Winners - D Foster & M Herring
Second - A Theodossi & R Perrie
Third - M Skjott & N Bunyan
Fourth - E Knight & M Andrew
Plate C
J Rees & S Piper beat A Yusaf & A Williams 12-6, 12-7, 12-0
Festival
Pool A
Winners - C Cooley & L Redmond
Runners Up - S Brooke & S Duncan
Third - D Leach & A Griffiths
Fourth - C Mead & P Chen
Pool B
Winners - T Bossom & W Hopton
Runners Up - D Redmond & M Goldman
Third - B Michaels & J Elansei
Fourth - D Hewlett & R Dunk
Pool C
Winners - E Buxton & M Le Fleur
Runners Up - S Basu & C Robinson
Third - S Evans & E Wells
Fourth - E Taylor & C Barnard
Pool D
Winners - A Allen & M Twose
Runners Up - J Hicks & P Baxter
Third - A Pearce & V Rao
Fourth - H Toop & J Johnson
Festival Main Competition
Quarter-finals:
C Cooley & L Redmond beat S Basu & C Robinson 12-11, 12-2
T Bossom & W Hopton beat J Hicks & P Baxter 12-1, 12-3
S Brooke & S Duncan beat E Buxton & M Le Fleur 12-6, 12-7
D Redmond & M Goldman beat A Allen & M Twose 12-3, 12-3
Semi-finals:
T Bossom & W Hopton beat C Cooley & M Redmond 12-1, 12-3
D Redmond & M Goldman beat S Brooke & S Duncan 12-4, 12-10
Final:
T Bossom & W Hopton beat D Redmond & M Goldman 12-6, 12-5
Festival Plate A (losers of Pools)
Final:
D Hewlett & R Dunk beat B Michaels & J Elansei 12-9 w/o
Festival Plate B (losers of Main First Round)
Final:
E Buxton & M Le Fleur beat A Allen & M Twose 12-4, 12-7
Festival Plate C (losers of Plate A First Round)
Final:
A Pearce & V Rao beat H Toop & K Johnson w/o