2018 Marsh N/national Schools' Championships
24/03/18: This year’s Marsh Schools’ Championships, played at Eton College, maintained a long-standing tradition of the breaking the record in terms of overall number of entrants with 698 pairs entering this year. The number of girls’ entries also continues to grow apace.
Championships which a few years ago, were played in a single week and at a single venue now have to be staggered both in time and venue and took place in February and March this year with the main week 24 -29 March. This is clearly good for the game and further evidence that the Association’s ambitious FiveStar programme, to develop the game and make it increasingly accessible to players of all ages, is bearing fruit at all levels.
Despite the additional numbers, there is still one week and place in which the majority of the competitions are played. We are grateful to Eton College for making their courts available and to numerous members of staff, effectively marshalled by the EFA’s Mark Williams, for administering the increasingly complex logistics during the week.
The level of fives played by the winners of the competitions was as keen as ever but it is clear that the pools, the early rounds of the knockouts and the plate competitions are increasingly competitive.
Here are the results from the finals at the 2018 N/national Schools' Championships:
OPEN: St.Olave's (K.Walton & J.Tate) beat Eton (H.Thistlethwayte & F.Watt) 3-1 (12-9, 10-12, 12-9, 12-8)
UNDER 16: Eton (A.Backhouse & M.Russell) beat St.Olave's (P.Sathiyamoorthy & H.Wintour) 3-1 (12-4, 12-10, 9-12, 12-6)
UNDER 15: Harrow 2 (B.Hope & J.Brankin-Frisby) beat Harrow 1 (F.Prickett & C.Efemuai) 1 3-1 (12-4, 6-12, 12-9, 12-3)
UNDER 14: Eton (S.Hopkins & H.Daly) beat Berkhamsted (C.Doe & J.Hubbard) 3-0 (12-9, 13-11, 12-0)
UNDER 14 BEGINNERS’: Harrow (P.Ashworth & J.Barley) beat Shrewsbury (R.Mcdonald-O'Brien & D.Taylor-West) 3-1 (12-13, 12-6, 15-11, 13-10)
UNDER 13: Summer Fields (S.Corso & G.Stanhope) beat St.Olave's (C.Boy & F.Baron) 3-1 (12-2, 13-14, 14-11, 12-9)
UNDER 12: Berkhamsted (S.Kaynama & B Baines) beat Highgate 3-0 (12-5, 12-2, 13-12)
UNDER 11: Berkhamsted (N.Head & B.Spooner) beat Ludgrove (L.Turcan & L.Evans-Freke) 2-0 (12-2, 12-8)
BOYS' FESTIVAL: Ipswich (O.Garrard & R.Dunstan) beat Lyceum Alpinum Zuoz (S.Hu & A.Wang) 2-0 (14-11, 14-13)
GIRLS’ OPEN: Shrewsbury 2 (K.Oswald & E.Graham) beat Shrewsbury 1 (S.Breese & L.Ware) 3-1 (13-10, 2-12, 12-10, 12-2)
GIRLS’ FESTIVAL: Shrewsbury (E.Kynaston & M.Sanford) beat Lyceum Alpinum Zuoz (T.Lin & C.Treherne) 3-0 (12-1, 12-9, 12-9)
GIRLS’ UNDER 15: Berkhamsted (B.Miles & L.Hannah) beat Shrewsbury (A.Sillar & G.Nicholas) 3-0 (12-3, 12-6, 12-5)
GIRLS' UNDER 14: Berkhamsted (E.Matthews & L.Hannah) beat Highgate (L.Valensise & I.Valencia-Britton) 2-0 (12-4, 12-0)
GIRLS' UNDER 13: Highgate (C.Vos & M.Anderson) beat Berkhamsted (M.Day & A.Wingfield) 2-0 (12-1, 12-1)
MIXED: Shrewsbury 1 (S.Breese & W.Sissons) beat Shrewsbury 5 (E.Graham & D.Humes) 2-0 (12-8, 12-3)