Results 2025/26

North Oxford are level with Old Millhillians 1 1-1 at Mill Hill 03/02/26:

N.Caplin & G.Wiseman lost to S.Tailor & C.Plummer 0-3 ( 6-12, 6-12, 7-12)

T.McCahon & D.Patel beat V.Bhimjiyani & O.Sander 3-0 (12-9, 14-11, 12-9)

For the second time in the space of a couple of weeks, a Division 1 top of the table clash with the Millhillilans has been left tantalisingly poised at 1-1. The fist pair of the home match has been put back to April after OM availability issues in mid-January; this time it was Alex coming down with the lurgy later on that forced the change, the Millhillians returning the favour with the third pair scheduled for the 19th February. The OMs are currently setting the pace at the top of the league and getting something from last night's pairs was crucial to maintaining any outside hopes we might have of catching them. The top pair are a formidable proposition, however, with Sunil Tailor & Charles Plummer putting together a fantastic set of league results this season. Noah & Gwydion ran them very close in the same fixture last season, taking them to a fifth game but they weren't able to have the same impact this time round, losing in three games. Second pair also looked tricky with Vish Bhimjiyani & Oli Sander another tough pairing to get past, especially on home turf. Tom & Darshan were up to the task, however, producing one of the NOEFC performances of the season, playing three tight games and coming out on top in all of them to leave things beautifully poised. With Seb & Isaac ready to take on Sunil & Charles in Oxford in April, next up will be Alex & Grandad at Mill Hill to complete the away leg of what is already shaping up to be a league-defining set of home & away fixtures.

North Oxford 2 beat Old Etonians 3-0 at Eton 01/02/26:

Old Etonians conceded all three pairs

One of NOEFC's busiest weekends of the season ended on a slightly disappointing note, with the Old Etonians unable to raise a single pair to take us on at Eton in Division 2, with a strong North Oxford side of Fred Prickett, Nick Shaw, Lewis Drummond, Nathan Turnbull, Stephen Thatcher and Paul Holland denied the opportunity to stretch our lead at the top of the table with a win on court. The three conceded points do take us into top spot, however, with three games left to see if we can claim a first Division 2 title since 2014.

North Oxford lost to Shrewsbury School 0-2 at Iffley Road 01/02/26:

L.Valensise & E.Collinson lost to M.Parry & S.Earles 0-3 ( 2-12, 7-12, 8-12)

R.McCormack & G.Day lost to Charlotte & Bella 0-3 (6-12, 8-12, 9-12)

Sunday morning produced an excellent opportunity for our women's team to get a fixture in and for us to play a rare home fixture in Oxford, with the Iffley Rd courts (and the presence of a couple of current OU students in the ranks) allowing us to host two pairs from Shrewsbury School. The Shrewsbury girls were just too strong for the two NOEFC pairs, but after slightly hesitant starts in both courts, the two North Oxford pairs gave excellent accounts of themselves, pushing their younger but in most cases more experienced opponents close in two high quality matches, Emilia Collinson showed she is quickly getting back to her best after her ankle injury at first pair, holding her own on a court with the Shrewsbury first pair of Milly Parry & Sienna Earles, who will be serious contenders at the Schools' Championships this year and alongside a former Schools' finalist in Lorenza Valensise. The second pair featured two players who learned how to play at Oxford, as current captain Rachel McCormack and former Oxford student Grace Day teamed up to show just how far they have come since their novice days on the Iffley Rd courts. In both matches, the Shrewsbury girls just had that extra bit of consistency in the set piece and accuracy into the buttress that ultimately made the difference on the scoreboard but this was an excellent match and hopefully one we can repeat in future years.

North Oxford 1 lost to Old Olavians 1-2 at Eton 31/01/26:

G.Wiseman & I.Weaver beat J.Toop & C.Boy 3-0 (12-6, 12-9, 12-9)

A.Abrahams & G.Hoskins lost to H.Wiseman & P.Sathiyamoorthy 2-3 (13-15, 8-12, 10-12)

T.Campbell & F.Lebon lost to H.Ravi & O.Rushton 1-3 (8-12, 12-7, 8-12, 6-12)

The Division 1 team suffered their first reverse of the season at Eton on Saturday, losing a tight match 1-2 against the Old Olavians. The main culprit was Noah Caplin's alarm clock, which failed to do its job, meaning Noah was only woken up by a telephone call from the club captain at about 10:45am enquiring after his whereabouts. This meant a late reshuffle, with the club captain having to don his playing kit and slot in at second pair to take on a strong Olavian side. Stars of the day were Isaac & Gwydion at first pair, who dovetailed beautifully to produce a top drawer straight games win against James Toop (never an easy man to beat) and the talented and unorthodox left-hander Caleb Boy. The post-reshuffle second pair game saw Alex & Gareth take on Howard Wiseman & Prajeeth Sathiyamoorthy. The club captain already had one second pair win over Prajeeth since the start of the year (in the Barber Cup at Orpington; anyone who would like to know more about his away wins at Harrow and St.Olave's in the Barber this year and has a couple of hours to spare is welcome to ask) but a second win remained stubbornly but tantalisingly just out of reach as he & Alex played some good Fives to get ahead in all three games but were unable to hold off Olavian fightbacks as their level went up significantly towards the end of each game, with Prajeeth's cutting proving especially effective. Third pair was also a tight one, with Bryanstonians Tancred Campbell & Frank Lebon taking on Oscar Rushton & Harry Ravi. The first two games were shared but Harry's steadiness and experience allowed the Olavian pair to seize control of the third and fourth games to take the win. Division 1 remains very tight at the top and we are currently in second place and still in contention, but with the Millhillians threatening to move away from the pack a bit in the top spot, our trip to Mill Hill on Tuesday becomes an important match to keep our outside chances of a first ever Division 1 title alive. Happily it's an evening kick off, so with a bit of luck Noah will have woken up by then...

North Oxford 2 lost to St.Olave's School 1 1-2 at Eton 31/01/26:

G.Pulsford & J.Hopkins lost to P.Markkanen & K.Bhavsar 2-3 (7-12, 12-8, 10-12, 12-9, 5-12)

P.Holland & M.Davis beat J.Lawrence & L.Whitnall 3-0 (12-6, 12-7, 12-6)

I.Mitchell & J.Lai lost to E.Phillips & A.Deshmukh 2-3 (12-13, 14-13, 12-7, 7-12, 5-12)

The NOEFC Division 2 team came into this fixture - the first of a weekend Div 2 double and part of a Div 1/Div 2 six pair match against the Olavians - with a 100% record from their two matches so far this season. They weren't able to continue in the same vein, going down to a 2-1 defeat in what was an excellent feature, losing two five setters and despite winning 7 games to 6 overall. Grandad was back from sunning himself in Sri Lanka and teamed up with Jack Hopkins from Newbury in his first NOEFC outing for a couple of years. They were up against an intriguing combination - Krivi Bhavsar, part of the Olave's U16 first pair, and Pauli Markkanen, a veteran of several Olavian Barber Cup winning teams of the early Noughties and a former Kinnaird semi-finalist, playing his first match for about 10 years - and it wasn't until the fifth game that the Olavians finally gained the upper hand, winning 12-5 after the first four games had been shared with little to choose between them. The strongest performance of the day came at second pair, a dominant display from Matt Davis & Paul Holland, who dispatched the other member of the Olave's U16 first pair, Luke Whitnall, and partner Jeff Lawrence in straight games. The third pair was another five game marathon and the last match of the day to finish, with the first two games shared 12-13 and 14-13. Ian Mitchell & Jamie Lai got themselves into pole position with a 12-7 win at third pair but opponents Ed Phillips & Oxford University's Aaditya Deshmukh played their best Fives when it counted to take control of the fourth and fifth games.

North Oxford drew with Oxford University 1-1 at Iffley Road 22/01/26:

S.Nowinski & E.Collinson beat L.Drummond & R.McCormack 12-9

S.Nowinski & E.Collinson lost to A.Deshmukh & L.Valensise 10-12

The planned two pair mixed fixture against the University at Iffley Road didn't quite happen as planned, with only three players available on the women's side and late drop outs affecting plans to at least get eight players there. Nevertheless, the three mixed pairs present were able to play some good games, important practice for the students before the University mixed competition on Sunday and an opportunity for Emilia Collinson (mixed champion in 2024) to get some matches under her belt as she returns from injury. Emilia was on fine form, teaming up with Stefan to defeat Lewis Drummond (Emilia's Cambridge partner in her 2024 victory, but now in Dark Blue ranks) and OU captain and regualr Monday nighter Rachel McCormack 12-9, before losing narrowly in their second game against Aaditya Deshmukh & Lorenza Valensise. There was time for a bit of extra mixing around afterwards to finish off a fun evening, if not quite the intended one!

North Oxford 1 are level with Old Millhillians 1 1-1 at Eton 18/01/26:

S.Cooley & I.Weaver v S.Tailor & C.Plummer to be played at a later date

G.Wiseman & A.Abrahams lost to V.Bhimjiyani & H.Gibson-Leitao 1-3 (6-12, 12-9, 5-12, 6-12)

T.McCahon & G.Hoskins beat J.Patel & E.Gosnell 3-0 (12-3, 12-5, 12-3)

What on paper looked like it might be a definitive week in the NOEFC Division 1 title challenge ended on a slightly inconclusive note at Eton yesterday, with the top of the table clash against the Millhillians poised at 1-1, following on from the 2-1 win at Harrow on Saturday and the weather-affected postponement of the Salopians match on Tuesday. With Seb & Isaac poised to team up at first pair, we generously agreed to postpone that pair to be played later in the season (hopefully a rare home match in Oxford!), leaving pairs two and three to battle it out. Third pair quickly went North Oxford's way, with Tom McCahon carrying the club captain to a comfortable straight games win against Edwin Gosnell and a rusty Jitesh Patel. The second pair was a tough one, with Gwydion Wiseman making it it to Eton having caught an early morning flight from Dublin to Birmingham and then got the club taxi to the game and Alex Abrahams hoping to quickly overcome the disappointment of defeat at Harrow the day before. Standing in their way were the formidable pairing of Vish Bhimjiyani & Hal Gibson-Leitao, who have been putting in some excellent performances for the OMs in the league in recent weeks. It was the Millhillians who struck first, establishing a big lead in the first game; they went on to win it, but Alex & Gwydion had found a bit of momentum at the back end of the game, which they carried into the second, winning to 9 and levelling at 1-1. They couldn't keep it going, unfortunately, Hal & Vish taking control of the match again in the third and winning the next two to 5 and 6. All square then, with a humdinger of a first pair to come later on in the year (who knows, maybe even a title-deciding first pair?) and North Oxford currently sitting in second place in Division 1 and still very much in the mix.

North Oxford 1 beat Old Harrovians 2-1 at Harrow 17/01/26:

I.Weaver & A.Abrahams lost to T.Dunbar & B.Bradley 0-3 (10-15, 6-12, 6-12)

T.McCahon & T.Campbell beat I.Hutchinson & H.Murray 3-0 (12-9, 12-4, 12-2)

B.Swallow & C.Lyle beat T.Seely & F.Kottler 3-0 (13-10, 12-5, 12-5)

A big weekend of Division 1 Fives started at Harrow on Saturday afternoon with a sixth win in six matches. Nothing illustrates the progress we have made in Division 1 better than our changing fortunes against the Harrovians, a team it took us several years to beat for the first time but against whom we have an excellent recent record. With two matches in one weekend, there was also an opportunity to rotate the squad a bit, with Tancred Campbell, Beau Swallow (back from his travels) and Cam Lyle all coming in for a first game of the season. Beau & Cam teamed up at third pair against the improving Theo Seely and ex-SF gapper Freddie Kottler and quickly settled into a good rhythm, heading out to a strong early lead. There was a bit of a wobble to let their opponents back in, even as far as levelling the game at 10-10, but Beau & Cam closed it out well and were largely in control for the rest of the match, winning the next two games to 5. Tancred was alongside Tom McCahon at second pair and they were taking on Harrow coach Ian Hutchinson and schoolboy Henry Murray. In contrast to the next door court, Tom & Tancred took a while to settle and found themselves 6-9 down. At this point, however, things began to click into gear as the North Oxford pair began to return more cuts, attack with a bit more sharpness and precision and quickly turned 6-9 into a 12-9 win. Once the momentum turned in their favour, they never relinquished it, accelerating away in the next two games to win comfortably. As was the case in the return fixture earlier in the season at Holyport, it was Tom Dunbar standing in the way of a 3-0 win. After two successive narrow losses against Tom & Fred Prickett, Isaac & Alex this time had their hopes raised by Fred being unavailable and being replaced by another school player in Bertie Bradley. They still had to get past Tom, though, on his home court and with Bertie settling in well and more than holding his own. There chances to win the first game, which reached 10-10 before Tom found that extra gear he often does at the business end of a close game. That was as good as it got, sadly, with Isaac & Alex throwing everything they had at it but finding it near impossible to get it past Tom frequently enough to get ahead and once again coming up just short against the 19-time Kinnaird winner. Still, two more points from a potentially tricky away game was still a good result, keeping us very much in the mix at the top of the table. And we won 3-2 in The Castle as well...

North Oxford beat Brigands 2-1 at Eton 15/01/26:

L.Drummond & P.Scholey beat A.Knight & M.Beard 3-0 (12-11, 12-2, 12-8)

I.Mitchell & P.Holland beat J.Young & M.Davis 2-1 (12-7, 8-12, 12-6)

S.Nowinski & T.Boyes-Watson lost to T.Leach & M.Powell 0-3 (6-12, 6-12, 9-12)

With Tuesday's highly anticipated Division 1 clash with the Salopians postponed due to wet courts at Highgate, the first NOEFC game of 2026 took place at Eton last night with the traditional January friendly against the Brigands. The opening of the January transfer window produced some early movement with Matthew Beard moving to the Brigands a few days before the fixture for a nominal fee. This got both sides to three pairs, playing the traditional three games then off to the Golden Curry format. With Brigands captain Tom Leach pulling a Chapmanesque move down to third pair, Matthew went straight in at first pair alongside EFA CEO Alex Knight against Pete Scholey and newly enrolled Oxford University student Lewis Drummond. Pete & Lewis nicked a sudden death first game, which proved crucial as they went on to win the second easily before closing out a 3-0 in the third. At second pair Ian & Paul took on another NOEFC player in Matt Davis, playing alongside Old Berkhamstedian James Young. Again, the first game proved key as Ian & Paul pulled away at the end to take a 1-0 lead. They managed to throw away a big lead in the second, Matt kicking into gear once the painkillers for his injured arm started taking effect and had a go at doinbg in the same in the the third, before this time closing it out successfully for a 2-1 win. Stefan & Tim were unable to complete the full set of wins at third pair, with Tom partnering Martin Powell to a somewhat pyrrhic victory, bolstering his personal stats but unable to affect the overall result. There was then a 5-4 win for North Oxford in the second part of the evening at the aforementioned Golden Curry.

North Oxford 2 beat Team Westway 1 3-0 at Westway 10/12/25:

F.Prickett & N.Shaw beat A.Field & F.Lebon 3-0 (12-9, 12-6, 12-9)

G.Pulsford & D.Patel beat T.Campbell & J.Tu 3-0 (12-7, 12-4, 12-4)

C.Austin & M.Davis beat H.Catchpole & D.Clarke 3-0 (12-0, 12-1, 12-2)

The final NOEFC league fixture of 2025 on Wednesday evening saw the Division 2 team heading to Westway for a second North Oxford v Team Westway meeting of the week. Team Westway won Division 2 last year and generally put out some pretty strong teams so a gun North Oxford line-up was selected to deal with them. In the end the lower end of the Westway order were rather inexperienced and no match for the glittering array of talent they found themselves up against. First pair saw the Harrovian pairing of Nick Shaw & Fred Prickett take on the potentially tricky challenge of Frank Lebon & Adam Field and they did so in fine style, dismissing the Westway first string in straight games. Graham & Darshan combined for the first time since their ill-fated Orpington outing a couple of weeks ago and set the record straight with a 3-0 win over Westway captain Tancred Campbell & Jessye Tu. Chris Austin & Matt Davis at third pair cantered past their inexperienced Westway opponents and the team repaired to The Garden to reflect on the Christmas league tables that see North Oxford second in Division 1 (with games in hand) and top of Division 2. All to play for in the second half of the season!

North Oxford 3 beat Team Westway 2 2-1 at Holyport 06/12/25:

I.MItchell & H.Gardner lost to M.Street & P.Griffiths 0-3 (11-13, 6-12, 7-12)

A.Bishop & J.Lai beat T.Thurnham & R.Pye 3-0 (12-6, 12-6, 12-6)

S.Clifford-King & M.Barnes beat K.Mikowski & A.DaSilva 3-0 (12-9, 12-6, 12-3)

After two successive 3-0 defeats, the Division 3 team returned to winning ways at Holyport on Saturday with a 2-1 win over Team Westway. Captain Bishop was back from injury to lead the troops, but again some creative team selection was needed to get a full side out and this time it meant a call up for Ipswichian and Reading University student Henry Gardner who popped down the road to team up with Ian Mtchell at first pair. They got off to a strong start against the Olavian/Salopian Westway pairing of Martin Street & Pete Griffiths, leading the first game 9-4 at one stage, but the Westway pair began to hit their stride at this point, coming from behind to win the first 13-11 and then continuing their good form on into games two and three. The club president took the sensible view considering his recent injury record and usual style of play that a young, energetic partner was what he required at second pair and Jamie Lai fitted the bill perfectly. A combination of Andy's returning and traffic control and Jamie's athleticism and top step dominance was too much for the Westway combination of Tim Thurnham & Rob Pye and the captain's orders of a three game match were followed successfully. Third pair saw Mandie & Sophie following on from their Black Cup exploits last weekend, taking on another Black Cup player in Alexia DaSilva and Westway home-produced player Kacper Mikowski. Sophie in particular was in ruthless mood, showing little mercy on a less experienced opponent and after a close first game, the North Oxford pair ran away with the next two., before the George on the Green saw a high scoring 4-4 draw.

North Oxford were runners-up in the Richard Black Cup at Eton 30/11/25:

North Oxford: E.Scoones, H.Asquith, M.Barnes, O.Prankerd Smith, G.Day and S.Clifford-King

Round Robin: beat Ipswich/Oxford Uni 3-0; beat Team Westway 3-0; beat Cambridge Uni 3-0; lost to Shrewsbury 1-2; lost to Repton 1-2

The North Oxford team put up a terrific fight at the Richard Black Cup at Eton yesterday, eventually falling just short of regaining the title and having to settle for the runners-up spot for the second year in a row, this time at the hands of first time winners Repton. This also meant continuing a sequence of finishing in the top two in this competition every year since 2013, a tremendous achievement. With former team captain Karen now in charge of the Repton side, Francesca Turnbull and Faye Kerr not currently playing and Rachel Wood and Emilia Collinson unavailable and injured respectively, we were delighted to welcome Emily Scoones back into the North Oxford ranks in the absence of a Highgate team. Captain Harry Asquith and stalwart Mandie Barnes were still there from the side that first won the cup in 2017 and hey were joined by regular Monday nighter Olivia Prankerd Smith and ex-Oxford students Grace Day and Sophie Clifford-King.  The team started strongly, with three successive 3-0 wins against the combined Ipswich/Oxford team (featuring our own Rachel McCormack),  a rather depleted Team Westway and an inexperienced Cambridge University. The last two matches would be the ones that decided the top three places, and although the match against Shrewsbury was lost 1-2 (a tight 13-15 reverse at second pair the key game), pairs dropped elsewhere by the Shrewsbury team meant that the final match against Repton would be a winner takes all encounter. With Karen at first pair a tough challenge playing with anyone, Harry & Emily stayed together and continued their unbeaten run to give North Oxford first blood and take us within one win of victory....but could one of the other two pairs deliver the knockout blow? Grace & Sophie started well at third pair and were neck and neck with their opponents for the first bit of the match, but gradually they found themselves being out returned and the Repton pair went away from them. There was a similar story at second pair, as Olivia & Mandie gave it everything they had, but the Repton team  were the strongest on the day and deservedly ran out winners, showing that they had both the firepower at the top and the strength in depth that you need to win a team competition. And with Karen leading their team, we can claim a small bit of reflected NOEFC glory! The team had done enough to pip Shrewsbury to second place and win their medals and boxes of chocolates (priority number one, clearly) and I'm sure we'll be back for another go next year.

North Oxford 1 beat Old Westminsters 3-0 at Holyport 29/11/25:

N.Caplin & I.Weaver beat R.Houlden & L.Drummond 3-0 (14-13, 12-8, 12-8)

G.Pulsford & A.Abrahams beat R.Perrie* & J.Levinson 3-2 (8-12, 11-12, 15-11 ret)

P.Holland & D.Patel beat G.Hoskins* & H.Barma 3-0 (12-7, 12-5, 12-7)

*ineligible players named in advance

Another week, another Division 1 victory, with this one making it five out of five for the season so far and 12 points out of a possible 15, enough for us to hit the top of the table at this early juncture. This was no ordniary result, either, but a 3-0 win over the team that has won the league for the last two seasons, the Old Westminsters. Admittedly, we were helped by the selection problems afflicting the OWs, who had a lengthy absentee list which was futher exacerbated by a couple of late withdrawals, leaving them to arrive at Holyport with two ineligible players and most of their star players missing. With two points in the bag before we even started, Grandad and Darshan used the occasion to exorcise a few demons from their match at Orpington last weekend: Darshan teamed up  with Paul Holland at third pair and they both found some good form, winning in three against former Oxford University player Hatam Barma and the NOEFC captain, guesting for the opposition. Grandad went in at second pair with Alex against the ineligible Ryan Perrie and Cambridg's Jamie Levinson and they grew into the match, losing the first to 8, throwing the second away from a strong winning position and then winning the third, at which point Ryan had to concede, ostensibly because he had to head back to Eton to referee the Eton U14Ds v Repton U13Cs but also because he knew that the tide had turned and the North Oxford pair were on the verge of romping to victory. This left the first pair as the only one in play for a league point and Isaac and the returning Noah had to get past the formidable obstacle of double Kinnaird Cup champion Riki Houlden, who was looking to see if he could guide a familiar NOEFC face in Lewis Drummond through to victory. This was a tough game for Isaac & Noah - there was little or no margin for area against Riki, who had free rein to take on as much as he wanted, while Lewis more than played his part, rising to the occasion and showing how much he has improved recently, especially on the top step and at the set piece. The long, first game proved to be crucial, but could have gone either way. Noah & Isaac - playing together for the first time and gelling well - got to 11-9 but were thwarted by some impeccable gameball cutting from both of their opponents who got it back to 11-11. Again Isaac & Noah got to foot down first but again they were unable to fashion an opportunity thanks to some perfect cutting and even had to save a couple of game points of their own before finally finding the point they needed to take it 14-13. The next two games took quite a long time and points had to be chiselled out but it always felt as though Noah & Isaac just had the edge from hereon in, remaining at least a couple of points ahead for most of the time, beginning to break Lewis down a little bit more at the back of the court and not getting stuck on 11 this time to record a pair of 12-8 wins and take the game 3-0 for a patient and well-crafted win. There was a 5-3 win in the George On The Green (the food getting consistently good reviews even if the service can be a tad aggressive) and an opportunity for Grandad & Darshan to carry on arguing about who was most at fault for their Orpington shellacking. We now take a bit of a break from Division 1 action before resuming in mid-January with a run of three games in a week that cold go a long way towards deciding whether or not we are able to make a sustained title challenge. For now, though, we can bask in the satisfaction of an unceaten and highly successful start to the season.

North Oxford 3 lost to Berkhamsted School 0-3 at Berkhamsted 29/11/25:

I.MItchell & N.Jamieson lost to J.Bates & L.Faulkner 0-3 (7-12, 7-12, 10-12)

T.Bush & J.Lai lost to S.Conde & F.Galluci 1-3 (7-12, 12-6, 11-13, 6-12)

S.Nowinski & M.Barnes lost to O.Moss & B.Copeland 0-3 (4-12, 4-12, 1-12)

The Division 3 team suffered a second successive away defeat at Berkhamsted on Saturday at the hands of the school team but there was more valuable experience to be gained for some of NOEFC's newer recruits and a couple of good, close matches. With the Club President's fetlock not sufficiently recovered to take his place in the team, the reins were handed over to Ian & Mandie to direct operations on the ground while the stricken captain oversaw things from afar. Ian - fresh from his EFA Trophy heroics last weekend - stepped up at first pair and alongside him there was another outing for Nick Jamieson, getting more valuable match practice under his belt. The outcome was similar to last week with a narrow 3-0 defeat against more experienced (if much younger) opponents but the more matches Nick plays, the better he is going to get and there is little doubt that it won't be long before he's turning the narrow defeats into Ws. There was also plenty of inexperience at second pair, with Toby Bush in for his second Berko appearance of the season, this time partnering Jamie Lai on his NOEFC league debut. They shared the first two games with their schoolboy opponents and at 10-10 in the third, the opportunity was there for one of the two pairs to seize the initiative. Unfortunately for Jamie & Toby, it was the Berkhamsted boys who did just that, taking the game 13-11 before finishing the job in the fourth. North Oxford's experience was concentrated at third pair, where Mandie & Stefan found themselves up against a couple of squash players. Sadly they proved to be a bit too strong for the North Oxford duo, cruising to a comfortable 4,4 and 1 victory.

EFA Trophy at Eton 23/11/25:

North Oxford beat Brigands 2-1, Team Westway 2-1, Old Olavians 2-1, Newbury 3-0, Cambridge University 3-0, lost to Old Ipswichians 1-2 and finished 2nd in Group B

North Oxford: F.Prickett, E.Gosnell, N.Turnbull S.Thatcher, I.Mitchell, S.Nowinski and H.Asquith

The North Oxford EFA Trophy team performed some highwire heroics at Eton on Sunday to secure qualification once again for Finals Day in February from an extremely competitive field. The odds were not necessarily in our favour: Phoenix Ashworth had to pull out a few days before, with Archie Cameron-Blackie, Pete Scholey and Karen Hird already unavailable; Stephen Thatcher was there but suffering with the lurgy; Harry Asquith was battling with a bruised hand; Nathan Turnbull was playing his first Fives since February and the opposition was fierce. The group was dominated by the Old Ipswichians, who put out a very strong team and cruised to first place. To make it through to Finals Day alongside them we would have to navigate our way past strong teams from the Olavians and Westway and potential banana skins in Newbury and the Brigands, with only the inexperienced Cambridge University team offering easy points. The first match against the Brigands proved to be a real toughie, with a third pair defeat, Fred Prickett & Edwin Gosnell winning at first pair without hitting the heights and the match rescued by a narrow 15-13 come from behind win at second pair from Nathan & Ian, which very much set the tone for what was to come. Round Two saw crucial wins at first and third pair (Fred & Edwin beginning to find their rhythm now) to beat Team Westway 2-1 but it was Round Three that really set things up. Things did not start well against a strong Olavian team. Stephen & Nathan lost 15-7 at second pair against Dom Robson & Colin Wilson and we were behind in both of the other two pairs. A 0-3 defeat here would pretty much scupper any chance of qualification but in textbook victory from the jaws of defeat style, Fred & Edwin hit an inspired run to turn 11-14 against Harry Ravi & Martin Bassot into a 15-14 win at the same time as Ian & Stefan miraculously did exactly the same against Edmund Phillips & Prajval Haldia. A path through to qualification had now opened up and the team strategists got together to map out the pairings that would deliver second place. Edwin moved down to second pair against the Ipswichians and with Nathan now back in the groove, they crafted an excellent 15-13 win over the OI second pair (the only point the Ipswichians dropped all day), meaning that two 3-0 wins in the last two matches - against Newbury and Cambridge - would leave Westway having to turn over the OIs in their last match to go past us. The Cambridge match was pretty straightforward - Edwin & Nathan continuing their partnership at first pair while Fred took a rest - and the Newbury match was also safely negotiated, with Edwin & Nathan again making sure at second pair while Ian stepped up to first pair to partner Fred in an occasionally nervy but ultimately comfortable win. With Westway dropping a point against the Brigands and the Olavians (as we had done), and with a 2-1 win for us in the head to head game against Westway earlier in the day, it meant that Westway needed to win all three pairs against the OIs to deny us qualification. They tried hard, but the OIs were too strong, meaning that thanks to those two 15-14 wins and two 15-13 wins in the four closest games of the day we made it through in second place and into a semi-final in February against Oxford University, familiar foes in this competition in recent years. 

North Oxford 1 beat Old Olavians 2-1 at Orpington 22/11/25:

S.Cooley & G.Wiseman beat J.Toop & A.Agarwal 3-0 (12-7, 12-9, 12-6)

I.Weaver & A.Abrahams beat H.Wiseman & T.Gallagher 3-0 (12-7, 12-6, 12-4)

G.Pulsford & D.Patel lost to H.Ravi & P.White 0-3 (1-12, 1-12, 6-12)

While the Division 3 team were slipping to a chastening 0-3 defeat, the Division 1 team rode into Orpington undefeated and looking for another victory to keep themselves up among the pace setters at the top of the table. The irony of arriving at Orpington with a first pair of Cooley & Wiseman was lost on no-one, but it was great to see Seb making a first appearance of the season and he and Gwydion put in a powerhouse performance at first pair, dispatching the formidable pairing of James Toop & Aadi Agarwal in straight games with a dominant performance marked by some attacking pushing forward and volleying from the back of the court by both players. If that was a great result, it was possibly even outdone by the second pair performance as Alex & Isaac produced a near flawless display, dominating all aspects of the game to defeat Howard Wiseman & Tom Gallagher 7, 6 and 4 in straight games. A statement performance from the two standout players of the NOEFC Division 1 campaign so far. A 3-0 whitewash was a bridge too far, however, and Grandad and Darshan's third pair result can probably be glossed over pretty quickly and put down to 48 hours on call for Dr.Patel. Darshan was keen to blame his partner, but let's just say they weren't at their best against Pete White & Harry Ravi, although they were at least first to the pub where Grandad consoled himself with an exact repeat of last year's enormous Sundae after the same fixture. They will both be back next week against the Westminsters looking for an improved performance in another big top of the table clash. The pub battle was won 11-1 with the newcomers being fully educated in many North Oxford traditions. Time well spent. 

North Oxford 3 lost to St.Olave's School 2 0-3 at Orpington 22/11/25:

C.Cooley & N.Jamieson lost to H.Ravzi & Y.Luo 0-3 (9-12, 5-12, 4-12)

M.Davis & O.Prankerd Smith lost to A.Gupta & V.Shetty 0-3 (9-12, 4-12, 7-12)

A.Bishop & R.McCormack lost to J.Cooley & C.Nkwocha 2-3 (12-7, 12-4, 10-12, 11-12, 0-12)

The Division 3 side travelled to Orpington much changed and with multiple NOEFC league debutants with Olivia Prankerd Smith and Rachel McCormack making their league debuts for the club alongside Nick Jamieson, our latest Real tennis recrui playing his first Fives of any description outside of a Monday evening at Summer Fields. He had the benefit of partnering Charlotta at first pair, a wealth of experience being brought to the court to add to Nick's potential and enthusiasm. They were up against some decent opponents in left-hander Hani Ravzi and one of the strong crop of school U16s, Yifan Luo and the learning curve for Nick was pretty steep, with the realisation that anything loose was likely to be punished and the need to find a way to gain some traction at the set piece. The first game was close; the next two slightly less so, but this was precisely the sort of valuable match experience that Nick needs to bank a bit more of having only started playing earlier this year and we hope to see a lot more of him in NOEFC colours in the future. There was a vacancy at second pair for a long time in the lead up to this fixture (even Spencer got asked) but eventually it was filled by Matt Davis, playing as an ineligible Division 3 player due to his Lancing affiliations. He and Olivia had a very similar game to the first pair as they took on Vish Shetty & schoolboy Aanav Gupta (brother of Swastik) - lots of good rallies, always in contention but ultimately beaten in three games due to a better set piece and a bit more precision from their opponents. The third pair game was remarkable and quite a first league match for Rachel. She made up an all-Yorkshire pairing with the club President and at first all seemed to be going swimmingly as hey took on John Cooley & Chiedo Nkwocha, a former pupil of Mr Bishop's from back in his Belmont days many years ago. The first two games were won 12-7 and 12-4 with Rachel playing confidently and Andy controlling operations. Things started to go wrong in the third game as the Olavian pair began to gain a bit of control and took it 12-10; despite Andy suffering an injury in the fetlock in the early stages of the fourth, things seemed to be back on track , though, as a couple of decisive top step points from Rachel took them to 11-9. Having to pause before serving - she turned around to see three old men all bent double wincing and clutching various non-working parts of their anatomy - she couldn't make it a hat trick of points to win the match and the Olavians levelled at 11-11. With Andy increasingly immobile, they correctly went for the sudden death option with their opponents on second hand and with the weaker Cooley cut to come, but sadly the gamble didn't pay off and the Olavians nicked it 12-11. Sadly, the Bishop fetlock wasn't able to cope with a fifth game and things went downhill fast at that point, by which time everyone else had already headed off to the Rose & Crown anyway and what had seemed an almost certain win for so long had turned into a frustrating defeat.

North Oxford drew with Oxford University 1-1 at Iffley Road 13/11/25:

P.Ashworth & P.Scholey lost to T.Farmer & R.Tse 0-3 (8-12, 11-13, 11-12)

G.Hoskins & M.Beard beat S.Wu & A.Adamson 3-0 (12-7, 12-5, 12-6)

A first local derby of the season took place at Iffley Road last night with honours even at the end of the evening. The start time initially had to be put back as the courts were booked from 6-8 for a CrossFit session. When the NOEFC contingent arrived bright and early to join in as part of their pre-match warm-up they were disappointed to find the courts empty and no one there and instead had to concentrate on playing Fives instead. Phoenix Ashworth was down from SF to take his place at first pair alongside Pete Scholey, a selection that went a little awry as Pete realised a few rallies in that he was not going to be in tip-top shape thanks to some repeating sauerkraut (there's a phrase I never expected to be writing in a Fives report). He struggled on manfully and did at least avoid decorating the courts an interesting shade of Mitteleuropäisch. This left Phoenix with plenty of work to do against the solid Olavian partnership of Tommy Farmer & Rohan Tse and it is greatly to the North Oxford pair's credit that they pushed their opponents so close, coming within a whisker of victory in the second and third games. With the non-playing OU captain not playing (we'll put out our one-armed 12 year old pairing next time to tempt him out), there was a rare outing for the often non-playing NO captain alongside Matthew Beard at second pair. They were up against the hard-hitting Old Summerfieldian-turned-Winchester-Fives-player Shiloh Wu and fast-improving novice Anthony Adamson but despite the students' best efforts, the experience and canniness of the North Oxford pair carried them through in straight games.

North Oxford beat Cambridge University Men 2-1 at Cambridge 09/11/25:

L.Drummond & W.Tate drew with J.Levinson & G.Holliday 2-2 (12-6, 15-14, 12-15, 8-12, 1-2 timed out)

I.Mitchell & J.Lai drew with A.Davies & T.Ford 2-2 (7-12, 12-11, 5-12, 12-10, 6-8 timed out)

S.Nowinski & N.Lilienthal beat A.Armer & M.Ludden 3-0 (12-9, 12-5, 12-8)

The NOEFC team put the two hour gap between the women's fixture and the men's match in Cambridge to excellent use, with a trip to a new venue, the Three Horseshoes at Madingley. This received good reviews all round, with a good selcetion of roasts and pies consumed and - in true NOEFC style - a variety of desserts dispatched in no time at all, including a fair number of sticky toffee puddings. This may have explained the slightly slow start in the afternoon match, although it may also have been because Ian only had the one pint for lunch instead of pursuing a more intense rehydration policy. The traditional youngsters at one policy was adopted, with Harrovian Will Tate making his NOEFC debut alongside former Cambridge captain Lewis Drummond against Lewis's regular partner Jamie Levinson and Salopian Giles Holliday. Lewis & Will won the first game comfortably and when they held on to win a 15-14 second game thriller, the match looked theirs for the taking, but Jamie & Giles dug in and won the third 15-12 and the fourth to 8 to take it into a decider. A similarly close match was taking place on the second court as Ian & Jamie Lai took on two left-handers in Tom Ford and Cambridge captain Alex Davies. The NOEFC pair lost the first and were 8-11 down in the second but gradually the heavy lunch began to wear off and they came back to win the second 12-11. The next two were also shared to take this one into a decider as well. Third pair was already in the bag, the club captain's bold selection strategy to leave himself on the bench and allow Natalie to double up paying off as she and Stefan won in three games against a Cambridge pair that paired a very promising beginner with an Olavian fresher. Just as the match was building to a climax with both the two remaining pairs into their fifth and final game, disaster struck in the form of a jobsworth sports centre member of staff bringing the matches to an abrupt halt as we were out of time. Much to everyone's disappointment (well maybe not Ian's). the pairs shook hands on a pair of 2-2 draws and a 2-1 win to North Oxford at the end of an excellent day's Fives.

North Oxford beat Cambridge University Women 1-0 at Cambridge 09/11/25:

M.Barnes & N.Lilienthal beat L.Bland & E.Spencer 12-7; A.Fitzpatrick & T.Fyfield 12-8; L.Bland & L.Cartwright 12-9

This year's Cambridge fixture returned to its traditional double header status with a morning women's match and an afternoon's men's match and lunch in between. The morning match saw seven CUEFC players taking advantage of a range of opportunities - match practice against the NOEFC pairing of Natalie & Mandie, mixed matches with Lewis Drummond & Will Tate and expert coaching from Ian and the club captain. The two hour session, with the CU players rotating around the different courts, was great fun, with the more experienced Cambridge players acquitting themselves well and the beginners making rapid strides. Mandie & Natalie did win all three of their games (making sure of the W in a Chapmanesque vein) but were certainly challenged by combinations of past and present captains Emma Spencer, Lucy Bland and Anna Fitzpatrick, Tamara Fyfield and Lena Cartwright, an Old Oakhamian fresher adjusting well to the more roomy Cambridge courts. The two beginners - Harry Ashley and Ella Cheung - weren't quite ready to take on the full might of Mandie & Natalie but improved a lot during the course of the morning. An enjoyable and very worthwhile fixture.

North Oxford 1 beat Old Cholmeleians 1 3-0 at Holyport 08/11/25:

T.McCahon & A.Abrahams beat J.Robb & V.Kassardjian 3-0 (12-1, 12-1, 12-0)

I.Weaver & S.Kaaber-Gore beat E.Scoones & J.Hughes 3-0 (12-7, 12-5, 12-2)

Old Cholmeleians 1 conceded third pair

A thumping victory for the Division 1 team against an understrength Cholmeleian team at Holyport on Saturday continued the strong start to the league season, with 7 points out of a possible 9 so far keeping us right in the mix at the top of the table. The Cholms were only able to muster two pairs (with their second pair requiring some NOEFC recruitment assistance) and such was the clamour for selection, it meant that Messrs Cameron-Blackie, Pulsford, Austin, Patel and Hoskins were all left warming the bench, with the club captain unable therefore to repeat his breaking-a-thumb-while-taking-down-Jonny-Ho heroics from this fixture at the same time last year.  If you haven't heard that story - unlikely I know - then feel free to ask about it and he'll reluctantly  and modestly talk you through the highlights. Anyway, the big team selection news was the return to NOEFC colours of Steve Kaaber-Gore, with Kirby and now two-year old Ivy along to provide support, playing his first match for a while and his first appearance on the courts at Holyport, the venue where he first discovered the game. Steve was at second pair alongside Isaac Weaver and they efficiently dispatched Emily and a second OI in Jeremy Hughes in straight games, Steve knocking off some of the rust and Isaac cruising along in third gear. The first pair game saw Alex & Tom team up to get some practice in together before the London Tournament. This was an odd match, as there was some good Fives played and some excellent rallies, with opponents Joel Robb & Vatche Kassardjian always appearing to be in the game, but the scoreboard told a different story as Alex & Tom romped to victory for the loss of just two points as well as a decent amount of blood courtesy of a McCahon special straight into the nose of his partner. At least the Holyport pupils will hopefully realise it's not just a game for softies when they get to the courts this week and see the resulting red stain on the court two run off. By the time the match had finished, the sun had come out, Ivy had decided that the most fun thing to play with ever was a cardboard box full of orange Fives balls and the full contingent (minus the Gore family) headed to the George On The Green for a splendid lunch - a 4-4 draw and outside in the sunshine in early November. The next two games - away at Orpington and at home against the Westminsters - come before the end of November and will go a long way to showing whether we have a realistic shot at a title challenge this year.

Mixed Team Tournament (The Boughton Bowl) at Eton 19/10/25:

North Oxford A (K.Hird, H.Asquith, R.Wood, P.Ashworth, A.Cameron-Blackie, N.Shaw) finished first in Group A

North Oxford B (E.Scoones, E.Collinson, K.Smilovska, P.Scholey, L.Drummond, M.Davis) finished second in Group B

Semi-Final

North Oxford A beat North Oxford B 3-0 at Eton 19/10/25:

K.Hird & P.Ashworth beat E.Scoones & P.Scholey 2-0 (12-10, 12-3)

H.Asquith & A.Cameron-Blackie beat E.Collinson & L.Drummond 2-0 (12-8, 12-3)

R.Wood & N.Shaw beat K.Smilovska & M.Davis 2-0 (12-5, 12-10)

Final

North Oxford A lost to Berkhamsted 1-2 at Eton 19/10/25:

K.Hird & P.Ashworth lost to B.Miles & J.Pemberton 3-1 (11-12, 12-5, 9-12)

H.Asquith & A.Cameron-Blackie lost to Z.Wheale & R.Perrie 3-2 (6-12, 8-12)

R.Wood & N.Shaw beat M.Barnes & J.Wheale 2-0 (12-0, 12-1)

North Oxford continued our strong tradition in the Boughton Bowl - the mixed team tournament - at Eton yesterday, despite just missing out on retaining the trophy in a nailbitingly close final. This year's field featured ten teams and some strong opposition so it was good that we were able to enter two strong teams, despite Alex and Grace from last year's winning team defecting to Westway, and were still able to lend Mandie to Berkhamsted to enable then to complete their line-up. With Highgate unable to get a team together, we also took the opportunity to let Emily Scoones lead the second team again, while there were NOEFC debuts for new Monday nighters Phoenix Ashworth and Emilia Collinson and Bulgarian number one Kristiana Smilovska. The group stages went well for both North Oxford teams. The A team were in the slightly tougher group, but still managed to come out on top, dropping only one point in the process - the second pair against Berkhamsted, with the first pair won 12-11, a tasted of things to come. The B team were on excellent form in the other group, comfortably winning the Town v Gown derby and pushing group winners the Old Salopians all the way, with Emily & Pete Scholey recording a fine 12-11 first pair win against Sam Welti & Sophia Breese. This meant an all North Oxford clash in the semis, with all three pairs won by the A team despite some fine play by Emily & Pete, Emilia & Lewis Drummond and Matt Davis & Kristiana, who had to settle for joint third. The other semi-final was much closer, with Berkhamsted pipping the Old Salopians 12-11 in the deciding game of the deciding second pair match, setting up a replay of the earlier group game. First blood went to NOEFC with Rachel Wood & Nick Shaw delivering a crushing win over Mandie & James Wheale at third pair. The real firepower in the Berkhamsted team was concentrated in the top two pairs, however (with apologies to James & Mandie!) with Zoe Wheale & Ryan Perrie at second pair and Bethan Miles & Jack Pemberton at first. As in the morning game, Zoe & Ryan were a bit too strong for Harriet Asquith & Archie Cameron-Blackie at second pair, despite a strong second game rally from the NO pair. This meant everything came down to the first pair, which had started in disappointing fashion with a reversal of the 12-11 scoreline in the morning match in a game that never had more than a point or two in it either way. Things began to look up in the second game, however, as Karen & Phoenix began to get on top, returning well and creating plenty of opportunities to score, leading to a comfortable 12-5 win and a levelling of the scores. All would come down to the final game, then, and it started well, with Karen & Phoenix getting their noses in front, continuing the momentum from game two to reach 7-4 ahead. At this point, though, things started to turn; Jack & Bethan both began to find their best cutting , the North Oxford returns dried up - and therefore the points scoring - and one or two unforced errors crept in. The Berkhamsted pair chipped away and over the course of a few hands turned the 4-7 deficit into a 10-7 lead. Karen & Phoenix finally found a couple of returns to get to 9 but couldn't close the gap fully, Berkhamsted closing a fabulous game of Fives out 12-9 to claim the trophy. This was a brilliant day of Fives, with fine performances from both North Oxford teams; it was also noticeable how many of the other teams had an NOEFC influence in them, from Mandie, James & Zoe in the Berkhamsted ranks, Grace & Alex with Natalie Lilienthal's Westway, Rachel McCormack and Holly Culhane playing for Oxford University with Spencer as non-playing captain, Alex Davies with the Old Cantabs, Charlotta leading Ipswich  and Jamie Levinson in the Cambridge team.

North Oxford 2 beat Old Millhillians 2 3-0 at Aldenham 12/10/25:

F.Prickett & D.Patel beat E.Gosnell & H.Gibson-Leitao 3-1 (12-8, 6-12, 12-6, 15-10)

L.Drummond & C.Austin beat O.Sander & B.Balcombe 3-2 (12-11, 13-14, 10-12, 12-6, 12-4)

R.Thorogood & H.Asquith beat D.Jain & J.Hassell 3-0 (12-3, 12-3, 12-3)

From a relatively new home venue at Holyport on Saturday, we returned to familiar territory for the opening Division 2 match of the season at Aldenham on Sunday, against the Old Millhillians second string. The OMs had three pairs all lined up well in advance - by way of contrast with yesterday's shenanigens - and it turned out to be an excellent match across the board with some well-matched games, which we did extremely well to come away from with the full three points. Fred Prickett was making the most of his weekend back from Exeter, this time donning North Oxford colours (not literally, he was in a Team Westway t-shirt just to confuse everyone) and he teamed up with Darshan to take on the ex-Oxford/Oxford Brookes pairing of Edwin Gosnell & Hal Gibson-Leitao, back on court this season after a lengthy absence due to an ACL injury. This was an excellent match to watch with lots of entertaining rallies and creative shotmaking. Fred & Darshan had a couple of wobbles, losing the second game to 6 and going 6-10 down in the fourth, but for the rest of the match they generally held the upper hand and finished decisively, racing from 6-10 down to a 15-10 win  in the fourth game. Second pair saw Chris Austin back on court after his five set epic the day before and showing wizard-worthy powers of recovery and previously unsuspected levels of stamina, as almost inevitably he found himself going the distance again. He & Lewis Drummond were up against old hand Oli Sander and the talented but still quite inexperienced Ben Balcombe and the first three games could hardly have been closer. The North Oxford pair rather stole the first game, coming from 7-11 behind, saving multiple set points and then winning at the first attempt as their opponents went for the bold sudden death option at second hand. The second game saw the roles reversed, with the Millhillian pair winning 14-13, then going 2-1 ahead with a whopping two point margin of victory in game three. The cynical may have feared at this point that the magic might have dried up but it was the North Oxford pair who finally managed to break away and start getting on top in the game, with Lewis playing with commendable consistency and sangfroid and the Wizard still producing moments of magic even in his ninth and then tenth games of the weekend. Despite being 2-1 down, Lewis & Chris were pretty untroubled from then on, taking control of proceedings in the fourth and then racing through the fifth as their opponents wilted. The full house was confirmed at third pair thanks to a comfortable victory for Robert Thorogood & Harry Asquith, who had too much skill and nous for their opponents, both of whom will have been better for the run out, with John Hassell returning to the game after a lengthy absence and schoolboy Dhruv Jain gaining valuable experience, Dhruv showing his ability by teaming up with the watching NOEFC club captain to win an extra couple of games against Robert & Harry. We didn't quite manage a full house in the pub this time, but still recorded a 4-1 win (inevitably the OM presence coming from the NOEFC trained Edwin) in the Round Bush, which had rather shockingly run out of sticky toffee puddings. We did enjoy a leaf through volumes 1-3 of the photographic history of Wolverhampton Grammar School Fives from the mid 70s to the mid 90s, although we will have to wait for volume 4 before the young Wizard makes an appearance.

North Oxford 1 beat Old Harrovians 2-1 at Holyport 11/10/25:

I.Weaver & A.Abrahams lost to T.Dunbar & F.Prickett 0-3 (11-13, 5-12, 6-12)

S.Simmons & C.Austin beat R.Bryan & T.Seely 3-2 (12-5, 14-13, 12-14, 9-12, 12-7)

Old Harrovians conceded third pair

Our strong start to the Division 1 season continued at Holyport on Saturday with a second successive 2-1 win, this time over the Old Harrovians. The build up was dominated by the Harrovian team selection, which covered a range of issues from an inability to get a third pair, to an injury replacement for second pair midweek, the replacement then spending most of Friday in A&E and the possibility of 12 year old Jamie Dunbar making his league debut. In the end the Harrovians managed to arrive with two strong pairs and Jamie as a spectator, allowing Gwydion to focus on his half marathon and the club captain to concentrate on taxi-driving logistics and some challenging top step against Dunbar jr. The first pair match was a repeat of this fixture from 12 months ago, with Isaac & Alex getting the chance to follow up their fine win at Berkhamsted last weekend. In their way this time was nineteen time Kinnaird winner Tom Dunbar and North Oxford's own Fred Prickett, with whom Isaac had won the U25 national title a couple of weeks ago. Isaac & Alex started slowly, finding themselves 0-6 down but then began to hit their stride, dominating Fred at the set piece and forcing Tom into some uncharacteristic errors. Their purple patch brought them back to 7-7 and then 10-7 ahead, raising hopes of a taking the first game. In an uncanny echo of the third game of last year's encounter, however, Tom decided to take matters into his own hands, reaching for that extra gear that he and very few other players possess. Isaac & Alex did little wrong but were unable to hold back the tide as the Harrovian pair forced their way back to 10-10 and then to a 13-11 win. The next two games continued at a very high standard indeed, but with Fred beginning to get more into the game and improving his cutting and returning significantly, the Harrovians always had the edge from thereon in, winning the next two to 5 and 6. The second pair match rather reflected the chaotic build up, although when Sid Simmons - making a rare but welcome appearance - and his longstanding Wulfrunian teammate Chris Austin won the first game 12-5 against Ross Bryan & Theo Seely and then followed by nicking the second game 14-13  from 11-13 down, it looked as though it would be fairly straightforward. When they then went 10-2 and 11-6 up in the third game, it looked like it was all over but in fact, things were only just getting going. Theo & Ross cut pretty well at match point(s) down, Chris managed to volley a cut that popped up off the ledge straight out the back of the court, a controversial let was granted when it looked as though the winning shot had been hit and suddenly it was 11-11. Almost inevitably, and with the momentum suddenly all in their favour, the Harrovians somehow extended the match into a fourth game, winning the third 14-12, and when the fourth also went the way of the Harrovians it seemed as if Chris & Sid were going to pull off one of the great Wilsonian defeats from the jaws of victory. The fifth game was epic; all four players were tiring and if the quality of Fives was a bit up and down at times as a result, the effort and will to win from all four never wavered. The key phase of play happened at 6-6, with Sid suddenly finding a burst of his trademark cut returning and volleying into the hole to take the score to 10-6. The end didn't come quickly after that, but Theo & Ross weren't able to find a run of points of their own and eventually the winning point was scored, a couple of hours after it might have been! Lunch at the George on the Green was a 5-0 win and the logistics of one car getting everyone to the pub then to Maidenhead station or back up the M40 to Warwick were successfully navigated, completing a most successful day.

North Oxford 1 beat Berkhamsted 1 2-1 at Berkhamsted 05/10/25:

I.Weaver & A.Abrahams beat R.Perrie & C.Doe 3-1 (12-10, 13-12, 6-12, 12-8)

N.Caplin & T.McCahon beat J.Pemberton & D.Foster 3-2 (9-12, 12-9, 14-15, 12-2, 12-8)

C.Austin & G.Hoskins lost to A.Rattan & C.Davey 2-3 (9-12, 12-7, 12-13, 12-7, 5-12)

Berkhamsted away is one of the toughest trips on the league circuit so it was an exciting start to the season for the Division 1 side to come away with a 2-1 win as part of the six pair league double header on Sunday. It could even have been a clean sweep, but with all three pairs producing close and hard-fought matches, perhaps that would have been a bit greedy. The NOEFC team that put together a record-breaking top flight season last year was based around a core group of talented young players and it was great to see Alex, Noah, Isaac and Tom all on court on Sunday, Noah making it despite suffering from a bruised left-hand, which meant he was cutting right-handed. Noah's injury meant he dropped down to second pair, allowing newly crowned Under 25 champion Isaac Weaver to step up and partner Alex at first pair. Berkhamsted opted to split their normal top pair of Ryan Perrie & Jack Pemberton, so Alex & Isaac found themselves up against Ryan and recent Durham graduate Charlie Doe. The first two games were both tight but Isaac & Alex had the edge and perhaps should have won slightly more comfortably than 12-10, 13-12; having established a 2-0 lead, though, they were in full control of the match and despite a third game comeback from the home pair, they closed the match out impressively in the fourth. The other two pairs were even tighter, both going all the way to five games. Noah & Tom took on Jack and former Kinnaird semi-finalist Doug Foster and the first two games took a long time to complete with a lot of energy expended just to get to 1-1. The third game was even tighter and it looked like advantage Berko as they took it 15-14. Tom & Noah were undeterred, however, showing impressive resilience and fitness to seize control of the match from this point onwards, racing through the fourth 12-2 and maintaining control of the fifth to win 12-8 and complete an excellent victory. The third pair was also decided by fine margins, with the overall points tally finishing at 51-50 and the result decided on a couple of key phases of play. The first of these was right at the start, where a slow start from Gareth & Chris gifted their opponents Alex Rattan & Chris Davey a seven point lead that they were almost but not quite able to claw back. The North Oxford pair took their momentum into the second game, which they won to 7, but the third was tight throughout with all four players now playing much better and more consistent Fives. At 12-12, Chris & Gareth had a half chance they couldn't take and lost the game 13-12; there was a strong comeback in the fourth to level at 2-2 but Berkhamsted came back strongly themselves in the fifth as Chris & Gareth began to run out of gas, an exemplary display of gameball cutting only delaying the inevitable at the end of the game.  Nevertheless, this was a fine team performance and was celebrated with a 6-1 win in the King's Arms in the company of Bishop's Buccaneers and the members of the opposition with the appropriate North Oxford training. A good trip all round.

North Oxford 3 lost to Berkhamsted 2 1-2 at Berkhamsted 05/10/25:

L.Drummond & S.Nowinski lost to A.Pemberton & R.Seddon 1-3 (12-4, 13-15, 7-12, 13-15)

T.Bush & G.Day lost to Z.Wheale & J.Baines 0-3 (2-12, 7-12, 5-12)

A.Bishop & S.Clifford-King beat J.Wheale & M.Gibbons 3-1 (12-5, 12-9, 5-12, 15-10)

As one half of a Sunday morning double header, the Division 3 team were taking on Berkhamsted's second string, looking to continue their winning start to the season. There were some familiar faces in the opposition ranks, with Zoe & James Wheale lining up in pairs two and three. Pair one saw Lewis Drummond making his Division 3 debut, partnering Stefan Nowinski against wily campaigners Adam Pemberton & Roland Seddon. They got off to a flying start with a 12-4 win in the first game but the Berkhamsted pair began to find their form in the second. In the end the match came down to two really tight games, as both the second and fourth went 15-13 in favour of the home pair. Zoe and Justin Baines at second pair proved to be a bit too strong for Grace Day and Toby Bush, in his first outing of the season, but both will be better for the gallop. There was another seasonal debut at third pair as Sophie Clifford-King came into the side to partner the Club President against James and Maddi Gibbons. The North Oxford pair looked like they had things under control for the first two games, winning to 5 and 9, but there was a bit of a wobble in the third that continued into the fourth before equilibrium was restored with a 15-10 come from behind one to score the 3-1 win, get a league point on the board and extend the Club President's winning start to the season to three from three. The team then headed to the King's Arms for a 6-2 win (Zoe & James naturally - we trained them well) and were already getting stuck into a good selection of puddings when the first teamers arrived to complete an impressive full house of pub attendance. Start the season as you mean to go on!

North Oxford beat Marlborough College 1½-½ at Marlborough 03/10/25:

P.Scholey & M.Beard drew with Henry & Tarka 1-1 (12-6, 10-12)

A.Bishop & G.Hoskins beat George & Oscar 2-0 (12-3, 12-9)

The Club President organised his annual match against his alma mater on Thursday and with a very strong NOEFC flavour to the team he also deemed (as is his right, naturally) that it should count among the official North Oxford statistics. The four Marlborough boys were all formerly of Sunningdale, Ludgrove and Summer Fields and all benefited from some time on court against their rather more experienced opponents. Pete & Matthew at first pair even managed to allow their opposition into the match sufficiently for them to win the second game, while Gareth & Andy made sure of the Chapmanesque W at two before the pairs swapped around and split with their opponents. A successful and enjoyable trip was completed in the Wellington Arms in the company of Marlborough M-i-C Tom Kiggell.

North Oxford drew with Harrow School 1-1 at Harrow 20/09/25:

L.Drummond & J.Levinson drew with various 2-2 (3-12, 14-12, 12-5, 10-12)

P.Scholey & J.Lai drew with various 2-2 (7-12, 11-12, 12-5, 12-7)

The annual early season friendly against Harrow School on Saturday produced an excellent afternoon of Fives with the two North Oxford pairs taking on a rotating cast of Harrow schoolboys and both finishing with two wins and two defeats. There was a strong ex-Cambridge feel to the North Oxford team with NOEFC regulars Jamie Levinson & Lewis Drummond teaming up once again with another recent leaver in Jamie Lai making his NOEFC debut. The experience was provided by Pete, who partnered debutant Jamie at second pair and then set the perfect example by ensuring a 4-0 win the The Castle to finish off a most satisfactory afternoon.

North Oxford 3 beat The Abbey 3-0 at Westminster 18/09/25:

O.Jones & R.Thorogood beat E.Phillips & T.Ormand 3-0 (12-1, 12-4, 12-3)

H.Asquith & A.Davies beat A.Zhang & B.Zhai 3-0 (12-2, 12-4, 15-14)

A.Bishop & G.Day beat A.Charles & G.Wang 3-0 (12-3, 12-8, 12-2)

Bishop's Buccaneers got the season off to a winning start at Westminster on Thursday evening with a 3-0 against a relatively young and inexperienced Abbey team. A late dropout from the home team looked like it might scupper things but a replacement was found by the time the NOEFC side arrived at Westminster. Ollie Jones teamed up with Robert Thorogood at first pair and they were comfortably too strong for their opponents, Old Olavian Edmund Phillips and his Westminster schoolboy partner, nothcing up a Chapmanesque early season W against opponents who weren't really able to put up much resistance. Hopefully we'll see more from both of these two taking on tougher challenges as the season progresses. Second pair saw a league debut for ex-Cambridge captain and current Monday nighter Alex Davies , with Harry Asquith alongside her to provide an experienced hand on the tiller where required. They won the first two games against their young opponents pretty comfortably before the Westminster boys raised their game in the third, which went all the way to 14-14 before the North Oxford pair won the sudden death point. Seb would have been proud of that one. It was also good to see an early season outing for Grace Day at third pair and she and the Club President cruised through against the coach/pupil combination up against them, again hopefully standing them in good stead for tougher matches to come.