Results 2010/11

10/04/11 at Eton: North Oxford beat Old Stoics 3-0

C.Austin & G.Pulsford beat M.Skjott & J.Hutter 3-0 (13-10, 12-6, 12-4)

C.Lloyd & A.Bishop beat S.Basu & W.Skjott 3-1 (12-2, 8-12, 12-2, 12-3)

G.Hoskins & K.Hird beat R.Pattison* & N.Cox* 3-0 (12-6, 14-13, 12-2)

With the Westminsters 2 conceding our league match, unable to raise a team, North Oxford finished the league season on a high recording a 10th win in 11 matches (9 by a 3-0 margin) with a 3-0 over the Old Stoics at Eton. Graham Pulsford and Chris Austin were seeking redemption after their defeat at the hands of the Millhilllians and, despite a slow start, gradually got into their stride and got the measure of their Stoic opponents Mike Skjott and Jurgen Hutter to win in three games. By way of contrast, North Oxford veterans Chris Lloyd and Andy Bishop got off to a flyer at second pair and won the first game 12-2 in no time at all. The second game was the complete opposite as the opposition came back strongly to win 12-8 and level the match at 1-1. Thankfully, this was only a blip and normal service was soon resumed in games 3 and 4 as Andy and Chris stormed to victory. With the Stoics fielding an ineligible pair at third, the points were in the bag, but Gareth Hoskins and Karen Hird - making her competitive NOEFC debut - were keen not to lose to familiar faces Ronald Pattison and Nigel Cox. A strong start gave them the first game 12-6 but the Stoic guns for hire came back strongly to establish an 11-5 lead in the second. In the key phase of the match. Gareth and Karen began to refind their cut returns and rode their luck saving several match points to level at 11-11 and then go on to win 14-13. After that, the third game was a relative formality. Our league campaign has been highly successful this year with a spectacular return of 30 points from a possible 33; it is only the excellence of the Old Millhillians - who need two points from their final match against the Edwardians to take first place - that may eventually deny us a second Aston House Cup win in three years.

15/05/11 at Stowe: North Oxford beat Old Edwardians 3-0

S.Chapman & G.Hoskins beat P.Scholey & C.Friend 3-0 (12-11, 12-9, 12-8)

I.Mitchell & A.Bishop beat R.Pattison & S.Nowinski 3-0 (14-13, 12-2, 12-8)

B.Lawrence & R.Scholey beat V.Scholey & T.Scholey 2-0 (14-11, 12-6)

The fifth annual "unusual courts" fixture between North Oxford and the Old Edwardians took place on Sunday, this time on the recently refurbished courts at Stowe. With the teams fairly arbitrary with a certain amount of crossover and internal Scholey family pair juggling, the results were of little importance. All three pairs followed a similar pattern in fact, with a very tight first game presaging an easier subsequent passage for the winning pair. Particularly noteworthy were the appearances at third pair of Old Stoic Barclay Lawrence, back at his home courts for the first time since the refit, which he himself helped to mastermind, and of Robert Scholey, the fifth member of his family to represent North Oxford and reward for his fast improving Monday night performances. As is traditional with the unusual courts fixture, a local pub lunch was all part of the deal and the main question was where this fixture should be played next year. All suggestions welcome!

13/03/11 at Mill Hill: North Oxford lost to Old Millhillians 1-2

G.Hoskins & N.Shaw lost to V.Bhimjiyani & J.Coakley 1-3 (4-12, 12-4, 9-12, 5-12)

C.Austin & G.Pulsford lost to S.Tailor & J.Patel 1-3 (13-14, 14-13, 10-12, 8-12)

C.Davies & J.Hindle beat J.Lefort & C.Vincent 3-1 (10-12, 10-8 ret)

Despite a heroic effort, North Oxford narrowly lost their crucial top of the table clash against the Old Millhillians at Mill Hill yesterday. Both teams are well clear of the Division 2 pack having beaten all comers so far this season and a close match on paper turned into a very close match indeed on court. Both sides were able to field strong teams, but the Millhillians got off to a strong start, going a game up in all three courts. At first pair Gareth Hoskins and Nick Shaw were blown away in the first game but a tactical rethink produced a much more controlled second game performance and established a position of potential dominance. A slow start in the third prevented that from happening but at 7-5 ahead things were still looking good. That was the high point, however. Nick was hampered by a twice twisted ankle and Gareth began to tire in the fourth as the younger Millhillian pair upped their work rate and used their home advantage to move to a deserved 3-1 win. Graham Pulsford and Chris Austin started slowly at second pair, going 8-2 down, and were disappointed to lose the first game after pulling the score line back to 13-13. They returned the favour in game two with the 14-13 scoreline favouring the North Oxford pair this time, but as in the first court, the youthful energy of the Millhillian pair began to tell in the third and fourth games and they came through 3-1. Chris Davies and Jeremy Hindle also started slowly and lost the first game 12-10, but were beginning to get on top at 10-8 up in the second when Justin Lefort had to retire due to a recurrence of an old injury to give North Oxford a useful point. We are still two points ahead at the top of the table but the Millhillians have a game in hand and will need to drop two points from their last three matches to give us a chance of winning the division.

09/03/11 at Westminster: North Oxford beat Old Etonians 3-0

G.Hoskins & G.Pulsford beat A.Illingworth & F.Colquhoun 3-0 (15-14, 15-10, ret)

C.Austin & J.Hindle beat G.Mckean & T.Sinclair 3-0 (12-8, 12-2, 12-6)

S.Chapman & C.Rennie beat J.Rowe & N.Cox 3-0 (12-3, 12-3, 12-7)

With title rivals the Old Millhillians winning 3-0 the night before against the Old Olavians, it was important for North Oxford to record maximum points against the Old Etonians at Westminster last night. Spencer Chapman and Carl Rennie at third pair and Chris Austin and Jeremy Hindle at second notched comfortable wins, with Nigel Cox facing NOEFC for the second time in two days (albeit with less success this time round!). Gareth Hoskins and Graham Pulsford at first pair always looked like they were going to have their work cut out against former Kinnaird Cup semi-finalist Alex Illingworth, partnered by the handy Freddy Colquhoun, but they rose to the challenge early on to move into a hard fought 9-5 lead in the first game. As Alex began to find his form and the North Oxford cut returns began to dry up, the Etonians moved 10-9 ahead and even though Gareth and Graham managed to force the game to be set to 15, they were behind all the way to 12-14 down. Just as things were looking bleak, however, a couple of winning foot down cuts and an inspired run of three points were enough to nick a marathon first game 15-14. With the other matches already done and dusted, the second game followed a similar pattern, the scoreline remaining close right up to 10-9 to the Etonians again. As in the first game, Gareth and Graham levelled at 10-10 and this time, with Freddy beginning to suffer from cramp, the North Oxford pair were able to close out the game 15-10. The first two games had taken so long that time was fast running out, and although there may have been time for a third, cramp got the better of Freddy and the Etonian pair conceded to give North Oxford all three points. The big game is now the top of the table clash and possible title decider against the Old Millhillians at Mill Hill on Sunday morning, with a strong North Oxford line-up looking to take a big step towards regaining the Aston House Cup.

08/03/11 at Eton: North Oxford beat Lancing Old Boys 2-1

D.Byam Shaw & G.Sinclair lost to N.Cox & J.Black 1-3 (12-7, 7-12, 5-12, 3-12)

S.Chapman & C.Davies beat A.Loveday & D.Bell 3-0 (12-0, 12-1, 12-1)

A.Bishop & K.Hird beat R.Black & M.Galperti 3-1 (13-10, 12-7, 5-12, 14-13)

The first fixture of a busy week for NOEFC meant a trip down to Eton for a Tuesday night friendly against Lancing Old Boys. The late arrival of one of the Lancing first pair and the need for Spencer and Chris to make a prompt start meant that Spencer controversially opted for them to play at second pair, which they duly won comfortably. This meant that North Oxford debutant Dan Byam Shaw - partnered by fellow Etonian Geordie Sinclair, a late replacement for the injured Barnaby Kelly - had the tough task of taking on Nigel Cox and Julian Black at first pair. They got off to a great start, winning the first game to 7, but the greater experience of the Lancing pair began to tell from the second game onwards and Nigel and Julian ran out 3-1 winners. It was great to see Dan making what will hopefully be the first appearance of many for North Oxford. The match then hinged on the third pair with club stalwarts Andy Bishop and Richard Black partnering two of the top players in the Ladies game, Karen Hird for North Oxford and Michaela Galperti for Lancing. Andy and Karen took the first two games 15-10 and 12-7 but were then subjected to a Lancing fightback, losing the third 12-5 and getting into a tight fourth game battle. Eventually, just after 10pm, the North Oxford pair clinched the fourth game 14-13, having been 9-4 down at one stage, and with it the rubber and the match for North Oxford. Attention now turns back to League action with two big games coming up - the Etonians at Westminster this evening and then the big top of the table clash at the weekend against the Old Millhillians at Mill Hill.

25/02/11 at Iffley Road: North Oxford beat Oxford University 2-0

P.Scholey & G.Hoskins beat B.Kailey & T.Greene 3-1 (5-12, 12-8, 7-5 ret)

S.Chapman & I.Mitchell beat J.Hopton & F.von Guionneau 3-1 (7-12, 12-6 ret)

North Oxford provided the opposition for Oxford University's final fine tuning for the Varsity Match next weekend with a two pair match at Iffley Road on Friday night. With four of the likely Oxford top six on court, the opposition was strong and the two NOEFC pairs both got off to slow starts. Gareth Hoskins and Peter Scholey took a while to get into their stride at first pair, losing the first game to 5 and struggling to keep up with the fast pace being set by Balrik Kailey and Tom Greene. Once they got going in the second game, however, they began to exert a measure of control and force more errors from the student pair and by the time Tom Greene had to leave and therefore concede the match, Gareth and Peter were on top in the third game and looking likely winners. A similar story unfolded in the second pair as Spencer Chapman and Ian Mitchell were intially caught a bit cold by the Oxford/Etonian pair of James Hopton and Fritz von Guionneau. As in the next door court, a first game loss was turned into a second game victory by Spencer and Ian before a hand injury to Fritz also curtailed that match, leaving the North Oxford team pleased with a good workout, a win and an early trip to the pub to celebrate!

20/02/11 at Eton: North Oxford lost to Old Wulfrunians 1-2

G.Pulsford & J.Hindle lost to C.Austin & D.Jones 0-2 (6-12, 6-12)

S.Chapman & C.Lloyd beat R.Ambler & G.Hammond 2-0 (12-7, 12-5)

C.Rennie & J.Shaw lost to M.Yates & A.Simmons 0-2 (4-12, 9-12)

The third and fourth place EFA Trophy play-off saw a fun game against the Old Wulfrunians with both sides feeling the effects of tough semi-finals in the morning. Spencer and Chris continued their winning form with a 2-0 win as the other two pairs came unstuck against a pretty strong Wulfrunian line-up.

20/02/11 at Eton: North Oxford lost to Berkhamsted 1-2

G.Pulsford & J.Hindle lost to A.Joyce & J.O'Neill 1-3 (4-12, 12-10, 0-12, 6-12)

C.Rennie & J.Shaw lost to A.Theodossi & J.Fagan 1-3 (6-12, 12-5, 4-12, 7-12)

S.Chapman & C.Lloyd beat D.Smith & A.Rattan 3-2 (13-11, 12-2, 10-13, 11-13, ret)

North Oxford gave a very good account of themselves in the EFA Trophy semi-final against Berkhamsted at Eton on Sunday. After missing out on the last four in 2010, skipper Spencer Chapman was pleased to be back in the mix this time round. A strong Berkhamsted line-up was always going to pose a challenge and at the halfway stage of the match all three North Oxford pairs were rising to it impressively. After losing the first game against EFA Under 21 champions Andrew Joyce and Jeremy O'Neill, Graham Pulsford and Jeremy Hindle found some form in game two to win 12-10 and level the scores, Graham volleying aggressively as ever and Jeremy responding to getting his chance at first pair. At second pair Justin Shaw and Carl Rennie were producing a similar result - a first game loss followed by an inspired second game to get to 1-1 against Ant Theodossi and Jonny Fagan. With Spencer and Chris Lloyd 2-0 up at third pair, things were looking promising. That was as good as it got, however, as the top two Berkhamsted pairs both raised their game and went on to 3-1 wins and even Spencer and Chris were pegged back to 2-2 before the opposition conceded to conserve energy for the final. This was a fine effort from the NOEFC team and we're already looking forward to another chance at getting our names back on the trophy in 2012.

30/01/11 at Harrow: EFA Trophy Qualifying Round

North Oxford came second in their pool with 12 points out of 15 - Old Wulfrunians, North Oxford, Cambridge University, Old Citizens, High Wycombe

North Oxford - Graham Pulsford, Chris Davies, Chris Lloyd, Spencer Chapman, Jeremy Hindle, Carl Rennie

Having missed out on a semi-final spot last year, North Oxford made no mistake this time round, finishing as runners-up in their qualifying pool at Harrow to defending champions the Old Wulfrunians. Led by EFA Trophy skipper Spencer Chapman, the team had regulation wins against Cambridge University, High Wycombe and the Old Citizens. Despite dropping a point against the Ipswichians, the result against the Old Wulfrunians would prove to be crucial in deciding who would win the group. Played in the third round of five, the ultra reliable Chrises - Davies and Lloyd - won their second pair game. Hopes were high that Spencer and Jeremy could win at third pair against the Hussellbee father and son combination but Hussellbee sr proved too canny and the North Oxford pair went down 15-10. Graham and Carl were not expected to win at first pair against the formidable Wulfrunian combination of Simmons and Austin, but they put in a heroic performance to come within one point of changing the final group standings, only losing 15-14 in the end. The semi-final in three weeks time puts us up against a strong Berkhamsted outfit, with the other semi-final between the Wulfrunians and the Salopians.

25/01/11 at Westminster: North Oxford beat Old Westminsters 2-1

C.Austin & N.Cox beat F.Krespi & E.Levy 3-0 (12-2, 12-0, 12-8)

S.Chapman & J.Shaw beat C.Watts & M.Chen 3-0 (12-2, 12-5, 12-3)

A.Bishop & M.Millership lost to A.Aitken & J.Sanderson 0-2 (9-12, 11-14)

Another day, another victory as stand in skipper Spencer Chapman led North Oxford to a 2-1 away win a last night's friendly against the Old Westminsters. Chris Austin and Nigel Cox teamed up for the first time at first pair and were totally dominant in the first two games, winning to 2 and 0. They took their foot off tha gas a little in the third to give the opposition a sniff of a chance, but came through 12-8 for a 3-0 win. Spencer and Justin also started strongly at second pair and were only slightly inconvenienced by a slight back injury to Justin and still able to wrap their match up comfortably 3-0. Third pair started a little late and was the closest match of the evening. Andy Bishop and Michael Millership were very unlucky not to level their match at 1-1 having led for most of the second game but at 0-2 down and the other pairs done and dusted the lure of the pub was greater than the prospect of a late night finish and the chance of a 3-2 comeback victory.

22/01/11 at Eton: North Oxford beat Cambridge University 4-1

J.Reynolds & N.Shaw beat L.Brock & R.Desmond 3-0 (14-11, 12-5, 14-11)

G.Hoskins & S.Chapman beat E.Winfield & A.Jackson 3-0 (12-2, 12-10, 12-4)

I.Mitchell & P.Worth beat O.Watts & G.Illingworth 3-0 (12-9, 12-6, 12-7)

H.Tobias & J.Staley lost to S.Patel & S.Sakhrani 2-3 (12-6, 5-12, 2-12, 12-2, 10-13)

R.Pattison & S.Nowinski beat A.Patel & A.Crawford 3-2 (12-3, 3-12, 14-12, 7-12, 15-11)

One of the highlights of the North Oxford Fives calendar is the annual match against Cambridge University at Eton and this year saw a record nine pairs take to the courts. The men's match resulted in a 4-1 win to North Oxford with the top three pairs all winning in straight games, although none without a spirited fight from the Cambridge side. Nowhere was this more noticable than at first pair, where Laurie Brock and Robert Desmond put in a determined and high quality display to push John Reynolds and Nick Shaw all the way in two of the three games. Gareth Hoskins and Spencer Chapman won with a bit to spare at second pair as did Salopian duo Ian Mitchell and EFA Chairman Peter Worth, making his NOEFC debut, at third. Whilst Cambridge's top order was weakened by the absence of two or three key players, their strength in depth was shown by the epic contests at fourth and fifth pairs. The old firm of Tobias and Staley were back in the saddle at fourth pair and got off to a flyer, winning the first game to 6. They lost the next two but a 12-2 win in the fourth seemed to have set them up for a fine comeback victory. It wasn't to be, however, as Shaneil Patel and Shyam Sakhrani took the fifth 13-10 to get the students on the scoreboard. It was their only win in the end as Stefan Nowinski recorded his first ever NOEFC victory alongside Ronald Pattison at fifth pair. Following the Tobias/Staley template, they won the first game comfortably only to find themselves in a close encounter from thereon in, finally coming through 15-11 in the fifth in a triumph for experience and determination.

22/01/11 at Eton: North Oxford Ladies lost to Cambridge University Ladies 1-3

R.Scott & K.Hird lost to A.Griffiths & E.Hullis 1-2 (8-12, 14-11, 13-14)

N.Lilienthal & R.Tennyson lost to J.Toynton & O.Prankerd-Smith 0-2 (1-12, 8-12)

J.Walsh & V.Scholey lost to E.Osen & V.Macdougall 0-2 (3-12, 9-12)

J.Walsh & M.Clemmett beat A.O'Malley & S.Parry-Jones 2-0 (12-0, 12-5)

For the first time ever, North Oxford Ladies fielded four pairs in a fixture, although strictly speaking it was more like three and a half with Emma Double having to pull out the day before through injury. Nevertheless it was great to see the mixture of homegrown and imported talent representing North Oxford with such enthusiasm and skill. The match went to Cambridge by three games to one, a clear demonstration of the benefits of regular practice. Rosie Scott was playing her first Fives for nearly a year at first pair in partnership with Karen Hird against Cambridge's Annabel Griffiths and Eli Hullis. This was a high quality encounter with little or nothing to choose between the pairs, but Annabel and Eli just edged it 14-13 in the decider, showing the value of regular play and practice as a partnership. The same was true for the second pair where Cambridge present had too much for Cambridge past (Natalie Lilienthal and NOEFC debut-maker Rebekah Tennyson). With Emma missing, Joanna Walsh volunteered to play at third and fourth pair in quick succession. Firstly she partnered Vanda Scholey - also making her North Oxford debut having learned her Fives at Summer Fields on a Monday night - to a narrow defeat, then followed that by teaming up with Mandie Clemmett to record a resounding victory over the Cambridge fourth pair and get North Oxford on the scoresheet at last.

09/01/11 at Aldenham: North Oxford lost to Aldenham 1-2

J.Reynolds & S.Chapman beat C.Austin & R.Malik 3-0 (14-11, 12-2, 12-9)

R.Pattison & K.Hird lost to P.Kendall & P.Lyndon 0-3 (3-12, 6-12, 3-12)

S.Nowinski & M.Clemmett lost to C.Rennie & A.Fraser 0-2 (1-12, 1-12)

After a New Year warm up on the Rugby and Eton Fives courts of Marlborough the week before, North Oxford had their first outing of 2011 in a friendly against the Aldenham club at Aldenham on Sunday. Old Citizen duo John Reynolds and captain for the day Spencer Chapman took on NOEFC's very own Chris Austin and Rubel Malik at first pair. A slow start and some uncharacteristic early errors from John - Spencer's errors were entirely in character by way of contrast - meant that the Aldenham pair edged in front and had points to take the first game before the Reynolds magic kicked in. Chris and Rubel struggled in the second before fighting back in the third, but the North Oxford pair had enough to take the win 3-0. Aldenham produced very strong pairs at two and three and the North Oxford team found life pretty tough. Ronald Pattison and Karen Hird put up a good fight at second pair and all three of Karen, Mandie Ckemmett and Stefan Nowinski in his NOEFC debut will have gained valuable experience on the day. Unfortunately the match ended sadly as Aldenham's Paul Kendall fell and broke his arm playing a fourth "mix and match" game after the second pair match had concluded. We wish him all the best for his recovery.

08/12/10 at Westminster: North Oxford beat Old Ipswichians 3-0

G.Hoskins & T.Faber beat Tom Fletcher & D.Leach 3-0 (12-6 12-9, 12-6)

C.Davies & S.Chapman beat S.Woolfries & R.Chatterjee 3-0 (12-2, 12-0, 12-5)

C.Austin & C.Rennie beat O.Watts & T.Wyndham 3-0 (12-1, 12-3, 12-3)

North Oxford made it seven wins out of seven and twenty points out of twenty-one for the season at Westminster last night as the Old Ipswichians were brushed aside 3-0 by a (mainly) youthful North Oxford line-up featuring two teenagers. At first pair, Tommy Faber added his name to the increasingly lengthy list of Old Summerfieldians to play for North Oxford as he partnered skipper Gareth Hoskins to a hard-fought win over Tom Fletcher and Tommy's London University partner from earlier in the year David Leach. The combination of a quick ball and the quick Westminster courts made killing the ball in the buttress tricky; Gareth's driving to the back right and Tommy's touch play around the top step and consistent lines into the buttress were more than enough to see them home, however, although some patchy cut-returning meant it took quite a while for them to see off the OI challenge. Second pair saw a season's debut for the maestro Chris Davies, oozing class as always, who teamed up with Spencer Chapman to make short work of the OIs second pair. With a few of the regular NOEFC London-based players unavailable, youngster Carl Rennie - first pair at Aldenham School last year - stepped in to play at third pair. Fellow Heath player Chris Austin dropped down to third pair to provide support for Carl on his second division debut, but he quickly showed it wasn't needed as he produced an impressively assured performance to force a stream of errors from the Ipswichian third pair. With Chris also fully in control, they raced through the third pair match to make it another 3-0 win for NOEFC. We now have a comfortable lead at the top of the table, but the teams behind - especially the Stoics, the Millhillians and the Olavians - all have games in hand and will be looking to catch up over the second half of the season. The matches against the Stoics in January and the Millhillians in March could well turn out to be crucial in deciding the destiny of the Division 2 title this year. Click here to see the full league results and tables.

28/11/10 at KES Birmingham: North Oxford beat Old Edwardians 2-1

G.Hoskins & G.Pulsford beat N.Bunyan & R.Malik 3-0 (12-2, 12-6, 12-6)

C.Lloyd & G.Hammond lost to R.Ambler & C.Mellor 2-3 (9-12, 12-4, 7-12, 12-7, 10-12)

S.Chapman & J.Hindle beat E.Johnson & J.Claughton 3-0 (12-2, 12-0, 12-0)

North Oxford braved the sub-zero Birmingham weekend temperatures to make it 6 league wins out of 6 yesterday, with a 2-1 win over the Old Edwardians. Graham Pulsford and Gareth Hoskins at first pair didn't quite hit the heights of last week's game at Highgate - instead Gareth hit his head rather hard on one of the iron stanchions at the back of the court - but they had plenty in reserve as they cruised past Nick Bunyan and Rez Malik at first pair. Jeremy Hindle had performed heroics on the Saturday to defeat the England men's captain on the way to reaching the final of the end of season England 1-Wall Handball tournament in Greenwich but the effort involved meant his elbow was causing him some problems. Even more disappointingly, the sight of a bit of frost and a rare excursion north of the M42 meant that the Hindle vest was nowhere to be seen. Thankfully, Spencer Chapman was on hand to nurse Jeremy through against a fairly weak Edwardian third pair for the loss of only two points. With two points in the bag, all eyes turned to second pair. With some pairings that Tony Hughes would have been proud of, the Edwardians second pair looked tough to beat with former North Oxford player Chris Mellor partnering Old Wulfrunian Richard Ambler. North Oxford's own Wulfrunian, Chris Austin, was giving priority to ballet over Fives this weekend (insert your own joke here) so it was up to fellow WGS alumnus Greg Hammond to partner Chris Lloyd. The match turned out to be a classic rollercoaster enounter, with the Edwardians winning the first and third games and North Oxford the second and fourth to set up a gripping finale. Greg and Chris seemed to have the momentum going into the fifth and at 7-5 up were looking good, but a couple of poor hands and some missed volleys gave the Edwardians the advantage and despite North Oxford nearly levelling the scores at 11-11 on more than one occasion, the Edwardian pair finally clinched it 12-10 to inflict the first league defeat at any pair suffered by NOEFC this season. Nevertheless, we are still sitting pretty at the top of the table with 17 points out of a possible 18 with just the Old Ipswichians to play at Westminster before the Christmas break.

21/11/10 at Highgate: North Oxford beat Highgate School 4-1

G.Hoskins & G.Pulsford beat C.Most & J.Curry 3-0 (12-2,12-1,12-4)

R.Desmond & C.Austin beat A.Pavitt & M.Kovar 3-0 (12-5, 14-11, 14-11)

C.Lloyd & J.Hindle beat J.Airey & A.Bhattacharya 3-1 (12-8, 5-12, 12-8, 12-8)

P.Jefferys & A.Bishop beat F.Mills & T.Lethbridge 3-2 (9-12, 9-12, 12-9 ret)

I.Mitchell & M.Millership lost to J.Willett & J.Hosking 1-3 (4-12, 6-12, 12-8, 9-12)

North Oxford's 100% start to the League season continued at Highgate on Sunday as all three league pairs went the way of the Oxford team. Graham Pulsford and Gareth Hoskins were in fine form at first pair with the pepper pot and the bricks getting a real working over as the Highgate top pair were beaten in double quick time. After a strong start in the first game, Robert Desmond and Chris Austin were made to work hard for their win at second pair and needed a comeback from 11-9 down in the third game to clinch a straight games win. At third pair, Chris Lloyd and Jeremy Hindle combined well, despite a wobble in the second game, and closed out their match in four games. One of the best aspects of this fixture is the possibility of playing extra pairs beyond the three pair league match. At fourth pair, ex-Cambridge captain Paul Jefferys made his North Oxford debut alongside Andy Bishop. They lost the first two games 12-9 but gradually began to find their form and won the third by the same score to turn the match in their favour before the Highgate boys had to concede. Fifth pair saw welcome first appearances of the season in North Oxford colours for Ian Mitchell and Michael Millership. After losing the first two games to 4 and 6, they turned the tide in the third game, winning to 8, but were unable to build on that and lost the fourth to 9 to go down 3-1. We are currently sitting proudly on top of the Division 2 table with 15 points out of 15 and take our unbeaten record to Birmingham next week as we play the Old Edwardians at KES.

21/11/10 at Highgate: North Oxford Ladies drew with Highgate School 1-1

A.Griffiths & K.Hird beat E.Smith-Bingham & A.Reimer 2-0 (14-13, 12-6)

M.Clemmett & E.Hullis lost to H.Rapley & A.Paul 0-2 (7-12, 1-12)

North Oxford Ladies managed a highly creditable 1-1 draw with Highgate School on Sunday with the fixture producing two high quality games of Fives. At first pair, Karen Hird and Annabel Griffiths took on the young but formidably talented Highgate pair who had won both the Under 15 and under 19 schools' titles last year; the first game was a nail-biter with Karen and Annabel overcoming their traditional difficulty with converting foot down chances to take it 14-13. The second game was more comfortable as they wrapped up the win 12-6. There is little to choose between the top two Highgate pairs and Cambridge captain Eli Hullis - in her first appearance for North Oxford - and Mandie Clemmett had their work cut out from the start. They were never less than competitive, however, and despite losing 2-0 produced some excellent Fives and made the Highgate girls work hard for their win.

29/10/10 at Iffley Road: North Oxford beat Oxford University 2-0

P.Scholey & W.Campion beat J.Hopton & R.Luke 3-0 (12-7, 12-3, 12-7)

A.Bishop & G.Hoskins beat A.Franklin & J.MacLean 3-0 (12-4, 12-9, 12-8)

The first local derby of the season took place at Iffley Road on Friday night and resulted in a comfortable for age over youth, with the North Oxford quartet making light of the age gap between the two sided to record a 2-0 win. The University were not at full strength but produced a strong-looking Etonian/Harrovian first pair with captain James Hopton partnering Richard Luke. The Scholey/Campion combination impressed from the start, however, and were clearly the stronger pair on the night. At second pair, Gareth Hoskins partnered Andy Bishop and the NOEFC pair showed all the experience gained from playing for the club for over a decade as Andy overcame his recent injury problems to record a victory in his first outing of the season. Hopefully this will be be the first in a series of Oxford derbies this season.

13/10/10 at Westway: North Oxford beat Old Olavians 3 3-0

N.Shaw & G.Pulsford beat B.Dennis & L.Stradwick 3-1 (6-12, 14-11,12-9,12-3)

R.Desmond & G.Hoskins beat S.Ranasinghe & D.Hewlett 3-0 (12-5, 12-3, 12-4)

S.Chapman & J.Shaw beat B.Sinclair & C.Cooley 3-0 (12-6, 12-4, 12-2)

North Oxford made it 12 points out of 12 in Division 2 so far this season, with a convincing 3-0 win at Westway over Old Olavians 3, tricky opponents in previous seasons. Graham and Nick - in their fourth consecutive first pair match together - got off to a slightly sluggish start against the high quality Olavian pairing of Stradwick and Dennis. With the first game lost 12-6 and 8-3 down in the second, Graham and Nick suddenly began to find some consistency, reducing the unforced error count and putting their young opponents under a lot more pressure. Either that or Graham finally managed to get over his disappointment at missing the injured Jeremy Hindle's muscles (I quote) and Nick stopped being distracted by Billy's Argentinian football shirt. Either way, the match turned: 8-3 down became a 14-11 win and despite a small wobble from 11-4 to 11-9 in the third game, the North Oxford pair were in full control from then on. Gareth Hoskins and Robert Desmond at second pair had a comfortable victory over Sanjaya Ranasinghe and David Hewlett despite Rob feeling rather below par, whilst at third pair the old firm of Spencer Chapman and Justin Shaw teamed up for the first time this season and quickly got into their stride to beat Ben Sinclair and Charlotta Cooley in straight games, with Spencer excelling himself even by his standards in the weird and wonderful fluid intake department. Anything to get an edge...

03/10/10 at Cranleigh: North Oxford beat Old Carthusians 3-0

N.Shaw & G.Pulsford beat R.Pattison & A.Kane 3-0 (12-5,12-5,12-2)

R.Desmond & S.Chapman beat N.Higgins & R.Brown 3-0 (12-0, 12-3, 12-5)

G.Hoskins & H.Tobias beat M.Platt & S.Clarke 3-0 (12-5, 12-8, 12-5)

North Oxford maintained their 100% record in Division 2 this season with a comfortable 3-0 victory over the Old Carthusians at Cranleigh on Sunday. With another strong NOEFC line-up making the trip - a first experience of the excellent Cranleigh courts for many - the Carthusians were unable to prevent us stretching our lead at the top of the early season table. Graham and Nick had a tougher battle with their Sat Nav systems getting to the venue than they did with the Carthusian first pair, despite Ronald Pattison's best efforts in partnership with schoolboy Anthony Kane. A second Charterhouse school player played at second pair with Nick Higgins, but they were swept aside by the ruthless Robert Desmond and Spencer Chapman. The wily Mark Platt at third pair posed one or two more problems for North Oxford, but Gareth Hoskins and Hugo Tobias were never seriously inconvenienced as they finished off the clean sweep. Hugo then further justified his selection by finding a splendid lunch venue in Cranleigh for the team to celebrate their success. Next up are the Old Olavians at Westway next week.

26/09/10 at Aldenham: North Oxford beat Berkhamsted 3-0

N.Shaw & G.Pulsford beat A.Joyce & C.Holroyd 3-2 (14-13,6-12,12-6,3-12,12-7)

R.Desmond & C.Austin beat J.O'Neill & P.Jefferys 3-1 (12-4,9-12,12-3,12-9)

G.Hoskins & S.Chapman beat A.Rattan & W.Steed 3-0 (12-3, 12-0, 12-4)

North Oxford chalked up an impressive 3-0 victory against Berkhamsted at Aldenham yesterday to hit the top Division 2 with a maximum 6 points out of 6. Beating last year's Division 2 champions was never going to be easy, even with Berkhamsted fielding a slightly weaker side than last year. Thankfully we were able to put out a formidably strong line-up, with such firepower at the top of the order that captain and vice-captain Gareth Hoskins and Spencer Chapman were able to play at third pair, quickly winning against a schoolboy pair weakened by the addition of a last-minute replacement. At second pair, Chris Austin continued his fine start to his North Oxford career in partnership with Robert Desmond, making a first start for the North Oxford team proper, having starred in the successful Aston House Studs Superleague campaign during the summer. With reigning Under 21 champion Jeremy O'Neill in the Berkhamsted second pair alongside ex-Cambridge captain Paul Jefferys, both Rob and Chris had to play well to secure the victory, with a 9-12 reverse in the second game the only blip. Graham Pulsford and Nick Shaw continued their impressive partnership at first pair, coming from behind to pinch the first game 14-13 against the impressive Andrew Joyce and Charles Holroyd. The match then see-sawed as the Berkhamsted boys levelled at 1-1 and Nick and Graham took the third 12-6. From this position of strength, however, things started to go wrong as the Berkhamsted pair raced away with the fourth game 12-3. Things looked bleak for Graham and Nick heading into the decisive fifth game, with the momentum all against them; experience began to tell, though, as the North Oxford pair held their nerve and calmly and clinically took the fifth game 12-7 to put the cap on a fine team performance. It's still early days but the League table makes good reading for NOEFC at the moment - click here for details. A 10 player out of 10 NOEFC turnout in the pub afterwards is also noteworthy!

26/09/10 at Aldenham: North Oxford Ladies lost to Berkhamsted Ladies 0-2

A.Griffiths & N.Lilienthal lost to K.Sophoclides & M.Boyle 1-2 (12-5, 8-12, 14-15)

M.Clemmett & E.Double lost to E.Mann & N.Pasturel 0-2 (13-14, 9-12)

North Oxford Ladies may have lost their first match of the season at Aldenham yesterday, but the fixture was a huge success, with not enough time to play the planned second series of best of 3 matches due to the length and closeness of the first games. Cambridge duo Annabel Griffiths and NOEFC debut-maker Natalie Lilienthal made a confidnet start in their match against the Berkhamsted first pair, winning 12-5. The Berkhamsted girls then raised their game with a fine comeback in the second to win 12-8 and level the match 1-1. The third game was an epic, lasting for nearly an hour, with the North Oxford pair getting their noses just in front and having chances at 11-9 to take the victory. Finding a return of the game ball cut proved elusive, however, as the game moved inexorably towards 14-14 and a sudden death shootout. In the end it was the Berkhamsted girls who won the final point to clinch victory in a memorable encounter. Mandie Clemmett and Emma Double resumed their partnership of last year at second pair and were involved in an equally tough battle, losing the first game by the narrowest of margins 13-14 and getting tantalisingly close to taking the second game all the way as well, before finally losing it 9-12. With the likes of Karen Hird and Vanda Scholey to come into the side, hopefully North Oxford Ladies will be able to play as many fixtures across as many pairs as possible this season and if they are all as close as this match then so much the better.

21/09/10 at Westway: North Oxford beat Old Salopians 2 3-0

N.Shaw & G.Pulsford beat M.Quinn & B.Walker 3-0 (12-3,12-2,12-7)

G.Hoskins & C.Austin beat H.Turnbull & J.Black 3-0 (12-4,12-1,12-1)

Old Salopians 2 conceded third pair

North Oxford made a flying start to the 2010/11 League season at Westway last night, cruising past the Old Salopians 2 in fine style. Back at the scene of the Aston House Studs summer triumphs, the North Oxford first pair of Graham Pulsford and Nick Shaw made short work of their Salopian opponents and despite a slight wobble in the third game were never in danger of losing. New signing Chris Austin made a great start to his North Oxford career, partnering skipper Gareth Hoskins at second pair. After a bit of a slow start the North Oxford pair soon hit their stride and played some excellent Fives in the second and third games, allowing a decent Salopian pair only one point in each game. Unfortunately, for the second year in a row in this fixture, the Salopians had to concede third pair, leaving Spencer Chapman and Jeremy Hindle without opposition. Thankfully, Ronald Pattison and Emily Scoones stepped in to provide the North Oxford third pair with some useful match practice in advance of this weekend's top of the table clash with last year's Division 2 winners Berkhamsted.