Results 2013/14

22/06/14 at Wolverhampton Grammar School: North Oxford lost to Old Wulfrunians 0-3

G.Hoskins & P.Scholey lost to M.W.Yates & A.Simmons 0-3 (7-12, 10-13, 4-12)

I.Mitchell & R.Morgan lost to A.Husselbee & P.Bullock 0-3 (3-12, 3-12, 0-12)

K.Hird & S.Nowinski lost to M.Y.Yates & C.Davey 0-3 (4-12, 5-12, 10-12)

Having not ventured north for a while, the NOEFC summer Fives programme took in a trip to the Black Country on Sunday to take on the Old Wulfrunians in their own backyard. The blazing sun - it's always like that in the West Midlands, honestly - meant a pretty warm and exhausting match, especially at first pair where the pace of the game had Pete Scholey literally wringing his shirt out at by the end of the second game. He and Gareth Hoskins took on the formidable partnership of Yates and Simmons and gave a very good account of themselves, losing a high quality first game 12-7 and establishing a strong lead in the second before being gradually reeled in by the home pair. The third was a bridge too far, however. At second pair, Ian Mitchell had gone for the unusual tactic of a full fried breakfast (with chips) half hour before kick off - eschewing the Scholey option of mushroom omelette with Wolverhampton "salad" (well it said salad on the menu; in these parts that means hash browns and baked beans) - and it rather backfired as he and Ralph Morgan were blown away by the canny Andy Husselbee and Phil Bullock. Maybe Ralph wasn't hungover enough this week. At third pair, Karen Hird (breakfast roll with bacon and sausage since you ask) and Stefan Nowinski took on Chris Davey and the other Mark Yates, who was carrying an injury but still had enough class to just about hold off the North Oxford pair, who improved game by game and got close to pushing the match into a fourth set. The Wulfrunians are always friendly and sociable hosts and both teams then headed off to the Oddfellows Arms for the debrief, with the menu being scanned hopefully for more Wolverhampton salads, and Ian topping up his pre-match meal with a post-match one just to make sure the trip wasn't a wasted one.

17/05/14 at St.Bartholomew's, Newbury: North Oxford beat Old Edwardians 2½-½

G.Hoskins & K.Hird drew with P.Scholey & N.Bunyan 2-2 (13-11, 12-4, 11-12, 13-14)

S.Chapman & C.Davies beat C.Friend & R.Pattison 3-1 (12-2, 8-12, 12-6, 12-10)

M.Barnes & R.Morgan beat W.Carling & E.Johnson 3-0 (12-5, 12-5, 13-12)

Seven years on from the inaugural unusual courts fixture, North Oxford and the Old Edwardians (including five of the eight players from the original fixture) returned to St.Bartholomew's school in Newbury for the 2014 edition of the fixture. This time, however, it was on a very different set of courts. Rather than the original two roofless, weed-strewn and tarmac-floored courts, the school now has three brand new high quality courts and these were the setting for another convivial end of seaon friendly fixture between the two clubs. Gareth Hoskins and Karen Hird followed their Winchester Fives heroics of the week before by taking on the Edwardian top pair of Pete Scholey and Nick Bunyan. A titanic battle ensued, with Gareth and Karen edging the first game, winning the second comfortably and taking a commanding lead in the third. At this point, the Edwardian pair began to raise their game appreciably, cutting and returning much more effectively and the match tightened up as Pete and Nick took it to 11-all and sudden death. One match point for Gareth and Karen came and went before the Eds got on the scoreboard and when the same happened at 13-13 in the fourth, all was set for an epic fifth set. A combination of the heat, the other pairs having long since finished and the pub beckoning resulted in a 2-2 draw being agreed after a splendid match. At second pair the club sponsor failed to live up to his recent late withdrawal form and actually turned up for a game, partnering maestro Chris Davies against Courtney Friend, making his annual comeback from retirement, and Ronald Pattison. Spencer and Chris made a strong start, but once Courtney refound his mojo in game two, things got a lot closer and Spencer and Chris were relieved in the end to close out the match in four. At third pair, Ralph Morgan partnered Mandie Barnes against Ed Johnson and Wendy Carling and their extra recent match practice was more than enough to ensure a comfortable straight games win. The majority of the party (Spencer had to leave to "milk a mare"; makes a change from having one anyway) then decamped to the Five Bells in Wickham to while away a pleasant afternoon tackling a variety of large platefuls of food in the sunny Berkshire countryside. After lengthy debate, Wrekin was decided upon as the venue for next year's fixture.

12/04/14 at Aldenham: North Oxford beat Old Citizens 1 2-1

G.Hoskins & K.Hird lost to J.Reynolds & D.Davis 1-3 (12-11, 8-12, 11-14, 4-12)

C.Austin & H.Asquith beat N.Gill & J.Powell 3-0 (12-0, 12-7, 12-4)

C.Rennie & I.Watts beat A.Nice & R.Morgan 3-1 (12-7, 8-12, 12-7, 15-14)

A magnificent 2-1 win over the Old Citizens at Aldenham on Saturday in our final league fixture of the season means a third successive Division 2 league title for NOEFC. With just one point needed to be sure, two were scored to leave us on 24 out of 30 points for the season, with nearest challengers Team Westway 2 only able to reach 23 points even if they win their remaining three matches 3-0. The story of the season has been the fantastic contribution of the NOEFC ladies, and Karen Hird, Harriet Asquith and Izzy Watts all played on Saturday and played a crucial role. These three plus Mandie Barnes and Charlotta Cooley have made up 30% of the team's league teams this year, which makes our win even more impressive. The winning point was scored by Chris Austin and Harriet at second pair as they demolished former Cambridge captain Nick Gill and partner Jonny Powell, Harriet's cut returns and Chris's control of the rallies simply far too much for their shellshocked opponents, who never recovered from a first set bagel. The other two pairs were rather closer; Carl Rennie and Izzy Watts got off to a good start against Ralph Morgan and Alex Nice with a 12-7 first game win. They lost the second but bounced back to win the third before clinching the match with a thrilling 15-14 win in the fourth, their superior attacking Fives just proving enough in the end. Gareth Hoskins and Karen Hird looked in for a tough battle at first pair against 11 time Kinnaird winner John Reynolds and former Cambridge half-blue Dexter Davis. The North Oxford pair got off to a flying start and held on to win the first game 12-11; they lost the second but took the third game all the way to 11-11 before the Citizens pair closed it out. Reynolds and Davis then won the set piece battle comfortably to take the fourth but the North Oxford pair could be proud of a battling performance. The now traditional goji berry cookies - the food of champions - and lunch at the Round Bush followed, with the Aston House Cup taking pride of place on the table. Next year we take a deep breath and plunge into the unknown of Division 1, whilst retaining a second team in Division 2. Bring it on!

29/03/14 at Stowe: North Oxford beat Old Stoics 2-1

G.Pulsford & S.Chapman beat M.Skjott & J.Hutter 3-1 (9-12, 12-7, 12-3, 12-4)

G.Hoskins & C.Davey beat S.Basu & S.Warren-Thomas 3-1 (12-5, 12-9, 7-12, 12-7)

K.Hird & C.Cooley lost to R.Pattison & M.Green 2-3 (11-12, 3-12, 14-13, 12-8, 11-12)

North Oxford moved to within one point of retaining the Division 2 title, with a 2-1 win over the Old Stoics and a most enjoyable trip to Stowe on Saturday. The balmy spring weather allowed for an al fresco pre-match meal, with traditional pub fare augmented by Karen's raspberry meringues. In general, these were preferred to Gareth's goji berry, mulberry and cashew nut freezer cookies (http://navitasnaturals.com/recipes/18481/Ice-Box-Cookies.html), but they did at least keep Spencer happy. On court and fully goji-berried up, Spencer teamed up with Graham at first pair to take on the top Stoic pair of Mike Skjott and Jurgen Hutter. A rather slow start led to the loss of the first game, but at 0-3 down in the second, the benefits of lunchtime superfoods began to make themselves clear as Spencer found a run of cut returns to take a lead which was never relinquished. Second pair saw a North Oxford debut for Birmingham University student and recently converted Rugby Fives player Chris Davey, who showed how quickly he has adapted to the Eton game, partnering Gareth Hoskins to a four game win over the wily Sam Basu and Simon Warren-Thomas. At third pair, Karen Hird partnered Charlotta Cooley as they looked to get in some tough match practice before the ladies final in a few weeks time. Watched by a woman and three dogs (a slight variation on the traditional Fives crowd) they certainly got their money's worth as their match against Ronald Pattison and Max Green went the distance. Karen and Charlotta were disappointed to lose the first game from a winning position and when they went 2-0 down the writing looked on the wall. They fought back in the third to put themselves in a winning position again, but gradually Ronald and Max clawed their way back in and took the game all the way to 13-13. The NOEFC pair heroically saved several match points before a Stoic cut went out of court and the deficit was reduced to 1-2. Karen and Charlotta won the fourth to 8 and then got to 11-8 in the fifth. A couple of chances agonisingly came and went, and once again the score was levelled up at 11-11. The Stoics were on second hand when they reached 11 and the North Oxford pair made the brave call to go for sudden death; unfortunately it didn't pay off as the cut hit the ledge and the subsequent rally was lost to end an epic encounter. Succour was taken in the form of the remaining raspberry meringues (the goji berry cookies long since squirrelled away somewhere safe by Spencer) and in the knowledge that one point from our final game against the Citizens will be enough to retains the Aston House Cup.

08/03/14 at Eton: North Oxford beat Team Westway 2 2-1

G.Pulsford & C.Austin lost to G.Chapman & W.Betts 2-3 (12-7, 15-14, 8-12, 10-12, 7-12)

S.Chapman & C.Rennie beat D.Patel & A.Constantine 3-2 (14-15, 12-7, 12-5, 6-12, 12-8)

K.Hird & H.Asquith beat F.Rowe & R.Braine 3-1 (12-11, 4-12, 12-3, 12-8)

North Oxford came out narrowly ahead in Saturday's top of the table clash with Team Westway at Eton after an epic contest, with both of the first two pairs producing marathon 3 hour+ five setters. Graham and Chris at first pair got off to a fine start against the formidable pairing of Guy Chapman and Will Betts, winning the first game to 7 and then sneaking a tense second game 15-14. At 2-0 up, victory appeared to be within their grasp, but the Westway pair fought back strongly, taking the third 12-8 and the fourth 12-10. On another day Graham and Chris could easily have won this in four or even three games, but once Guy and Will got some momentum behind them, they proved impossible to stop in the fifth as the NOEFC pair just ran out of steam. The second pair match started with another 15-14 game, but this time the North Oxford pair were on the wrong end of it, skipper Spencer Chapman and Carl Rennie being pipped by another Aldenhamian in Darshan Patel, playing alongside Old Zuozer Alex Constantine. Spencer and Carl then went through the gears, dominating the set piece to take the next two games in relative comfort. The Westway pair hit back with an impressive display of their own in the fourth, taking it to 6 and then going 7-2 up in the fifth. With their prospects looking bleak, it needed something spectacular from the North Oxford pair and it came from Carl, who suddenly took control of the top step and found a run of cut returns to storm through and win the match. Spencer's selection policy of playing himself with Carl at second pair and Karen Hird and Harriet Asquith together at third was fully vindicated thanks to a virtuoso performance by the two girls, who fully justified their captain's faith in them with a splendid 3-1 win, Harriet even managing to survive four whole games without any major scrapes, bruises or blood injury time outs. Karen further distinguished herself by ignoring Spencer's pleas for cacao goji balls (click here for the recipe in all its glory) and providing double chocolate and peanut butter brownies to revive her exhausted but victorious team mates.

06/03/14 at Eton: North Oxford drew with Lancing OBs 1-1

A.Yusaf & K.Hird lost to J.Black & T.Record 2-3

D.Hewitt & H.Asquith beat T.Loveday & L.Bell 3-1

Another friendly, another draw for North Oxford, this time against the Lancing Old Boys at Eton on Thursday evening. A shortage of available NOEFC players meant that Danny Hewitt was borrowed from the opposition to produce two pairs and this worked out extremely well, producing two well-matched courts. Thanks to Oxford University Peppers Varsity Match star Nigel Cox's generosity and match management skills, first pair went all the way to five games, with Alex Yusaf finally losing his NOEFC unbeaten record in dramatic circumstances as he and Karen Hird went down 2-3 to Julian Black and Tom Record. A mixed pairs match at second pair was also a close run thing, with guest player Hewitt partnering the permanently blood-stained Harry Asquith to a fine 3-1 win over Tony Loveday and Lucy Bell. Uberveteran Cox then marshalled the troops down Eton High Street for the inevitable post-match curry to conclude a successful evening's entertainment.

23/02/14 at Aldenham: North Oxford drew with Aldenham 1-1

A.Yusaf & J.Black beat A.Rennie & G.Pulsford/P.Lyndon 3-0 (12-9, 12-6, 12-5)

I.Mitchell & R.Morgan lost to C.Rennie & R.Malik 0-3 (9-12, 0-12, 2-12)

North Oxford played out an honourable draw against our sister club Aldenham on their home courts on Sunday. Alex Yusaf continued his NOEFC winning streak with a convincing win at first pair against Andrew Rennie and Graham Pulsford (first game) and Phil Lyndon (the rest). A strong Aldenham second pair saw Carl Rennie and Rubel Malik run out 3-0 winners against Ian Mitchell and Ralph Morgan - the North Oxford pair managed to keep it close in the first game but were unable to get close in the next two.

16/02/14 at Harrow: EFA Trophy Qualifiers

North Oxford A (6th out of 8): S.Chapman, J.Shaw, C.Davies, C.Lloyd, J.Parham, K.Hird, M.Fiennes

North Oxford B (7th out of 8): A.Bishop, J.Staley, R.Morgan, H.Asquith, S.Nowinski, S.Warren-Thomas

This year's North Oxford performance in the EFA Trophy was not spectacular in terms of results, but nevertheless had a lot to recommend it. It's not often the mighty NOEFC are reduced to talking about "taking the positives" from a particular day's Fives but this was one such occasion. Firstly, North Oxford were the only club who managed to enter two teams into the competition, which in itself is a fine achievement, especially with the loss of Graham Pulsford and Carl Rennie to the Aldenham team. Secondly, the whole day was a triumph over adversity, with Justin's back going in the first game of the day and Martin's in the fifth. The team bravely soldiered on, with Jack Parham moving up to the A team to replace Justin, Simon Warren-Thomas supersubbing for the B team and an assorted cast of Aldenham spares filling in for Martin at the end. There were some notable victories, not least a vintage performance by the two Chrises to turn over the otherwise all conquering Old Salopians and a fine win for Harriet Asquith and Stefan Nowinski over the Turnbull siblings from 6-10 down. There were also an agonising number of narrow defeats, withe Karen resorting to taking out her frustration on the rackets court after losing three in a row 11-12, 11-12 and 10-12 in partnership with Martin. Team skippers Chapman and Bishop remained stoical, philosophical and cautiously optimistic that next year will be our year!

08/02/14 at Highgate: North Oxford lost to Highgate School 1-3

J.Reynolds & C.Rennie lost to C.Noble & C.Blackaby 1-2 (12-8, 4-12, 4-12)

I.Mitchell & C.Davies beat B.Mills & K.Rayner 2-1 (12-8, 8-12, 12-8)

R.Morgan & K.Hird lost to M.Holdsworth & B.Hopkins 0-3 (4-12, 6-12, 3-12)

S.Chapman & H.Asquith lost to R.Footman & A.Robinson 0-3 (1-12, 6-12, 3-12)

Our second trip to play Highgate School this year on Saturday failed to produce a victory but did result in some good close matches to celebrate Karen's quarter century. At first pair, North Oxford's equivalent of Master Po and Grasshopper (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kung_Fu_(TV_series) if you're too young to remember) took on the Highgate first pair of Charlie Noble and Christy Blackaby, who will be strong contenders at the schools' championships this year. Master Reynolds and apprentice Rennie started well, taking the first game 12-8, but the Highgate boys recovered well to win the next two. Chris Davies always responds well to being back on his home courts, and once again the maestro didn't disappoint, teaming up with Ian Mitchell to see off the school second pair in straight games. Disappointingly, none of the Highgate girls were available to take on the NOEFC ladies, so Karen Hird played third pair with Ralph Morgan and Harriet Asquith played at four with skipper Spencer Chapman. Karen and Ralph were slightly rusty, Ralph not having played for a month and Karen not having played for a whole six days (an eternity by her standards) and captain Chapman sadly let down his partner, who impressed with her cut returns and volleying against a strong Highgate pair. Karen redeemed herself by providing her own birthday cake to follow the traditional Highgate School sausage and chips, even saving a slice for your reporter (although sadly minus the raspberries) at practice at Summer Fields on Monday. Very nice it was, too.

28/01/14 at Summer Fields: North Oxford drew with Oxford University 1-1

C.Lloyd & M.Fiennes beat D.Byam Shaw & E.Birkett 3-2 (5-12, 12-7, 12-13, 12-7, 12-7)

J.Shaw & W.Campion lost to S.Mehta & M.Wintle 1-2 (10-12, 12-5, 10-12)

A last minute switch of venue (thanks, Andy!) due to lighting problems at Iffley Road produced a humdinger of a derby match at Summer Fields on Wednesday evening. North Oxford's own Dan Byam Shaw, this year's Oxford secretary, was back after a long term lay off due to shoulder problems and teamed up with the powerful Carthusian left hander Ed Birkett to take on Chris Lloyd and Martin Fiennes. The result was an epic five game battle with the North Oxford pair recovering well from the disappointment of losing the third game 13-12 to win the last two games to 7 and take the victory. The five games on that court actually took less time than three on the other, where Justin Shaw - avoiding playing against his son - partnered Will Campion against freshmen Max Wintle and Sacha Mehta. Justin and Will actually outscored the Highgate/Westminster pair 32 points to 29, but the students won the key points at the end of the first and third games to clich a 2-1 win and level the match. Who knows what would have happened had the match gone the distance? The only certainty would have been that Will wouldn't have been able to walk for a week afterwards.

25/01/14 at Eton: North Oxford lost to Cambridge University 1-2

G.Hoskins & C.Austin lost to R.Wilson & J.Weller 0-3 (4-12, 11-13, 8-12)

S.Chapman & K.Hird beat A.Rattan & J.Crawford 3-1 (12-0, 9-12, 12-4, 14-11)

S.Nowinski & M.Millership lost to S.Balaji & L.Gribble 2-3 (5-12, 12-9, 12-8, 12-15, 10-13)

This fixture has been played over as many as eight pairs in the past so it was slightly disappointing that Cambridge University were only able to bring along three pairs to Eton on Saturday. The upside was that all three pairs produced excellent and well matched contests and a thoroughly enjoyable morning's Fives. At first pair, Gareth Hoskins and Chris Austin got off to a shocking start against Robert Wilson and Jack Weller in the first game and were unable to recover but after that the match settled into a steady pattern, with Cambridge captain Wilson in imperious form and Gareth and Chris working hard to keep the ball away from him and try and force mistakes from his partner. They almost achieved this in the second game, establishing a 10-8 lead, but were unable to convert it into a win and it was a similar story from 8-8 in the third as Wilson finished things off in fine style, showing that he is fast becoming a force to be reckoned with on the circuit. At second pair, Spencer Chapman and Karen Hird had the opposite start, flying out of the blocks to take the first game to love. The wheels then briefly came off in game two, as Alex Rattan and John Crawford levelled the match, before Spencer and Karen got things back on track (must have been the pre-match yoga and the between games beetroot and celery juice) to win the third comfortably and then come through a tight fourth with a strong finishing burst. This left third pair to decide the match: it was great to see Michael Millership back in action in an NOEFC shirt and although he and Stefan Nowinski were more than 70 combined years older than their opponents, they matched them shot for shot during a titanic five game battle. Stefan and Michael both felt they should have won the match, having been 2-1 ahead and then establishing significant leads in both the fourth and fifth games. Credit should go to the Cambridge pair, however, who kept battling and clawed their way back in both games to sneak an epic victory. The North Oxford team then had a lengthy and enjoyable lunch in the Henry, joined by the rest of the Austin clan, which was only broken up by Spencer's need to make it home in order to get his weekly fix of "Splash". No-one else seemed to share his enthusiasm so an NOEFC foray into the world of budgie smugglers and 10 metre platform diving (or indeed Saturday night prime time television) seems unlikely. Stefan's enthusiasm for marathon running met with a similar muted response. The thought of certain North Oxford squad members working their way through one of Spencer's yoga routines on the other hand...

18/01/14 at Orpington: North Oxford beat Old Olavians 2 3-0

G.Pulsford & C.Rennie beat D.Eames & C.Jewkes 3-0 (12-3, 12-9, 12-5)

G.Hoskins & K.Hird beat C.Self & J.Ravi 3-0 (12-3, 12-10, 12-5)

S.Chapman & I.Watts beat K.Walton & C.Stocks 3-0 (12-5, 15-12, 12-8)

The long trip to Kent produced more league success on Saturday morning, with the Olavians tamed in their own back yard and another three league points in the bag as the Division 2 "threepeat" gets closer and closer. The Olavians have produced some pretty strong sides against us in recent seasons but this was more of a Wiseman development team, as some of his promising young players looked to gain experience against some giants of the game, as well as against Spencer. Dave Eames and Charlie Jewkes were always competitive at first pair against Graham and Carl and the victory took a while to complete, but the outcome was never in doubt as the Rennie/Puslford partnership produced its fourth win out of four this season. Gareth and Karen had what looked like a tricky battle on paper, up against last year's Olavian school captain Chris Self (a double winner of the Turnbull Trophy in the past) and top current player Josh Ravi. Gareth and Karen got off to a flying start, however, and continued to play as well as they have all season. With the luck going in the NOEFC pair's favour as well, the young Olavian pair never really looked as though they believed they could come back and the win was comfortable in the end. Spencer and the newly christened Iggy Watts (Graham really should remember to wear his glasses more often) were up against a very young but very talented school pair, who have already made waves at national school age group level. Having overcome the shock of nearly being the combined age of the other three players, Spencer eventually asserted his authority, and with Izzy in fine form, they came through the key phase of the match when things got tight at the end of the second game and went on to complete a third 3-0 win. After finishing first, Gareth and Karen then picked up where they had left off with a 12-8 win over the watching Howard Wiseman and Dom Redmond, following up their epic win over the same pair at the Midland Tournament earlier in the season. After a reviving team lunch at the Rose and Crown (quiz question: amongst the huge platefuls of burgers, gammon steaks and chips, which team member had a lonely looking salad wrap?) the serious business of the day began as Gareth, Spencer, Karen and Izzy went to investigate the open air court at the nearby High Elms Country Park. Restored to a playable standard about 15 years ago, the High Elms court is maintained by Bromley Council and is played on every so often by various groups of Olavians. With the court roofless and open to the elements, the advice was to take a broom to sweep the leaves/debris out of the court before play. Although the day had been dry, the weather of the last few weeks had done its worst, however, and the broom was rendered rather superfluous with the rear third of the court ankle deep in mud and the rest covered in wet leaves, pine cones and branches. Undaunted, the NOEFC party waded through the mud to get on court, cleared some space and set about playing a sort of match, with the back court out of bounds and the slippery footing and highly irregular bounces merely extra hazards to the intrepid players. Posterity should record that Chapman & Watts coped best with the somewhat tricky conditions to win 15-12 against Hoskins & Hird and the feeling was that the court most definitely merits a return journey in the summer for a proper game. Watch this space...

Fives as you've never seen it before!

16/01/14 at Eton: North Oxford drew with The Brigands 2-2

P.Scholey & A.Yusaf beat C.Davies & N.Higgins 3-0 (12-5, 12-3, 12-10)

G.Hoskins & R.Scott beat M.Powell & G.Robinson 3-1 (11-13, 12-3, 12-3, 12-8)

I.Mitchell & R.Scholey lost to R.Smart & S.Savage 1-2 (8-12, 10-12, 12-11)

K.Hird & M.Barnes lost to D.Hewitt & D.Martin 0-3

Despite giving away several (let's be kind here...) years to the opposition in terms of experience, an experimental North Oxford line-up managed a very creditable 2-2 draw in a highly enjoyable friendly at a very damp Eton on Thursday evening. Both sides managed to get four pairs out, with maestro Chris Davies being generously loaned out to his occasional new team since his relocation to Surrey a couple of years ago. The mental anguish caused by having to line up against his own team was clearly too much for Chris as he and Nick Higgins were no match for Alex Yusaf and Peter Scholey - continuing their promising NOEFC start and current rich vein of form respectively - who romped to a three game victory. Gareth Hoskins and Rosie Scott started more slowly at second pair, making too many unforced errors in the first game and leaving their comeback a little bit too late. Once they had remembered how to play together, the former Midlands festival winners began to play much better with Gareth dominating the set piece and Rosie volleying strongly and returning consistently well and accurately from the back of the court. After a weekend's Fives at the recent Graves Cup in Ipswich, Robert Scholey teamed up with Ian Mitchell at third pair and demonstrated the improvement in his game, holding his own with three experienced players. He produced a number of fantastic shots and as he plays more will begin to develop the consistency to go with it. Luckily he was playing with Mr Consistency himself and the combination of Ian's steadiness and Robert's flashes of brilliance was enough to produce three extremely close games. With time constraints restricting them to three games - beer and curry wait for no man - who knows whether a 2-0 deficit would have turned into a 3-2 win if the match had been allowed to go the distance? The final game of the evening saw an intriguing battle of styles between Karen and Mandie and their "very experienced" opponents. Each of the three games was close, but the Brigands pair just managed to keep their noses in front to win 3-0. The Brigands have always considered that the post-match dining experience is just as important as the Fives itself and I am pleased to report that NOEFC more than held their own in the curry house as well as on court, with a near full house in attendance and the NOEFC contingent showing tremendous stamina, seeing off the opposition and being the last to leave.

10/12/13 at Westminster: North Oxford beat Old Westminsters 2 3-0

G.Pulsford & J.Shaw beat C.Shawcross & A.Jackson 3-1 (12-6, 12-4, 9-12, 12-11)

G.Hoskins & K.Hird beat N.Fry & E.Levy 3-1 (12-6, 9-12, 12-2, 12-5)

P.Scholey & H.Asquith beat C.Watts & M.Mostafavi 3-2 (9-12, 9-12, 12-6, 15-13, 12-10)

An epic encounter at Westminster last night somehow produced another Division 2 three pointer for North Oxford as the NOEFC league campaign heads into the Christmas break with us in second place, breathing down the necks of Berkhamsted in top spot. There was drama before the match had even started last night with Justin dropping the bombshell that he had to leave at 9:15 to get to an important dinner, immediately putting him and Graham under pressure to win quickly. With Conrad Shawcross late to arrive, but within the time limit before Graham and Justin could claim the first game, the North Oxford pair had to strike fast. This they did, racing to a 2-0 lead in convincing fashion. At this point the pressure began to tell on Justin and the third game went the way of the OW pair, who then established an early lead in the fourth. Justin didn't have time for a fifth game so it was now or never for the North Oxford pair and at 11-10 down things were looking decidedly dodgy. Graham and Justin then channelled their inner Derren Brown, conjuring up a point to level at 11-11, then somehow managing to convince the Westminsters to play sudden death and then concede the match point when a let looked on the cards. After last week's Westway toilet break incident, Justin is quickly establishing a reputation as a master of the dark arts of Fives. Gareth and Karen were up against a potentially tricky pair in the second court with the steady Edward Levy partnering Nick Fry, playing his first game for a while but an experienced player with a proven track record. Neither Karen nor Gareth quite hit the heights and had a bit of a wobble in the second game as the Westminster pair upped their game, but they were always returning enough cuts and played more astutely in the third and fourth to run out fairly easy winners in the end. After her stunning league debut against the Millhillilans a few weeks ago, Harriet Asquith was back in league action at third pair, this time with Peter Scholey for company and cheered on by an assortment of spectating Scholeys. The first two games went to the Westminster pair of Chris Watts and Majid Mostafavi but both Peter and Harriet are renowned battlers and with Peter beginning to work out a successful gameplan and Harriet showing her usual 100% effort and commitment (otherwise known as throwing herself on the floor at every available opportunity), they took the third game 12-6. The fourth game was spectacular, with the lead changing hands several times. In the end some fine cutting and scrambling from Harriet and some dominant volleying and excellent court management from Peter took it 15-13 to level the match at 2-2. By this stage Harriet was in unknown territory, having never played a full five setter before, and with the clock showing 9:30pm there was a chance of the match not being completed in time. A word with the Westminster security officer secured a 15 minute extension and it was 10:10pm when the winning shot was struck, with the North Oxford pair completing a rousing comeback to take the deciding game 12-10. There then followed scenes of jubilant celebration in the Sanctuary, with the culinary progress of the club in recent seasons reflected in the choice of post-match snack, as the delights of the mythical Alex Sale Westminster Macdonalds were eschewed in favour of Karen's delicious but mildly racist golliwog reindeer cupcakes.

03/12/13 at Westway: North Oxford beat Old Salopians 3-0

G.Pulsford & C.Rennie beat B.Jones & C.Hughes 3-0 (12-9, 12-5, 12-9)

S.Chapman & C.Austin beat M.Quinn & A.Taylor 3-0 (12-7, 12-8, 12-3)

J.Shaw & K.Hird beat H.Turnbull & M.Tomley 2-1 (13-11, 12-9, 9-12, 11-5 timed out)

The Old Salopians have proved to be tricky opponents for North Oxford in recent league campaigns so it was the cause of some satisfaction among the NOEFC team at Westway last night that they came away with another maximum points haul. Graham and Carl maintained their 100% first pair record together this season with a clinical 3-0 win over the dangerous OS pairing of Ben Jones and Chris Hughes, with the superior cut returning of the North Oxford pair the crucial factor in clinching victory. Chris Austin was in dominant form at second pair, bossing the top step and compensating for the occasional shortcomings of his partner, who finally recovered from his 7 hour car journey from Aston Rowant to Westway via Newmarket in order to finish the third game in a blaze of ledge-hitting glory. Justin Shaw and Karen Hird were involved in the closest game of the night against Harry Turnbull and Mark Tomley (a former winner of the plate competition at the Universities tournament playing for Exeter alongside NOEFC's Alex Sale). Karen was on top returning form and with Justin - a regular on the Westway courts - hitting his usual perfect length into the buttress from the back, the first two games went the way of the North Oxford pair 13-11, 12-9. The Salopians turned the tide in the third and hit back to win it 12-9; a lengthy time out was then taken by Justin - it is a very long way to the toilets at Westway - and on his return he and Karen refound their earlier edge and were within a point of victory when the lights went out. As they were 2-1 ahead at the time, the point was theirs and with it the 3-0 overall win.

01/12/13 at Cambridge: North Oxford lost to Cambridge University 1-2

A.Yusaf & S.Chapman beat A.Rattan & J.Weller 2-1 (6-12, 12-10, 12-7)

J.Knight/C.Friend/P.Lyndon/R.Morgan/A.Yusaf lost to R.Wilson/C.Moore/S.Patel/K.Hird 0-4*

K.Hird/M.Barnes/E.Double/G.Hoskins lost to E.Osen & L.Gribble/M.Barnes 1-3**

The new Cambridge University courts in the West Cambridge Sports Centre were the venue for NOEFC's latest outing on Sunday. An crucial pre-match meal and team bonding session at the Red Lion in Grantchester set everyone up nicely for a variety of matches between the 10 North Oxford players and the 7 from Cambridge on their three courts. Alex Yusaf has been making a good impression on Monday night practices this term and it was good to see him make his first North Oxford appearance alongside grizzled NOEFC veteran Spencer Chapman, who was making his 101st. They took on the Cambridge pair of Alex Rattan and Jack Weller and after a slow start recovered from the loss of the first to win a close three game encounter. The second court featured more of a revolving door policy, with various combinations of North Oxford players taking on Saj Patel, firstly alongside Charlie Moore and then CUEFC captain Robert Wilson, who was then eventually partnered by NOEFC's own Karen Hird. Each Cambridge combination was a little bit too strong but it was great to see Joss Knight back in a North Oxford shirt after several years and captain Gareth Hoskins kept those not playing in action with him on the Rugby Fives courts next door, albeit with an Eton Fives ball. I'm not sure what the collective noun for a group of Knights is (a Round Table?) but Joss brought along his parents, wife, daughter, brother, sister in law and nieces and nephews to provide a simultaneously knowledgable and raucous crowd, who were able to appreciate the wide range of skills being paraded in front of them by the likes of Joss, Courtney Friend, Phil Lyndon and Ralph Morgan. In the third court, ex Cambridge ladies captain Elana Osen partnered Laurence Gribble, who learnt his Fives at St.Bees, and they took on another changing NOEFC cast featuring Karen Hird, before she switched sides, Mandie Barnes and another welcome returnee to the North Oxford fold in Emma Double, who also came complete with her own familial supporters' club to further boost the crowd numbers well into double figures. The new Cambridge courts are a great addition to the Fives circuit and hopefully this trip will become another annual North Oxford tradition. We take on the University again at Eton in January in a more conventional fixture, hopefully across lots of pairs.

* Knight & Friend lost to Moore & Patel 8-12; Knight & Lyndon lost to Wilson & Patel 7-12; Morgan & Lyndon lost to Wilson & Hird 6-12; Yusaf & Morgan lost to Wilson & Hird 9-12

** Hird & Barnes beat Osen & Gribble 12-4; Double & Barnes lost to Osen & Gribble 4-12; Hird & Double lost to Osen & Gribble 9-12; Hoskins & Double lost to Osen & Barnes 8-12

Photos from Emma Double

24/11/13 at Eton: North Oxford beat Windsor & Eton 3-1

J.Shaw & C.Davies beat I.Mitchell & J.Black 3-0 (12-6, 12-10, 12-3)

P.Scholey & P.Lyndon beat J.Lawrence & H.Tobias 3-0 (12-5, 12-8, 12-8)

A.Bishop & J.Parham beat T.Goodman & D.Shepherd (12-4, 12-5, 12-0)

K.Hird & N.Lilienthal lost to D.Cooper & G.Kitteridge 0-3 (9-12, 9-12, 6-12)

The strength in depth in the North Oxford ranks was displayed to great effect at Eton yesterday, as we were able to put out four pairs and claim a 3-1 win in a friendly against Windsor & Eton at the same time as winning 3-0 against the Old Etonians in the league. Not only that, but we were even able to let W&E field the two players with split loyalties in Ian Mitchell and Hugo Tobias. Ian teamed up with Julian Black at first pair to make what looked like a formidable partnership, with both players in fine form this season, but they found themselves up against a classy NOEFC combination and were unable to find an answer to the clinical play of the wily Justin Shaw and maestro Chris Davies. Pete Scholey had been a doubt for the fixture during the week after injuring himself in practice at Summer Fields on Monday evening but had recovered sufficiently to partner Phil Lyndon at second pair and see off the threat of Hugo and Old Olavian Jeff Lawrence. The Summer Fields connection then did the business at third pair with M-i-C Andy Bishop and ex SF pupil Jack Parham too strong for Tom Goodman and Dominic Shepherd; at this point it looked as if North Oxford might be able to win all seven pairs but Karen Hird and Natalie Lilienthal just fell short at fourth pair, getting close in both of the first two games against veteran David Cooper and Graham Kitteridge without quite being able to sneak the victory. With Seb Cooley watching on as an unused and unselected supersub for both teams - we let him have a knockabout afterwards so he didn't feel too left out - and W&E supremo Nick Bunyan also "on the bench" there was a very large 20 strong contingent of players who headed for lunch at the Waterman's Arms at the conclusion of a most enjoyable morning's Fives, where Mr Bunyan proved that watching other people play is very hungry work indeed.

24/11/13 at Eton: North Oxford beat Old Etonians 3-0

G.Pulsford & C.Rennie beat A.Knight & A.White 3-1 (4-12, 12-9, 12-5, 12-3)

S.Chapman & C.Lloyd beat J.Hindle & A.Wellesley 3-2 (14-15, 12-4, 12-5, 4-12, 12-9)

G.Hoskins & I.Watts beat J.Asquith & T.Morrissey 3-1 (8-12, 14-11, 12-4, 12-8)

The North Oxford league side had to show all of their battling qualities at Eton yesterday to record an impressive 3-0 win. With four NOEFC pairs playing against Windsor & Eton at the same time, it required some selectorial juggling to make sure everyone got a good close game and in the early stages it appeared that questions were going to be asked of the skipper's selection policy with all three pairs 1-0 down and the likes of Scholey, Davies, Hird, Parham and Shaw all victims of some brave squad rotation. Graham Pulsford and Carl Rennie at first pair soon recovered from their slow start, however, and with Carl growing into his first pair role, they gradually began to assert their authority to win the next three games by increasingly comfortable margins. The Old Etonians were fielding a side containing two direct descendants of Prime Ministers (a shame Tom Faber and Harriet Asquith weren't playing for NOEFC and we could have replied in kind!) and after losing a nailbiting first game 14-15, it looked as if Spencer Chapman and Chris Lloyd might be about to meet their Waterloo at the hands of NOEFC old boy Jeremy Hindle and his young partner Arthur Wellesley. Chris and Spencer recovered their composure in the second and third games and despite a blip in the fourth were able to hang on and finally stick the (Wellington) boot into their Etonian opponents with a 12-9 fifth game win. Izzy Watts was making her league debut at third pair and teamed up with captain Gareth Hoskins to make an all Suffolk pairing. They were up against Jonathan Asquith (Harriet's father) and another young Etonian Tuppy Morrissey and once again it was the OE pair who took the first game 12-8. At 8-11 down in the second, things were looking bleak for the North Oxford pair but in the crucial phase of the match, Gareth and Izzy quickly found an extra gear, especially with the return of cut, and turned an 8-11 deficit into a 14-11 win to level the match. Gareth played his best Fives of the match to dominate the third, but began to tire in the fourth and with Asquith sr a formidable opponent it was left to Izzy to step up at the business end of the fourth and carry the North Oxford pair over the line to take the win and complete a remarkable team comeback.

12/11/13 at Mill Hill: North Oxford beat Old Millhillians 2 2-1

G.Pulsford & N.Shaw lost to J.Coakley & S.Tailor 2-3 (14-12, 12-9, 3-12, 2-12, 3-12)

C.Austin & C.Rennie beat W.Hughes & A.Rennie 3-0 (12-4, 12-6, 12-9)

J.Rose & H.Asquith beat C.Vincent & J.Mason 3-0 (12-6, 12-6, 12-8)

Our battles with the Old Millhillians - particularly at Mill Hill - have been fiercely contested in recent years and have regularly produced some of the closest and best matches we've ever had. This year's edition of the fixture took place last night at Mill Hill and produced more memorable moments for the NOEFC highlights reel. First pair was a repeat of the exact same match up two years ago and was a case of déjà vu all over again (to quote the great baseball manager Yogi Berra) as NOEFC's Graham Pulsford and Nick Shaw took on Joe Coakley and Sunil Tailor in a five game thriller. Graham and Nick performed heroics to establish a 2-0 lead against a highly rated pair on their home courts, taking nearly two hours to win the first two games 14-12 and 12-9. Frustratingly, all that hard work then went to waste as the Mill Hill pair quickly turned the tables in the third game and established a dominance that saw them overturn the 0-2 deficit and storm through to win in five. Second pair threw up an interesting case of sibling rivalry with the Rennie brothers on opposite sides. It was NOEFC's Carl who was able to claim the familial bragging rights as he and Chris Austin won in three thanks to their superior cutting and lower unforced error count. Third pair was the result of some last minute panic and hasty juggling of resources; Spencer Chapman and Karen Hird were due to play but with Spencer down with the lurgy (too many beetroot pasta parcels?) and Karen suffering with a badly bruised finger sustained at Summer Fields the night before, the SOS call was answered by Aldenham's Josh Rose and NOEFC's own Harriet Asquith, making her league debut. Teaming up at third pair, against the very decent OM pairing of Chris Vincent and James Mason, Josh and Harry produced a scintillating performance to win 3-0, leaving Spencer to wonder how he's ever going to get his place back in the starting line-up.

10/11/13 at Eton: Richard Black Cup

Group Stages:

North Oxford beat Wolverhampton GS 6-0

North Oxford beat Old Olavians 6-0

North Oxford lost to Highgate School 1-5

North Oxford beat EFA 5-1

North Oxford beat Oxford University 5-1

Final: North Oxford lost to Highgate School 0-3

K.Hird & M.Barnes lost to E.Smith-Bingham & A.Reimer 4-15

R.Scott & F.Turnbull lost to P.Bracken & O.Hirshfield 10-15

H.Asquith & W.Carling lost to G.Allen & M.Briscoe 10-15

North Oxford - with the help of the Wycombe club - made a fantastic debut in the Richard Black Cup at Eton yesterday, finishing second in the round robin phase before losing in the final to defending champions Highgate School. The first couple of matches were gentle looseners, with the Wolverhampton girls there for the experience and the Olavians without star players Charlotta Cooley and Marianne Catmull. The group stage encounter with Highgate School was a classic; Karen Hird and Rosie Scott got off to a slow start at first pair and lost the first game quickly, before beginning to find some form in the second, although it was too little, too late. Mandie Barnes and Francesca Turnbull also find life hard at third pair, but Harriet Asquith and Wendy Carling produced he performance of the day, becoming the only pair all day to take a game off the Highgate girls as they won the first 12-11 and only lost the second to 7. The dangerous EFA team were seen off for the loss of just one game as were Oxford University, making it a men's and ladies double over our local rivals this week. This meant a rematch with Highgate in the final, which was played across the three pairs as one match up to 15. Skipper Karen Hird chose her pairings carefully to maximise the chances of overturning the earlier result. There was some initial controversy as Highgate were unhappy with the way the pairs were set up but a clarification of the rules meant that the pairs went ahead as planned. Mandie Barnes and Karen Hird fought hard against the strong Highgate first pair but were unable to contain them, leaving it down to pairs two and three to do their best to bring home the trophy for North Oxford. Rosie Scott and the impressive and fast-improving youngster Francesca Turnbull played with real aggression and intent and pushed their opponents hard but succumbed 15-10 in the end. Harriet Asquith, in fine form all day, looked to repeat her earlier heroics with Wendy at third pair, but in the end the Highgate girls were simply too strong and won that pair 15-10 as well. This was a terrific performance from the NOEFC team and bodes well for the future - hopefully one day the Richard Black Cup will adorn the NOEFC trophy cabinet!

Action from the Richard Black Cup and the NOEFC team with their runners-up prizes

07/11/13 at Iffley Rd: North Oxford beat Oxford University 2-0

N.Shaw & S.Chapman beat F.Collings & S.Packer 3-0 (12-3, 12-4, 14-11)

I.Mitchell & K.Hird beat S.Thatcher & C.Kershaw 3-0 (12-2, 12-4, 12-6)

North Oxford have had the edge in most of our local derby matches in recent seasons and that pattern continued at Iffley Road last night with a 2-0 win over the University. The first pair looked like it might be a challenge on paper with Old Salopian and ex-OUEFC secretary Frank Collings partnering Old Citizen Sam Packer. Sam was up against fellow Old Cit Spencer Chapman along with Nick Shaw and a slew of errors from the University pair enabled Spencer and Nick to coast to a 2-0 lead. The student pair tightened up their game in the third, however, and things got a lot closer; Nick and Spencer were always narrowly in the lead but fewer unforced errors and some fine cutting from Sam and Frank to save a host of match points at 9-11 and 11-13 down put the North Oxford pair under pressure before they finally managed to close the match out. At second pair, Ian Mitchell was midway through a week involving playing Fives five times at five different venues. As that sort of thing normally constitutes a quiet week for Karen the pair of them were clearly seeing it like the proverbial football and duly cantered to a comprehensive win over the University second string of Charlie Kershaw and Stephen Thatcher. Three members of the victorious line-up celebrated victory in the Fir Tree; one by going home and consuming his beetroot pasta parcels. Answers on a postcard, please...

19/10/13 at Aldenham: North Oxford beat Old Ipswichians 3-0

G.Pulsford & C.Rennie beat Tom Fletcher & S.Christopher 3-0 (12-1, 12-6, 12-4)

C.Austin & K.Hird beat S.Bland & S.Shepherd 3-0 (12-8, 12-4, 12-7)

M.Barnes & G.Hoskins lost to I.Mitchell* & R.Morgan* 1-2 (14-15, 12-9, 8-12)

*ineligible players named in advance

Normal service was resumed at Aldenham on Saturday with NOEFC's first win of the season, a 3-0 victory over the Old Ipswichians. The OIs were hit by extensive unavailability and could only muster two pairs; they then suffered further with a last minute withdrawal due to a broken toe. This meant that schoolboy Sam Christopher - schools' U15 champion in 2012 - was pushed up to partner captain Tom Fletcher at first pair against the North Oxford engine room of Graham Pulsford, playing his 4,795th* match on his home courts, and Carl Rennie. continuing his run of playing at first pair in every match this season so far. Sam showed some promise and Tom played well but they were no match for their NOEFC opponents, who came through comfortably to win in straight games. Local Aldenhamian Simon Shepherd replaced injured toe victim Will Gibbons for the OIs and partnered Steve Bland at second pair against Chris Austin, in for his first game of the season, and Karen Hird. As in the first pair match, the North Oxford pair had too much quality for the opposition and cruised through in three. With the third point already conceded by the OIs, it was just a case of finding some suitable opposition for an entertaining knockabout at third pair and Ian Mitchell and Ralph Morgan duly obliged, defeating Gareth Hoskins and Mandie Barnes in an extremely close three game tussle. The serious nature of Division 2 these days saw the Old Millhillians send their school gap year coach (Rennie minor) on a scouting mission before our meeting in November with some flimsy cover story about Carl needing a lift and after watching this powerhouse performance, despite the slightly slippery courts, the OMs will undoubtedly be quaking in their gloves. Lunch in the Round Bush with the Aldenham branch of the NOEFC toddlers supporters club (Austin jr) finished off a very satisfactory morning's work.

*this may not be the exact number

06/10/13 at Highgate: North Oxford lost to Highgate School 1-2

C.Rennie & R.Worth lost to C.Noble & B.Mills 1-2 (12-8, 11-13, 8-12)

G.Hoskins & R.Morgan beat J.Hosking & S.Papaloizu 3-0 (12-2, 12-8, 12-4)

K.Hird & S.Nowinski lost to K.Rayner & M.Collins 0-3 (2-12, 5-12, 0-12)

06/10/13 at Highgate: North Oxford Ladies lost to Highgate School Ladies 1-2

I.Watts & H.Asquith lost to P.Bracken & A.Reimer 3-0 (10-12, 5-12, 5-12)

J.Toynton & S.Maguire lost to M.Briscoe & G.Allen 0-3 (0-12, 4-12, 3-12)

M.Barnes & N.Lilienthal beat T.Augistidis & N.Tindale 3-0 (12-5, 12-3, 12-7)

A slightly unwanted pattern is emerging in this season's fixtures with another pair of 2-1 defeats at the weekend, this time at the hands of Highgate School. This was another good fixture, however, with six pairs representing North Oxford and only three of our players not still in their twenties, demonstrating that the NOEFC talent conveyor belt is producing some good young players to challenge the usual mixture of veterans (uber and otherwise) who often represent the club. The men's match was slightly marred by the non arrival of two of the Highgate boys who were scheduled to play. This meant that one boy was woken up at 11am and found himself on court about 20 minutes later; unsurprisingly he was not quite at his best and skipper Gareth Hoskins and ringer par excellence Ralph Morgan had a fairly comfortable ride at second pair. The absence of a sixth player meant that Highgate coach Mark Collins then had to step in and play at third pair. While we were very grateful that he did so to enable a game to take place, it meant that Karen Hird and Stefan Nowinski found themselves up against rather better opposition than that which Gareth and Ralph had beaten at second pair and although they fought hard and produced some excellent Fives, they were unable to challenge too closely on the scoreboard. The closest contest was at first pair where former Oxford University captain Rex Worth made his NOEFC debut alongside Carl Rennie, in at first pair for the third successive match. They made a good start, winning the first game 12-8, but Charlie Noble is one of the outstanding players on the school circuit this year and he came strongly to the fore as the Highgate pair clawed their way back to pinch the second game 13-11. With everyone else already tucking into their lunch, the third game was played as the decider and in the end the Highgate boys just managed to hold on to win.

The Ladies match was a terrific advert for ladies Fives; Izzy Watts and Harriet Asquith played excellently against the formidable Highgate pair of Phoebe Bracken and Amira Reimer in the first game and had their chances to take it. In the end they lost it 12-10 and that proved crucial as the Highgate girls went on to win the second and third games more comfortably. Julia Toynton and Scarlett Maguire were both playing their first matches for North Oxford at second pair, having played together for Oxford University with considerable success last season. Both were rather rusty in their first match of the season, however, and never really got going against a strong Highgate second pair. There will undoubtedly be better things to come from them both. The best performance of the day was produced by Mandie Barnes and Natalie Lilienthal at third pair, who had too much experience and controlled their match from start to finish to record a convincing win. As always at Highgate we were well looked after with a splendid school dinner of sausage, chips and beans accompanied by an impromptu and highly impressive piano recital from Scarlett followed by a trip to the pub for some in depth post-match analysis, otherwise known as drinking and talking rubbish. While it would be nice to get a win on the board, the season so far has been extremely successful from several perspectives - a social one, the number of younger players donning the hallowed NOEFC shirt, and the huge improvement in both standard and strength in depth of the North Oxford ladies. Next up are the Old Ipswichians at Aldenham in a couple of weeks time as North Oxford resume their league campaign and look for that elusive first win of the season.

Photography from Karen Hird

01/10/13 at Westminster: North Oxford lost to Old Westminsters 1-2

C.Rennie & J.Hindle beat C.Shawcross & A.Stewart 3-0 (12-6, 12-5, 12-7)

G.Hoskins & H.Asquith lost to F.Krespi & C.Watts 1-2 (10-12, 12-10, 6-12)

K.Hird & E.Scoones lost to A.Jackson & M.Mostafavi 0-3 (3-12, 3-12, 9-12)

An extremely young (with the honourable exception of NOEFC's newest veteran) North Oxford team put up a very creditable performance last night in a friendly match at Westminster against a strong OW line-up, only narrowly going down to a 2-1 defeat. Jeremy Hindle - a last minute replacement for Justin Shaw, stricken by the lurgy - and Carl Rennie put in a solid performance at first pair against ex Oxford half-blue Conrad Shawcross and top Westminster schoolboy Alastair Stewart. It is a measure of the improvement in both Carl and Jeremy's Fives in recent seasons that they both felt slightly disappointed in the way they had played, despite recording a comfortable 3-0 victory. Third pair featured Emily Scoones in her final match before heading off to study in Germany and she teamed up with Karen Hird to take on another ex Oxbridge pairing in Majid Mostafavi and Alfie Jackson. Karen's return to full fitness after her ankle injury is getting closer but she and Emily were unable to get close to the Westminster pair until finally finding some form right at the end of the third game, which they almost managed to come back to win before the OWs closed the match out 12-9. With the overall match evenly poised at 1-1, the focus turned to the second pair, which was the closest contest of the night. Harriet Asquith was playing in her first match for NOEFC and acquitted herself fantastically against good quality opposition. All those who have played against Harriet on Monday nights at SF over the past couple of years would not have been surprised to see her cutting well, volleying aggressively and fighting hard for every point. She and the aforementioned veteran narrowly lost the first game 12-10 but came from behind with a strong run to win the second game by the same margin. By this stage both the other pairs had already finished so it was agreed to make the third game the decider. Up to that point in the match, the key for Gareth and Harriet to remain competitive had been to return enough cuts, as they undoubtedly had the edge in open play; the margins were fine, however, and some strong cutting by Chris Watts and Freddie Krespi for the OWs plus a few unforced errors that caused point-winning chances to go begging meant that the Westminster pair were able to win the third game 12-6. A full post-match debrief followed in the Sanctuary, mainly involving the consumption of Karen's splendid Black Forest gateau, made in honour of Emily's imminent move to Stuttgart. A good evening all round.

15/09/13 at Berkhamsted: North Oxford lost to Berkhamsted 2 1-2

C.Rennie & N.Shaw lost to J.O'Neill & A.Leighton 1-3 (6-12, 5-12, 12-9, 4-12)

J.Nelmes & C.Davies lost to A.Rattan & C.Nicholls 1-3 (12-6, 9-12, 4-12, 7-12)

S.Chapman & M.Barnes beat E.Casey & E.Mann 3-0 (12-3, 12-7, 12-1)

The North Oxford 2013/14 league campaign got off to a losing start at Berkhamsted on Sunday, but there were nevertheless lots of positive aspects to the match for NOEFC. With injury, unavailability and Fives in foreign climes (Wales and France) claiming several potential players, the opportunity was there for those present to stake a strong early claim for starting positions for the season. Carl Rennie - so impressive in last year's league win - took the step up to first pair to partner seasoned campaigner Nick Shaw and looked very much at home at that level. Their opposition were tough, however, with Jeremy O'Neill and Ali Leighton always likely to be hard to beat on their home courts and the first two games went the way of the home pair. A comeback looked on the cards as Nick and Carl won the third in fine style but a flying start to the fourth game by the home pair halted the North Oxford momentum and finished the match as a contest. Jonny Nelmes found himself up at second pair for the first time in his short NOEFC league career and in the company of maestro Chris Davies got off to a great start, taking the first game 12-6. Home advantage and young legs began to tell after that, though, and Alex Rattan and Charlie Nicholls closed out another 3-1 win for Berkhamsted. It was left to Mandie Barnes, making her NOEFC league debut, to carry skipper Spencer Chapman through at third pair against another young Berkhamsted pair, Durham University duo Emily Mann and Ellie Casey. Mandie returned cut consistently well and struck a series of accurate volleys to win the first game and then inflict the decisive blow with a second game win from 1-7 down, after which the third was a formality. This was a fighting away performance against good opposition from a largely inexperienced North Oxford side, one which shows the strength in depth of the squad and which bodes well for the rest of the season.