Results 2014/15

16/05/15 at Wrekin: North Oxford beat Old Edwardians 2-1

J.Reynolds & S.Chapman beat P.Scholey & M.Yates 2-1 (6-12, 13-10, 12-8)

G.Hoskins & K.Hird beat P.Bullock & C.Friend 2-1 (8-12, 12-5, 13-11)

F.Barnes & T.Scholey lost to E.Johnson & R.Scholey 1-2 (12-11, 9-12, 5-12)

The annual unusual courts fixture against the Old Edwardians has produced some classic encounters over the years and the 2015 edition of the fixture has to rank right up there with the best of them. The courts certainly fulfilled their brief; Wrekin College has eight courts - four on each side back to back - with three currently playable and the rest bricked up or in a bad state of repair and used for storage. For a long time, the game was hardly played at the school at all, and it is only in the last 3 or 4 years that the three currently playable courts have been refurbished and brought back to life, thanks mainly to the efforts of Old Wulfrunian and coaching guru Mark Yates. All the classic ingredients for this fixture were in place - slightly odd court dimensions, missing ledges, uneven floors, additional hazards (Courtney regretted trying to hit the iron gate out the back left of court 1 at the same time as the ball) - and a full three pairs made it up to Shropshire to sample the delights of Wrekin Fives. Local knowledge helped Mark out at the start of the first pair match, as he donned Edwardian colours to team up with Pete Scholey against the North Oxford Old Citizen pairing of John Reynolds and Spencer Chapman, the Eds pair claiming the first game to 6. With Reynolds beginning to come to terms with the court and Chapman finding some form, the North Oxford pair levelled the match with a 13-10 second game win. With lunch beckoning, the third game became the decider and John managed to last the pace and stamp his class on proceedings to guide the NOEFC pair home. The other two courts were also equally close, resulting in best of three games all round; in the second court another Edwardian/Wulfrunian scratch pair in Courtney Friend - out of retirement for the eleventh season in succession - and Phil Bullock - who had last played on these courts as a schoolboy c.1984 took on the established North Oxford pairing of Gareth Hoskins and Karen Hird. Phil and Courtney won the first game with a rush of late points after a close start, but Gareth and Karen turned the tables with a comfortable 12-5 win in the second game. With the North Oxford pair 7-1 up in the third and their opponents seemingly beginning to flag, it looked to be all over, but the Edwardian pair were galvanised by the sight of the rapidly approaching finishing line and the opportunity to get to the pub and dredged up enough energy to mount an exciting comeback, even taking the lead at 10-9, before succumbing 13-11. Court three saw a North Oxford debut for Fiona Barnes, sister of club stalwart Ian Mitchell, who was partnering Tim Scholey against brother Robert and Old Edwardian club secretary Ed Johnson. Ed and Robert got to 11 first, but as Ed confessed later, it had been a while since he had last made it to 11 in a set of Fives and Fiona and Tim came back to pinch it 12-11 and take the lead. Ed and Robert didn't make the same mistake again, however, winning a close second game to 9 and a more comfortable third to 5. The day's proceedings were far from over, however, and the discovery at 1:20pm that the pub booked for lunch stopped taking orders at 1:45pm meant that several people had to move rather faster to get to The Wickets Inn than they had managed to move on court at any stage during the morning. With that potential disaster averted, a splendid 91.67% court to pub conversion rate was turned into a still impressive 50% court to top of mountain (well big hill anyway) conversion rate, as Gareth, Karen, Spencer and the Scholey family finished the day off with an ascent of the nearby Wrekin itself, where they were rewarded with spectacular views in all directions. The day ended with some manhandling of motorbikes in and out of a van and a small detour round Wellington to find an ice cream van, after the club captain had rashly promised his playing partner that if she managed to climb to the top of the hill she could have an ice cream afterwards. Next year's destination is likely to be the Kent single court double header of Torry Hill and High Elms, although a future venture into Europe for this fixture is most definitely in the pipeline.

First and third pairs tackle the Wrekin courts Tall buttress or short Karen?

The venue for a future fixture? NOEFC on top of the world (well, the Wrekin anyway)

11/04/15 at Highgate: North Oxford 2 beat Old Citizens 1 3-0

C.Rennie & J.Marks beat D.Davis & A.Bhattacharya 3-2 (4-12, 10-12, 12-9, ret)

G.Hoskins & P.Roper beat N.Gill & A.Nice 3-0 (12-3, 12-4, 12-2)

S.Chapman & K.Hird beat J.Powell & M.Jacobs 3-0 (12-0, 12-3, 12-2)

A 3-0 win against the Citizens at Highgate on Saturday brought the North Oxford league season to a very satisfying conclusion. Taking on the challenge of two teams in two divisions has certainly stretched our resources at times, but to complete 20 league fixtures with a full complement of pairs for every fixture is a fine achievement and while Division 1 has been tough - if enjoyable - going, we have maintained our standards in Division 2 and move into second place with this win. Other teams may yet overtake us but a third or fourth place finish looks likely and that certainly qualifies as a successful season. Saturday's game at Highgate saw us up against a Citizens line-up minus star player John Reynolds and lacking a little bit of depth; Spencer and Karen at third pair and Gareth and Phil at second both chalked up fairly routine victories. Carl and Joe have had some cracking matches together at first pair this year but had yet to record a win until Saturday. Given one final shot at redemption, they followed the script by losing the the first two games to Dexter Davis and Aroop Bhattacharya, before pulling themselves up off rock bottom to win the third 12-9 and get back in the game. The Citizens obviously weren't interested in providing the proper Hollywood ending with a rather anti-climactic concession due to having to be elsewhere urgently (Dexter) and a recurrence of a hand injury (Aroop). Carl and Joe were happy just to have finally got a W on the board next to their names and it did have the added advantage of getting us to The Bull for lunch sooner than might otherwise have been the case. With the bread and butter of the league season done and dusted, we now embark on the usual spring/summer programme of rather more esoteric matches and venues, with the Marlborough cross-code challenge, the unusual courts fixture at Wrekin - with additional hill-climbing this year - and possibly even a trip to sample the court at City of Norwich school all in the pipeline, not to mention the return of the Aston House Studs and Stallions and the Westway Summer Superleague. Spencer is working on this year's livery at this very moment so watch this space.

28/03/15 at Stowe: North Oxford beat Old Stoics 3-0

Old Stoics conceded all three pairs

Unfortunately the Old Stoics were unable to raise a side for our league match this year, resulting in a concession and an automatic three points for us, which take us up into second position in the Division 2 table. A win in the last game against the Old Citizens and hopefully we'll cling on for a top three finish.

14/03/15 at Highgate: North Oxford drew with Highgate School 2-2

C.Rennie & C.Austin lost to D.Light & M.Holdsworth 1-2 (12-10, 5-12, 2-12)

G.Hoskins & P.Roper beat J.Hopkins & O.Light 2-1 (11-13, 12-9, 12-10)

S.Nowinski & M.Collins lost to A.Robinson & J.Gibber 0-3 (8-12, 6-12, 5-12)

H.Asquith & E.Scoones beat A.Reimer & C.Valensise 3-0 (14-11, 12-9, 12-4)

North Oxford provided the Highgate school team with their pre-schools' championships warm-up on Saturday in exchange for a decent knockaround and a traditional Highgate School sausage, chips and beans lunch afterwards. Having donned their Aldenham colours against us last weekend, Carl and Chris were back in NOEFC colours (not sure if a Daddy Pig t-shirt counts as NOEFC colours?) and keen to show the Highgate first pair a thing or two. They got off to a good start, winning the first game 12-10 but fell away a little afterwards, allowing the school pair to win the second and then race away with the third. Gareth Hoskins and Phil Roper were up against the school's top Under 16 pair, who are seeded second at the championships this week and who pushed them very hard indeed. The Highgate pair withstood a North Oxford comeback in the first to take it 13-11, but with Gareth finding his cutting range and Phil's left handed volleys causing havoc, the North Oxford pair kept their noses just in front in the next two to claim the win. The traditional horse-related late withdrawal from Spencer - metaphorically and almost literally "having a mare" - meant that Highgate coach Mark Collins had to step in at third pair to partner Stefan Nowinski and they lost in three entertaining games. Unusually, Highgate had fewer ladies pairs available than North Oxford, which was a slight disappointment, but it meant that Harriet Asquith and Emily Scoones - in her final North Oxford game before her return to Germany - were able to team up to beat Amira Reimer and Carolina Valensise in impressive style. The first two pairs were due to play best of five as well, but the Highgate School canteen waits for no man and with the other pairs already finished, a three game finish was agreed and the group decamped to the dining hall, where Chris did some important work developing his stomach of pure muscle.

A fun morning's Fives.

Action from Highgate

11/03/15 at Westway: North Oxford 2 lost to Team Westway 1 0-3

C.Rennie & J.Marks lost to G.Chapman & W.Betts 0-3 (11-12, 9-12, 1-12)

B.Kelly & H.Meakin lost to A.Constantine & D.Patel 0-3 (8-12, 5-12, 1-12)

K.Hird & E.Scoones lost to S.Carew & N.Caplin 0-3 (4-12, 8-12, 3-12)

On paper this looks like a second routine 0-3 league defeat in successive weeks. Luckily lessons have been learned from the England cricket team's World Cup campaign and having analysed the data from this match it is clear that there are numerous positives to be taken moving forward. The absence of some senior players, including another horse-related late withdrawal (thankfully not quite as late as the last one!) from Spencer, meant that North Oxford fielded probably the youngest league team in its history, with Captain Karen the oldest player on show. No Grandads on court this week! Carl Rennie and Joe Marks are a fine pair but for the second week in succession found themselves up against formidable opposition in Guy Chapman and Will Betts. The first game was crucial, and could have gone either way, but having lost it 11-12 Carl and Joe were always playing catch up. They got close again in the second game but having lost that one to 9, the writing was on the wall. It was a similar story at second pair, with a close first game being the nearest the North Oxford pair got to being in the match. It was immensely satisfying - not least for club president Andy Bishop - to see two young former Summer Fields players playing together for North Oxford and it was only the greater match experience of Alex Constantine and Darshan Patel that put them in front of Hugo Meakin and Barnaby Kelly. With more regular court time and greater experience, these two will hopefully improve rapidly and be cornerstones of the NOEFC Division 2 side next season. Captain Karen and Emily Scoones teamed up at third pair and gave a good account of themselves against Westway's own youngsters Noah Caplin and Spencer Carew, especially in the second game, but were unable to stop the Westway pair winning and taking the three points. We remain in second place in the table, in a very congested field behind the Old Etonians, with the two final matches crucial if we want to secure a top three finish.

First pair action from Westway (photos by Emily Scoones)

08/03/15 at Aldenham: North Oxford drew with Aldenham 1-1

G.Hoskins & J.Ho beat C.Rennie & C.Austin 3-1 (12-6, 12-9, 7-12, 12-4)

K.Hird/H.Asquith/E.Scoones/C.Cooley lost to P.Kendall & P.Lyndon

Our annual friendly at Aldenham is always a sociable affair and this year was no exception. A certain amount of flexibility was required thanks to late and non-arrivals, most notably a certain R.Morgan, who phoned up rather sheepishly at 10:15am to report that he was still in Cambridge thanks to a missed alarm call. No matter - with NO skipper Gareth Hoskins doing taxi shuttle runs to Elstree station, his Aldenham counterpart Phil Lyndon devised a format to suit all concerned. Phil and Paul Kendall took on various combinations of the North Oxford ladies team, all of whom acquitted themselves well without quite managing to pinch a game off their wily opponents, before playing a couple of games among themselves. Meanwhile, Gareth was pitched straight out of his taxi and into a tough first pair match, partnering Jonny Ho against Carl Rennie and Chris Austin. Gareth and Jonny won a mistake-riddled first game 12-6 and with Jonny providing a cut-returning masterclass, they were 9-3 up in the second game and cruising. Carl and Chris - wand-like left hand and stomach of pure muscle working in perfect harmony - began to find some form at this point, improving their set piece significantly and working their way back into the game. At 9-8, the comeback looked on, but Gareth and Jonny held their nerve and closed the game out for a 2-0 lead. The standard went up a couple of notches in the third and fourth, with all four players playing well and producing some terrific rallies. Carl and Chris always had their noses in front in the third game to pull one back, but Jonny refound his returning mojo in the fourth and with Gareth cutting well and providing solid support, the North Oxford pair won in four. We then moved on to the main business of the day as everyone headed to the Round Bush for lunch and a leisurely afternoon in the beer garden, listening to Grandad roll out the website story once again, demolishing a very large cake and taking it in turns to keep young Matthew Austin entertained. A most enjoyable day and just what Fives is all about.

04/03/15 at Westminster: North Oxford 2 lost to Old Etonians 0-3

C.Rennie & J.Marks lost to J.Cobb & A.Illingworth 0-3 (8-12, 6-12, 7-12)

G.Hoskins & K.Hird lost to A.Knight & T.Morrison 1-3 (6-12, 14-11, 10-12, 7-12)

G.Pulsford & E.Scoones lost to M.Powell & T.Best 2-3 (12-8, 1-12, 12-9, 13-14, 1-12)

In their song "Joy in Leeuwarden"*, seminal Birkenhead-based post-punk indie satirists Half Man Half Biscuit's lead singer Nigel Blackwell sings the following lines: "Sixteen teams are taking part, sixteen camps of hope. Some contain top, top players, some are just a crock of shit." As everyone knows, of course, he was singing about the 2010 European Korfball championships in the Netherlands, but with just a small adjustment, much the same could be said of Division 2 of the EFA league. North Oxford have nothing but top, top players, naturally, but this year's top dogs in the division have been the Old Etonians and they rolled out the heavy artillery at Westminster last night to claim a 3-0 win over a spirited NOEFC team and extend their lead at the top to a daunting 7 points. Carl Rennie and Joe Marks at first pair would normally be more than a match for any other first pair around, but they found themselves up against James Cobb (Schools Open winner 2014) and Alex Illingworth (Schools U16 winner 1991) who were simply too good for them on the night, winning in straight games. Second pair was a slightly odd match; the first game was riddled with mistakes with Gareth Hoskins and Karen Hird - well bandaged up to keep her fat pads under control - losing 12-6 to Alex Knight and Ted Morrison (Schools Open runner-up 2009). Morrison - an awkward and talented left-hander - was proving to be a difficult opponent in many ways, with some appalling serving (even worse than Gareth's) and some erratic and unpredictable Fives - at times unplayable and at times rather ordinary. Gareth and Karen hung in well to come back from 11-8 down to win the second 14-11 and got close to repeating the dose in the third before losing it 12-10. With the fat pads beginning to become a nuisance, the fourth game was lost to 7 on the stroke of 10pm. Emily Scoones at third pair was making her first NOEFC appearance for 18 months on a rare return to these shores from her studies in Germany. She must have been slightly bewildered to have found herself in a bizarre version of "Fifty Shades of Grey" in the third court, although that refers of course purely to the hair colour of her fellow players, their behaviour being perfectly gentlemanly and beyond reproach. Grandad Graham must have been equally bewildered to find himself the second youngest player on court and the North Oxford pair did well to overcome such difficult circumstances to establish a 2-1 lead over Martin Powell and Tim Best (Schools Open winner 1962). As the match went on and on, Emily became increasingly distracted by the imminent arrival and possible abandonment at the airport of a visiting German friend and the wily Etonians worked out a game plan to gain the upper hand and come from behind to win in five. Remarkably, this was North Oxford's first 3-0 Division 2 defeat since September 2009 - an amazing run!

* CLICK HERE for the full song

Additional photography by Carl Rennie

25/02/15 at Iffley Road: North Oxford lost to Oxford University 0-2

W.Campion & S.Nowinski lost to F.Imrie & F.von Stumm 0-3 (7-12, 12-13, 3-8)

North Oxford conceded second pair

The "town v gown" Varsity warm up match was thrown into chaos less than an hour before kick off on Wednesday night as with John Reynolds still stuck in London traffic and Spencer Chapman in full equine midwife mode, North Oxford were forced to concede second pair. This left Old Salopians Will Campion and Stefan Nowinski to uphold the club's honour and this they did, despite going down to a narrow defeat to former OUEFC captain Fergus Imrie and Etonian fresher Felix Stumm. The match turned on an epic hour long second game, which was eventually won 13-12 by the University pair and a shortened third game was then played to finish things off. Hopefully we'll be luckier next time and get both pairs played.

12/02/15 at Harrow: North Oxford 1 lost to Old Harrovians 1-2

G.Hoskins & P.Scholey lost to R.Tyler & J.Fleming 1-3 (12-0, 7-12, 13-14, 5-12)

G.Pulsford & S.Chapman beat A.Poole & A.Nevile 3-1 (12-0, 12-10, 1-12, 12-4)

K.Hird & I.Mitchell lost to T.Nevile & T.Skinner 0-3 (3-12, 0-12, 1-12)

The final Division 1 game of our debut season in the top flight saw North Oxford once again defeated but most definitely unbowed, putting in a battling away performance to pick up our fifth point of the campaign. The NOEFC cause was helped by some early organisational chaos at the Harrovian end, with both of the first two OH pairs conceding the first game due to lateness (Richard Tyler) and an emergency replacement having to be found at second pair for the non-arriving Tommy Faber. Summer Fields old boy Faber was replaced by another Old Summerfieldian in Alexander Nevile, with two more former SF players - Tom Nevile and Tom Skinner - at third pair. In many ways, therefore, it was two of our own who inflicted a quick and comprehensive defeat on Ian and Karen, who won the toss to serve first but not much else after that against the impressive school first pair. We'll try and remind the Toms where their loyalties should lie next time. As the third pair match had already started, the younger and more inexperienced Nevile brother had to play second pair with Alex Poole. They found themselves up against the multifarious wiles of Grandad Graham and thoroughbred Spencer Chapman, champing at the bit to record his first ever Division one win. The pressure on the NO duo mounted as the winning line approached, with a disastrous third game, but some judicious use of the whip from Grandad spurred Spencer on to accelerate over the final furlong and finally make it into the winners' enclosure. The Harrovian first pair were a lot more experienced than their much younger team mates and were always going to be a stern test for Gareth Hoskins and Pete Scholey. Despite not winning, Gareth and Pete played extremely well, pushing the Harrow pair very hard and coming within a whisker of winning the third game and going 2-1 ahead. Losing that game 13-14 was a bit of a disappointment and that plus the effort involved in getting so close took the wind out of the North Oxford pair's sails a bit in the fourth, allowing Richard Tyler and Jamie Fleming - Gareth's partner in winning the 2014 Veterans tournament - to complete the win. Karen had finished early enough to get a game of rackets in while the rest of us were still on court, but still made it to the pub afterwards - a 5-0 win for North Oxford there, only Spencer defaulting as he had to go and give birth back at the Stud - to join in the detailed and uniformly perceptive analysis of our Division 1 campaign. The consensus was clear - despite coming bottom of the table, we have enjoyed our Division 1 games and have clearly been competitive enough to justify giving it another go next year. There just remained time for Karen to blot her copybook by abandoning her Fives team to go and join the rival rackets faction in the other bar; an internal NOEFC disciplinary hearing will be convened in due course to decide what action should be taken. Attention now turns to Division 2 and our bid to maintain our record of never finishing outside the top three. A fourth successive title looks unlikely at this stage, but you never know!

05/02/15 at Eton: North Oxford beat Lancing Old Boys 2-0

S.Chapman & I.Watts beat W.Betts & G.Linfield 3-2 (13-12, 6-12, 11-12, 12-9, 12-9)

S.Nowinski & M.Barnes beat R.Black & S.Maguire 3-2 (12-6, 10-12, 6-12, 14-13, 12-6)

This was pretty much the perfect friendly match: two well balanced pairs, two five-game. three-hour marathons and two North Oxford wins at the end of it all. Spencer Chapman and Izzy Watts - up at the dizzy heights of first pair for the first time for NOEFC - took on former OUEFC captain Will Betts and Lancing schoolboy George Linfield, both of whom took part in the LOBs narrow Barber Cup semi-final defeat at the hands of the Salopians. The match was nip and tuck all the way with Spencer and Izzy struggling to return Will's cut and trying to cash in when facing George. A bouncy ball probably helped the North Oxford pair, as it made it difficult for Will to kill shots in the buttress and Spencer and Izzy came from 1-2 down to win both the last two games 12-9. Second pair followed a similar pattern, with Stefan Nowinski and Mandie Barnes up against this year's Oxford ladies captain Scarlett Maguire and canny veteran Richard Black, a past master at winning long drawn out five game matches. Again the North Oxford pair had to come from 1-2 down, before winning the fourth by the skin of their teeth and going on to take the fifth 12-6.

25/01/15 at Eton: EFA Trophy Qualifiers

North Oxford (7th out of 8): S.Chapman, A.Yusaf, N.Turnbull, C.Lloyd, H.Asquith, K.Hird

At times North Oxford are victims of our own success and largesse; this year's EFA Trophy group stage campaign produced another disappointing points tally, but with several of our players ineligible and several others playing for other teams - Carl and Grandad for Aldenham, Ollie Sale and Dan Byam Shaw for Oxford, Jack Parham for Cambridge and Jeremy Hindle for the Etonians - it was a good effort to put out a team at all, let alone one that, despite the low points tally, performed impressively and competitively throughout. It would only have taken a little bit more luck and a little bit more composure at crucial times for us to have more than doubled our final tally and finished at least a place or two higher in the table. The day started well with an excellent first pair win from Spencer Chapman - motivated by the thought of rewarding himself for the win with one of his spelt and oat crackers - and Alex Yusaf over the Etonian Nissen brothers, former schools champions both, if playing for the first time in a decade. Alas, the withdrawal halfway through of the OE team meant that that result didn't count in the overall stats but it ought to have set us up well for the next game against Cambridge University. This was the most disappointing game of the day against opposition we should have beaten - first and second pair were lost 12-11 and a winnable third pair also went the way of the student team. After that setback, performances improved significantly; unfortunately so did the quality of the opposition and it was left to the North Oxford first pair to pick up a couple of wins against the Monday Knights and Oxford University to get us on the scoreboard. We did outdo everyone there in the quality of food on offer (despite those spelt and oat monstrosities) thanks to Karen's jammy dodger cupcakes and mini black forest gateaux and with one or two players becoming eligible once again next year, the prospects are bright for the club for the 2016 tournament.

18/01/15 at Aldenham: North Oxford 1 beat Old Westminsters 1 2-1

C.Rennie & J.Marks lost to L.Brock & E.Rose 2-3 (6-12, 12-9, 12-6, 4-12, 8-12)

G.Pulsford & C.Austin beat S.Williams & C.Brock 3-0 (12-2, 12-5, 12-8)

P.Scholey & I.Mitchell beat N.Margerison & A.Robinow 3-0 (14-12, 12-8, 14-13)

Good things come to those who wait, and after a dispiriting run of five successive 3-0 Division 1 defeats, the tide was turned at Aldenham yesterday with a 2-1 home win over the Old Westminsters 1. It was so nearly a full three points, as Carl Rennie and Joe Marks - fulfilling the young Cholmeleian ringer role in the absence of Jonny Ho & Sam Little - almost caused an upset, taking a 2-1 lead over seasoned Division 1 campaigners Ed Rose and Laurie Brock with some outstanding Fives before the Westminster pair came back to win in five. This was especially agonising for Carl, who now has the unenviable distinction of having played in three Division 2 games this season that have gone to five games, only to lose them all. Having said that, simply to be mixing it as this level shows how his game has come in the past couple of years and it's surely only a matter of time before the narrow defeats are turned into victories. Second pair saw the return of Grandad Graham playing alongside Chris Austin and they used home court advantage and years of experience to teach Westminster youngsters Sam Williams and Callum Brock a Fives lesson or two, winning in straight games. In the absence of one or two players - this was the first NOEFC match since Feb 2014 to feature neither Gareth, Spencer nor Karen, a run of 29 matches - Ian Mitchell made his North Oxford Division 1 debut and showed nerves of steel to win a dramatic encounter 14-12, 12-8, 14-13 with Pete Scholey against Adam Robinow and wily Westminster veteran Neil Margerison. Our second win of the season is probably not enough to get us off bottom spot without a big win in our final match away against the Harrovians (or a Westminster collapse) but it doubled our points tally for the season and provided much encouragement for a possible second tilt at the top flight next year.

15/01/15 at Eton: North Oxford beat The Brigands 2-0

S.Chapman & J.Hindle beat M.Powell & N.Higgins 3-0 (12-6, 12-6, 12-2)

H.Asquith & C.Davies beat N.Jones & R.Murray 3-0 (12-3, 12-3, 12-9)

The annual January friendly against the Brigands produced a 2-0 win for North Oxford at Eton last night. Although the Brigands disappointingly dropped third pair on the morning of the match, the fixture provided the opportunity for Jeremy Hindle to make his latest NOEFC comeback, reviving memories of the glory days of the Aston Studs as he and Spencer Chapman overcame the problems presented by a slow ball and awkward opposition to win in three against Martin Powell and Nick Higgins. At least playing with a slow ball allowed Jeremy to limit the number of shots hit two metres beyond the back step. The second pair gave Harriet Asquith the chance to observe at first hand how the game should be played as she accompanied the maestro to a comfortable win over Nick Jones and Richard Murray before all eight players headed to the Golden Curry for the serious business of the evening and a lengthy debate about whether Spencer's 2014/15 win percentage will stay in double figures before the season is out.

11/01/15 at Eton: North Oxford 2 beat Berkhamsted 2 3-0

C.Rennie & C.Lloyd beat D.Naik & J.Young 3-0 (12-2, 12-2, 12-1)

S.Chapman & C.Davies beat C.Briggs & M.Coombes 3-0 (12-2, 12-6, 12-3)

H.Asquith & R.Scott beat S.Greasley & N.Lilienthal 3-0 (12-8, 12-8, 12-3)

The NOEFC first team squad may be finding life in the top flight pretty tough, but the second team are continuing to thrive in Division 2, going to the top of the table for the first time this season on the back of a convincing 3-0 win over Berkhamsted 2 at Eton. Carl Rennie had got his eye in in the morning, taking on James Toop and with Berkhamsted 2 forced into a couple of late changes to strengthen their first team (playing at the same time) the afternoon opposition were rather less demanding. With an in form Chris Lloyd on court as well, the Berkhamsted first pair were quickly swept away with the minimum of fuss. Karen's morning injury meant that North Oxford were also forced into a change in the afternoon line-up. Gareth and Spencer had spent the lunch time break debating who would get the honour of stepping into Karen's shoes for the afternoon and in the end, fuelled by green tea and the promise of taking his season's win percentage out of single figures, Spencer agreed to double up; as it turned out, the opposition were no match for Spencer and the maestro Chris Davies, who never even got as far as taking his cricket sweater off as they cruised to an easy straight games win. The third pair contest was one of the most significant matches of the season anywhere - the first time in Eton Fives history that a league game had been contested between two ladies pairs. All four players more than justified their selection, producing a terrific display of fast, exciting and attacking Fives but in the end the North Oxford pair of Harriet Asquith and Rosie Scott were too strong for Sarah Greasley and Natalie Lilienthal, the two ex-Oxford girls beating the two ex-Cambridge players 8,8 and 3 to wrap up the 3-0 win and putting North Oxford 2 temporarily top of the Division 2 pile. There are teams close behind us with games in hand, but a top three finish looks well within our grasp and with a strong finish - with the match against the Etonians especially crucial - a fourth successive Division 2 title is not beyond the realms of possibility.

11/01/15 at Eton: North Oxford 1 lost to Old Olavians 1 0-3

C.Rennie & C.Austin lost to J.Toop & J.Tate 0-3 (2-12, 8-12, 2-12)

P.Scholey & S.Chapman lost to H.Wiseman & J.Prior 1-3 (12-8, 11-13, 8-12, 3-12)

K.Hird & G.Hoskins lost to W.Betts & S.Ujoodia 2-3 (12-11, 12-10, 7-12 ret)

Our Division 1 results have been nothing if not consistent since the early season optimism-inducing win over the Old Millhillians back in September. The return match against the Old Olavians at Eton on Sunday saw hopes raised of breaking the sequence of 3-0 defeats on first viewing of the opposition team sheet, with only two Kinnaird Cup winners to contend with this time instead of four. Carl Rennie and Chris Austin took on James Toop and schoolboy James Tate at first pair and despite a strong second game showing from the North Oxford pair, Toop was simply too strong and the Olavians drew first blood at the top of the order. Second pair started promisingly: Spencer Chapman and Pete Scholey took the first game against Howard Wiseman and Joey Prior and with the second game poised at 10-10 were in with a chance of taking a 2-0 lead. It wasn't to be, however, and although they remained competitive in the third, by the fourth the North Oxford pair had run out of steam and the Olavians went on to win 3-1. Third pair was the most frustrating as Gareth Hoskins and Karen Hird eyed up a very winnable looking match against former Oxford University captain Will Betts and Olavian schoolboy Sohail Ujoodia. It soon became evident that their task was going to be trickier then they thought. Karen had to take a break in the first game, struggling with both illness and a back injury. With Karen fighting on valiantly and Gareth throwing himself round the court to try and compensate, they managed to squeak through the first two games, winning 12-11 and 12-10. Karen was in pain and struggling more and more to move freely and after the third game was lost to 7, the only sensible option was to call time and concede the match, a real disappointment as this was a match Gareth and a fully fit Karen would have expected to win reasonably comfortably. So yet again, we managed to contrive a 3-0 Division 1 defeat and remain rooted to the bottom of the table with two matches left. With no major signings in the transfer window and no Tony Pulis-style figure to come in and bring about a stunning turnaround, our chances of making it to second bottom are pretty slim but spirits in the camp remain high, as the post-match debrief in the Henry showed, and we have another shot at redemption next Sunday as we take the Old Westminsters out of their midweek evening comfort zone and bring them along to fortress Aldenham - surely a great opportunity to pick up some more points and maybe even a second win of the campaign.

09/12/14 at Westminster: North Oxford 2 beat Old Westminsters 2 2-1

G.Hoskins & S.Chapman beat A.Jackson & F.Krespi 3-0 (12-4, 12-6, 12-1)

J.Shaw & W.Campion beat C.Shawcross & E.Osen 3-0 (12-5, 13-11, 12-1)

K.Hird & R.Scott lost to J.Sanderson & W.Illingworth 0-3 (4-12, 6-12, 9-12)

The final NOEFC league fixture of 2014 brought another away victory in Division 2, a 2-1 win over the Old Westminsters 2 that takes us up to second place in Division 2. Gareth Hoskins and Spencer Chapman were in dominant form from the start in their first pair game, quickly getting on top of Alfie Jackson and Freddie Krespi and never relinquishing their grip. Experience was the order of the day at second pair with Justin Shaw and Will Campion teaming up to take on Conrad Shawcross and Elana Osen. Justin and Will controlled the first game but the second one was much closer, as the increasingly slippery floor brought the pairs closer together. Justin and Will saw the game through 13-11, however, and back on dry land, having moved onto the drier court vacated by the completed first pair match, the North Oxford pair reasserted their authority and raced through the third game. Third pair was a much tougher ask for North Oxford, with Will Illingworth something of a bandit down at third pair for the Westminsters due to illness. Karen Hird and Rosie Scott never quite got to grips with the match against Will and John Sanderson; they did have one window of opportunity, with the floor getting slippery (certainly to their advantage) and the NOEFC pair coming back from 3-9 to 9-9 in the third. Had they managed to convert that position into a third game win, who knows what would have happened? It wasn't to be, though, and the OW pair closed out the third game 12-9. Post-match, Will single handedly cleaned the Sanctuary out of chilli-flavoured bar snacks, while Spencer was forced next door for his breadless sandwich (looked like a salad to the rest of us) and green tea as NOEFC claimed a second victory of the night with a 5-1 pub attendance win, only Rosie costing North Oxford a 100% record and Elana doing her bit to keep the OW end up.

North Oxford win against the Westminsters

04/12/14 at Highgate: North Oxford drew with UCL 2-2

P.Scholey & J.Ho lost to J.Tugwell & J.Marks scratched

S.Chapman & J.Shaw beat D.Chandra & S.Sehgal 3-0 (12-5, 12-6, 12-3)

I.Mitchell & R.Morgan beat A.Ibbetson & T.Nixey 3-0 (12-7, 12-1, 12-9)

R.Scott & M.Barnes lost to H.Asquith & I.Barber 1-2 (8-12, 12-8, 6-12)

A new fixture for North Oxford, this one, as we took on the students of UCL at Highgate on Thursday night. The disappointment of the night was the five hour round trip for Peter Scholey to the car park that was the M25 and back home again, without ever making it anywhere near Highgate. This was a shame all round, as Pete was lined up to play first pair against Joe Marks and James Tugwell in what would have been a tasty encounter. The other pairs went ahead as planned, Spencer Chapman and Justin Shaw back in harness and dominating their match against Olavian Davin Chandra and Cholmeleian Saachi Sehgal, justifying Spencer's decision to make himself available for this one in a desperate attempt to rescue his season's win percentage. Ian Mitchell and Ralph Morgan were also able to keep a bit in reserve as they cruised past Andrew Ibbetson and Tim Nixey. The game of the night was the ladies pair, with NOEFC's own Harriet Asquith playing for her University side along with Old Salopian Izzy Barber against Mandie Barnes and Rosie Scott. This was a classic see-saw encounter with play of an extremely high standard and it was only in the very latter stages of the third game that Harry and Izzy pulled away to win in three.

02/12/14 at Westway: North Oxford 2 beat Old Salopians 2-1

N.Shaw & J.Marks beat B.Jones & G.Williams 3-0 (12-1, 12-8, 13-10)

K.Hird & B.Kelly lost to M.Quinn & A.Taylor 2-3 (7-12, 12-10, 5-12, 12-10, 5-12)

Old Salopians conceded third pair

The large number of fixtures in a short space of time has stretched even North Oxford's squad resources to the limit, so having finally got a good team of six together to take on the Salopians at Westway on Tuesday, it was rather disappointing that they themselves were unable to supply a third pair, leaving the unlucky Harriet Asquith and Michael Millership having to stay at home and wonder how much they would have won their match by. This week's newcomer to the ranks was Old Cholmeleian Joe Marks, who partnered Nick Shaw to a convincing victory at first pair over Ben Jones and Guy Williams, who rallied towards the end having lost the first game heavily but who never had an answer to the North Oxford pair's attacking game. The Salopian second pair of Marc Quinn and Al Taylor are experienced match players and tough nuts to crack; Karen Hird and Barnaby Kelly can be proud of themselves for taking them to five games, although in the end too many errors cost the North Oxford pair dear. It's been great to see Barnaby back playing for NOEFC over the last couple of league matches and we hope to see plenty more of him after Christmas. Any win over the tricky Salopians is a good result and with one more league match to go before the Christmas break, NOEFC are looking well placed for a top three finish.

30/11/14 at Cambridge: North Oxford Ladies beat Cambridge University Ladies 3-0

K.Hird & R.Scott beat E.Osen & S.Kelly 3-0 (12-5, 12-3, 12-6)

A.O'Malley & C.Farquaharson-Roberts beat E.Sewart & A.Cave 3-0 (12-3, 12-9)

M.Barnes & E.Double beat L.Tobin & E.Shillam 3-0 (12-1, 12-1)

North Oxford honour was restored in the post-lunch session as the North Oxford ladies inflicted a clean sweep of victories on their Cambridge counterparts. Fueled by roast dinner and sticky toffee pudding, Karen Hird and Rosie Scott had a comfortable win over Elana Osen, lacking her regular partner Olivia Prankerd-Smith. although this year's Cambridge captain Sophie Kelly showed some encouraging improvement in her game in staying competitive with NOEFC's "big beasts". Those watching were not convinced that Karen's left-handed cutting has much of a future, though. Second pair saw ex-Cambridge players Charlie Farquharson-Roberts and Anneliese O'Malley guest for North Oxford and win in straight games against Emma Sewart and Angharad Cave, the first game straightforward and the second less so as the Cambridge pair improved. The old firm of Mandie Barnes and Emma Double teamed up again at third pair and were easy winners over Lizzie Tobin and Emma Shillam. The games were followed by some entertaining extra mix and match pairs playing against each other and the obligatory - and most excellent - Hird cake to top up the sticky toffee from earlier in the afternoon.

A clean sweep for the North Oxford girls

30/11/14 at Cambridge: North Oxford lost to Cambridge University 1-2

L.Brock & R.Wilson lost to T.Barker & R.Houlden 1-3 (12-7, 8-12, 7-12, 0-12)

K.Hird & G.Hoskins beat J.Parham & S.Balaji 3-0 (13-12, 12-6, 12-7)

J.Knight & C.Friend lost to C.Moore & J.Crawford 2-3 (12-5, 12-7, 9-12, 7-12, 9-12)

A seesaw battle on the Cambridge courts saw the University men's side pip North Oxford to the win by 2 pairs to 1, with the match going down to the fifth game of the final pair and with everyone else already happily ensconced in the Red Lion in Grantchester. First pair for North Oxford had something of an Aston House Studs feel to it as Superleague stalwarts and recent ex-Cambridge captains Laurie Brock and Rob Wilson teamed up to take on this year's Universities winners Tony Barker and Riki Houlden. Brock and Wilson had the edge in game one, winning 12-7, but as the game went on Rob's lack of match practice began to tell and the Cambridge pair began to exert a stranglehold on proceedings that the NO pair were unable to break, with Barker dominating the buttress and Houlden firing in a series of telling shots from the back of the court. Once the Cambridge pair had turned the tide in the second game things were only going in one direction and they finished the fourth game off to 0 in double quick time. Two more former Cambridge players were on court for North Oxford at second pair, with Gareth Hoskins and Karen Hird taking on NOEFC's own Jack Parham and Old Olavian Sudhir Balaji. The first game was tight and could have gone either way; once Gareth and Karen had pinched it 13-12, they began to hit their stride, especially on return of cut, and ran out 3-0 winners. Third pair was an epic encounter with yet another ex Cambridge player, Joss Knight, partnering the back-from-annual-retirement Courtney Friend. Things looked nicely under control for the North Oxford pair at 2-0 up but Charlie Moore and John Crawford fought hard to turn things round and come from 0-2 to win 3-2, taking the fifth game 12-9.

26/11/14 at Westway: North Oxford 2 beat Old Ipswichians 3-0

N.Shaw & P.Roper beat W.Gibbons & D.Leach 3-0 (14-11, 12-10, 12-3)

K.Hird & G.Pulsford beat T.Gregory & N.Bunyan 3-0 (12-6, 12-6, 12-9)

J.Shaw & B.Kelly beat Tom Fletcher & E.Henchy 3-0 (12-3, 12-5, 12-3)

After our recent travails in the top division, normal service was resumed at Westway last night back in our natural habitat of Division 2, with a fine 3-0 win over a strong Old Ipswichian side. There some notable debuts and reappearances in the North Oxford line-up: Nick Shaw was back at the top of the order where he was joined by Old Cranleighan Phil Roper, making an impressive first appearance in North Oxford colours against the formidable OI first pair of Leach & Gibbons. The first two games were close, with Nick & Phil just edging them both before powering away in the third. For the NOEFC stattos out there (you know who you are) there are 30 current active Fives-playing senior schools and at various times over the years former pupils of 21* of them (Cranleigh being the latest addition to that list) have now represented North Oxford, as well as all of those players whose former schools no longer have courts (Wellington) and those who went to schools who have never had any. One such player - captain for the evening Karen Hird - played at second pair with Graham Pulsford against wily campaigners Tim Gregory and Nick Bunyan. This could have been a tricky encounter against a pair of seasoned veterans, but Grandad Graham and Karen dovetailed superbly to cruise to victory in three straight games. Third pair was another returnee/league debutant combo with Justin Shaw in for his first game of the season and playing through the pain of an injury to his left wrist. He teamed up with Old Summerfieldian Barnaby Kelly, now finished at University in Exeter and back in London, who made his first appearance in a North Oxford shirt since he was still at school at Eton back in 2010. It was a winning return for both of them as they eased past Tom Fletcher and Elliot Henchy with plenty to spare. The result sees us shoot up the table into the top half and with lots of games still to come we'll hopefully see NOEFC challenging at the top end of Division 2 again this season.

*To complete the set, we need appearances from former pupils of: Bryanston, City of Norwich, Mill Hill, QEB, Rydal, St.Bart's, St.Bees, Uppingham and Wrekin.

23/11/14 at Berkhamsted: North Oxford 1 lost to Berkhamsted 1 0-3

C.Rennie & C.Austin lost to D.Foster & J.O'Neill 0-3 (6-12, 6-12, 4-12)

G.Hoskins & G.Pulsford lost to A.Theodossi & D.Smith 1-3 (6-12, 7-12, 12-9, 9-12)

P.Scholey & S.Chapman lost to G.Campbell & C.Nicholls 0-3 (3-12, 4-12, 5-12)

It would have taken a giant-killing of epic proportions for North Oxford to have turned over defending champions and league leaders Berkhamsted 1 on their own turf on Sunday morning and sadly the NOEFC team were unable to oblige, continuing their recent run of Division 1 defeats and consolidating their current role as top division plucky losers. Berkhamsted have won the league twice in the last three years and have a formidable array of talent at their disposal; even with Ryan Perrie left on the sidelines the home team had more than enough firepower to claim the three points. It wasn't all doom and gloom, however; the wet weather meant the old courts were dangerously wet underfoot, meaning that we got to play on the three nice new ones at the prep school, flouting the Sunday morning Fives ban. Once again, we can also say that although beaten in all three pairs, we were competitive throughout and all three pairs were enjoyable to play in. Gareth Hoskins and Graham Pulsford got the closest to winning a point for North Oxford, improving as their match went on, especially on return of cut, and taking the third game and almost the fourth as they closed fast at the end after a slow start. Neither of the other two pairs managed to get close to winning a game but both had their moments and special mention should be made of Pete Scholey, who took his pre-match preparation to extreme lengths, attempting to gain a vital edge with a couple of days of altitude training in the Atlas Mountains. Any benefits accrued may have been outweighed by his return flight getting in at 1am on the morning of the match, however, but with a bit of logistical fine-tuning this could be the start of a whole new era, entirely in keeping with the professional approach increasingly being adopted by NOEFC. Those selected for the next Division 1 match against the Olavians in January will be expected to attend an intensive two day pre-match team training camp in a pub somewhere near Windsor in an attempt to turn our fortunes around.

Division 1 action from Berkhamsted

12/11/14 at Highgate: North Oxford 1 lost to Old Westminsters 1 0-3

J.Ho & S.Little lost to L.Brock & E.Rose 1-3 (5-12, 8-12, 12-3, 3-12)

P.Scholey & G.Pulsford lost to A.Illingworth & C.Hughes 0-3 (3-12, 3-12, 6-12)

G.Hoskins & K.Hird lost to G.Coren & M.Rimini 0-3 (10-12, 4-12, 11-12)

The Division 1 learning curve continues to be steep for North Oxford's first team, with another loss last night at Highgate - this time to fellow strugglers the Old Westminsters - leaving us stranded at the foot of the table. We did have the misfortune to come up against the strongest side that the OWs have put out this season, which meant that getting anything out of the match was always going to be a challenge. That's not to say that we didn't have opportunities; after a shaky first game, Sam Little and Jonny Ho began to hit their stride towards the end of game two and into the third against Laurie Brock (flaunting his Aston House Studs Superleague shirt!) and Ed Rose. With a 12-3 third game success under their belts and Ed appearing to tire, it looked as if Sam and Jonny might be able to keep the fightback going. Unfortunately they weren't able to return enough cuts in the fourth game and the more experienced Westminster pair came through to win in four. Pete Scholey and Graham Pulsford at second pair were pitched against Etonian Alex Illingworth and Salopian Chris Hughes and never really got into the match, failing to find their best form and going down fairly quickly in straight games. Gareth Hoskins and Karen Hird at third pair took on the wily combination of Giles Coren and Marco Rimini. Marco's touch around the buttress and Giles's vicious left-hand (the accompanying vicious tongue wasn't required!) made life awkward for the North Oxford pair but the Westminsters also made enough mistakes to keep Gareth and Karen close in the first game. The second was lost mainly due to one disastrous hand, but Gareth and Karen played well in the third, improving their set piece and managing to take more of the initiative on top step to get to 11-9. A couple of half chances came and went, with Marco rescuing a match point with a miracle recovery by the back bricks and the Westminster pair managed to win the sudden death shootout to cvmplete the 3-0 win, which sees them leapfrog us in the table. Defending champions Berkhamsted away is the next challenge but we're already looking forward to the Aldenham rematch with the Westminsters in January, when we will see if we can turn the tables and fight our way off the bottom of the table.

Sam Little and Jonny Ho take on Laurie Brock and Ed Rose at Highgate

09/11/14 at Eton: Richard Black Cup

North Oxford team: K.Hird, H.Asquith, R.Scott, F.Turnbull, N.Lilienthal, W.Carling

Group Stage: beat Oxford University 6-0; beat Wolverhampton GS 6-0; beat Highgate 2 6-0

Semi-Final: beat EFA 3-0

K.Hird & H.Asquith beat C.Cooley & A.O'Malley 12-4, 12-1

R.Scott & N.Lilienthal beat F.Barnes & C.Farquharson-Roberts 12-10, 12-11

F.Turnbull & W.Carling beat E.O'Malley & Berkhamsted girl 12-6, 12-4

Final: lost to Highgate 1 1-2

K.Hird & H.Asquith beat P.Bracken & A.Reimer 12-3, 11-12, 12-7

R.Scott & N.Lilienthal lost to E.Smith-Bingham & M.Briscoe 12-0, 12-2

F.Turnbull & W.Carling lost to C.Valensise & L.Katz-Roberts 11-12, 9-12

For the second successive year North Oxford finished in the runners-up position at the Richard Black Cup at Eton, but this year saw a definite narrowing of the gap between NOEFC and the girls from Highgate School, with the margin of defeat much narrower this time round. With Mandie Barnes unavailable, Natalie Lilienthal slotted into the team this year and the North Oxford pairs made short work of all of the opposition in their group, defeating Oxford University, Wolverhampton Grammar School and Highgate 2 without dropping a game. A small tweak to the pairings was made for the knockout stages with Natalie Lilienthal moving up to partner Rosie Scott at second pair and Francesca Turnbull teaming up with Wendy Carling at third. The EFA team in the semi-final featured some dangerous opponents including multiple national champion Charlotta Cooley and former ladies finalist Fiona Barnes. Karen Hird and Harriet Asquith quixkly dispatched Charlotta and her Olavian partner Anneliese O'Malley at first pair, however, beating them 4 and 1 in double quick time, a promising omen after Charlotta and Anneliese had earlier pushed the Highgate first pair much closer in the group stages. Francesca and Wendy played well to win comfortably at third and Rosie and Natalie completed the 3-0 win, holding their nerve to win 12-10, 12-11 in a much tighter game against Fiona and Charlie Farquaharson-Roberts. Going into the final, the form guide favoured Karen and Harry at first pair against Highgate's Phoebe Bracken and Amira Reimer; the first game went that way with the North Oxford pair continuing their blistering form to win 12-3; the Highgate pair are tough opponents, however, and with Karen and Harry's level dipping for the first time in the day, the Highgate girls pinched the second game 12-11. The third game saw Karen and Harry find their mojo once again to move away in the second half of the game, win 12-7 and get a point on the board for North Oxford. By that stage, second pair had already quickly gone the way of Highgate: lack of recent practice meant Eve Smith-Bingham was playing down in second pair with Marjolaine Briscoe, creating a tough ask for Rosie and Natalie, who were unable to repeat their semi-final heroics, going down to a quick defeat against a quality pair. All that meant that third pair would decide the match and the destiny of the Richard Black Cup for 2014. Wendy and Francesca played absolutely magnificently from start to finish in this match and gave absolutely everything they had to try and beat the Highgate pair of Carolina Valensise and Lola Katz-Roberts. The key phase of the match was at the end of the first game with everything balanced on a knife edge; had Francesca and Wendy managed to sneak a 12-11 win instead of losing by the same score, who knows how things might have panned out. As it turned out, the second game, while close again all the way through, was always just tilted in favour of the slightly fresher Highgate pair, who took a lot of belief and confidence from their first game win. Even so, Francesca and Wendy got to 9 and made the Highgate girls work incredibly hard for their victory. All six of the North Oxford players can be proud of their efforts and it's good to see that the gap is closing between us and Highgate. Who knows what will happen next year!

08/11/14 at Eton: North Oxford 1 lost to Old Harrovians 0-3

C.Rennie & G.Hoskins lost to T.Dunbar & R.Wijeratne 0-3 (12-13, 5-12, 8-12)

A.Yusaf & C.Austin lost to R.Bryan & O.Denby 0-3 (5-12, 6-12, 8-12)

P.Scholey & S.Chapman lost to N.Shaw & A.Huo 1-3 (10-12, 15-13, 8-12, 7-12)

Another Division 1 game and another defeat, but once again we showed that even without the unavailable Sam Little and Jonny Ho, we are managing to be competitive in nearly every pair that we play in Division 1. The Old Harrovians may have fielded three schoolboys in their line-up at Eton on Saturday but they were a) very good schoolboys and b) each teamed with a top class player. Gareth Hoskins and Carl Rennie took on the formidable challenge presented by nine time Kinnaird Cup winner Tom Dunbar and acquitted themselves pretty well, especially in the first and third games. Tom wasn't always at his astonishing best, but the trademark sensational cut returning and the killer volleys from anywhere on the court were both in evidence on a regular basis. Who knows what would have happened if the North Oxford pair had managed to see through their first game comeback from 6-11 down and win it 13-12 instead of going one game behind? The second game saw Tom raise his game but a spirited third game performance made the Harrovian first pair work hard for their victory. Alex Yusaf made his Division 1 debut at second pair alongside Chris Austin, fresh from his recent success in the Aldenham ladder. They were up against the experienced Ross Bryan and schoolboy Oskar Denby and never quite got to grips with the match, apart from a spell in the third where they established an 8-4 lead before going down 12-4. Pete Scholey and Spencer Chapman were up against a familiar face in the third pair with North Oxford's own Nick Shaw in the opposition ranks. This was the closest game of the lot, with the first two games shared 10-12, 15-13. Maybe Spencer should have knocked back his cashew and pecan "Bounce" energy ball earlier in the piece as his levels of oxidative stress were unable to cope with the Harrovian onslaught in games three and four. Next up is a crucial relegation six pointer against the Old Westminsters at Highgate on Wednesday night.

Second and first pairs taking a beating from the Old Harrovians Textbook positional play from Spencer as always

Photography by Karen Hird

26/10/14 at Eton: North Oxford 2 lost to St.Olave's School 1 1-2

C.Rennie & P.Lyndon beat T.Gallagher & M.Pugh 3-0 (15-13, 12-11, 12-9)

A.Bishop & H.Meakin lost to K.Walton & J.Tate 1-3 (3-12, 12-9, 6-12, 12-15)

K.Hird & H.Asquith lost to C.Plews & C.Stocks 1-3 (12-7, 1-12, 12-14, 3-12)

A much changed and experimental North Oxford line-up took to the courts of Eton on Sunday to take on the St.Olave's School first team. With several players missing due to half term holidays and other commitments, it was left to Carl Rennie to lead the line at first pair, with fellow Aldenhamian and North Oxford occasional Phil Lyndon drafted in join him in taking on Tom Gallagher and Morgan Pugh. Phil's wonky knees don't lend themselves to long five game matches, so fuelled by Karen's dinosaur shaped biscuits, Phil managed to focus his energy in on winning in three games; whatever the inspiration/level of desperation, it worked as he and Carl won the first two games by tiny margins 15-13 and 12-11 before adding the third 12-9 to claim an impressive point. Thankfully Carl's clock change confusion didn't prove terminal on this occasion. It was Summer Fields past and present at second pair as NOEFC President Andy Bishop teamed up with former pupil Hugo Meakin to take on the very promising young pairing of Kieran Walton and James Tate. The North Oxford pair started slowly, losing the first game 12-3, but recovered to win the second and then came within a whisker of taking the match to a fifth and deciding game, losing the fourth 15-12. Karen and Harriet played together at third pair and started in the opposite fashion to Andy and Hugo, taking the first game to 7. The second quickly went the way of their opponents, setting up a crucial third game, which went right to the wire. Unfortunately Karen and Harriet lost it 14-12 and the schoolboys continued that momentum into the fourth. This was a strong performance by team missing several regulars and we were maybe a little unlucky to come away with only one point from a match against a strong school team, many of whom already have lots of experience playing adult Fives.

21/10/14 at Highgate: North Oxford 1 lost to Old Millhillians 1 0-3

J.Ho & S.Little lost to I.Hutchinson & V.Bhimjiyani 1-3 (11-14, 9-12, 12-9, 7-12)

P.Scholey & C.Austin lost to S.Tailor & J.Lefort 0-3 (5-12, 8-12, 10-12)

C.Rennie & K.Hird lost to J.Coakley & A.Rennie 1-3 (8-12, 12-9, 5-12, 12-11, 7-12)

Further confirmation - if confirmation were needed - that life in the big league is going to be tough came for us last night at Highgate as NOEFC suffered a second successive 3-0 defeat, this time at the hands of the Old Millhillians 1. There were no Kinnaird winners in the opposition ranks this time (just one former finalist!) but it was a tough ask nevertheless for Sam Little and Jonny Ho to take on the established and experienced pair of Ian Hutchinson and Vishal Bhimjiyani, even back on their old home courts at Highgate. Sam in particular is still getting back into the swing of playing regular Fives which makes their performance highly commendable as they pushed the prickly OM pair all the way in the first two games, before winning the third and raising hopes of a comeback. The OM pair won the fourth to close it out but Sam and Jonny are already proving that they have what it takes to succeed at first pair in the first division and they will surely only improve as the season goes on. Pete Scholey and Chris Austin at second pair were kept waiting before they could start their match but were relieved that at least they weren't up against any Cooleys this time; Sunil Tailor and Justin Lefort are still a fine pair on their day, however, and with Justin in particular finding the form that had eluded him in the first game of the season between the sides at Aldenham, they just about managed to hold off the North Oxford pair, who got closer in each game without quite being able to find the winning formula. Third pair produced an intriguing match up, with Karen Hird making her Div 1 debut, partnering Carl Rennie against Carl's brother Andrew and Joe Coakley, another experienced top flight campaigner. Carl and Karen produced a fantastic effort, taking the match all the way to a deciding fifth game with a 12-11 win in the fourth before falling agonisingly short at the end. Although we only have two points from a possible twelve, it is pleasing to note that we have been very competitive in nearly every pair played in Division 1 so far (with the exception of the match against an Olavian side who would have blown anyone away) and hopefully we'll manage to increase our points tally over the next few games, starting with the Old Harrovians on November 8th.

18/10/14 at Iffley Road: North Oxford Ladies beat Oxford University Ladies 1-0

K.Hird & M.Barnes beat I.Watts & H.Pritchard 2-1 (7-12, 12-5, 13-12)

The extra court available at Iffley Road on Saturday was put to good use with a thrilling three set win for NOEFC's Karen Hird and Mandie Barnes over Oxford University's Izzy Watts and Hannah Pritchard. Izzy and Hannah won the first game 12-7 before Karen asserted her authority in the second game to level the scores. The third game was nip and tuck and could have gone either way, before Karen and Mandie struck the crucial blow to take the win, celebrating with omelette and chips and a bacon sarnie respectively from the Iffley Rd cafe. Their NOEFC men's counterparts opted for an all day breakfast and a banana protein shake (with soya milk, of course). Answers on a postcard, please, if you would like to guess who had what. The other notable fact regarding this match was that it was the first NOEFC game of the season without Carl in the starting line-up. Poor commitment from young Rennie, that.

18/10/14 at Summer Fields & Iffley Road: North Oxford 1 lost to Old Olavians 0-3

J.Ho & C.Rennie lost to M.Wiseman & J.Toop 0-3 (3-12, 5-12, 5-12)

P.Scholey & C.Austin lost to S.Cooley & P.White 0-3 (4-12, 3-12, 1-12)

G.Hoskins & S.Chapman lost to H.Wiseman & T.Gallagher 1-3 (2-12, 15-14, 13-15, 8-12)

A rather complicated set of circumstances - mainly involving a Barber Cup match in Wolverhampton - led to this fixture being moved from Orpington to a 10am start at Summer Fields and Iffley Road, giving us the rare opportunity to play a competitive match on our home courts. Our fearsome reputation as the coming force of Division 1 Fives had obviously reached the ears of Howard Wiseman as he decided that one Kinnaird Cup winner in his line-up simply wasn't enough to take on the might of NOEFC. Nor two. Nor in fact, three. No less than four national champions were required to break the back of North Oxford resistance, starting with James Toop and Matthew Wiseman taking on Jonny Ho and Carl Rennie at first pair up at SF. Carl and Jonny played well but were always up against it, losing to 3, 5 and 5. As Carl perceptively commented afterwards "with a bit of luck it could easily have been 3,5 and 7." Any hopes of an easier ride at second pair for Chris Austin and Pete Scholey were soon extinguished by the sight of Seb Cooley in the opposition ranks, in partnership with Peter White. Again, Chris and Pete fought hard but with even the slightest error being punished mercilessly, the seemingly inevitable soon came to pass. Special mention has to go to Chris for devotion to the cause above and beyond the call of duty as he then got in the car with Seb and Pete to go to Wolverhampton for the privilege of playing them again in the afternoon, with much the same result. Down at Iffley Road, meanwhile, there was a glimmer of light for Gareth Hoskins and Spencer Chapman, as Howard Wiseman was partnering schoolboy Tom Gallagher, a fine prospect but without so much as a single Kinnaird title to his name (yet). The NOEFC pair were comprehensively outplayed in the first game, never getting going, but fought back well in the second, coming from 6-1 and then 8-2 down to level at 10-10 and then deservedly nicking it 15-14. The third game was probably the best of the match, with Gareth and Spencer playing just about as well as they can; this time the win just eluded them as they lost 15-13 and with Tom finding his best cutting in the fourth to cut off the supply line of cheap points, the Olavian pair had enough in hand to win 3-1. Next up is the return leg against the Old Millhillians 1 at Highgate on Tuesday as they look to gain revenge for their defeat at our hands at Aldenham a couple of weeks ago.

14/10/14 at Mill Hill: North Oxford 2 lost to Old Millhillians 2 1-2

G.Pulsford & C.Rennie lost to S.Tailor & J.Patel 0-3 (5-12, 7-12, 9-12)

S.Chapman & H.Meakin lost to W.Hughes & E.Winfield 0-3 (9-12, 4-12, 8-12)

G.Hoskins & H.Asquith beat J.Mason & J.Weller 3-0 (12-9, 12-10, 12-2)

The move to playing matches in two divisions this year means the fixtures come thick and fast and after the 2-1 win in Division 1 over the Old Millhilllians at Aldenham a couple of weeks ago, it was the turn of the second division teams to meet last night. This time a strong Millhillian teammanaged to use home advantage to turn the tables and win 2-1. The strength of the OM team can be seen by 3 of the same top 4 turning out as played in the previous match; Carl Rennie and Grandad Graham went into their first pair encounter with Sunil Tailor and Jitesh Patel knowing that it would be tough, but were confident of pulling off an upset. They were a bit slow out of the blocks, losing the first game quickly, but as the match went on Carl and Graham steadily improved and ended up rather disappointed that they hadn't managed to win either the second or third games and turn it into a traditional OM v NO five setter. With the impressive left-hander Will Hughes lining up at second pair with ex Cambridge half-blue Ed Winfield, there was more formidable opposition for North Oxford to battle against. It was great to see Old Summerfieldian Hugo Meakin, now finished at Durham University, back in the North Oxford line-up for the first time in a while and he and Spencer Chapman got off to a flying start, taking a 9-5 lead in the first game. Hugo was playing his first match of any kind for nearly two years and showed more than enough to convince everyone that with a couple more games under his belt he will be a force to be reckoned with. Unfortunately, a Millhillian comeback stole the first game away from the NOEFC pair and they never recovered the lost momentum, despite a late rally in the third to close from 11-3 down to 11-8, which briefly raised hopes of a dramatic fightback. Another Cambridge half-blue was at third pair for Mill Hill with last year's CUEFC Secretary Jack Weller alongside club stalwart James Mason. Gareth Hoskins and Harriet Asquith started impressively, establishing a 7-1 lead in the first game; despite letting that slip they held on to win 12-9 before taking a tight second 12-10 and then running away with the third to win North Oxford's only point of the evening. Harriet was in inspired form all through the contest, cutting decisively and rock solid from the back of the court, setting up a succession of chances for Gareth to put away. The post-match inquest took place in the Thee Hammers, which, as always seems to be the case there, was running a pub quiz which the majority of punters seemed to be ignoring. One team was disqualified while we were there for phone-related cheating - nothing to do with us I hasten to add - but it did provide the spark for Grandad to regale his young audience with tales of streaking ladies, and remarkably to find a new audience who hadn't yet heard about his Internet video viewing habits (sorry, Karen).

30/09/14 at Westminster: North Oxford beat Old Westminsters 2-1

S.Chapman & C.Rennie beat A.Jackson & A.Robinow 3-1 (12-3, 10-12, 12-7, 12-10)

J.Parham & R.Scott lost to C.Watts & G.Illingworth 0-3 (4-12, 5-12, 6-12)

J.Briggs & H.Asquith beat E.Osen & D.Cornwell 3-0 (14-11, 12-6, 15-13)

Following on from the high stakes and high pressure start to the league season, Tuesday night saw a return to some more sociable Fives with a friendly against the Old Westminsters at Westminster. Captain Chapman, however, clearly doesn't do friendly and sniffed an opportunity to clock up another W on his NOEFC career record by putting himself at first pair with Carl Rennie, thus showing an ability to produce pairings more akin to Tom Watson than Paul McGinley. Carl and Spencer duly won their match 3-1, although Alfie Jackson and Adam Robinow proved tough opponents and it took a bit of post 10pm overtime to clinch the win. Jack Parham and Rosie Scott were left with the tough task at second pair of taking on OW skipper Chris Watts and ex Cambridge captain George Illingworth. Jack and Rosie performed impressively and were a match for their more experienced opponents once they got into the rallies, but the set piece battle went the way of the Westminsters, allowing them always to keep their noses in front. Third pair saw North Oxford's answer to the Graeme MacDowell/Victor Dubuisson Ryder Cup pairing: an unbeatable combination of maturity and on court leadership from Harriet Asquith and an inspirational and flamboyant debut from Jason Briggs - proving that some ex Rugby Fives players can return cuts after all - overcoming Elana Osen and Dan Cornwell in three tight games. Harriet was less successful trying to upstage the skipper in the pub afterwards, her cranberry juice being easily trumped by Spencer's cranberry and pineapple cocktail (one can only hope there was an umbrella involved too...) which brought a fine evening's Fives to a rather sticky end.

28/09/14 at Aldenham: North Oxford 1 beat Old Millhillians 1 2-1

J.Ho & S.Little beat S.Tailor & J.Patel 3-2 (12-5, 7-12, 12-8 8-12, 12-7)

C.Austin & C.Rennie lost to J.Coakley & W.Hughes 2-3 (12-5, 9-12, 9-12, 14-12, 8-12)

G.Hoskins & P.Scholey beat J.Lefort & A.Rennie 3-0 (12-10, 12-7, 12-3)

After last weekend's Division 1 debut, further NOEFC history was made at Aldenham on Sunday with our first ever points and first ever victory in the top flight, as the Old Millhillians 1 were beaten 2-1. Unfortunately the planned league double header was scuppered by a late Berkhamsted pull out in the morning's Division 2 match, but it meant that the team were all fully rested and raring to go against a strong Millhillian side, albeit one lacking a few key players in Ed Taylor, Vishal Bhimjiyani and Ian Hutchinson. Our matches against the OMs traditionally involve a minimum of one five game thriller and our first Division 1 meeting featured two, after Gareth Hoskins and Peter Scholey had had the honour of clinching the first point with a straight games win over Justin Lefort and Rennie minor, the North Oxford pair improving and dominating more and more as the match went on and Pete recovered from having had his car driven in to on the way to Aldenham (a dastardly Millhillian plot maybe?). The first five game clash was at first pair as Jonny Ho and Sam Little teamed up for their first game together in North Oxford colours, instantly proving that the club management had done some astute business in the summer transfer window with a win over Kinnaird quarter-finalists Sunil Tailor and Jitesh Patel. This was an intriguing game, quite slow paced but full of subtlety, spin and placement and seemingly crying out for someone to grab it by the scruff of the neck and inject some pace into it on the top step. Jonny and Sam stuck to their guns, however, and certainly deserved to win; indeed they could easily have done so in four were they a bit less ring rusty. Wins at top pair in the top division are never easy to come by, however, and this result shows great promise for the season ahead. The other five setter was at second pair as Carl Rennie and Chris Austin took on Joe Coakley and Will Hughes in an epic 3 hour+ marathon. After winning the first game comfortably, Carl and Chris were pegged back by the young Millhillian pair winning both of the next two games to 9. The North Oxford pair looked doomed in the fourth at 9-3 down and then again at 11-8; a sitter of a volley missed by Hughes at match point seemed to give them a bit of extra belief and they somehow dragged themselves back into the match, levelling at 11-11 and then taking the game 14-12. The rallies in the fifth game were evenly matched, with Hughes and Austin exchanging left handed shots around the angles and Rennie and Coakley matching each other volley for volley on the top step. As always in Fives, however, the set piece is the key and it was Coakley's cutting in returning that made the difference in the end. The North Oxford pair almost got another comeback going, turning 11-5 into 11-8 and making their opponents work hard to clinch the winning point, but in the end it was the Millhillian pair who got to 12 first and denied North Oxford a remarkable clean sweep, and also fulfilling Grandad Graham's lunchtime prediction of a 2-1 win.

Jonny & Sam and Pete & Gareth win NOEFC's first ever Division 1 points "Yours!"

Photography courtesy of Karen Hird

21/09/14 at Aldenham: North Oxford 1 lost to Berkhamsted 1 0-3

J.Ho & C.Rennie lost to A.Joyce & J.O'Neill 1-3 (6-12, 5-12, 13-11, 7-12)

G.Pulsford & O.Sale lost to A.Theodossi & D.Smith 0-3 (9-12, 11-12, 10-12)

S.Chapman & J.Parham lost to R.Perrie & G.Lianos 0-3 (8-12, 9-12, 8-12)

Sunday was an historic day in the annals of NOEFC as we made our first ever appearance in Division 1 of the league, almost eight years to the day from our Division 3 debut. This was very much a case of in at the deep end, as we took on defending champions Berkhamsted 1 at Aldenham. Even without George Campbell and Doug Foster on the teamsheet, Berkhamsted were able to bring a team full of talent and experience to take on an experimental North Oxford line-up. One of our star summer signings, Old Cholmeleian Jonny Ho, paired up with the fast-improving Carl Rennie at first pair to take on Andrew Joyce and Jeremy O'Neill. This was a cracking match, fast and furious without compromising on quality, and Jonny and Carl pushed the Berkhamsted pair hard, winning the third game and not getting the rub of the green in the fourth when a full-on five game comeback looked a possibility. Eight years ago, when NOEFC beat the Abbey (including a young Laurie Brock) in that first ever Division 3 match, Ollie Sale and Jack Parham were just learning the game as prep school pipsqueaks at Summer Fields; it was especially pleasing that our close ties with our home school saw both of them playing in this fixture. Ollie partnered up with team veteran Graham "Grandad" Pulsford at second pair and they put up a very strong showing against Anthony Theodossi and Dave Smith. Ollie's flair and Graham's steadiness and experience made a good combination and they were disappointed not to have taken at least one game having got very close in all three, even reaching game ball in the second. Jack has already got several NOEFC appearances under his belt, but this was his league debut and he and Spencer performed very creditably at third pair against Ryan Perrie and schoolboy Gerry Lianos, although Ryan always had just enough in his locker to keep the Berkhamsted pair ahead. Our first game in Division 1 may have ended in defeat, but in the the well-worn tradition of defeated football managers, we can undoubtedly "take the positives" out of the match, as we were far from outclassed and proved that we have some young players who are more than capable of holding their own in the top flight this year, as well as a couple of golden oldies who didn't embarrass themselves too badly. Watch out Division 1 - North Oxford are coming!