Results 2019/20

North Oxford 1 lost to Old Salopians 1 0-3 at Aldenham 08/03/20:

T.McCahon & N.Caplin lost to R.Worth & T.Cox 0-3 (7-12, 6-12, 10-12)

S.Simmons & C.Austin lost to C.Hughes & S.Welti 1-3 (9-12, 12-9, 10-12, 4-12)

P.Scholey & R.Wilson lost to M.Hughes & J.Flowers 0-3 (11-13, 10-12, 3-12)

The Old Salopians have dominated the top flight over the last couple of seasons so it was a tough assignment for the Division 1 team to take them on at Aldenham yesterday. In fact, although the match was lost 3-0, the NOEFC pairs put in some sterling performances and pushed the all-conquering opposition very hard; not only that but we can also claim an enormous part in the development of two of the victorious OS team, former North Oxford players Tom Cox and Jack Flowers. Tom was alongside his regular partner Rex Worth at first pair and they had a bit too much quality and experience for young guns Tom McCahon & Noah Caplin, who both continue to look more and more at home in the upper echelons of the game and from there is a lot more to come in the next few seasons. Second pair saw the Wulfrunian old firm of Sid Simmons and the Wizard back together and taking on another quality pair in Sam Welti and Chris Hughes. Chris started a little rustily, having only just returned from a lengthy injury lay-off and Sid & Chris played some terrific stuff for the first two games and the first two thirds of game three. At 1-1 and 9-6 up, however, Hughes & Welti began to click and found a gear that the North Oxford pair were unable to match, taking the third to 10 and then staying in control in the fourth. Third pair was another tight one, as Flowers and Hughes sr took on Pete Scholey and Robert Wilson. Again, the Salopian pair were dominating by the end but if Pete & Rob could have managed to get over the line in one or both of the very tight first two games, who knows what might have happened. To their credit, the Salopians also became the first team to score a win over us in the pub all season with a 4-3 victory in the Round Bush. There are two matches left for the Division 1 side, both at Aldenham, against the Millhillians and the Olavians, with a top half placing still a strong possibility if we finish well.

North Oxford 3 beat The Abbey 3-0 at Westminster 05/03/20:

R.Thorogood & M.Chinery beat W.Ching & O.Meredith 3-0 (13-12, 12-7, 12-7)

S.Nowinski & A.Pesskin beat C.Bloch & T.Carver 3-2 (12-9, 14-15, 15-12, 10-12, 6-1)

K.Hird & T.Bush beat A.Gupta & A.Abraham 3-0 (15-14, 12-5, 12-8)

After a five month hiatus, Bishop's Buccaneers were back in Division 3 action last night, recording a close win against the schoolboys of the Abbey team at Westminster. With the club president still recovering from a finger injury and failing a late fitness test at Summer Fields on Monday night it was left to the Uppinghamian combination of Matt & Robert to lead the line at first pair. After a narrow squeak in the first game, which they won 13-12, the North Oxford pair settled into a winning groove, taking the next two games to 7 to get the first point on the board. Captain Karen dropped down to third pair to resume her partnership with Toby Bush and as in their previous match together at Cambridge a few weeks ago, managed to take their first game to 14 all (from the unpromising position of 4-9 down). This time, however, they managed to come out on top after several tense hands at 14-14 and some impressive Bush scrambling in the back court to save the day on more than one occasion. As with the first pair, the psychological damage inflicted on the schoolboys by the sudden death first game win was significant and Karen & Toby found life much easier in the second and third games. Second game was a classic of the sort that only Fives can throw up as Alan & Stefan took on opposition a good combined eight decades younger than them and ended up outplaying them in the last section of a lengthy five game match. The two pairs couldn't be separated across the first four games, two of which were set and none of which were won by more than a three point margin. The North Oxford pair possibly had the better chances to have clinched it earlier, losing the second 14-15 when a point the other way would have put them 2-0 up, and even deciding to let their opponents have three serves and themselves only one at one stage during the fourth, but it went to a fifth and with the lights about to go out, the Westminster security guard hovering and not enough time for a full game, the pairs decided to play a deciding game to 6, which was won conclusively by Stefan & Alan. Sadly, this can only count as a draw for official league purposes, but as far as the NOEFC records go, Alan & Stefan fully deserved the victory. The only slight disappointment was the 0-0 draw in the pub afterwards - Andy's presence being missed there significantly more than it was on the court - assuming that the Westminster boys didn't all sneak off to the Two Chairmen for a couple of swift ones to drown their sorrows. The Division 3 team's season is now back on track and it's full steam ahead over the next few weeks with matches against Lancing, the Old Citizens, St.Olave's and Westway all to come over the next few weeks.

North Oxford beat Bryanston School 3-0 at Bryanston 29/02/20:

K.Hird & M.Chinery beat H.Christie-Miller & B.Mallinson 3-0 (12-6, 12-5, 12-9)

I.Mitchell & M.Barnes beat J.Lawson & B.Reusswig 2-0 (14-12, 14-13)

G.Hoskins & R.Wood beat O.Frost & G.Degumas 2-0 (12-6, 12-3)

Following the Bishop model of statistics-massaging, North Oxford - masquerading as an EFA representative team - headed down to Dorset on Saturday for a match against the school team on their idiosyncratic black courts. Thankfully the whole team had the common sense to take the long way round and avoid the ford (more gushing torrent than gentle stream) on the way to the Langton Arms in Tarrant Monkton, a splendid pre-match lunch venue which more or less justifies the long trip down to Dorset on its own, our resident STP guru awarding their version very high marks even in the absence of custard. The match against the school was highly enjoyable: this year's Bryanston cohort - while lacking in match experience and a bit of court savvy - demonstrated a large amount of enthusiasm and a decent amount of talent. The three mixed NOEFC pairs won their matches - a milestone win for Karen, who becomes the first North Oxford player in our long and distinguished history to win 20 matches in a single season - and then played some extra mix and match games before tucking into a couple or trays of sandwiches that were brought along to the courts (the glory days of post-match high tea in the Bryanston HM's study seemingly now a thing of the past sadly). All in all, a grand day out.

North Oxford 1 beat Old Berkhamstedians 2-1 at Westminster 26/02/20:

T.McCahon & A.Abrahams lost to A.Joyce & T.Betts 2-3 (12-3, 9-12, 12-6, 13-15, 9-12)

P.Roper & R.Wilson beat A.Rattan & C.Holroyd 3-1 (12-9, 7-12, 12-2, 12-2)

P.Scholey & G.Pulsford beat J.Iddison & E.Scoones 3-0 (12-4, 12-6, 12-4)

It was back to winning ways in Division 1 at Westminster last night with a 2-1 victory over bottom of the table Old Berkhamstedians, a result that was only a whisker away from being a 3-0 whitewash. North Oxford's greater strength in depth was evident at third pair as the old firm of Pete (suitably dosed up before kick off) & Grandad eased their way to a straight games win over Emily Scoones & Joe Iddison. Second pair saw Robert Wilson in for his first top flight outing for quite some time and after a tight first couple of games that he and Phil Roper shared with the dangerous Alex Rattan & Charles Holroyd, the North Oxford pair hit the accelerator in the third game, powering away to win the third and fourth to two to claim an impressive win, (almost) bringing a smile to Robert's face in the process. The first pair game between these two sides earlier in the season was a humdinger as Tom McCahon & Sid Simmons lost a tense five setter against Rattan & Andrew Joyce and the return match threw up a virtual repeat, with AJ and TAM once again going head to head, this time partnered by Alex Abrahams and Tom Betts respectively. The North Oxford pair had the better of the early exchanges, dominating the first game and recovering well from losing the second to take the third to 6 and move into a 2-1 lead. The fourth game was crucial as Tom & Alex got to within a couple of points of victory at 10-7 ahead only to lose it 15-13; they managed to regroup for the fifth but in the end it was a case of history repeating itself with the 12-9 fifth game scoreline in favour of the Berkhamstedians exactly the same as in the first encounter. Tom & Alex actually won the overall points count 55-48 and it can't be often that you score 55 points, outscore the opposition by 7 and still lose, but it just emphasises the fact that some points are more important than others and in a tight match like that, it's all about winning the big points at the end of a close set. The two points gained keep us in fourth place in the table with three Aldenham home games to go and just half a point off 20 for the season, so the target of a top half finish is still a possibility. There was a solid 4-0 win in the pub afterwards to add to the 5-0 Oxford curry house victory taking place almost simultaneously - a strong club performance across the country!

Additional reporting and photography by Grandad.

North Oxford beat Shrewsbury School 2-0 at Iffley Road 26/02/20:

H.Asquith & M.Briscoe beat H.Shuker & L.Barden 2-0 (12-4, 12-2)

R.Wood & M.Barnes beat R.Ellis & P.Watkin 2-0 (12-4, 12-3)

The North Oxford women's team were in action at Iffley Road yesterday, taking on the Shrewsbury School girls in the second half of a double header. The Shrewsbury team had successfully defeated the two University pairs in a tight first match but were unable to take the step up to defeat the might of North Oxford. To be fair to the University team, their captain and best player Marjolaine Briscoe opted to play for North Oxford rather than OUEFC in order to gain some valuable match practice with Harry Asquith before the Ladies Nationals in 10 days time, and the new partnership - after a slightly slow start - began to gel well. From 5-4 in the first game, the North Oxford pair quickly got on top of their talented but still inexperienced opponents, getting a read and beginning to return their powerful cuts and switching efficiently between defence and attack. This produced a run of 18 unanswered points before the Shrewsbury girls picked up a couple of points at the end of the second game to avoid a bagel. Further useful practice was gained by Harry & Marj as they then took on the waiting Oxford men's pair of Harrovians Andrew Taylor & Oskar Denby, who had to work pretty hard to win 12-5. The second pair game was also fairly comfortable for the NOEFC pair of Rachel Wood & Mandie Barnes, with some good Fives from their young opponents and some good rallies, but most of them ending up with a Shrewsbury mistake or a North Oxford winner. Marjolaine - making her NOEFC debut - then proved her credentials for future re-selection by taking part in a 5-0 post-match win at the Majliss curry house on Cowley Road.

North Oxford beat Eton College 3-0 at Eton 23/02/20:

T.McCahon & A.Abrahams beat A.Backhouse & M.Asquith 3-0 (15-12, 13-12, 12-5)

N.Turnbull & P.Roper beat B.Porter & H.Wilkinson 3-0 (12-7, 12-8, 12-10)

K.Hird & S.Gore beat M.Krefting & H.Buxton 3-0 (12-9, 12-3, 12-7)

North Oxford lost to Old Salopians 1-2 at Eton 23/02/20:

T.McCahon & A.Abrahams lost to S.Mcloughlin & W.Sissons 1-3 (9-12, 12-4, 3-12, 6-12)

N.Turnbull & P.Roper beat Guy Williams & H.Blofield 3-1 (12-9, 7-12, 12-9, 12-2)

K.Hird & C.Lloyd lost to M.Hughes & Grant Williams 0-3 (2-12, 2-12, 9-12)

The NOEFC EFA Trophy team came tantalisingly close to winning the competition for the first time since 2009 (still our sole victory in six finals) at Eton yesterday, coming up against a formidable Old Salopian team in the final and just coming up short. The day started well with a convincing win in the semi-final against Eton College, who were without a couple of key players in Milo Russell & Seb Hopkins. There was still work to be done, however, with Matt Asquith drafted in and Old Summerfieldians Alfie Backhouse & Ben Porter in the school ranks. All three pairs won 3-0, although in different styles: Karen took her season's tally to 20 wins as she and Steve Gore made short work of their young third pair opponents. Phil & Nathan had to work a bit harder at second pair and were pushed hard at times, but always looked they had enough in hand to take the win. Alex & Tom at first pair were given a really tough workout at first pair against Alfie & Matt - the first game was won 15-12 and the second 13-12, with a couple of game points saved, although both could and perhaps should have been won more comfortably, with 9-4 leads squandered in both games. It was 9-4 again in the third, but this time any Wilsonian tendencies were put to one side and the match closed out to 5 to take us into the final with enough time for a restorative lunchtime trip to the Christopher and a tactical and motivational pre-final talk from Spencer.

The Salopians were always going to be a harder nut to crack in the final and so it proved. The gamble to replace Steve with the fresh legs of the rested Chris Lloyd didn't really pay off as Chris and Karen were blown away in the first two games at third pair by the still formidable pairing of Mike Hughes & Grant Williams. There was a glimmer of hope in the form of an 8-4 lead in the third but they couldn't hold onto it and went down 3-0, giving first blood to the Salopians. In contrast, Phil & Nathan at second pair started well and then just got better and better. They took the first game 12-9 against Guy Williams & Henry Blofield then suffered their only blip of the day, going 1-10 down in the second. They fought back to lose that game to 7 and from that point on they were simply unstoppable, putting in a career best performance of near flawless Fives to first get ahead of their opponents and then blow them away in a storm of unreturnable cuts, sharp returns (they'd clearly been studying the video masterclass from last week in Cambridge - see below) and sizzling winners. Magnificent stuff and match level at 1-1. It all boiled down to the first pair match, with our own Sam Mcloughlin standing in the way of Tom & Alex, alongside the very classy 2019 schools' champions Will Sissons. The first game was tight but went to the Salopians after a couple of NOEFC cuts flew out of court at the death; Tom & Alex responded well with a dominant performance to take the second before the reverse happened in the third. 2-1 down then and all eyes now on the deciding rubber. The fourth was back to being tight with the two pairs producing some fantastically fast and exciting rallies and remained close until at 7-6 up, Sissons took control, producing a series of sensational points to take the game away from Tom & Alex and with it take the trophy for the Salopians.

A 6-6 draw followed in the Henry - a strong performance from both teams again there - with NOEFC winning the tiebreaker by staying for pizzas, as the team looked back on the day's events with a tinge of disappointment but also a great deal of pride on a terrific team effort to have got so close. We'll go again next year!

North Oxford 1 lost to Old Westminsters 1 1-2 at Highgate 19/02/20:

T.McCahon & N.Turnbull lost to L.Brock & R.Houlden 0-3 (4-12, 5-12, 7-12)

G.Pulsford & C.Austin lost to E.Rose & I.Salim 0-3 (7-12, 4-12, 1-12)

P.Scholey & C.Lumbard beat C.Koksal & E.Osen 3-2 (12-7, 12-8, 10-12, 10-12, 12-4)

Division 1 action resumed at Highgate last night with an away match against the Old Westminsters. With Noah Caplin a fairly late work-related withdrawal and Seb bizarrely deciding he'd rather spend half-term in the South of France than North London, there were recalls for Nathan Turnbull and Chris Lumbard, both of whom put in strong performances. Indeed Nathan became Tom McCahon's eighth different first pair partner of the season (certainly a North Oxford record and maybe a league one) as they took on the established Westminsters first string of Laurie Brock & Nathan's former Cambridge teammate Riki Houlden. Although the North Oxford pair lost 3-0, they gave a good account of themselves, steadily increasing their points haul across the three games and hopefully playing themselves into some good form ready for the EFA Trophy on Sunday. Pete was suffering from the usual cold and asthma so generously allowed Grandad and the Wizard to play together at second pair, where they found themselves well beaten by a inspired Ed Rose and the hugely underrated Ismail Salim. That left Pete & Chris L at third pair to take on Can Koksal, who managed to get out of bed in time for this one, and Chris's favourite opponent, Elana Osen. Pete played through the pain barrier and Chris did plenty of work as always to take the North Oxford pair into a comfortable 2-0 lead. They then decided to toy with their opponents, allowing them to level at 2-2 with 12-10 wins in both the third and fourth games before finally killing them off to 4 in ruthless style in the decider to pick up another useful point in the fight for a top half finish. Next up are the bottom of the table Berkhamstedians at Westminster next week, where a 3 point haul would take us over the 20 point mark for the season. First up, though, is our latest attempt to win the EFA Trophy at Eton on Sunday, which starts with a semi-final against Eton College at 10:30am.

North Oxford lost to Cambridge Chroniclers 1-2 at Cambridge 15/02/20:

S.Chapman & C.Davies lost to P.Thompson & S.Cass 1-2 (6-12, 10-12, 12-8)

R.Thorogood & M.Chinery beat R.Westcott & H.Mackenzie 2-1 (12-4, 7-12, 12-3)

K.Hird & T.Bush lost to N.Preston & S.Nowinski 1-2 (11-15, 8-12, 12-2)

The first ever Oxford v Cambridge Town Varsity match took place at the Cambridge courts on Saturday as we took on the Cambridge Chroniclers on their home courts. The Cambridge team had a strong North Oxford influence, with stalwart Stefan Nowinski moonlighting in a Light Blue (and red and yellow) shirt and former Monday nighter Simon Cass in action at first pair. He partnered Old Edwardian and former CUEFC captain Paul Thompson against the maestro and Spencer, bumped up to first pair mainly due to his late arrival after seeing a man about a horse in Newmarket on the way in. The North Oxford pair took a while to get going, with Thompson in particular posing problems with his long reach and range of cutting. The second game was the key to the match and could have gone either way; sadly for Chris & Spencer it went the way of their opponents before some honour was salvaged with a 12-8 win in the third to mark Spencer's 200th game for the club. They would have won in five games, of course. Pair two saw the Old Uppinghamian combo of Chinery & Thorogood in fine form, overcoming a blip in the second game to control the majority of their match against Richard Westcott and Hamish Mackenzie, running out comfortable 12-3 winners in the decider. Pair three was another case of "would have won in five" as Karen and Toby lost a see saw first game 15-11 against Cambridge captain Nick Preston and Stefan, then lost the second to 8 before hitting top form in the third to win 12-2 as the Cambridge pair began to run out of steam. There wasn't time for any more, though, as the Red Lion beckoned - a 6-3 win for North Oxford there and Karen refinding her STP mojo despite the lack of custard. An excellent day out and hopefully a regular addition to the fixture list.

The North Oxford team produce a collective masterclass in how to return the cut

North Oxford 2 beat Old Etonians 2-1 at Eton 08/02/20:

P.Roper & C.Lloyd beat H.Daly & W.Ponsonby 3-1 (12-9, 12-4, 7-12, 12-9)

R.Wilson & K.Hird beat M.Asquith & A.Knight 3-1 (12-9, 12-7, 9-12, 12-6)

S.Chapman & H.Asquith lost to A.White & B.Emlyn Jones 0-3 (13-15, 4-12, 4-12)

The penultimate Division 2 game of the season - just the Cholms in April to go - saw the North Oxford second string increase their lead at the top of the table for the time being at least with a 2-1 win over the Old Etonians in an entertaining encounter at Eton. It was a landmark day for Karen, who simultaneously celebrated her 25th birthday (something like that anyway), 200th appearance for North Oxford and 18th win of the season - an all-time club record. The only other NOEFC player to reach the 200 mark was present in his now traditional role of team substitute but wasn't required this week as all players from both teams managed to a) turn up and b) avoid a repeat of Thursday evening's bloodbath. One consequence of Thursday's injury-fest was that unfortunately the OEs were denied the services of Mr Piggot against us but they were able to rustle up a similarly NOEFC-qualified replacement in Old Summerfieldian Henry Daly, who made his North Oxford debut earlier this season in Division 3. The OEs followed the traditional youngsters at one policy with Henry going straight in at the top alongside former Oxford University captain Will Ponsonby. The North Oxford strategy diverted away from the same age structure with Chris Lloyd coming in for his first league appearance of the season alongside Phil Roper. The first game was a bit cagey with neither team really hitting their stride, Phil and Chris always keeping their noses in front to take it to 9. The North Oxford pair really began to gel and hit top form in the second game, which they dominated from start to finish to win 12-4 and take a 2-0 lead. The Etonians could easily have folded at this point, but Will began to get his set piece going and Henry started to adapt well to the demands of an adult league game. With Chris beginning to show some signs of fatigue and Phil unable to stem the flow of OE points, a 12-7 win for the younger pair in the third game looked a bit ominous. The fourth game was the best of the match with Will & Henry continuing their improved form and Phil & Chris battling back to try and win it in four, which thankfully they did, taking the game to 9 with some extremely solid Fives, much to their joint relief. Karen's 200th match - just over 10 years since her debut - was played alongside Robert Wilson and was a terrific battle with Alex Knight and Matt Asquith. Robert was showing signs of returning to his best, varying his game nicely adding some powerful cutting and attacking volleys from front and mid court to his usual range of spin shots and top step dinks; it was perhaps only the absence of a consistent cut return that stopped this being a vintage Wilson performance. Thankfully Karen was on hand to provide the cut returns and the North Oxford pair were just about in control - if never really comfortable until the latter stages of the fourth - for the majority of the match, although the OE pair did do enough to take the third game and take it to four. Spencer celebrated his 199th club appearance with a game at third pair (where else?) alongside Harry Asquith. They started slowly against the experienced pairing of Andrew White and Bill Emlyn Jones, going 9-4 down before hitting a purple patch of returning and winners that took them to 13-10 ahead and 2 points from victory. Although one bad hand and a missed Chapman volley when serving at 13-13 meant the game went the way of their opponents, the signs seemed promising; the NO pair had settled down after their early travails, seemed to have found a tactical plan that was causing problems and certainly looked the better equipped to cope with a long drawn out encounter. Sadly, it never materialised as their form rather deserted them in the second and third, allowing the Etonian pair to take an ultimately comfortable straight games win that looked unlikely at the end of the first. Karen's birthday was celebrated in traditional NOEFC style (although with an noticeable absence of cake) with a 3-0 win in the Christopher and then the Golden Curry.

Spencer gives it the full Staley

Let or no let?

North Oxford 1 lost to Old Harrovians 1 1-2 at Harrow 06/02/20:

J.Piggot & C.Lyle lost to T.Dunbar & F.Prickett 0-3 (2-10 ret)

T.McCahon & A.Abrahams beat R.Tyler & M.de Souza Girao 3-1 (12-14, 5-2 ret)

P.Scholey & G.Pulsford lost to N.Shaw & J.Barley 2-3 (12-7, 10-12, 5-12, 12-8, 4-12)

Grandad Graham reports: A three pair match with 2-1 loss and only 6 games completed…….

First Pair

The first game was being used as a warm-up by the NO pair against the new Northern champion with James and Cameron just getting into their stride. James then fell heavily when chasing a Dunbar ‘screamer’ well outside the back of the court. The swelling to the wrist was immediate and has since proven to be a break. Game over 8pm. At this stage a hunting party was sent out for Karen Hird to substitute for James but it was not to be as, according to the assembled rackets players, she was at home eating sticky toffee pudding!

Second pair

A tremendous battle that was fast and furious from the outset with two very evenly matched pairs. Experience versus youth. Harrovian experience won the very lengthy first game 14-12 in just over the hour mark and the question was would their energy last long enough to win in three. Disaster struck at the start of the third game with de Souza getting a nasty hard hit to his eye which prevented further play. Game over 8.45pm.

Third pair

A match that lasted beyond ‘lights out’ and see sawed between games. With a new white ball Pete and Graham took the first game at a canter 12-7 and then narrowly missed out on the second going down 10-12 as the crafty Nick Shaw applied the pressure with a quickly ‘greying’ ball. The NO pair increasingly struggled in the third game as the ball mirrored the colour of the wall and both Harrovians benefited from more youthful eyesight. The change of ball for a new white one for the fourth game enable the older pair to resume their dominance and a speedy 12-8 win was achieved. Inexplicably the wily Harrovians asked for a further change of ball for the last game and a less white version was selected. Again white colour faded fast, as did NO chances of actually seeing the ball, and a protracted last game saw a 12-4 loss and thoughts of ‘WTH’ did we agree to a change the ball for a second time. Game over 10.10pm with changing rooms being locked and no showers!

NO won the pub challenge 2-1 and roles were reversed as a talkative barmaid chatted up Graham, assuming he was a Harrow master...

North Oxford 2 beat Old Westminsters 2 3-0 at Eton 26/01/20:

P.Roper & K.Hird lost to H.Young & G.Hoskins* 1-2 (12-5, 9-12, 3-12)

S.Chapman & R.Wilson beat E.Osen & D.Burrell 3-0 (12-5, 12-0, 12-1)

S.Gore & R.Thorogood lost to C.Lumbard* & W.Seath* 1-2 (10-13, 12-10, 6-12)

*ineligible players

Sunday saw a return to league Fives and a very enjoyable morning's action on court, if slightly unsatisfactory from a competitive league point of view. The two teams were suffering from opposite problems, with the Westminsters struggling for numbers and North Oxford over-subscribed by a considerable distance. A good quality ineligible third pair had been arranged in Chris Lumbard & Will Seath to take on Robert & Steve but the situation was further complicated by the non-arrival of Can Koksal, who was due to be playing first pair for the OWs but who successfully managed to sleep through his alarm. Luckily, the NOEFC skipper had his kit in the car and was able to step in for the OWs to produce a game at first pair, but it meant that with the Westminsters forfeiting pairs one and three, only the second pair was "live". Spencer and Robert Wilson were tasked with the job of making sure of all three points and did so with the minimum of fuss against OW captain Elana Osen and inexperienced returnee Dom Burrell. Phil & Karen at first pair got off to a fantastic start, returning everything and playing some terrific front foot Fives to go one up against Gareth and the OWs star player Hugo Young. The scratch pairing began to get their game together in the second to level at 1-1 and really hit their straps in the decider, with Hugo showing just why he has cleaned up in so may tournaments this year. The only thing lacking at third pair was the league point being at stake in what was otherwise and absolute belter of a match. The first two games went on forever, with nothing to choose between the pairs. The third started in much the same vein, as the score inched its way to 5-4 before the elastic suddenly snapped and Chris & Will pulled away to win the decider. Lunch at the Christopher followed, with the scoreline there depending on exactly who you considered to have been playing for who; basing it on the premise of which team arranged for the players to be at Eton, it was an 8-1 win for NOEFC, with just Hugo (himself newly initiated as a Summer Fields Monday nighter of course) keeping the OW end up, which was rather the story of the morning. The three league points strengthen our current position at the top of Division 2, although there are a few teams with games in hand who may catch us up in due course. Statistically speaking, the match was also notable for Spencer & Karen getting within two and one match respectively of 200 NOEFC career appearances, and they should soon be joining the club captain in the 200 club.

A third pair thriller

North Oxford 1 beat Old Cholmeleians 1 2-1 at Aldenham 25/01/20:

T.McCahon & N.Caplin lost to J.Ho & C.Blackaby 0-3 (7-12, 11-14, 2-12)

G.Pulsford & C.Austin beat M.Kovar & J.Marks 3-1 (5-12, 12-9, 12-8 ret)

G.Hoskins & K.Hird beat D.Lioubimov-Antonov & T.Halstead 3-0 (12-5, 12-8, 12-5)

The first match of another weekend double produced an excellent 2-1 Division 1 win over the Old Cholmeleians, aided by injury to the opposition, but well fought for. The team assembled initially in the car park at Radlett station, although Tom decided to get on his bike Rob Desmond style instead. The traditional policy of youngsters at one was adhered to with the only selection dilemma being which of the old pros should partner Karen at third pair. Captain Gareth pulled rank, taking the Chapmanesque option of putting himself down at third pair, where he and Karen picked up a regulation 3-0 win over Dan Lioubimov & Tom Halstead without really needing to get out of second gear. This left the form pair of recent weeks - Grandad and the Wizard - to try and find a way past the formidable obstacle of Joe Marks & Matt Kovar at second. The initial signs weren't great as the North Oxford pair went down 12-5 in the first game. The key moment had already happened, though, at 5-11 down, as Matt rolled his ankle on the backstep. It didn't look good at all first up but Matt recovered sufficiently to win the last point and then carry on for another two games. His movement was impaired, though, and Graham & Chris were too good and too canny not to be able to exploit the situation, winning the second game to 9 and the third to 8. Graham himself had been on the floor a couple of times - and at his age it's definitely a case of "having a fall" rather than just falling over - but no damage was done and the Cholms pair sensibly waved the white flag at the end of the third game with Matt clearly struggling. The youngsters meanwhile were faced with the formidable challenge of former NO star Jonny Ho and 2014 schools' finalist Chris Blackaby. It took most of the first game (which was lost to 7) for Noah to fully shake off his hangover, but he and Tom really began to play well in the second game, which they controlled all the way to 11-9; this was the key phase of the match and unfortunately the NO pair were unable to finish the job, making a few errors that quickly undid all of the good work they had done to that point and turned an 11-9 lead into an 11-14 defeat. That rather knocked the stuffing out of them and a player of Jonny's quality doesn't need a second invitation to take charge as the OC pair raced through the third game. Another strong performance in the Round Bush - a 5-0 win - followed before a return to Aldenham to watch Grandad play his second match of the day as the Aldenhamians took on a mighty Olavian team in the Barber Cup. The plan was to stop by and watch for half an hour or so; that was just about enough to see all three pairs through to a finish as the Olavians ruthlessly dispatched their game opponents. The two league points gained in the morning keep us in a strong position in Division 1, with the aim of a top half finish still a definite possibility if we continue to pick up points.

First pair straining every sinew

Experience is everything...

North Oxford beat The Brigands 2-1 at Eton 16/01/20:

G.Hoskins & R.Thorogood beat S.Thatcher & O.O'Callaghan-Brown 3-0 (12-6, 12-6, 12-8)

A.Pesskin & S.Nowinski lost to M.Powell & S.Woolfries 1-2 (12-7, 3-12, 12-13)

I.Mitchell & M.Barnes beat R.Pattison & D.Hewitt 2-1 (9-12, 13-10 ret)

A determined performance from a heavily Monday-night influenced North Oxford team brought a first victory of the decade with a 2-1 triumph in last night's friendly at Eton. As often happens there were numerous ins and outs in the days leading up to the fixture as the Brigands were unable to match our four pairs, only managing to produce five players, the Royal Holloway supersubs were unavailable, Andy was in then out again with an elbow injury and the maestro was in then out again as the fixture went back down to three pairs with us lending them a player in the end. The man for the job was Stephen Thatcher, who slotted straight in at first pair with Charterhouse coach Oliver O'Callaghan-Brown against Gareth Hoskins & Robert Thorogood. Oliver is a very useful Old Salopian and I think it's fair to say that for most of the match Stephen was at his most mercurial, perhaps still processing his final game instructions from the mixed team tournament back in October. At any rate, he certainly carried them out rather more effectively this time round, although Robert's solid set piece work and Gareth's spin and changes of pace also contributed to their comfortable victory. Second pair was something of a rollercoaster ride as Stefan & Alan started strongly against Martin Powell & Simon Woolfries, revelling in their unusual status as the younger pair to take the first 12-7. Their swagger swiftly disappeared as the second game disappeared in double quick time, but they recovered their composure to get stuck back into the decider. Indeed, the North Oxford pair got to match point first, but couldn't convert and the Brigands sneaked through 13-12 to take the match 2-1. Ian & Mandie - resplendent in a wide variety of new NOEFC kit - teamed up at third pair to take on another veteran Brigands duo in Ronald Pattison & Danny Hewitt. The North Oxford pair had a clear gameplan - to outlast their opponents - and were still confident despite losing the first game to 9. Their confidence in the tactical masterplan was not misplaced as the tide began to turn towards the latter stages of the second game and when Ian & Mandie took it 13-10, Ronald turned into the Roberto Duran to their Sugar Ray Leonard and uttered a concessionary "no mas", unable to face the inevitable beating that was about to follow. Either that or it was time to head to the Golden Curry (a 6-2 win for North Oxford) for post-match refreshments and some bonus bhajis. A good evening all round.

North Oxford 2 lost to Old Ipswichians 1-2 at Aldenham 12/01/20:

G.Pulsford & C.Austin beat T.Fletcher & I.Weaver 3-0 (12-1, 12-5, 12-4)

R.Wilson & K.Hird lost to M.Graves & T.Gregory 0-3 (9-12, 11-13, 8-12)

S.Gore & M.Chinery lost to C.Cooley & S.Burnell 1-3 (10-12, 12-10, 8-12, 11-12)

Sunday morning saw a change of venue, as the NOEFC circus moved back to Aldenham, but no change in the result as the second team went down to a second 2-1 defeat in two days, this time at the hands of a strong Old Ipswichian line-up. In some ways it was a similar story to Saturday as the first pair - this time not the young left-handers of Saturday but the gnarled old pros Grandad Graham and the Wizard of Wolverhampton - took their opposition to the cleaners in impressive style, Grandad playing as efficiently as ever and the wand summoning up some unstoppable magic seemingly at will to dispatch Tom Fletcher & Isaac Weaver. As on Saturday, the second pair challenge was a tough one with the OIs putting their senior pros Tim Gregory & Mark Graves together to take on Karen and Rob Wilson. Karen & Rob performed heroics in their last match together against the Salopians at Highgate before Christmas where they won a thrilling fifth game well into overtime and it looked as if something similar might be on the cards as both of the first two games went to the wire. This time, though, the killer instinct was on the Ipswichian side, as Tim & Mark went 2-0 up before establishing a large lead in the third thanks to one big hand and then holding on despite a late North Oxford fightback. The match at third pair was proving to be even closer (once Steve found the right school anyway). He and Matt split the first two games with Steve Burnell & Charlotta Cooley 12-10, 10-12 with everything pointing towards a long five setter. Steve & Charlotta broke the shackles a little at the start of the third, however, and stayed ahead to win 12-8; Steve & Matt were already on the way back, though, and turned the tables again at the start of the fourth to go 5-1 up. The longer the fourth game went on - firstly watched by the NOEFC supporters club of Gareth & Kirby then later on by most of the other players - the closer it got until Steve & Charlotta again got their noses in front to lead 11-9. The next twenty or so minutes were epic Fives drama as Steve & Matt repeatedly cut the OI pair down, sometimes with excellent cutting and sometimes with brave rally play. Eventually they levelled at 11-11 and the OIs took the brave sudden death option. Death was anything but sudden, however, as both pairs continued to cut each down time after time before eventually Steve & Charlotta clinched the win with an unreturnable winner to the back left that clipped the bricks. There was a splendid turnout in the Round Bush - 7-6 to North Oxford despite OI protestations that supporters don't count in the pub stats - but sadly no food was available so it was a liquid lunch, a couple of packets of crisps and a stop at the services on the way home, a prospect that gave Charlotta some chilling flashbacks of a hundred and one trips with Boughton & Stubbs in the Ipswich School minibus.

North Oxford 2 lost to Old Harrovians 2 1-2 at Harrow 11/01/20:

P.Roper & N.Caplin beat F.Prickett & F.Anton-Smith 3-0 (12-4, 12-4, 12-5)

G.Hoskins & K.Hird lost to I.Hutchinson & C.Efemuai 1-3 (6-12, 3-12, 12-8, 10-12)

S.Chapman & M.Chinery lost to F.Shepard & J.Barley 0-3 (5-12, 7-12, 9-12)

The first NOEFC match of the new decade was the first of a weekend Division 2 double against the newly formed Old Harrovians second team, which on this occasion turned out to be their top five school players plus coach Ian Hutchinson (playing at second pair!) - a tough assignment. Phil and Noah (arriving late, leaving early and generally paying a flying visit) ran rings around the school first pair, who were at a loss as to how to cope with two left-handers, and chalked up a comfortable early win to get the first point on the board. Second pair were having more trouble as Gareth and Karen struggled for the first two games, not adjusting well to the Harrow courts and failing to find any rhythm or consistency at the set piece or in the rallies. They improved in the third and with Hutch taking his foot off the gas and his partner suddenly making errors, the tide turned in North Oxford's favour with a 12-8 win. The fourth game was easily the best of the match, with Gareth & Karen now playing well and their opponents back to their earlier level. The game reached 9-9, with Gareth even throwing himself out of the back of the court to simultaneously win a rally and acquire a nasty dose of Asquith's knee, before the Harrovian pair took their chances slightly more efficiently to sneak through 12-10 and avoid a fifth game. Third game saw Matt & Spencer looking a bit rusty against a more than useful school pair, and although the North Oxford duo had begun to get their game in order by the third game, they were unable to get in front early enough to give themselves a chance of turning things round. A strong 4-0 win in the Castle and a first sticky toffee pudding of 2020 for Matt (Karen again going off piste with a crumble) rounded off the first half of the weekend's events.

Saturday afternoon action from Harrow

North Oxford beat Cambridge University 2-1 at Cambridge 24/11/19:

N.Turnbull & K.Hird beat V.Gudiwala & H.Lyle 3-1 (12-6, 8-12, 12-9, 12-5)

I.Mitchell & M.Chinery beat G.Poole & N.Choustikov 3-0 (11-7 ret)*

S.Nowinski & M.Barnes lost to H.Kalaiya & A.Butcher 1-3 (12-5, 12-15, 7-12, 9-12)

*A.Shah replaced G.Poole due to injury, the replacement Cambridge pair winning 3-1 (11-12, 12-4, 12-2, 13-10)

A 14 strong contingent from both clubs - not including Spencer, for whom not even the tantalising prospect of a W for his stats was enough to stop him baling out at the last minute - enjoyed a fine lunch in Grantchester before returning to the sports centre for the match against the Cambridge University men. Karen doubled up at first pair, partnering former CUEFC captain Nathan Turnbull against Viral Gudiwala & Henry Lyle, a newcomer to the Cambridge ranks and a good prospect. Despite a mid-match wobble, losing the second to 8 and going 6-0 down in the third, Karen & Nathan always looked like hey had enough in the tank to come through in the end, and this they did with a third game comeback followed by a convincing win in the fourth. Ian was also doubling up, partnering Matt Chinery at second pair against Nick Choustikov & George Poole. The North Oxford pair looked like hey had everything under control in the first game, progressing nicely to an 11-7 lead, when George had to retire due to injury. Former Cambridge player Akhil Shah quickly donned his kit to step in - while Matt quickly checked that the retirement meant an NOEFC win by default for statistical purposes - and almost dragged his pair beck in to it, levelling at 11-11 before North Oxford clinched the decisive point. Akhil's quality shone through as he dominated the next two games, but Ian & Matt weren't done and they found a way back into the game in the fourth, establishing an 8-5 lead and getting to 10 first before a final burst of scoring took Cambridge to a four game win. In Spencer's absence, Mandie donned her gloves and knees for the second time in the day, partnering Stefan Nowinski against Harshal Kalaiya & Alex Butcher. Alex & Harshal have improved considerably in the last 12 months, having struggled to make much of an impression in this fixture last year, and although Stefan & Mandie won the first game comfortably, thanks to a run of points mid-game, the Cambridge pair fought back well, taking what was ultimately a crucial second game 15-12 and then holding on in the third and fourth to claim a well-deserved win. A good end to a good weekend of Fives, with the full North Oxford range on show, from top level Division 1 competitive action to a full three pair ladies fixture, a cracking friendly and a very large lunch.

North Oxford Ladies beat Cambridge University Ladies 3-0 at Cambridge 24/11/19:

H.Asquith & K.Hird beat U.Taujanskaite & C.Calderbank 1-0* (12-3)

F.Kerr & R.Wood beat S.Lumsdon & J.Tu 2-0** (12-4, 12-5)

C.Farquharson-Roberts & M.Barnes beat I.Mitchell & A.Whitehead 2-1 (13-10, 4-12, 12-5)

*additional games were played between K.Hird & C.Calderbank v H.Asquith & U.Taujanskaite

** additional games were played between R.Wood & J.Tu v F.Kerr & S.Lumsdon

The annual Cambridge double header started with a delightful three pair morning friendly against the CUEFC ladies team. With five out of six of the NO Black Cup team playing, and Charlie Farquharson-Roberts making up the numbers, we were always likely to be too strong for the Cambridge girls, but the home side put in a spirited effort, with the first pair of Ursule Taujanskaite & Clara Calderbank looking strong, the new second pair of Olavians Jessye Tu & Sophie Lumsdon looking promising and beginner Annalise Whitehead looking immediately at home on a Fives court. Ian Mitchell stepped in to partner Annalise at third pair and they had a splendid game against Charlie & Mandie Barnes, the NO pair recovering from the loss of the second game to come back and win in three. In the other two courts, the pairs mixed round after a game or two, which produced some excellent contests, a good opportunity for the Cambridge players to play with and against some stronger players and a perfectly-timed 12:30 finish to allow everyone to decamp to the Red Lion in Grantchester for the mid innings break.

North Oxford 1 beat Old Westminsters 1 2-1 at Eton 23/11/19:

T.McCahon & A.Abrahams lost to L.Brock & H.Young 1-3 (5-12, 11-13, 12-8, 5-12)

S.Mcloughlin & N.Caplin beat R.Houlden & E.Osen 3-0 (12-9, 12-4, 12-3)

G.Pulsford & P.Roper beat K.Lim & C.Koksal 3-0 (12-6, 12-2, 12-9)

The final league fixture before the mid-season Christmas break was a cracker at Eton on Saturday. Having missed Wednesday's midweek away game in the freezing cold at Berkhamsted, Sam "fairweather" Mcloughlin was back in the line-up for the weekend Eton glamour tie, replacing the club captain who was resting his back after Wednesday's match and reduced to his increasingly common role as taxi-driver, cheerleader and post-match drinks-buyer. Sam joined a very young side against an even younger opposition, with Grandad the only player of the twelve on court who was over 30 (and over 40, and over 50 and indeed over 60). Not for the first time, this didn't stop him giving the youngsters a lesson or two as he and Phil Roper cruised to a comfortable 3-0 win over Can Koksal & Kotka Lim, even allowing the Westminster pair to get a few points ahead in the third, just to make it more interesting. Sam teamed up with Noah Caplin at second pair to tackle the intriguing prospect of taking on Kinnaird finalist Riki Houlden & ladies semi-finalist Elana Osen. It took a little while - until 9-9 in the first game in fact - for Sam & Noah to adjust their game to the challenge of how to play against their opponents but once they made the game less frenetic and avoided giving Riki free rein around the court, they quickly took control. Some excellent cutting and returning in games two and three along with continued careful shot selection meant that Sam & Noah were able to dominate the rest of the match to claim their own 3-0 victory. The game of the day - and one of the best NO matches of the season - was at first pair as established star Laurie Brock (provocatively wearing his AHT Superleague shirt) shared a court with of the most improved young players on the circuit, partnering U25, Universities and Midlands champion Hugo Young against North Oxford's Tom McCahon & Alex Abrahams. The Westminster pairing had the better of the first game, winning 12-5, but Tom & Alex began to get to grips with the wet court and their relentless opponents in the second game, playing a more aggressive, attacking game, looking to take time away from Laurie & Hugo and force some mistakes. For large parts of the second game, it worked and it was a shame that a few chances went begging at 10-9 and 11-10 up, which allowed the Westminster pair to sneak in and take a 2-0 lead. Undaunted, the North Oxford pair stuck to their guns in the third game and began to reap the rewards, returning more cuts, volleying aggressively at every opportunity and forcing the mistakes, especially from Hugo towards the end of the third. Game on. Hugo settled down again in the fourth and cut out the errors that had crept in in the previous game. This made it harder work for Tom & Alex, who continued to play well for the first half of the game before finally coming unstuck as the Westminster regained control and the errors began to come from the North Oxford pair. The fourth game went to Hugo & Laurie 12-5 to complete a 3-1 win at the end of an excellent match, with the North Oxford pair pleased with their performance and wondering if things might have been different had they managed to convert the chances at the end of the second. Still, another 2-1 Division 1 win was an excellent result (backed up by a 4-1 win in the pub) and consolidates our second place in the league. With other teams having games in hand, staying there might prove challenging, but with 9 matches out of 16 played, the team can be proud of their efforts in the first half of the campaign.

North Oxford 1 lost to Berkhamsted 1 1-2 at Berkhamsted 20/11/19:

T.McCahon & G.Hoskins beat A.Theodossi & M.Doe 3-1 (10-12, 12-5, 12-11, 12-11)

G.Pulsford & K.Hird lost to R.Perrie & C.Davey 2-3 (12-8, 14-15, 12-9, 4-12, 2-12)

C.Lumbard & R.Thorogood lost to G.Campbell & B.Miles 0-3 (8-12, 6-12, 10-12)

To paraphrase the old football cliché, it's all very well pitching up and winning on a sunny afternoon in Eton in September, but the real mark of a good team is the ability to turn up on a freezing cold midweek evening in Berkhamsted and grind out a hard-earned Division 1 point. What that says about Sam Mcloughlin, who pulled out on the morning of the match with a bit of a sniffle in a bid to become the Mesut Ozil of North Oxford, I don't know, but it says a lot for the six players who were there and in particular Robert Thorogood, who answered the call late on to sub in at third pair and who put in a fighting performance alongside Chris Lumbard. They were up against top schoolgirl player Bethan Miles and former Kinnaird finalist George Campbell, and although they were able to return enough of Bethan's cuts to get into the game and keep them interested, the solidity of her overall play and the class of Campbell told in the end as they lost in three. Karen & Grandad were back in harness at second pair and faced a similar problem - could they capitalise on the inexperience of Chris Davey while keeping dangerman Ryan Perrie at bay? They started well, winning the first 12-8, and despite the disappointment of losing the second 14-15 they managed to reassert their authority in the third with a 12-9 win to go 2-1 ahead. The danger of Perrie was constant, though and he began to take control of the match in the fourth, leaving Karen & Grandad precious few opportunities to get back into their winning rhythm and running the fourth and fifth games out to 4 and 2. Sam's late withdrawal meant promotion back up to first pair for the club captain, reforming his productive partnership with Tom McCahon as they looked to add Anthony Theodossi & Miles Doe to their lengthening list of Division 1 first pair scalps. There was initial frustration as a very winnable first game slipped away after some sloppy play in places but the North Oxford pair tightened things up in the second game, with Tom beginning to take charge thanks to his speed and control on top step and his Theodossi-esque round the walls firepower from the back of the court. A few handy edges and ledges increased the margin of victory nicely as they levelled up at 12-5. The third and fourth games were both thrillers with neither side able to establish dominance. The two Old Emanuels continued to trade blows around the court as schoolboy Miles Doe gained in confidence and Gareth produced some strong cutting and returning to provide a platform for Tom to play off. Both games went to 10-10; both times Tom & Gareth chose the shortest option and both times they came out on top, saving game points on more than one occasion in both games before finding the winning return and kill to take them both 12-11 and a 3-1 win by the narrowest of margins. The lateness of the hour and the long journeys home meant a rare 0-0 draw in the pub (although to be fair to the opposition, several of them had been warming up there before we arrived) but overall this was another valuable point gained and keeps us in second place in the division for now at least, with one more game to come in 2019, a meeting with the Old Westminsters at Eton on Saturday.

EFA Trophy at Eton 17/11/19:

North Oxford A beat Newbury Juniors 6-0, Old Wulfnhamians 6-0, Royal Holloway 6-0, Old Ipswichians 3-0, Westway 5-1 and finished 1st out of 6 in Group B

North Oxford B beat Cambridge University 2-1, Newbury Seniors 2-1, lost to Old Salopians 0-3, Old Citizens 0-3, Monday Knights 1-2, Eton College 1-2 and finished 5th out of 7 in Group A

North Oxford A: T.McCahon, S.Chapman, K.Hird, N.Turnbull, C.Lloyd, A.Abrahams, S.Gore

North Oxford B: M.Chinery, R.Thorogood, A.Pesskin, M.Gore, A.Bishop, H.Asquith, R.Wood

The EFA Trophy is always one of the highlights of the North Oxford year and yesterday at Eton was no exception. Once again we managed to enter two full teams - both with a squad of seven - with the A team qualifying top of the group to reach the semi-finals in February and the B team performing with distinction in their group, winning a couple of matches, taking points off two of the strongest teams in the group and giving a good account of themselves in every match they played. The A squad were strengthened this year by the addition of Alex Abrahams, available for NOEFC selection in the absence of a Lancing team, and also the emergence of Steve Gore, who continues to make rapid strides. The B team was once again captained by the club president and featured NOEFC debuts for recent Monday evening acquisitions Alan Pesskin and Mark Gore. With recent EFA Trophy heavy hitters Oxford University not making the starting gate this year and perennial tournament favourites Old Salopians in the other group, the path was clear for the A team to claim first place in their group. This they did with some impressive performances, notable a 12-11, 12-9 first pair win for Tom "Two Curries" McCahon and Alex over the Wulfnhamians Nirav Patel & Chris Cernuschi and a 6-0 whitewash of nearest challengers the Old Ipswichians. A perfect score of 30 games won out of 30 was just missed out on in the final round of games, but it was well worth it as Steve Gore was given the opportunity to partner Tom at first pair against Tim Thurnham and the in form U25, Universities and Midlands champion Hugo Young of Westway. They just lost the first game 12-11 but came back strongly in the second, with Steve adjusting well to the step in in pace as the North Oxford pair signed off with a 12-8 second game win. The B team were in a tough group and just fell short of their target of winning as many games as they lost; there were some notable wins, however, including a third pair win against Eton College - the President beating his former Summer Fields first pair player Seb Corso - and a cracking 15-5 second pair win against the Monday Knights. There were also a couple of really tight games that could have gone the other way - Harry & Robert coming from way back to almost overturn the Cambridge first pair of Viral Gudiwala & Akhil Shah and Robert (again) and Alan just coming up short against Ralph Morgan & Saajan Shah for the Old Citizens - and overall this was a very good showing and a demonstration of the club's strength in depth. The semi-final draw has thrown up an intriguing encounter with Eton College, whose side will contain several Old Summerfieldians, which promises to be a cracker.

North Oxford 2 beat Team Westway 1 2-1 at Eton 16/11/19:

P.Scholey & C.Austin beat T.Campbell & C.Lumbard 3-1 (12-3, 9-12, 12-1, 12-5)

S.Chapman & K.Hird beat B.Bannerman & F.Lebon 3-0 (12-6, 12-6, 12-0)

M.Chinery & H.Asquith lost to M.Street & T.Thurnham 2-3 (12-10, 2-12, 12-11, 8-12, 7-12)

A busy week of Division 2 action ended at Eton on Saturday with another win - a fourth out of four so far this season - putting us in a strong position at the top of the table with 10 points from a possible 12 so far. With one or two of Team Westway's heavy hitters (including our own Tom McCahon and Alex Abrahams) not in the opposition line-up, the opportunity was there to put some more points on the board and Pete & the Wizard took full advantage at first pair, overcoming a bizarre second game blip - which was quickly followed by an 11-0 lead in the third - to defeat Old Bryanstonian Tancred Campbell and another member of the NOEFC Division 1 squad in Chris Lumbard, whose main contribution to the match was to head so far out of court at one stage chasing a ball down that he landed feet first under the bench at the back of court 7, narrowly avoiding treating a visiting group of small prep school boys like a skittles alley, all the time blissfully unaware that the ball had already hit his partner on the way through and was dead anyway. Karen & Spencer - once he'd recovered from the nosebleed at finding himself in second pair - took on another pair of Bryanstonians in the shape of the all action Frank Lebon & Bertie Bannerman. There was a lot of energy and running around on display in this court, with very little of it emanating from the North Oxford pair. The better and more effective Fives was all being played by Spencer & Karen, however, and their reward for gradually breaking down their opponents in two long games was to race through the third, winning to love. The sting in the Westway tail came at third pair with the selection there of the experienced Martin Street & Tim Thurnham. Martin was playing his first game for a while and Tim was recovering from injury but they still presented a formidable challenge for Matt Chinery & Harry Asquith. The North Oxford pair got off to a great start, some strong set piece work giving them the first game 12-10. The second went away from them quite quickly but they regrouped well in the third and with Tim beginning to cramp up, an exciting 12-11 win looked like it might be crucial. Tim managed to keep going, though, and never quite fell apart as hoped for and in the fourth and fifth games, Martin began to find his best form, cutting well and taking control of many of the rallies. Matt & Harry continued to play well and stay in contention but ultimately Martin had just a bit too much for them and the Westway pair came back from 2-1 down to win a cracking match. A resounding 5-0 win in the pub was preceded by a scene from 1920s prohibition era Chicago as large numbers of cases of beer were swiftly transferred from the Scholeymobile to various waiting customers.

North Oxford 2 beat Old Salopians 2 2-1 at Highgate 13/11/19:

P.Scholey & C.Austin lost to S.Welti & M.Hughes 0-3 (4-12, 7-12, 8-12)

R.Wilson & K.Hird beat J.Flowers & J.Skelton 3-2 (13-12, 8-12, 6-12, 12-7, 14-12)

S.Chapman & R.Thorogood beat A.Taylor & W.Sillar 3-0 (12-4, 12-3, 12-0)

The Division 2 team have had an excellent start to the season and two wins in the space of five days have sent them to the top of the table with eight points out of a possible nine so far. Not only that, but the two wins have come against the champions of the last two seasons - 2017/18 winners St.Olave's and 2018/19 table toppers Old Salopians 2. The win against the Salopians came at Highgate last night and continued Sunday's theme of dramatic second pair matches. First pair saw the Wizard - fresh from his first win of the season on Saturday - team up with Pete Scholey to tackle the formidable opposition pairing of Sam Welti & Mike Hughes. After losing the first game to 4, the North Oxford pair began to ask their opponents a few questions and even managed to sneak into a 7-2 lead in the third game, but Mike is still a fine player and Sam a class act, with a few extra gears that he was able to access when needed to turn the 2-7 deficit into a 12-8 win. Perhaps Chris's performance was affected by not having enough time to get up to Noky's for his full pre-match warm up routine. Robert Thorogood answered the call late on in the build up to replace the still lurgy-stricken Stephen Thatcher and found himself alongside third pair specialist Spencer Chapman, learning the tricks of the trade of how to keep your win percentage high for the end of season stats. This was achieved with a comfortable win over Al Taylor and recent returnee to the game Will Sillar, who were unable to live with the potent Thorogood/Chapman combination. 1-1 then and just as in the Black Cup final on Sunday it all came down to the second pair. Robert Wilson was back in action for the first time this season and in search of a "gentle fixture" to ease himself back in. What he got - naturally - was a three hour five game epic with Spencer, Chris and Pete all cheeringleading for the final stages and regular text updates being sent to fans all over the country. Well Solihull anyway. The pattern was set right from the start as Karen & Robert took the first game 13-12 against the experienced James Skelton and former Oxford University captain and sometime North Oxford player Jack Flowers. At this point Karen & Robert - as befits two of our High Wycombe contingent - went for the Turnbull option of losing a couple of games to make things interesting, finding themselves 2-1 down with less than an hour to go before the lights went out. The Turnbull tactic soon began to pay dividends, though, as the North Oxford pair assumed control of the match for the first time, winning the fourth to 7 to set up a decider. It was looking less promising when the lights did go out at 4-8 down in the fifth; unsurprisingly the Salopian pair were very keen to move the match to the one court where the lights had stayed on and play to a finish. They were soon made to regret their choice as Karen & Rob timed their finishing burst to perfection, hitting the front at 11-9 and finishing things off 14-12 even when the OS pair made it back to 11-11. A splendid victory. Confusion reigned post-match as different groups ended up in different pubs, but the combined post-match score was 5-5 - a very good effort from the two sides in a late-finishing midweek match. Next up for the Division 2 side are Team Westway at Eton on Saturday afternoon, as we look to finish a big week of league Fives on a high before taking on all-comers in the EFA Trophy on Sunday.

North Oxford finished runners-up in the Richard Black Cup at Eton 10/11/19:

Group stages: beat Shrewsbury 2 3-0; beat Holyport 3-0; beat EFA 3-0

Semi-Final: North Oxford beat Shrewsbury 1 3-0

K.Hird & R.Wood beat I.Wong & H.Shuker 2-0 (12-0, 12-3)

F.Turnbull & H.Asquith beat L.Barden & A.Sillar 2-0 (12-1, 12-1)

F.Kerr & M.Barnes beat E.Kynaston & G.Nicholas 2-0 (12-2, 12-6)

Final: North Oxford lost to Highgate 1-2

K.Hird & H.Asquith beat E.Scoones & C.Vos 2-0 (12-2, 12-5)

F.Turnbull & F.Kerr lost to E.Williets & M.Barry 1-2 (14-13, 14-15, 12-7)

R.Wood & M.Barnes lost to M.Anderson & L.Valensise 0-2 (5-12, 8-12)

After two years of wins in the Richard Black Cup, it was back to taking the runners-up slot at Eton yesterday by the narrowest or margins. North Oxford have now reached an incredible seven finals in succession but a third win a row proved just beyond the grasp of Karen, Harry, Francesca, Faye, Rachel and Mandie as old rivals Highgate came back to deprive us of our crown. The day started well with a strong performance in what turned out to be the easier of the two groups, with Shrewsbury's inexperienced second string and the young Holyport team comfortably taken care of. A further 3-0 win over the EFA side - a hard-fought 15-13 win at second pair the closest match so far - put North Oxford top of the group and into the semi-finals against the Shrewsbury first team. Another impressive victory with room to spare sent us into the final and yet another meeting with Highgate - a sixth in seven years - although this year with three of the new younger generation of players alongside the school's senior pair of Emma Williets and Mia Barry and Old Cholmeleian Emily Scoones. Pair selection for the final was tricky; Karen and Harry had split across the top two pairs in the semi-final to good effect but the threat of Emily Scoones and the excellent Catherine Vos was such that Karen & Harry simply had to team up to take them on at first pair. This they did to good effect, combining in irresistible fashion to blow away Highgate first string and get the first pair on the board early. In last year's final, Rachel Wood & Mandie Barnes were able to take control of third pair early on but quickly found themselves in trouble against the fast-improving Mimi Anderson & Lorenza Valensise. The Highgate girls had not really been challenged at third pair all day but when they did come up against a better pair in Rachel & Mandie, they responded excellently, controlling the first game and holding on well at the end of the second when Rachel & Mandie briefly threatened to get back into the match. One all and all therefore down to the second pair between Francesca & Faye and Emma & Mia. These four had previous, with their last sixteen meeting in the 2019 ladies championships going to five games before ending in favour of the Highgate pair. For most of the first game it looked like Emma & Mia had the edge, always keeping a point or two ahead in a terrific match with all four players producing some good quality and tenacious play. The Highgate pair got themselves 11-9 then faltered under the pressure of some excellent gameball cutting and good returning from Faye & Francesca, who levelled at 11-11. Again the Highgate girls got in front at 13-11, before the same pattern repeated itself, the North Oxford girls cutting nervelessly at foot down before drawing level at 13-13 and then winning the crucial final point to take the first game 14-13. Just when you thought it couldn't get any more tense, it promptly did, as the second game followed an eerily similar pattern. Both pairs continued to produce some fantastic fives but it was again the Highgate girls who generally had their noses in front all the way to 10-7. again the nerves kicked in as Faye & Francesca ratcheted up the pressure to level again at 10-10. Then - just as in the first game - Emma & Mia forged ahead to get to 14-10. Again, the gameball cutting was near perfect from the North Oxford pair and after several more hands they clawed their way back to 14-14 and within one point of retaining the cup. A couple of half chances came and went but it would have taken quite a one-eyed spectator (of which there were a few admittedly) to claim that the Highgate pair didn't deserve to hold on, win 15-14 and level at one all. For a long time, the third and final game looked it too was going to go down to the wire, but at 8-7, the North Oxford resistance finally snapped and Mia & Emma found a series of excellent cut returns that pushed them towards and then over the finishing line to win the cup for Highgate. There was some consolation in the fact that the North Oxford team had all performed well and that it was definitely a case of Highgate winning the cup and not North Oxford losing it. The traditional chocolate prizes and a 5-0 win (including hangers on) in the Henry and the Golden Curry also tempered the disappointment somewhat. And there's always next year to try and win it back...

North Oxford 2 beat St.Olave's School 1 3-0 at Orpington 09/11/19:

G.Hoskins & C.Austin beat I.Jochim & S.Gupta 3-0 (12-1, 12-5, 12-8)

N.Turnbull & K.Hird beat T.Byrne & Y.Bleunven 3-0 (12-5, 12-10, 12-2)

S.Chapman & M.Chinery beat M.Li & V.Prashra 3-1 (5-12, 12-5, 12-9, 12-4)

Two trips to Orpington, two 3-0 wins. The Division 2 team picked up where the Div 1 lot left off a couple of weeks ago with a comprehensive win over the St.Olave's School team on Saturday. An outbreak of lurgy in the Thatcher household brought about a late change to the team, with captain Gareth Hoskins coming in as a late replacement having just about had long enough to recover from his five game marathon at Eton last weekend. There was some early excitement as the Wizard of Wolverhampton initially asked if he could be picked up from Noky's Thai massage parlour in Potters Bar. Further inquiry as to whether this was his usual pre-match preparation or whether indeed he was going to still be there after the night before was quickly dead-batted with some swift backtracking and a hasty change of venue to the more conventional Orpington railway station. Pre-match massage or not, the Wizard's morning had a happy ending as he and Gareth quickly hit top gear against Isaac Jochim and Swastik Gupta, winning the first game to 1 with some solid set piece work, well-honed pace-off into the buttress against Olavian youngsters tactics and a few lucky edges. Their opposition grew into the game and were posing some quite tough questions by the end of the third but the damage had been done early on and first pair went 3-0 to the North Oxford pair. The High Wycombe branch of NOEFC teamed up again at second pair and continued their successful partnership with an equally convincing 3-0 win over Tim Byrne & Yoann Bleunven, the only wobble coming in a tight second game. Once that had gone the way of Karen & Nathan, the result was never in doubt, a thorough vindication of Nathan changing his recent lose the first two games tactic. Spencer & Matt at third pair got off to a rather slow start by contrast, but the sight of the other two pairs shaking hands and the prospect of an earlier than expected lunch in the Royal Oak quickly spurred them on to recover from the loss of the first game and take the next three to complete the full set. There was a 6-0 win in the pub afterwards, with Karen's mid-life crisis worsening with a marmalade bread and butter pudding and Spencer finally achieving closure from his infamous chicken wrap without the chicken incident over the road a few years ago with a "moving mountains" burger. Nathan just had time for the more traditional sticky toffee pudding before dashing off to watch his dad performing as a Tina Turner tribute act (at least I think that's what he said). If Elvis isn't available this year, Tina Turnbull sounds like a good booking for the NOEFC Christmas dinner to me. The less said about the drive back around the M25 the better, but even that failed to put a dampener on a splendid day.

North Oxford 1 lost to Old Salopians 1 0-3 at Westway 05/11/19:

A.Abrahams & T.McCahon lost to E.Taylor & S.Welti 0-3 (5-12, 4-12, 7-12)

C.Lyle & K.Hird lost to C.Hughes & R.Worth 0-3 (6-12, 3-12, 10-12)

C.Austin & N.Turnbull lost to G.Williams & T.Gerrard 1-3 (8-12, 9-12, 12-7, 8-12)

The Old Salopians won Division 1 at a canter last season and already appear to be running away with the title this season so an away defeat at Westway last night was not unexpected; what was pleasing was that we were far from easy pushovers and made our much vaunted opponents work harder than they will have to to win many matches this year. Tom's sequence of first pair appearances with different partners was finally broken as he and Alex teamed up for the second time this year to take on Ed Taylor & Sam Welti. This was a significantly tougher assignment than their win down in Orpington against a weakened Olavian line-up earlier in the season but they got stuck in and will undoubtedly benefit from the experience. Gaining valuable experience was also the name of the game at pair two as Cam Lyle came back into the side for his second appearance of the season. Having taken a game off Tailor & Bhimjiyani at Mill Hill on debut, Cam came close to repeating the feat in the third game against Chris Hughes & Rex Worth as he and Karen responded brilliantly to going 2-0 down by roaring out to a 10-5 lead in the third, which included a hand featuring a triple change. Sadly, they couldn't quite convert that position into a win as the Salopian pair were able to change gear when required and come back to win the game 12-10. The closest match of he evening was at third pair where Nathan and the Wizard took on Guy Williams & Tom Gerrard. Nathan went for his newly adopted high risk strategy of losing the first two games (redefining the meaning of the word Turnbullesque) and it appeared to be paying off as the North Oxford pair produced their best Fives of the evening to win the third game to 7. With time running out, the fourth game was going to be the last, but with a half point within touching distance it was again the Salopians who managed to find the extra gear necessary to pull away and win 12-8 to take the full three points. A valiant losing effort from the NOEFC players. There are two more top flight games to go before Christmas but attention now turns to Division 2, with three matches in the space of eight days that could go a long way to deciding our eventual fate in the second tier this year.

North Oxford 1 lost to Old Harrovians 1 1-2 at Eton 03/11/19:

G.Hoskins & T.McCahon beat R.Wijeratne & O.Denby 3-2 (12-9, 8-12, 8-12, 12-5, 12-3)

P.Scholey & C.Lumbard lost to R.Tyler & J.Fleming 0-3 (8-12, 8-12, 1-12)

G.Pulsford & S.Chapman lost to A.Poole & E.Hewens 0-3 (10-13, 9-12, 1-12)

Defeat at the hands of the Old Harrovians has become rather routine since we made it into Division 1 a few years ago - barring one glorious exception at Eton last season - but yesterday's effort in rescuing a point from an unpromising position felt almost as good as a victory in some ways with so many players unavailable. It is true that the Harrovians were missing Tom Dunbar (he must have got wind that his former Barber Cup nemesis was in the NO ranks) but the North Oxford absentee list read as follows: Cooley, Piggot, Abrahams, Roper, Lyle, Austin, Mcloughlin, Caplin, Cobb, Wellesley, Oppenheimer, Kirkby, Simmons, Turnbull, Hird, Backhouse, Gore. Various excuses from playing on a temporary wooden court in Hamburg to traditional Etonian family lunches to 10k runs to work commitments meant that Spencer got his first Division 1 call up of the season, manfully rising from his sick bed after a dose of (equine?) flu to partner Grandad at third pair against Alex Poole & Ed Hewens. The North Oxford pair got off to a promising start, always ahead in the first game with Spencer solid at the set piece and Grandad as imperious as ever on top step before being caught and overtaken at the last. The disappointment of losing a game they could and perhaps should have won was compounded by a narrow loss in the second game as well, after which the NO challenge rather ran out of steam to give first blood to the Harrovians. The OHs had gone with the traditional NO policy of youngsters at one for this match, which left Pete & Chris Lumbard the tough task at second pair of taking on Richard Tyler & Jamie Fleming. Pete & Chris played well and fought hard for the first two games but were undone by the strong set piece of their opponents, who were too good not to take the opportunities this provided, winning both of the first two games to 8. As with the third pair, the third game was too big an ask at 0-2 down and slipped away quickly but this had been another battling performance against a high quality pair. With so many high profile absentees, team captain Gareth had brought himself back into the Division 1 starting line-up for the first time this season and ambitiously slotted straight in at first pair, thus continuing Tom McCahon's record of playing first pair in every match this season, with a different partner each time. They found themselves up against Barber Cup winners and Harrovian rising young stars, Oxford captain Oskar Denby and Rahul Wijeratne and once Gareth had got over the shock of being the only player over the age of 25 on court (let alone over 45) the North Oxford pair settled more quickly, returning well right from the start as Tom dominated the court with an impressive display of volleying and dipping shots round the walls into the buttress. Life got trickier for Tom & Gareth in the second game as a sloppy early start and some much improved set piece work from the OH pair left them a long way behind. The Harrovian pair continued their strong form into the third game, returning superbly, but importantly Gareth & Tom fought tooth and nail despite being behind and made the Harrovian pair work extremely hard for their 2-1 lead, keeping them at foot down for what seemed to be an age in game two and putting some miles into the legs of their opponents. In the end it wasn't the legs that went but rather Wijeratne's shoulder which began to hurt as his game began to unravel. He was still producing some useful Fives at time and Denby was as solid and accurate as ever, but the mistakes began to come and the North Oxford pair took advantage ruthlessly, returning well and attacking strongly to never allow their opponents back in, winning the fourth and fifth to 5 and 3 to crown a splendid comeback and clinch the point that takes us back to the top of the table just in time for the big first v second clash against the Salopians at Westway on Tuesday evening. A couple of the more senior members of the North Oxford team ensured a 2-0 win in the pub and reflected on quite possibly the best start to a first division campaign in the club's short history. Long may it continue!

North Oxford 1 beat Old Berkhamstedians 2-1 at Aldenham 06/10/19 & Highgate 24/10/19:

Third pair: K.Hird & N.Turnbull beat A.Leighton & E.Scoones 3-2 (12-14, 7-12, 12-6, 12-5, 12-4)

The missing third pair from the Berkhamstedians Division 1 match earlier in the season was finally played at Highgate last night and what a humdinger it was. With the match delicately poised at 1-1, the early signs for North Oxford were unpromising as Nathan & Karen lost a tight first game 12-14 and then went down 7-12 in the second against Ali Leighton & Emily Scoones. Clearly just toying with their opponents, the North Oxford pair began to hit their stride in the third, raising their game to a level that their opponents were unable to cope with and dealing better with a ball that was losing its colour. The comeback was on and the next three games were all won comfortably to earn another point and extend our lead at the top of Division 1, for the time being at least.

North Oxford 2 beat Old Millhillians 2 3-0 at Aldenham 20/10/19:

G.Hoskins & M.Chinery beat J.Weller & J.Greenhouse 3-0 (12-4, 12-3, 12-4)

S.Gore & A.Bishop beat W.Seath & O.Avery 3-0 (14-11, 12-4, 12-7)

K.Hird & R.Wood beat C.Vincent & B.Whelan 3-0 (12-6, 12-5, 12-7)

Sunday saw a first Division 2 outing of the season and a fairly comfortable win against a willing but underpowered Old Millhillians side. The NOEFC line-up had undergone a few mutations during the course of the week, Spencer getting his drop out in early this time to be replaced by Steve Gore, Stephen Thatcher pleading injury on Friday allowing Andy Bishop to step in and Harry Asquith coming down with a touch of something nasty on Sunday morning which meant a late call-up for Rachel Wood. With Karen also making a comeback after her eye injury last Sunday and testing out some new goggles, it was an experimental North Oxford line-up that took to the courts. Gareth and Matt were always likely to be on top in their first pair match against former Cambridge half-blue Jack Weller and recent Oxford graduate and occasional Summer Fields Monday nighter Jacob Greenhouse, with Matt still basking in the glow of last weekend's papal audience. They duly cruised through in second gear, the main excitement coming in the second game when a 12 point run in one hand looked on the cards as 0-2 became 9-2 with Gareth serving at first hand, the run only halted by a freak OM shot that landed in unreturnable fashion directly behind the buttress. The bulk of the OM second and third pairs was made by Royal Holloway students, putting in an impressive shift after a long day at the Universities championships the day before and an even longer night out in Windsor afterwards. President Andy and partner Steve Gore looked to have the first game in hand before a comeback from Will Seath & Ollie Avery induced a bit of late panic; thankfully the North Oxford seized control again at 11-11 to take the first game and thereafter played a bit smarter and a bit more accurately than their opponents. At third pair Karen wasn't too put off by steaming up goggles as she and Rachel put in a solid performance to beat RH student Ben Whelan and OM stalwart Chris Vincent in straight games. A 6-3 win in the Round Bush (more good work from the Holloway boys) was topped off by more evidence of Karen's current midlife crisis as another stp-free week went by. Division 2 is still in the early stages for most clubs this season so the three points gained puts us top of the table (by alphabetical order if nothing else) meaning we currently sit atop both the first and second division tables. Heady days...

North Oxford 1 lost to Old Millhillians 1 1-2 at Mill Hill 15/10/19:

C.Lyle & T.McCahon lost to S.Tailor & V.Bhimjiyani 1-3 (8-12, 5-12, 12-9, 6-12)

C.Austin & C.Lumbard lost to J.Patel & O.Sander 1-3 (3-12, 10-13, 14-12, 3-12)

Old Millhillians 1 conceded third pair

A midweek away Division 1 match at Mill Hill is always a tough ask, but the current league leaders (that's us in case you didn't know) put in a strong performance against the 2018 champions on their home turf last night. North Oxford drew first blood at third pair as the prospect of having to take on Spencer was simply too much for the OM lower order to take, all possible draftees bailing out as soon as they got wind of what would be in store for them. Unfortunately it also meant another evening on the sidelines for Nathan, who will hopefully be chomping at the bit to get at the Old Berkhamstedians third string next week in the rearranged pair at Highgate on Thursday. With only Andrew Rennie absent from the OM top order - busy taking part in a shock Aldenhamian Barber Cup victory over the Old Westminsters - it was left to youngsters Tom McCahon and NOEFC debutant Cam Lyle plus the new generation of North Oxford Chrises (Messrs Davies and Lloyd now reduced to only occasional day release from the Courtney Friend Fves players retirement home) to take the fight to the best the Millhillians could offer. This was a case of in at the deep end for Ipswichian Lyle - a fifth different first pair partner in five matches for Tom (can we keep this up for all 16 matches?) - as they took on the formidable Sunil Tailor & Vishal Bhimjiyani, long established as a top pair. Home advantage and the problem of playing as a scratch pair against two players who know each other's game inside out certainly put Tom & Cam up against it from the start, but they gave an extremely good account of themselves, always competitive in the rallies, working hard at the set piece and gaining an impressive notch on their collective Fives belt with a 12-9 win in the third game. Some real promise there as Tom continues to thrive at first pair and we hope to see a lot more of Cameron as the season progresses. The Chrises got off to a slow start at second pair against Jitesh Patel and Oli Sander but began to return better and reduce the error count in the second game. Chris Lumbard began to prove that his win against the Berkhamstedians the other week was no fluke, returning well and as tenacious as ever around the court, while the Wizard of Wolverhampton began to find some form after a slow start to the season, producing more of the magic moments that we've got used to seeing over the years. The second game was a bit of a case of what might have been as the NOEFC pair lost having been 8-4 up and got to 10 first, but they dug in and turned the tables in the third, saving several match points to come from behind and win 14-12. The comeback fizzled out in game four, though, as a ball change and some improved cutting from Sander & Patel allowed the home side to get in front and stay there as Chris squared ran out of steam. The pub was a disappointing 0-0 draw (work to do there, folks) but the fixture concludes the first batch of Division 1 games for the season and sees North Oxford proudly sitting atop the Division 1 table for the first time ever. Enjoy it while it lasts!

Mixed Team Tournament at Eton 13/10/19:

North Oxford A (K.Hird/S.Greasley, R.Wood, F.Turnbull, J.Piggot, T.McCahon, S.Mcloughlin) reached the semi-finals and lost to Highgate A

North Oxford B (S.Greasley, E.O'Malley, L.Rowley, N.Turnbull, S.Thatcher, S.Gore) reached the plate semi-finals, losing to North Oxford C

North Oxford C (F.Kerr, M.Barnes, E.Malone, P.Scholey, N.Shaw, S.Chapman, A.Bishop) won the plate (effectively)

The first ever Mixed Team tournament took place at Eton yesterday, with North Oxford making their mark emphatically by entering three teams - a tremendous achievement. The A team started the day gunning for the trophy and as the group stages began to reach a conclusion, all was going to plan with Karen Hird & James Piggot looking strong at first pair, Rachel Wood & Tom McCahon winning well at second and Francesca Turnbull & Sam Mcloughlin cruising at third. With two strong teams in the other group - Ipswich and Highgate A - the knock out stages looked to be too close to call with all three teams evenly matched. Sadly, our title hopes were dealt a major blow when Karen was forced to retire after being hit in the eye in the penultimate group game against Westway. There ensued a consultation on the spot with Dr Abs, a trip to the Western Eye hospital in Marylebone - causing deja vu style flashbacks to the 12 courts in one day challenge for her taxi driver - a very, very long wait and eventually and thankfully the all clear from the specialist. Sarah Greasley stepped up to the A team for the semi-final but with Jonny Ho, Emily Scoones and Ashley Lumbard all in the opposition ranks, this was a step too far without Karen and the North Oxford team exited despite a valiant effort. The other two NOEFC teams also put in fine performances all day, winning more matches than they lost and eventually meeting in the semi-final of the plate. The knock on effect of Sarah moving up to the A team meant that the youngsters team of Nathan Turnbull, Steve Gore, Stephen Thatcher, Emily O'Malley, Lauren Rowley and replacement Becky from Westway had to give way to the seniors line up of Nick Shaw, Pete Scholey, Spencer Chapman, Andy Bishop, Faye Kerr, Mandie Barnes and Eleanor Malone. The Plate final was lost on court 2 pairs to 1 but the opposition by this stage was a a composite team made up of whoever was left, featuring members of five original teams (including two from North Oxford B), meaning that it was a moral victory if not perhaps quite an actual one for the NOEFC seniors, the day ending with Stephen Thatcher (playing for the leftovers team with Nadia Mason) finally getting the memo about who should be winning in his match against Andy and Eleanor but not quite getting it in time to stop his partner effectively finishing off their match playing 1 against 3, which made for a magnificent spectating experience if nothing else. This was an excellent day and a great addition to the calendar; hopefully next year we'll be able to enter four teams and also make sure that everyone is fit and available to give us a shot at lifting the trophy.

North Oxford 1 beat Old Olavians 3-0 at Orpington 12/10/19:

A.Abrahams & T.McCahon beat J.Ravi & I.Jochim 3-0 (12-6, 12-8, 12-5)

P.Scholey & G.Pulsford beat C.Self & S.Kundu 3-0 (12-9, 12-8, 12-6)

K.Hird & N.Turnbull beat S.Gupta & M.Li 3-0 (12-6, 12-8, 12-5)

History was made at Orpington on Saturday as a 3-0 away win against the Olavians (in itself a rare feat) means that for now at least, North Oxford 1 sit proudly atop the Division 1 table. How it came about is a story of heroic self-sacrifice from the NOEFC captain, whose Old Ipswichian Barber Cup team posed such a threat that the Olavians decided that it needed a full panzer division of Toops, Wisemans and Barkers to take them on, leaving the non battle-hardened Olavian reserves unable to prevent the North Oxford hordes from storming fortress Orpington to seize the league spoils. The Olavians do have some serious strength in depth, however, so it was still a mighty fine achievement from the North Oxford sextet of Tom McCahon, Alex Abrahams, Pete Scholey, Grandad Graham, Nathan Turnbull and Karen Hird to take the full three points without losing a game. Alex continued his impressive start to his NOEFC career, becoming the fourth different first pair partner for Tom in four matches. They combined well to see off the threat of top schoolboy player Isaac Jochim and the mercurial Josh Ravi. Pete & Graham at second pair were only giving away around 70 years to their opponents rather than the 90 of a couple of weeks ago, but the end result was much the same with the old firm notching up yet another win. Karen & Nathan made short work of recent school leavers Swastik Gupta & Michael Li and the on court rout was followed up by a 6-0 trouncing in the Royal Oak as Karen's mid-life crisis worsened with an apple and blackberry crumble, leaving Tom aghast as he tucked into his sticky toffee pudding and tried to make sense of an ever-changing world.

North Oxford 1 drew with Old Cholmeleians 1 1½-1½ at Highgate 09/10/19:

J.Piggot & T.McCahon lost to J.Ho & J.Marks 0-3 (2-12, 7-12, 9-12)

P.Roper & A.Abrahams beat M.Kovar & Ab.Bhattacharya 3-1 (8-12, 12-2, 12-6, 14-11)

P.Scholey & G.Pulsford drew with R.Morgan & A.Pavitt 2-2 (5-12, 12-9, 13-14, 12-6 timed out)

The strong start to the Division 1 season continued at Highgate on Wednesday evening with an impressive away draw against a tough Old Cholmeleian side. Once again, the strength in depth of the North Oxford squad was in evidence as James Piggot and Phil Roper came in for the first games of the season and this season's new signing Alex Abrahams made his NOEFC debut. Ever present Tom McCahon was back at first pair with his third different partner in three games and it took a while for James to shake off a bit of top level rust and for the pairing to gel. This was made a lot more difficult by the fact that they were up against double Kinnaird finalist Jonny Ho, playing with his regular OC partner Joe Marks - formidable opposition indeed. Having lost the first game to 2, however, the North Oxford pair began to play well and show exciting glimpses of the potential they both possess, improving to 7 in the second game and 9 in the third, not quite enough to prolong the match past three games but a decent effort nevertheless. There was another new combination finding its feet at second pair as Phil & Alex took on Matt Kovar & Abs Bhattacharya. As in the first court, the first game was lost as the North Oxford duo took a while to get into their stride, but thereafter things could not have gone better as Phil & Alex swept through the second game in majestic style to 2, won the third comfortably to 6 and held on well in the fourth to take it 14-11 and earn an excellent point. The (very) old firm were back in action together at third pair - this time a mere double their opponents age rather than four times as old - and soon settled into a tight match with plenty of ebb and flow against Ralph Morgan and Alex Pavitt. The home pair won the first to 5 before Pete & Grandad levelled at 1-1; the third was a cliffhanger that eventually went to OCs 14-13 before he North Oxford pair hit back again to take the fourth. Despite having the lenses knocked out of his goggles by Pete, the tireless Morgan appeared to be the only one relishing the prospect of a fifth game; the matter was taken out of the players' hands by the clock, however, as the Highgate lights went out leaving the game poised at 2-2. North Oxford won 3-1 (Ralph, obviously) in the pub afterwards as the team toasted a hard fought point and a half that keeps us firmly in the early season Division 1 mix.

North Oxford 1 are tied with Old Berkhamstedians 1-1 at Aldenham 06/10/19:

S.Simmons & T.McCahon lost to A.Joyce & A.Rattan 2-3 (6-12, 9-12, 13-10, 12-6, 9-12)

N.Caplin & C.Lumbard beat D.Patel & T.Betts 3-0 (12-11, 12-5, 12-9)

Third pair tbc

After last week's six pair extravaganza it was a slightly lower key affair at Aldenham on Sunday, but the two pairs that were played produced some scintillating Fives to entertain the small crowd. The crowd was in fact supposed to be playing, but having left Colwyn Bay and the Welsh Invitational tournament at 10pm the night before, stopping for a few hours sleep in Solihull and then continuing down to Aldenham via Watford Junction on Sunday morning, found that the OBs third pair had pulled out. With Nathan also having to miss out, this will hopefully be played sooner rather than later on a Thursday evening at Highgate. Chris Lumbard and Noah Caplin were in the team this week for their first appearances of the season and were faced with what looked like a tricky match against Tom Betts and Darshan Patel on his home courts. The first game was neck and neck right from the start and came down to a couple of key moments right at the end; firstly the momentum looked to be with the OB pair as they went from 8-10 to 11-10 in one hand, including a brave sudden death call from the North Oxford pair. The game turned suddenly, though, with a good gameball cut, an immediate point to level at 11-11 and a first time left-handed cut return from Chris straight into the hole to take the game 12-11. That knocked the stuuffing out of Tom & Darshan for a while and they never really got into the second game as Noah & Chris upped their energy levels and began to run rings around their more leaden-footed opponents. It wasn't until the third game that Darshan and Tom began to to rediscover the level they are both capable of, by which time Noah & Chris were combining well and were confident enough to keep their noses in front and seal the match 12-9. A fine victory. First pair saw Tom McCahon back in action and this time partnered by Sid Simmons, who had travelled all the way down from Wolverhampton to make his North Oxford league debut. They were up against Andrew Joyce & Alex Rattan and the initial signs weren't good. After a cagey start, the Berkhamsted pair pulled away in the first game and established a 6-0 lead in the second; the North Oxford pair had had some good moments but Tom was being a bit loose and Sid was still getting used to the change in pace and intensity from his weekly game in Wolverhampton. From 0-6 down in the second, though, something began to click. Both NO players began to return more cuts - not easy against the power and good length of Rattan and the skill and variety of Joyce - Tom began to find his range from the back of the court more consistently and Sid began to take control of more rallies on the top step. They weren't able to close the gap in time to win the second but it was certainly a different game by now and for the next two games Tom & Sid were the better pair, with Sid in particular playing magnificently, rock solid at the set piece and dominating in and around the buttress. The third game was won despite a late comeback from the Berkhamsted pair and the fourth won at a canter to set up a decider. It started perfectly, with Sid & Tom taking a 3-0 lead straight away. Unfortunately they weren't able to stay on top; a couple of loose rallies let their opponents back to 3-3 and gave their play renewed vigour. Joyce in particular raised his game at this point and produced his best Fives of the match to move his pair into a 9-6 lead. Sid & Tom kept fighting and reduced the arrears to 8-9 and then 9-10 but never quite managed to get on level terms before the anticlimactic ending of the first gameball cut hitting a ledge and flying out. This was a great match with Tom continuing to learn and show he belongs at this level and Sid demonstrating that he is still right up there with some of the best players in the country. We hope we'll see a bit more of him in a North Oxford shirt this season! Next up for the Division 1 side is a tricky away tie against the Old Cholmeleians on Wednesday night, which will see seasonal debuts for James Piggot, Alex Abrahams and Phil Roper.

North Oxford 1 beat Berkhamsted 1 2-1 at Aldenham 29/09/19:

S.Cooley & T.McCahon beat A.Theodossi & R.Perrie 3-1 (13-12, 10-12, 12-8, 12-10)

C.Austin & S.Mcloughlin lost to G.Campbell & J.Pemberton 0-3 (5-12, 6-12, 4-12)

P.Scholey & G.Pulsford beat M.Doe & C.Doe 3-0 (12-5, 12-0, 12-5)

The first in a busy spell of five Division 1 games in less than three weeks saw North Oxford get off the mark with a fine 2-1 win at Aldenham against Berkhamsted 1 on Sunday. Potential cancelled train chaos was avoided thanks to some impressive on the hoof transportation improvisation. pigeon detritus and a decapitated toad were removed from the courts and the stage was set for six full courts in a Division 1 and Division 3 double header. We even had a reserve, with the NOEFC captain unable to get into the starting line-up and reduced to the role of Seb's chauffeur, match ball-provider, photographer and cheerleader in chief. The availability of the team pro always makes a difference of course and it had a twofold impact in this match, firstly allowing Tom McCahon to play at first pair in a supporting role and also leading the Berkhamsted team to put Ant Theodossi & Ryan Perrie together at first pair, exposing two of their talented schoolboy players to the wiles of Pulsford & Scholey at third pair. Tom's play was a little bit erratic at times, with one or two Stalyesque periods of struggling to keep the ball in court, but when he was good, he was very good and looked very much at home in such exalted company. Seb was just Seb, of course, and always had the match under control, providing the spectators (as well as his partner and probably the opposition to a certain extent), with the confidence that he was always going to come out on top, even in the tight finishes that each game provided. Sam Mcloughlin and Chris Austin got the tough gig of the day at second pair, having to take on former Kinnaird finalist George Campbell and the impressive Jack Pemberton. Neither Sam's stylish new headband nor the Austin magic wand were able to get them close to the Berkhamsted pair as they went down in straight games. Third pair by contrast produced some remarkable statistics - Pete (on about four hours sleeep) & Graham further extended their record as the oldest pair to win a game in Division 1, surmounting a combined pair age gap of 90 years over their opponents to win 5, 0 and 5, giving the two Berkhamsted boys a Fives masterclass in the process. Further remarkable stats were generated in the Round Bush afterwards, with a North Oxford full house producing a 13-5 victory. There was some confusion about whether Grandad was referring to his performances in the 19/20 season or the 1920 season but once that was cleared up, normal service was resumed, apart from worrying evidence of an incipient midlife crisis from Karen (apple pie instead of sticky toffee pudding) that was counteracted by T-Mac reinforcing his NOEFC credentials with the correct pudding order, even going so far as to check with his teammates whether he was supposed to order custard or ice cream with his stp when ordering at the bar. Fine work.

North Oxford 3 beat Berkhamsted 2 2-1 at Aldenham 29/09/19:

M.Chinery & K.Hird beat J.Doe & R.Seddon 3-1 (12-10, 12-6, 9-12, 14-12)

R.Wood & T.Bush lost to C.Davey & J.Baines 0-3 (5-12, 4-12, 5-12)

A.Bishop & T.Hoskins beat A.Pemberton & G.McWalter 3-0 (12-9, 12-9, 12-1)

Sunday saw a six pair league double header against Berkhamsted at Aldenham with Bishops's Buccaneers taking on the unknown quantity of new league entrants Berkhamsted 2, a team consisting mainly of staff and parents. The first pair match was a cracker and was the last of the six pairs to finish; this seemed unlikely when Karen & Matt followed up a tight first game win with a convincing 12-6 scoreline in the second against the experienced James Doe and Rugby Fives convert Roland Seddon. Things started to get a bit sticky in the third game as the Berkhamsted pair came back to win 12-9, before getting themselves 11-9 up in the fourth and spurning a couple of game ball chances. Karen and Matt seized the chance with both hands, finding some good returns and solid rally play just when it was needed to level at 11-11 and then get to 13-11 themselves before closing the match out at the second opportunity to record an excellent win. The second pair of Rachel Wood & Toby Bush played some fine Fives against Chris Davey & Justin Baines, but were beaten at the set piece as the Berko pair simply returned more cuts more consistently throughout the match, which allowed them the luxury of playing the majority of points on their own serve. Captain Bishop - back from yet another hockey injury - took on a mentoring role at third pair, partnering 14 year old league debutant Tom Hoskins against Tom's fellow Edwardian Guy McWalter & Adam Pemberton. The North Oxford pair didn't quite play as well as they would have liked, but crucially saved their best Fives for the key stages at the end of the first and second games, with both Andy and Tom finding some good cut returns and precise winners into both the buttress and back corners when it mattered. Winning the second game 12-9 from a tense position of 8-9 down was the crucial phase of the match as their opponents wilted in the third game, allowing the North Oxford pair to race through to a well-deserved win.

North Oxford 3 lost to Windsor & Eton 1-2 at Eton 10/09/19:

H.Daly & K.Hird beat I.Mitchell & N.Bunyan 3-0 (13-10, 12-9, 13-12)

R.Thorogood & T.Bush lost to J.Lawrence & S.Thatcher 0-3 (7-12, 10-13, 5-12)

A.Bishop & F.Kerr lost to W.Seath & O.Avery 0-3 (7-12, 5-12, 4-12)

The usual season opener saw Bishop's Buccaneers head to Eton to take on Windsor & Eton in a clash between last year's Division 3 top two. A late selection switch from W&E - captain Mandie Barnes dropping herself in favour of Stephen Thatcher - gave the home team the edge in the lower two pairs, although a strong first pair performance enabled North Oxford to get a point on the board. Captain Bishop and Faye Kerr were up against the continually improving Will Seath and Ollie Avery at third pair and Andy & Faye struggled to keep pace with the W&E youngsters, who won comfortably. Controversial late selection Thatcher - subject of a close season Division 3 swap deal with Matt Chinery heading the other way - teamed up with Jeff Lawrence at second pair and had too much experience for Robert Thorogood and Toby Bush, although the North Oxford put up a very decent performance, especially in the second game, which bodes well for the rest of the season as Toby's game will hopefully continue to progress. North Oxford performance of the night came at first pair as Karen partnered NOEFC debutant Henry Daly, Eton U16 player and another Old Summerfieldian off the Bishop production line. They took on the Windsor & Eton old firm of Mitchell & Bunyan and came through impressively in three games, holding their nerve at the business end of each one to win 13-10, 12-9, 13-12. Hopefully we'll see more of Henry along with some of the other OS talent currently at Eton.