Embedded Files
North Oxford 2 lost to Old Cholmeleians 2 0-3 at Highgate 02/04/25:
L.Drummond & J.Levinson lost to Ab.Bhattacharya & O.Hallam 0-3 (1-12, 7-12, 4-12)
D.Patel & I.Mitchell lost to J.Ledigo & V.Kassardjian 1-3 (7-12, 8-12, 14-13, 8-12)
K.Hird & S.Warren-Thomas* lost to J.Robb & R.Morgan 1-2 (6-12, 12-8, 6-12 timed out)
*ineligible player named in advance
NOEFC's seven match winning streak came to an end at Highgate last night, as the league season finished with a 3-0 Division 2 defeat at the hands of a strong Old Cholms team, our cause not helped by a second Highgate transport disaster in the space of two weeks. The day before had already seen Grandad have to pull out with the lurgy (thankfully Ian was on standby and able to step in) but things were further complicated by a closure on the A40 that left poor old Robert stuck in non-moving traffic hell. Either that or it was a cunning means of establishing his alibi for a real life version of one of his cunning murder plots. Anyway, captain Karen was considering further crimes by kidnapping Emily Scoones as a spare player as she delivered match balls before scurrying off to her computer and an EFA Board meeting, but she evaded the chloroform and instead Simon Warren-Thomas splendidly stepped into the breach, although Karen did manage to get a 1v2 set in against Joel Robb & Ralph Morgan (a 10-13 loss) before he arrived. The post-Pulsford reshuffle meant that Cambridge youngsters Jamie Levinson & Lewis Drummond were shoved up to first pair, where they found Abs Bhattacharya & Oli Hallam a bit too strong for them. All good experience, though. Ian stepped in at two alongside Darshan and they had the closest match of the night against Jack Ledigo & Vatche Kassardjian, winning the third game 14-13 to raise hopes of a fightback from 0-2 down before succumbing 8-12 in the fourth. To finish things off, Karen then found the M1 also at a standstill on her way home and didn't get back until 1am. Just one of those evenings...
North Oxford 2 beat Old Millhillians 2 3-0 at Holyport 30/03/25:
Old Millhillians 2 conceded all three pairs
Unfortunately - not least for those looking for an excuse not to have to take their mothers out to lunch on Mother's Day - the Old Millhillians were unable to raise a side for our planned return to Holyport on Sunday morning. The Division 2 team have one more match to go, a trip to Highgate to take on the Cholms on Wednesday evening, which will complete our league season.
North Oxford 3 beat Old Citizens 3-0 at Aldenham 22/03/25:
O.Lawton & T.Bush beat M.Jacobs & P.Chen 3-0 (12-5, 12-0, 12-5)
A.Bishop & S.Clifford-King beat R.Dharamshi & P.Pushnya 3-0 (12-7, 12-8, 12-3)
Old Citizens conceded third pair
Bishop's Buccaneers finished their season on a high at Aldenham on Saturday with a comfortable victory against an Old Citizens team missing some of their star players. Oli and Toby had no trouble winning at first pair, with a love game thrown in against Mark Jacobs & Peter Chen. The Club President partnered Spohi Clifford-King at second pair against CoL Master-in-Charge and occasional SF Monday nighter Rahim Dharamshi, playing with one of his school pupils, who was making his competitive debut. Again, the North Oxford pair were always in control, Andy offering a controlling hand on the tiller and allowing Sophie to play a blinder on top step, returning cuts confidently and aggressively and volleying well before a 3-2 pub win rounded things off.
North Oxford 2 beat Old Salopians 2 2-1 at Highgate 18/03/25:
C.Austin & N.Turnbull lost to L.Lloyd-Jones & M.Quinn 3-0 (7-12, 11-14, 3-12)
S.Thatcher & O.Jones beat O.O'Callaghan-Brown & L.Ware 3-0 (12-4, 12-6, 13-11)
I.Mitchell & M.Davis beat H.Mainwaring & H.Chan 3-0 (12-6, 12-9, 12-4)
Chris Austin reports: Plane trees, cancelled trains and clanking automobiles
North Oxford defeated the Old Salopians in their Division 2 clash in leafy Highgate, overcoming assorted transport woes (Nathan – train first delayed then taken out of service due to a fire at Farringdon; Stephen – hugely disturbing noise coming from his car’s left rear wheel) to run out 2-1 winners.
Having finally made it to Highgate in spite of TfL’s best efforts to keep him away, Nathan’s reward was a first pair berth, teaming up with the Wizard as they sought to impress Nathan's girlfriend Rosie (bravely choosing a freezing March evening for her first exposure to fives) by weaving their magic over Luke Lloyd-Jones, fresh (sore) from his Kinnaird exploits, and Marc Quinn. Sadly it was not to be as they fell to a disappointing 3-0 defeat. Although the pairs were evenly matched in open play, the Salopians had the edge in the set-piece and North Oxford developed an awful habit of losing points in clusters (4-4 to 4-10 in one hand in the 1st game; 0-5 down instantly in the 2nd). The second game proved pivotal – having recovered from 4-11 to 11-11 with their best – ahem – “spell” of the match, they then dropped off slightly and let the Salopians wrest back control. Understandably deflated, Nathan and Chris never got into the third game, with Marc in particular finding an outstanding length into the buttress, and the Salopians wrapped up the match fairly comfortably.
Stephen Thatcher reports: Second pair set out emboldened by their outing for Bishop's Buccaneers in December, Ollie rapidly becoming an NOEFC regular in his second game in 3 months (also his second game in 12 years!) and Stephen keen to get the game done before the recovery truck arrived to take him and his ailing car back to Oxford. The NO pair were in command for the first two sets, cutting and returning effectively with Ollie dominating on top step with excellent volleying and retreiving and Stephen showing uncharacteristic control and consistency. The third set was a tighter affair; a couple of loose cuts straight out of court brought the salopians back to 6-6 as the recovery truck arrived. With both sides suspecting the recovery driver wouldn't wait for a fourth set the pressure was on the NO pair and the Salopians sniffed a chance at victory. After reaching 10 first, the Salopians elected to set to 3 and a number of tense rallies followed. Stephen and Ollie got their noses ahead again before an unfortunate step cut out off the ledge brought the NO pair a deserved but relieved victory!
It was a 2-0 victory for North Oxford in the pub, where Ian and Chris discussed neurodiversity and "neige à la française" over a pint of Timothy Taylor Landlord and some restorative crisps!
North Oxford beat Eton College 3-1 at Eton 12/03/25:
S.Cooley & R.Thorogood lost to T.Webster & L.Turcan 1-3 (7-12, 10-12, 9-12, 12-9)
I.Mitchell & M.Davis beat Freddie & Alex 2-1 (13-10, 8-12, 12-10)
P.Holland & J.Holland beat Jim & Paul 3-0 (12-4, 12-8, 14-13)
M.Beard & T.Boyes-Watson beat Akshay & Zayn 3-0 (15-13, 12-10, 12-10)
A second midweek visit of the season to play the boys at Eton happened on Wednesday evening, with Eton coach Ryan Perrie doing a terrific job at putting out pairs of just the right level for everyone to have a good game. Seb once again put in the miles to come down from Shrewsbury to take on the school first pair of Lochie Turcan and Toby Webster and having made it clear that "I don't mind working hard", we took him at his word and paired him up with Robert. The Eton boys are a fine pair and will be looking to go deep in the draw at the National Schools' Championships in a couple of weeks time. This was a great opportunity for them to get in some practice against the very best (and Robert) and they took it impressively, winning the first three games before the North Oxford pair finally got the measure of them in the fourth. Best of seven and it would undoubtedly have been a win. The other three North Oxford pairs covered a wide range of age and experience and all had close, enjoyable and ultimately winning matches against their schoolboy counterparts. Matt Davis came in for his second appearance of the season, teaming up with Ian Mitchell for a tight 2-1 victory and Paul & James Holland started quickly but were clinging on by the end of their third game. Matthew Beard was in for a game at fourth pair and he partnered Tim Boyes-Watson, who made it two wins out of two for NOEFC, winning 3-0 but by a combined margin of only six points.
North Oxford 1 beat Berkhamsted 1 3-0 at Aldenham 09/03/25:
N.Caplin & A.Abrahams beat J.Pemberton & C.Holroyd 3-0 (12-10, 12-8, 12-11)
T.McCahon & G.Wiseman beat G.Campbell & T.Aston 3-0 (12-1, 12-5, 12-8)
I.Weaver & C.Austin beat A.Theodossi & W.Roen Tate 3-0 (12-7, 12-7, 12-9)
The sun was still shining on Sunday as the Division 1 side returned to Aldenham to finish off a hugely successful top flight campaign against a strong Berkhamsted side. The club captain provided the Coventry/Oxford taxi service while Chris hoovered up the rest of the team from Totteridge & Whetstone ensuring that - with the honourable exception of the Wizard himself - it was one of the youngest North Oxford league line-ups to take to the courts. The opposition were missing Ryan Perrie, but still had a former Kinnaird finalist (George Campbell), a former Kinnaird semi-finalist (Ant Theodossi), the reigning national U21 and U16 champions (Jack Pemberton & Tom Aston) and two very handy OBs (Charles Holroyd & Will Roen Tate) in their ranks. Noah & Alex were back together at first pair and their record so far this season has been nothing if not consistent - six matches played, six matches going al the way to a fifth set. They were up against Jack & Charles and all three games followed a slightly curious pattern, with the North Oxford pair getting off to a flying start (5-0, 7-0 then 5-0) before being pegged back each time, with Jack's trademark reach and volleying always a threat. Noah's return of cut was working especially well, though and even as the Berkhamsted pair began to get back in each game, there were always enough North Oxford chances being created to keep their noses in front, although it got pretty close in the first game (won to 10) and even more so in the third, which was set to sudden death by the Berkhamsted pair and which went a few hands before Noah & Alex got over the line to claim a 3-0 win, the closest all season they've come to a routine victory. The second pair of Tom & Gwydion had played a blistering set on Saturday against Howard Wiseman & James Toop at Eton and the started in the same vein against George & Tom, playing with a fabulous pace and intensity that their opponents were unable to live with for the first two games. The third was rather different, as Tom & Gwydion's form dipped a little and the Berkhamsted pair hit back well to lead 8-5, but a final burst of irresistible cut-returning, retrieving and volleying swiftly snuffed out the danger, carrying them all the way to a 12-8 win and an excellent overall result. Third pair was notable for the large amount of hair on display, with only Chris letting the side down on that front, but his Fives wasn't letting anyone down as he & Isaac headed into a two game lead with well-timed runs of scoring at the business end of each set. The third was a bit more nip and tuck and it took longer for them to shake off the Berkhamstedian threat but they always looked to be in control and ran out impressive 7,7 and 9 winners to complete the 3-0 win and a full six points from two matches in two days - a terrific way to finish off the campaign. Although the Westminsters are out on their own in first place, those two wins take us into a strong second place and although we're not guaranteed to stay there - both Berkhamsted and the Salopians could go past us - there is a decent chance that we might finish the season there, which would be a record high placing for North Oxford. Already banked is our most successful season ever in Division 1 both in terms of points won and points per match - an excellent achievement and one that all involved can feel proud of, not least the seven who celebrated with lunch in the sunshine in the garden of the Round Bush - yet another victory, 7-4 this time!
North Oxford 1 beat Old Olavians 3-0 at Eton 08/03/25:
Old Olavians conceded second and third pairs and the match 0-3. J.Toop & H.Wiseman played one game matches as follows:
beat G.Pulsford & B.Swallow 15-4
lost to T.McCahon & G.Wiseman 8-15
beat N.Caplin & A.Abrahams 15-6
The second part of the Olavians double header at Eton was a bit of a damp squib, at least competitively, with the Olavians only able to turn out one pair, a bit of a disappointment with a strong and keen North Oxford six raring to take them on. Rather than just playing against one NOEFC pair, the Olavian duo of Howard Wiseman & James Toop offered the option of conceding the three points but then taking on each of the three North Oxford pairs in turn in an extended one set game, while the other four played each other on a neighbouring court. This had the advantage of ensuring that everyone got a good game and also that things were wrapped up in time to attend the official lunchtime opening of the Constantinidi Fives centre and for some of the players (policing is clearly hungry work) to make a serious dent in the buffet that was laid out on Court 9. The on court action was intriguing, with Grandad & Beau softening up Toop & Wiseman so that a motivated and firing Tom & Gwydion could jump in and blow them away 15-8. The tide may have been turning a bit back in the Olavians favour by the end of the set, but Tom & Gwydion;s initial burst was hugely impressive, full of attack, energy and great cut-returning. Howard & James had got their rhythm back by the time they played Noah & Alex, but everyone had got their eye in nicely ready for the Berkhamsted challenge on Sunday and the 3 points moved us ever closer to a potential record Division 1 points haul and highest ever finish.
North Oxford 3 beat St.Olave's School 2 3-0 at Eton 08/03/25:
R.Thorogood & O.Lawton beat E.Phillips & E.Habershon 3-1 (12-6, 12-11, 8-12, 12-7)
I.Mitchell & S.Nowinski beat R.Patel & R.Saldanha 3-0 (12-4, 12-7, 12-7)
St.Olave's School 2 conceded third pair
The President's team returned to action at Eton on Saturday, in glorious sunshine but not quite as part of the intended six pair double header with the Olavians. Unusually for them, this fixture proved to be a struggle to recruit players for: the Division 1 match was down to only one Olavian pair early on in the week, but unfortunately the third pair of the Division 3 game also got cancelled late on in the piece, denying the President the opportunity to get on court alongside Sophie Clifford-King. There was a new look pairing in at first pair with Robert Thorogood and Oli Lawton teaming up to take on the Eds Phillips & Habershon. They confidently took the first game to 6 and looked set for a comfortable 2-0 lead at 11-6 up in the second but a wobble was perhaps to be expected and although they managed to cling on and take the second 12-11, the Eds were sufficiently encouraged and energised to hit back and take the third to 8. This was the critical juncture now, with Robert & Oli needing to ensure that the wobble didn't turn into a full on collapse and they did so impressively in a rapid-fire fourth game that saw points being scored by both sides at a rate of knots but ended in victory for the North Oxford pair by 12 points to 7, finishing in sufficient time for Robert to make it his headlining afternoon gig at a literary festival in Farnham while Oli headed to the beer garden of the Henry in the company of other members of the NOEFC contingent to enjoy the sun and rehydrate. The second pair saw a classic youth v experience battle as North Oxford's Salopian veterans Ian & Stefan gave a Fives lesson to two callow Olavian schoolboys. Three points in the bag, then and a big jump up to second in a very crowded Division 3 table with just one game to go against the Citizens in three weeks time.
North Oxford 2 lost to Old Etonians 0-3 at Eton 02/03/25:
C.Austin & D.Patel lost to J.Piggot & L.Turcan 0-3 (1-12, 3-12, 3-12)
P.Scholey & S.Thatcher lost to W.Ponsonby & H.Turpin 2-3 (12-11, 10-12, 12-9, 4-12, 10-12)
S.Chapman & P.Holland lost to J.Turcan & J.Edsberg 0-3 (6-12, 5-12, 2-12)
The Division 2 team were back in action at Eton on Sunday, again finding themselves up against some pretty strong opposition, this time an Old Etonian team with strong NOEFC/Summer Fields connections. Darshan and the Wizard were up against James Piggot and Lochie Turcan at first pair and were never really able to make an impression. Lochie coped well with being on court with three left-handers and the Etonian pair were in control from start to finish, dominating the set piece and finishing off the rallies clinically. It was a similar story at third pair, where Lochie's older brother Jake was up against his 2021 Three Code Eton winning partner as Spencer put in a welcome appearance the day after ruthlessly dispatching some Cambridge novices in the Varsity Match. This was a significantly tougher assignment for Spencer & Paul Holland, with Jake partnered by another one of Eton's top school players, Old Summerfieldian Jago Edsberg to produce one of the stronger Division 2 third pairs that anyone will come across this season. Paul & Spencer played pretty well in the first two games but the powerful cutting and attacking play of the two Etonian youngsters proved too much. Our chances of taking a point from the match therefore rested on the shoulders of the Edwardian duo of Stephen and Pete. Having played themselves into a bit of form last week at the EFA Trophy, they started well against Will Ponsonby and schoolboy Hugo Turpin, winning the first game 12-11 and recovering from the loss of the second to take the third 12-9. Pete's fitness and stamina was being severely tested and the fourth game was lost to 4, but a final burst of energy (plus some industrial quantities of jelly babies for Stephen) got them through a close fifth game. In the end they just came up short, losing the decider 12-10 but it was a heroic effort and possibly deserved more. So we came away from this one empty-handed but the Division 2 team will be back for a final run of fixtures once the Division 1 players have finished off their season with a big double header this weekend at Eton and Aldenham.
North Oxford lost to Oxford University 1-2 at Eton 23/02/25:
I.Weaver & F.Prickett beat G.Wiseman & J.Robb 3-0 (12-4, 12-3, 12-4)
G.Hoskins & S.Thatcher lost to B.Hart & N.Choustikov 0-3 (4-12, 7-12, 9-12)
K.Hird & N.Turnbull lost to B.Swallow & E.Gosnell 0-3 (3-12, 4-12, 13-15)
There were echoes of EFA Trophies past yesterday afternoon as North Oxford followed their morning win over the Old Salopians with a final against local rivals Oxford University. The two teams met in three successive knockout games from 2016-2018 with two semi-finals and a final, all three going the way of the students back then. This time around it was a nearly new cast list, with only Gareth & Karen remaining from the teams who played those three matches, but the challenge facing North Oxford was still formidable with an experienced OUEFC line-up - several of whom with Division 1 and 2 league experience with North Oxford - who could afford to leave the watching Spencer on the bench. As indeed could North Oxford...maybe a theme there. Anyway, it was a tough hurdle to overcome if we were going to win our first EFA Trophy since 2009. As with the morning match, the big pre-match decision was whether to keep Isaac & Fred together or split them up; the morning decision to pair them up had proved to be the correct one so the consensus was to go with the same strategy again and look for a similar result. This time, though, it was the opposition who got their pairs strategy right, spreading their strength across the three pairs and looking to use their depth. The positive for North Oxford was again a convincing win for Isaac & Fred at first pair, this time 4,3, and 4 over Gwydion Wiseman & Joel Robb, but the challenge facing the other two pairs was formidable. Both second and third pairs followed a similar pattern, with the University going 2-0 up pretty convincingly but North Oxford not going down without a fight. Gareth & Stephen played a good third game against Nick Choustikov and the very classy Ben Hart and came within a whisker of getting it to 10-10; Karen & Nathan did manage exactly that at third pair against Beau Swallow & Ed Gosnell. Neither pair were able to get over the line and keep the match alive into a fourth game, though, and yet again our EFA Trophy campaign ended in another near miss. This was the first competition we entered as a club back in 2004 and since then we have qualified for the semi-finals in 16 out of 21 years, an impressive level of consistency, with eight semi-final defeats, seven final defeats and just the one solitary win back in 2009. Maybe next year...
North Oxford beat Old Salopians 2-1 at Eton 23/02/25:
I.Weaver & F.Prickett beat T.Welti & A.Morris 3-0 (12-6, 12-6, 12-5)
P.Scholey & S.Thatcher lost to L.Lloyd-Jones & T.Bromley-Davenport 0-3 (7-12, 7-12, 6-12)
K.Hird & N.Turnbull beat M.Hughes & M.Quinn 3-0 (12-9, 12-6, 12-7)
Just for a change, we arrived at Eton for EFA Trophy finals day with the Old Salopians the first obstacle standing between North Oxford a second win in the competition (and a first since 2009). There was a blow a few days before with Archie Cameron-Blackie mangling his hand against a wall at Repton, leading to a late call up for Pete Scholey and the club captain, who between them would fill the gap in the day's two matches. Fred was also having hand issues after a (literally) bruising encounter with the OIs the day before, but a pair of Grandad's inner gloves and some of Karen's extra padding (not to be confused with the club captain's extra padding, an entirely different kettle of fish) seemed to the do the trick and he was good to go alongside secret weapon Isaac Weaver, able to play for North Oxford this year in the absence of an Ipswichian team. The tricky decision pre-match was whether to team up Isaac & Fred as a top-notch first pair and rely on one of the other two pairs to win their match or to split them up and hope their partners could provide sufficient support to get a couple of wins. The decision was made to put them together and the rist part of the plan worked perfectly as Isaac & Fred put in a terrific performance to defeat a very good Salopian first pair in Tom Welti & Adam Morris 6,6 and 5. The Salopians had put some strength into their second pair in the form of one of their regular Division 1 players Luke Lloyd-Jones and he and Tom Bromley-Davenport were just a bit too strong for the NOEFC Edwardians Scholey & Thatcher, who repeatedly threatened to make it close without ever quite achieving it. This left the fate of the semi-final in the hands of Karen and the returning Nathan Turnbull and they rose to the occasion magnificently, overcoming the hugely experienced Salopian duo of Mike Hughes & Marc Quinn in straight games, with a 12-9 in a tight first game proving absolutely crucial and taking us into a first final since 2022.
North Oxford 2 lost to Old Ipswichians 1-2 at Aldenham 22/02/25:
G.Pulsford & F.Prickett lost to I.Weaver & E.Caldwell 2-3 (9-12, 5-12, 12-5, 15-12, 6-12)
K.Hird & D.Patel beat S.Cass & D.Ingram 3-0 (12-6, 13-10, 12-6)
P.Holland & I.Mitchell lost to T.Gregory & C.Cooley 0-3 (2-12, 8-12, 1-12)
After a lengthy hiatus, the Division 2 team were back in action on Saturday with an enjoyable match against the Old Ipswichians at Aldenham. For the first time in 2025, the crowd were able to enjoy watching without having to resort to a hat, gloves and the big coat and both teams set to work full of the joys of spring (most of the time), with Charlotta's black forest tray bake providing more motivation should any have been needed. Generous hosts that we are, North Oxford have been fine-tuning Ipswichian number one Isaac Weaver's game rather nicely in Division 1 this season and even supplied his transport from Coventry to Aldenham for the day, thus fulfilling the contractual obligations of his Division 1 services and one-year EFA Trophy loan deal. He was playing alongside recent school leaver Elliot Caldwell and Grandad stepped up to partner Fred Prickett and take them on. Luckily for him no one had a calculator to see if he was older than the other three players combined (it was a close run thing) but as Fred had sculpted his facial hair specifically to Grandad's requirements in advance of the match - no I'm not sure what the definition of a "joyful moustache" is either, but Fred gave it a go - it was the least he could do. For the first section of the match it looked like a routine OI win as they went 2-0 up with Weaver dominating. There were signs of life in the North Oxford pairing towards the end of the second game, however, despite Fred bruising his hand badly early on, and a gameplan to nullify Isaac's strengths and put pressure on Elliot in the back corners began to bear fruit in the third, which was on to 5. The fourth was tight, but the North Oxford pair made it over the line 15-12, raising hopes of an epic comeback victory, but with the OI pair now working out an effective response to the North Oxford tactics and Fred's hand causing him increasing difficulty, it was Isaac & Elliot who got into an early lead and never looked back. The second pair saw Darshan & Karen win 3-0 against Simon Cass & Dan Ingram, but the numbers mask a wild and ultimately decisive passage of play in the second game. Darshan & Karen had won the first relatively comfortably but got off to a bad start in the second and a combination of sloppy mistakes, unlucky ledges and much improved Ipswichian play suddenly saw Simon & Dan 10-1 ahead and set to level up at 1-1. When they passed up a couple of decent opportunities to get to gameball it felt as though it wouldn't matter too much but all of a sudden Karen & Darshan found their rhythm again and the Ipswichians wheels absolutely fell off for 10 or 15 minutes, with the 10-1 lead disappearing rapidly in a run of 16 unanswered North Oxford points, winning the second 13-10 and going 4-0 up in the third, by which time the game was pretty much up. The OI third pair had a pretty strong look about it, with Tim Gregory & Charlotta Cooley clearly taking a leaf out of the Chapman playbook and keeping more than half an eye on their win percentage in the OI club stats. Paul & Ian played some decent stuff, especially in the second game where they were 7-5 ahead and in with a shout at one stage, but ultimately the OI pair were too strong and won in straight games. There was a 6-2 win for North Oxford in the Round Bush (almost warm enough to sit outside but not quite) and the Division 2 roadshow moves on to Eton next weekend with a potentially tricky looking match against the Etonians. Although who knows which Etonians will turn up. Probably not them at this stage.
North Oxford 1 beat Old Cholmeleians 1 3-0 at Highgate 15/02/25:
I.Weaver & A.Abrahams beat C.Blackaby & V.Kassardjian 3-1 (10-12, 12-2, 12-4, 12-10)
G.Pulsford & D.Patel beat F.Lebon* & D.Lioubimov 3-2 (12-5, 14-11, 9-12, 6-12, 12-5)
Old Cholmeleians 1 conceded third pair
*ineligible player named in advance
After the disappointment of the midweek defeat against the champions-elect, the Division 1 team bounced back on Saturday with a convincing 3-0 away win over the bottom of the table Cholmeleians to move into second place in the table with just a couple of matches to go. The Cholms have been struggling this season and were initially only able to produce two pairs, which then became just three players, meaning that Seb was left to kick his heels on the bench in Shrewsbury as Alex & Isaac took on first pair duties. With third pair conceded and our fifth player playing for them at second pair as an ineligible player, two points were in the bag at the start of the match, leaving Alex & Isaac to take on Chris Blackaby & Vatche Kassardjian for the final point. This was not necessarily a gimme, as Chris has been a fine if rather irregular player for some time and Vatche is a hugely improved one and with the North Oxford pair made a rather slow and laboured start, with Alex perhaps "not quite feeling 100%" and despite a late rally found themselves 1-0 down. Things improved somewhat in the second game as the Cholms made a few errors, Alex began to find his range and Isaac hit a rich vein of returning form all of which contributed to a 7-0 lead after the first hand and an 11-0 lead shortly afterwards. Job done. The gap between the second and third games was significantly longer than the second game itself, as Alex returned eventually somewhat lighter and now playing rather closer to his usual level. Chris & Vatche played better but the third game was Alex & Isaac's best of the match as they controlled things from start to finish to win it to 4. The fourth was back to being much closer, with the Highgate pair cutting better and the North Oxford duo having to live off scraps a bit more. The lead see-sawed back and forth and a fifth game (yet another one at first pair!) seemed a possibility for a while, but Alex & Isaac timed their finish well, coming from 8-9 behind to win it 12-10 and clinch the overall win. The second pair game didn't have quite the same edge with no league point at stake but was an excellent match, with Frank Lebon - in his second NOEFC appearance - confirming the good impression made on his first as he guested for the Cholms alongside Dan Lioubimov against Darshan & Grandad. The Aldenham duo seemed to be in control having won the first comfortably and come from 7-11 down to win the second, but the youngsters hit back and despite Frank's goggles taking a repeated battering, they levelled at 2-2 before experience and competitive instinct took over, Darshan & Graham winning the fifth game to 5. There was a 5-0 win the pub for North Oxford with the discussion centring around previous highest league finishes (joint second in 2021/22) and highest points per match totals in Division 1 (24½ points from 16 matches in 2017/18) both of which are potential targets with just two matches to go. Neither are likely to be easy, however, and there is a posse of teams queuing up behind us with games in hand, but hopefully we can put in a strong finish to cap off a fantastic Division 1 campaign.
North Oxford 1 lost to Old Westminsters 1 0-3 at Highgate 11/02/25:
G.Pulsford & A.Abrahams lost to L.Brock & I.Salim 0-3 (2-12, 0-12, 2-12)
C.Austin & D.Patel lost to B.Merrett & J.Alster 1-3 (12-10, 8-12, 6-12, 3-12)
N.Turnbull & J.Ledigo* lost to A.Benson & A.Vinen 0-3 (12-14, 3-12, 3-12)
*ineligible player named in advance
An away match against the reigning league and Barber Cup champions was never going to be an easy prospect and with a couple of key players unavailable it was even more of a long shot that we would be able to come away with anything to show for our efforts. When PC Tom McCahon phoned at lunchtime to say he was involved in an incident at work* that was going to continue well past his scheduled finish time and he wasn't going to be able to make it, the job became a whole lot trickier. A penalty point disaster was avoided thanks to Jack Ledigo of the Cholms stepping in at the last minute as an ineligible player to fill the gap and the absence of Hugo Young and the sight of Riki Houlden running through a few drills next door rather than playing against us at least spared us a complete tonking. Grandad bravely stepped up (or was volunteered...I wasn't there so I'm not quite sure how the selection process worked) and took on first pair with Alex but they found Laurie Brock & Issy Salim - tuning up for their defence of the Barber Cup in a couple of weeks time - too hot to handle and despite the North Oxford pair's best efforts they weren't able to make much of an impression on the scoreboard. With an ineligible player at third pair, our hopes of an unlikely point therefore rested on Darshan & The Wizard at second pair and they got off to a great start against Ben Merrett & James Alster, getting a couple of points ahead early on and never letting go of the lead. The second game also started well and at 7-7 was evenly poised. At this point, though, the Westminster pair stepped their level up, not making errors and volleying particularly well and levelled at 1-1. That proved to be the turning point of the match, with Chris & Darshan beginning to tire as Ben & James took control of the next two games to win in four. The third pair game - while not with a league point at stake - was nonetheless extremely valuable as it saw the return to the side of Nathan Turnbull for his first game of the season and he was able to knock off a bit of rustiness with the EFA Trophy in mind in a couple of weeks time. There was a 2-0 win in the pub at least, with Chris & Darshan discussing what might have been, while the others licked their wounds, Alex headed off to join Riki and his drills and Tom nicked a few more scrotes. Despite this reverse, the Division 1 side are still in a great position in the table, in third place with four matches to go and a return to Highgate next on the cards this weekend to take on the Cholmeleians.
*Photo below of the police incident in question. Good to know that thanks to Tom, NOEFC's sacrifice wasn't in vain and the streets of South London are a safer place.
North Oxford 3 beat Newbury 2-1 at Newbury 11/02/25:
S.Thatcher & I.Mitchell beat J.Hopkins & C.McCormack 3-0 (12-7, 12-9, 12-9)
S.Nowinski & A.Bishop lost to M.Beard & E.Porter 0-3 (5-12, 6-12, 7-12)
M.Barnes & T.Boyes-Watson beat P.Jones & J.O'Malley 3-0 (12-5, 12-5, 12-4)
The Division 3 team took to the courts at Newbury for their first match of 2025 on Tuesday evening in one half of a league double header taking place 60-odd miles apart. While the Division 1 team found themselves up against the strongest team in the country, Bishop's Buccaneers got stuck into the "A34 derby", looking to move away from the lower reaches of the Division 3 table and towards mid-table respectability. Stephen - stepping in after Oli Lawton had to do a Spencer - and Ian had a reasonably routine win at first pair against Jack Hopkins & Chris McCormack, while Mandie and NOEFC debutant Tim Boyes-Watson stepped into the Dragon's Den against Newbury novices Peter Jones & Jon O'Malley and put in a pitch-perfect performance at third pair. There was some insider knowledge for the Newbury team at second pair as frequent SF Monday nighter Matthew Beard teamed up with Ed Porter to take on Captain Andy and Matthew's former Over 60s title-winning partner Stefan and it proved crucial as Matthew's cutting and returning kept the Newbury pair ahead throughout and on to a three game victory. Two points puts us back in the mix, though, and with a couple of matches left and only 3½ points separating second from top and second from bottom, there is still all to play for in the last couple of matches.
North Oxford 1 beat Old Millhillians 1 2-1 at Aldenham 09/02/25:
N.Caplin & A.Abrahams lost to S.Tailor & V.Bhimjiyani 2-3 (12-7, 13-15, 12-14, 12-8, 12-14)
I.Weaver & G.Wiseman beat O.Sander & J.Weller 3-0 (12-2, 12-6, 12-5)
Old Millhilllians 1 conceded third pair
A return to Aldenham on Sunday produced a 2-1 win against the Old Millhillians, which sees us move ahead of them into thid place in the Division table with four matches to go. It was so close to being a decisive 3-0 win, as once again Alex & Noah headed into a five setter, this time coming out just on the wrong end of the result. In some ways, it was a little surprising that we had any opposition at all as they'd forgotten all about the match until reminded up at the Northern Tournament in Shrewsbury. They couldn't quite manage a third pair, which meant that Gareth & Stephen's services weren't required, on court at least. The North Oxford taxi service was in action, though, getting the team to Aldenham via stops in Coventry, Oxford and Radlett. Isaac & Gwydion were back in the line-up this week and in some ways it was a shame that their talents were slightly wasted as they cruised to an uneventful 3-0 win against Oli Sander & Jack Weller. The subsequent one on one top step battle was significantly more competitive while Noah & Alex got to work against the OM top pair of Sunil Tailor & Vishal Bhimjiyani. Noah & Alex have now played together at first pair in five of our ten Division 1 matches this season and remarkably every single one of them has gone to five games, with Noah's other outing (with Gwydion in the reverse fixture) also going the distance. There have been wins, draws and defeats in that run and this one will very much go down as one that could and perhaps even should have ended in victory, as the North Oxford pair managed to outscore their opponents 61 points to 58, scored at least 12 points in all five games and served at game ball in four of them, including the decider. The fact that they didn't win shows just how close the two pairs were and it was a terrific match with momentum swings every five five minutes, runs of points for both sides at various times and some superb Fives. Noah & Alex will be disappointed not to have won the second game from 10-8, 12-10 and 13-12 up, the third having come back from 2-9 down to lead 11-9 and the fifth having got to 10-6 and then made it to 11 first, but they are playing some excellent Fives at the moment and are competing well with every other first pair in the Division.
North Oxford 1 lost to Old Salopians 1 ½-2½ at Highgate 21/01/25:
N.Caplin & A.Abrahams drew with E.Taylor & S.Welti 2-2 (5-12, 13-11, 7-12, 12-8 timed out)
T.McCahon & T.Campbell lost to C.Hughes & R.Worth 0-3 (3-12, 3-12, 9-12)
C.Austin & F.Lebon lost to G.Williams & L.Loyd-Jones 1-3 (2-12, 12-7, 3-12, 2-12)
Saturday's Harrovian heroics were always going to be a tough act to follow, especially with the prospect of an away game against a nigh on full strength Old Salopian side. This was due to be played last Tuesday but the weather put paid to that; five of the original side were available for the rearranged match with Gwydion replaced by the Wizard of Wolverhampton, who was greeted by Ed Taylor with a cheery "Hello, Steve". Presumably he was confusing Chris with "Stone Cold" Steve Austin, which would be a very understandable mistake to make of course. Whether you consider that to be because of the immense and intimidating physical presence or being over 50 and not having much hair depends on your interpretation. Either way, the Wizard was alongside another NOEFC debutant, Frank Lebon following his fellow Westway/Bryanstonian Tancred Campbell into the Division 1 ranks. It was a tough initiation against Guy Williams & Luke Lloyd-Jones and they lost in four but there was enough promise shown in the victorious second game to provide plenty of encouragement for the future. Tancred was also back in the team after his spectacular debut win on Saturday, but he and Tom McCahon also found cracking the Salopians a tough ask in a three game defeat at the hands of Rex Worth & Chris Hughes. The biggest positive of the night was the continued excellence of Noah & Alex at first pair. Having seen off Tom Dunbar on Saturday, they found themselves up against another formidable first pair in Ed Taylor & Sam Welti and once again gave as good as they got across four games, twice coming from behind to level the match and sadly denied the opportunity to go for a second successive fifth game win by the clock. The half point gained consolidates our place in the top four in the table, with a growing gap to the four teams below and an opportunity in the season's run in to set NOEFC records for a Division 1 points tally and finishing position.
North Oxford 1 beat Old Harrovians 3-0 at Harrow 18/01/25:
N.Caplin & A.Abrahams beat T.Dunbar & E.Hewens 3-2 (4-12, 12-8, 12-15, 12-4, 12-10)
I.Weaver & T.Campbell beat J.Fleming & N.Shaw 3-2 (12-10, 10-12, 12-8, 6-12, 12-7)
C.Austin & G.Pulsford beat T.Seely & B.Bradley 3-0 (12-1, 15-11, 12-7)
Following the disappointing wet courts postponement of the match against the Salopians at Highgate on Tuesday, the Division 1 team responded in style, with a spectacular 3-0 away win at Harrow on Saturday. The old guard of Grandad and The Wizard set the ball rolling at third pair, racing away with the opening game against Theo Seely & Bertie Bradley in the blink of an eye. To stop boredom setting in, they generously decided to give their opponents a 5-0 then a 9-4 lead in the second game before making their move, accelerating away like a gold medal middle distance runner around the final bend, leaving the Harrovian pair treading water as they hit the finishing line to take a two game lead, leaving just the inevitable third game coup de grace to come. The other two pairs promised tougher challenges for the North Oxford youngsters, with three former school champions lined up against them, including 19 time Kinnaird champion Tom Dunbar, who has not lost many matches against North Oxford (indeed against anyone) over the years, despite allegedly losing a set against Spencer once. Not that he remembers that (and not that Spencer ever reminds us about it either). Tom was at first pair with Ed Hewens, following a recent run of league wins together, which left Jamie Fleming and NOEFC's own Nick Shaw at second pair to take on Isaac Weaver and North Oxford debutant Tancred Campbell. There was a nice symmetry to this match up as Nick and Tancred had come up against each other earlier in the season in Division 2, with Nick in North Oxford colours and Tancred playing for Westway. Isaac & Tancred took a little while to get going - perhaps not a surprise with a Div 1 first timer and a scratch pairing - and found themselves a few points behind, but with Isaac beginning to show his volleying range Rugby Fives influenced back court range of shots and Tancred settling into a nice, steady rhythm, the first game was won 12-10. The Harrovians hit back with a similar scoreline in the second game (although they were fighting off another NO comeback by the end of it) and when Isaac & Tancred continued that end of game momentum into the third to win it 12-8, a famous victory seemed on the cards. Jamie & Nick are both experienced and canny operators, however, and after an even first half of game four, they began to exert control, returning cut after cut and rattling off a series of points that gave them the fourth 12-6 and a 6-1 lead in the fifth. There was time for one more momentum shift, though, as Tancred dug in and Isaac went for broke, unleashing a torrent of attacking shots that got the North Oxford back in the game and then caused the Harrovian game to crumble right at the last, forcing a series of errors under intense pressure that took them over the line 12-7 to secure a famous win. Meanwhile, on the next door court, Noah & Alex were offering some stiff competition for the Pair of the Match honours as they took on Tom & Ed. The first game was business as usual for Tom as the Harrovian pair won to 4. From the start of the second game, though, Noah & Alex began to hit their straps, cutting and returning well and matching their opponents shot for shot around the court. They won the second game 12-8 and withstood the disappointment of losing a long and close third game 15-12 to keep their focus and race out to a big lead in the fourth. It took them a while to convert that into a win and take the game to a fifth, but all the while they were able to stay focused on playing a point at a time and not worrying about the occasional bursts of Dunbar brilliance, instead focusing on the next shot and the next rally and continuing to play at a consistently high level. The fifth game was close, with neither pair able to establish a decisive lead up to 9-9. Noah & Alex then made the break to get to 11-9 but it was far from over and once again they continued to play with the same focus and consistency despite missing a couple of chances to clinch the match before finally finding the winning rally to take the game 12-10 and close out a hugely impressive win. The three points keeps us firmly in the hunt for a record NOEFC top flight points haul and a potential top three finish, but there is still plenty of work to do, starting with the rearranged Salopians fixture at Highgate on Tuesday evening.
North Oxford drew with The Brigands 2-2 at Eton 16/01/25:
G.Hoskins & L.Turcan beat A.Constantine & T.Leach 3-0 (12-1, 12-5, 12-6)
I.Mitchell & P.Holland lost to M.Davis & M.Beard 1-2 (5-12, 11-14, 12-9)
J.Nelmes & S.Nowinski drew with J-B.Garway-Templeman & J.Adie 1-1 (12-7, 13-15)
H.Asquith & T.Bush drew with M.Powell & I.Clarke 1-1 (8-12, 13-12)
With the heavyweight Division 1 clash against the Salopians at Highgate on Tuesday washed out, North Oxford's first match of 2025 was instead the traditional January friendly against the Brigands at Eton. An all Turcan first pair was scuppered by Turcan sr falling ill on the morning of the match. Thankfully Ian Mitchell was on hand to step in and the club captain promoted himself to first pair where he was able to witness at first hand a Turcan jr masterclass, as Lochie dominated from start to finish against useful opposition in Alex Constantine and Tom Leach. Ian slotted in at second pair with Paul Holland and they got off to a bit of a slow start against the Lancing duo of Matthew Beard & Matt Davis, losing the first game to 5. They began to get going in the second, which they perhaps should have won, before winning the third and then running out of time, surely the only thing that could possibly have prevented a win in five had the match been able to run its full course. The third and fourth pairs were both evenly matched and only managed two games apiece before the 9pm curry deadline. It was great to welcome back Jonny Nelmes for his first NOEFC appearance for a while and he and Stefan won the first against J-B Garway-Templeman & Justin Adie before narrowly losing the second. There was another draw at fourth pair, with the pattern reversed, a slightly rusty Toby Bush playing alongside Harry Asquith and losing the first against Martin Powell & Ian Clarke before clawing it back to win a tight second game on the tiebreak. There was a 6-3 win for North Oxford in the Golden Curry, with more strong work from Lochie, who negotiated his release from the boarding house for the evening. A potential North Oxford star in the making in all aspects!
North Oxford 3 lost to Team Westway 2 1-2 at Westway 11/12/24:
S.Thatcher & O.Jones lost to A.Sivathasan & B.Kailey 0-3 (9-12, 9-12, 9-12)
I.Mitchell & S.Nowinski beat D.McCahon & D.Goddard 3-0 (12-5, 12-8, 12-10)
A.Bishop & G.Day lost to R.Pye & A.Lewthwaite 1-3 (3-12, 3-12, 14-13, 11-14)
The final league outing of 2024 saw Bishop's Buccaneers head down to Westway for an entertaining encounter. There was a North Oxford debut at first pair for former Summer Fields first pair player Ollie Jones, in his first outing on a Fives court for about 12 years. Always a talented player as a youngster but understandably rusty, what Ollie needed was an experienced, steady hand on the tiller alongside him ...so obviously Captain Bishop turned to Stephen. The pair gelled well, with Stephen on good form and describing his partner as "a fine signing by Mr B" and Ollie impressing with his top step play in particular; they were up against some tough opposition, though, in the match-hardened Abilash Sivathasan and another returner to the game, the Olavian former Oxford Half-Blue Balrik Kailey. Stephen & Ollie just came up short, despite a last game comeback from 3-11 to 9-11, but hopefully we'll see more of Ollie in a North Oxford shirt this season. The evening's point was gained at second pair, as the Salopian engine room of Ian & Stefan produced a commanding performance to win in straight games against Dan Goddard and David (father of NOEFC's Tom) McCahon. That left the third pair and the "Day to December" pairing of Grace & Andy, already victorious at Westminster earlier in the season. They started poorly against another old/young pairing in Rob Pye & Adrian Lewthwaite, with Grace a bit out of practice in her first outing for a while and Andy unable to take control and found themselves 2-0 down in no time. This was very much the fabled game of two halves, though, and the tide turned in the third game, with Grace beginning to find her true form and Andy carrying out a tactical switch from ineffective old man dibbly dobblers to some Austinesque power cutting. There was a late rally in the third from the opposition but Andy & Grace held on to take the game 14-13 and at 11-11 in the fourth were fancying their chances with Adrian tiring. It wasn't to be, though, as the home team found a couple of points just when they needed them to win the game 14-11 and take the win. A 4-0 win in the pub closed the evening out nicely and we head into the winter break via the Christmas outing on Sunday, which this year involves Real Tennis and Winchester Fives at Radley followed by a meal in The Fishes in North Hinksey.
EFA Trophy at Eton 24/11/24:
North Oxford beat Newbury 6-0, Oxford University Peppers 6-0, Brigands 6-0, lost to Oxford University 1-5 and finished 2nd in Group B
North Oxford: F.Prickett, K.Hird, A.Cameron-Blackie, S.Thatcher, C.Cooley and H.Asquith
North Oxford once again made it through to Finals Day in the EFA Trophy with a solid performance at Eton on Sunday. With last year's first pair of Alex Abrahams (ineligible) and Matt Asquith (in th US) both unavailable, there were changes in the line-up, with Old Summerfieldian Fred Prickett bolstering the top of the order and Charlotta Cooley and Harry Asquith ensuring a 50/50 gender split alongside the returning Karen Hird, Stephen Thatcher and Archie Cameron-Blackie. Possibly the trickiest barrier to qualification was cleared early on, with eventual third placed finishers Newbury put away convincingly with a 6-0 win. Further maximum points hauls against the Brigands and the Oxford University Peppers (featuring a certain S.Chapman) ensured qualification before a final round showdown for top spot against the University first team. There were plenty of North Oxford connections in the opposition ranks, with Beau Swallow, Gwydion Wiseman, Nick Choustikov and Edwin Gosnell all lining up against us. Edwin & Joel Robb at second pair had a comfortable win against Archie & Harry as North Oxford pinned their hopes on first and third pairs. The team fought hard but the win was never quite there, with Stephen & Charlotta narowly losing the first game 12-10 to Nick & Jonah and Karen & Fred getting to 7-7 against Gwydion & Beau before the game slipped away from them. There was a small consolation as Karen & Fred produced a superb second game to win 12-11 and prevent the clean sweep but ultimately we had to settle for second place. The other group at Highgate was postponed due to the weather, meaning we'll have to wait to find out who we'll be playing in the semi-finals later on in the season.
North Oxford 2 beat St.Olave's School 1 2½-½ at Orpington 23/11/24:
N.Shaw & K.Hird beat T.Farmer & T.Sachi 3-0 (12-2, 12-8, 14-12)
J.Levinson & L.Drummond beat Ayan & Yifan 3-0 (12-7, 12-8, 12-7)
H.Asquith & M.Davis drew with H.Razvi & A.Healy 2-2 (13-11, 12-7, 13-14, 2-12 timed out)
The second part of the Saturday double header also required some creativity on the recruitment and logistics front, with Lancing's Matt Davis making a league debut and the club captain contributing to the cause while he twiddles his thumbs on the sidelines (well the non-fractured one anyway) by taking the NOEFC taxi to Orpington via Cambridge. There was a comfortingly familiar look to the first pair, though, with Nick & Karen cruising into a 2-0 lead against Oxford University student Tommy Farmer & school player Thanmay Sachi. They made life more interesting in the third game, going from 9-4 up to 9-11 down before recovering just in time to win in three. The Cambridge connection was at second pair where CUEFC captains past and present Lewis Drummond & Jamie Levinson came in for their first league appearances of the season. They also managed to record their maiden league wins at the third attempt, playing a measured and consistent game that was too much for their schoolboy opponents. Matt had an eventful first appearance alongside Harry at third pair. Having become the first ever North Oxford player to stand on one leg and put his other foot on top of the buttress (don't try it, Spencer...) he then saw his partner slide on the slippery court and bang her knee - no blood on the Asquith knee for a change but an impressive bruise and some reduced mobility. They spent the rest of the match moving around to play on whichever court was spare, winning the first game 13-11 and the second 12-7. Things looked dodgy in the third at 4-11 down, but a sudden purple patch brought them all the way back to 11-11 and then 13-13. Harry then got a cut up, the opposition obligingly hit the top of the buttress and Harry hit the volley....down. And then hit the next cut straight out of court. With the knee increasingly causing problems, the next game was lost to 2 but there was no time for a fifth game and so hands were shaken and a draw agreed. Not quite a 3-0 clean sweep then, but still a very handy points haul that keeps us in contention at the top end of Division 2.
North Oxford 1 lost to Old Olavians 1-2 at Orpington 23/11/24:
S.Cooley & T.McCahon beat A.Agarwal & T.Arjaria 3-0 (12-3. 12-5, 12-7)
A.Abrahams & D.Patel lost to H.Ravi & P.Sathiyamoorthy 0-3 (3-12, 4-12, 6-12)
G.Pulsford & C.Cooley lost to A.Sapozhenko & P.White 0-3 (9-12, 9-12, 2-12)
Getting six pairs to Orpington for a Division 1 & 2 double header can be quite a challenge and so it proved on Saturday; we did it, though, and in the process continued our excellent record of scoring at least one point in every one of our seven Division 1 matches so far and maintained our second place in the table, although there are plenty of teams behind us with games in hand. With Noah in India and Gwydion & Isaac both nursing injuries, it was timely that Seb was available for a first appearance of the season and he & Tom McCahon made short work of the school first pair of Aadi Agarwal & Tanish Arjaria, recent winners of the Midland Tournament. Getting a second point proved to be beyond us as Alex & Darshan came up against a pairing of Harry Ravi & Prajeeth Sathiyamoorthy who were in excellent form, while Grandad & Charlotta - making a first Division 1 appearance of the season at her alma mater - were disappointed not to have won one of the first two games against Peter White & Alex Sapozhenko before fading in the third. Still, there was a crushing 11-0 win the pub, the Rose & Crown again maintaining its favoured position ahead of local rival the Royal Oak. Although not a single person ordered the sticky toffee pudding, the NOEFC STP purists horrified at the prospect of it containing an ingredient described only as "secret spices". Sacrilege, indeed, and a good excuse for Grandad to instead polish off a Sundae the size of his own head.
North Oxford were finalists in the Richard Black Cup at Harrow 17/11/24:
Group stages: beat Repton 2-1; beat Shrewsbury 2 3-0; beat Westway 2-1
Semi-Final: North Oxford beat Ipswich 2-1
R.Wood & O.Prankerd Smith lost to C.Cooley & B.Laws 7-15
C.Barr & D.Clarke beat N.Mason & M.Hodgkinson 15-9
H.Asquith & R.McCormack beat A.Moore & I.Wyndham 15-1
Final: North Oxford lost to Old Salopians 0-3
R.Wood & H.Asquith lost to L.Ware & E.Graham 0-2 (10-13, 13-14)
C.Barr & O Prankerd Smith lost to S.Breese & S.Jackman 1-2 (13-12, 10-12, 7-12)
D.Clarke & R.McCormack lost to M.Butler & L.Millar 0-2 (6-12, 0-12)
North Oxford maintained their amazing record of featuring in eleven successive Black Cup finals at Harrow on Sunday, but after three successive wins had to settle for the runners-up spot this time round. This was all the more impressive considering that only one of last year's victorious team was available to defend the title, Captain Harry being joined by former winner Rachel Wood, Monday night recruit Olivia Prankerd Smith, talented young Cranleighan Charlotte Barr and two players from OUEFC - former Holyport Faye Kerr protégée Darcy Clarke and Rachel McCormack, who only started playing in January. The team made a good start, overcoming Karen's Repton team 2-1, with Charlotte enjoying the chance to take on Karen with Harry (a 12-15 loss but a terrific first game) and wins for Rachel W & Darcy at second pair and Olivia & Rachel M at third. The same line up overcame Shrewsbury School's B team 3-0 before top spot in the group was clinched with a 2-1 win over Westway, Charlotte & Olivia winning well at second pair and Darcy & Rachel M combining well at third pair and gaining the crucial point despite a narrow 13-15 defeat thanks to Westway only having five eligible players. Harry again switched up the tactics after lunch, strengthening second and third pairs as much as possible to overcome Ipswich's lower order youngsters and ensuring a place in the final despite the presence of Charlotta at first pair for Ipswich. The final was a tougher proposition, with the Old Salopians team (long overdue in this competition) boasting strength throughout the team. Darcy & Rachel M found the going tough at third pair and quickly lost 2-0. despite a good showing the first game. Retaining the title therefore required both of the first two pairs to win their matches and both of them came oh so close to doing just that. Charlotta & Olivia played a superb first game against Sophia Breese & Sarah Jackman, winning some clutch points at the end to take it 13-12; on the next door court Harry & Rachel also reached 10-10 but in that case it was Emma Graham & Lizzie Ware who came through 13-10. Hopes were raised again, though, as Rachel & Harry took the lead in the second game with Charlotte & Olivia in another tight game next door. Could second pair cling on for the win while firs pair levelled the match to set up a winner takes all decider? Not quite as it turned out. Charlotte & Olivia lost the second 12-10 and were never quite able to keep pace with their opponents in the third and Rachel & Harry spurned numerous chances to win the second game before almost inevitably cutting straight out of court the first time the Salopians made it to foot. This was an excellent final, played at a very high level and the North Oxford team can be proud of their efforts. We'll be back for another go next year!
North Oxford 1 lost to Old Westminsters 1 1-2 at Holyport 16/11/24:
N.Caplin & A.Abrahams lost to H.Young & B.Merrett 2-3 (12-6, 7-12, 12-9, 8-12, 5-12)
T.McCahon & S.Thatcher lost to R.Houlden & A.Benson 0-3 (2-12, 4-12, 4-12)
G.Pulsford & D.Patel beat A.Vinen & S.Shah 3-0 (14-13, 12-10, 12-9)
Saturday morning saw a second trip to Holyport in two weeks and a top of the table Division 1 clash against the league leaders and last year's champions the Old Westminsters. A clash with the Rugby Fives Nationals qualifiers meant that Isaac and Gwydion were unavailable for selection and the captain's heroics against the Cholms had come at the cost of a fractured thumb but back into the side came Tom McCahon, Noah Caplin and Stephen Thatcher, all eager for a spot of giant killing. This was never going to be an easy task, especially with a Kinnaird champion at both first and second pair for the opposition and Tom & Stephen found themselves up against Riki Houlden at second pair. This was a pretty tough gig, and although Tom & Stephen - after a shaky first game - played increasingly well, Riki & Alex Benson were always in control, winning comfortably in three games. Third pair always looked a bit more winnable, with the in form pairing of Grandad & Darshan taking on Alex Vinen & Sahil Shah. With Sahil in particular a bit ring rusty having played more wallball than Fives in recent times, that extra match sharpness proved to be the difference between two otherwise well-matched pairs, the North Oxford duo winning all three games by a combined margin of only six points to claim an excellent point. This just left the first pair, with Noah & Alex back in tandem and up against Hugo Young & Ben Merrett. This one was a bit slow to start with an extensive warm up (some would say a lot of faffing about, but that would be a bit harsh) and didn't actually finish until 2:50pm over three and a half hours after it started. Alex & Noah started well, winning the first game to 6 before the OWs struck back in game two. When the North Oxford pair came from behind impressively to win the third game 12-9, everyone else headed to the pub for their lunch, leaving the four players and Riki to see it through to the finish. The George on the Green in Holyport were put to the test, with a table booked for 13 with pre-ordered food (apart from Noah obviously, for whom that was an organisational bridge too far) and the first 8 arriving in dribs and drabs in the expected 1-1:30 window with the news that the other 5 would be turning up at some point, as t turned out around 3pm. They coped manfully dealing with the chaos and producing an excellent lunch, STP and all, cementing their place as the go to Fives pub in Holyport. When the first pair players and Riki did finally appear, it was with disappointing news for the NOEFC contingent, as Hugo & Ben had won the fourth and then seized the initiative at 5-5 in the fifth to accelerate away to victory, denying us what would have been a magnificent win over the current league leaders. Still it was an excellent day, confirming Holyport as a definite regular home venue for the future and a match worthy of the occasion.
North Oxford beat Cambridge University 3-0 at Cambridge 10/11/24:
I.Mitchell & A.Abrahams beat J.Levinson & L.Drummond 3-1 (12-2, 12-9, 9-12, 12-6)
S.Cass & S.Nowinski beat J.Lai & G.Holliday 3-0 (12-10, 12-6, 13-12)
M.Barnes & L.Rymell beat L.Bland & A.Fitzpatrick 3-0 (12-4, 12-1, 12-9)
After the excitement of Saturday's debut match at Holyport, it was back to more familiar, traditional ground in Cambridge on Sunday. Unfortunately we couldn't get the numbers this year to do a morning and afternoon match but instead played 2 men's pairs and 1 women's pair following a return to the Red Lion in Grantchester for the first time in a while (a 5-3 North Oxford win for the record). Alex was back in action again after yesterday's heroics, this time teaming up with Ian at first pair to take on Lewis Drummond & Jamie Levinson. The first couple of games were pretty comfortable for Alex & Ian, but pleasingly for North Oxford's league prospects (we're looking forward to seeing Lewis & Jamie playing for us at times this season) the Cambridge pair improved significantly as their match rustiness wore on and they looked much sharper in the second half of the match, even managing to win the third game to 9. It's always good to see former Monday nighter Simon Cass back in a North Oxford shirt and he and Stefan also recorded a win at second pair, although neither would necessarily say they were playing at the peak of their powers against Jamie Lai & Salopian fresher Giles Holliday. As a newcomer to the game a couple of years ago, Jamie suffered the indignity of being on the wrong end of a Varsity match triple bagel at the hands of Spencer, but he's come a long way since then and was only denied the opportunity to gain revenge thanks to Spencer's traditional withdrawal from the fixture having initially made himself available. Maybe there will be other chances, although he does have more fully working limbs than Spencer usually likes to see on an opponent. The final pair united Mandie with Louise Rymell to produce a pairing with a bit too much experience for the Cambridge pairing of Lucy Bland & Anna Fitzpatrick. The students will have benefitted greatly from the match practice, however, including two extra games with the pairs mixed up, and both improved significantly over the course of the afternoon.
North Oxford 1 beat Old Cholmeleians 1 2-1 at Holyport 09/11/24:
G.Hoskins & A.Abrahams beat J.Ho & Ar.Bhattacharya 3-0 (12-7, 12-6, 12-8)
G.Pulsford & D.Patel beat E.Scoones & D.Lioubimov 3-1 (8-12, 12-2, 14-11, 12-7)
P.Scholey & I.Mitchell lost to V.Kassardjian & F.Lee 0-3 (12-7, 12-1, 12-5)
Saturday saw North Oxford play the first ever league match on the new courts at Holyport and celebrated with a third successive Division 1 victory to consolidate second place in the table. Once we'd worked out how to get someone to open the gates for us and let us in and come to the conclusion that a white ball is definitely not the best fit for the light coloured walls, a much changed NOEFC line up got to work, the late withdrawal of Noah Caplin meaning only Alex Abrahams was left from the side who beat the Salopians 3-0 a couple of weeks ago. It was the old guard who stepped in, with Graham Pulsford back after his thumb injury, Pete Scholey and Gareth Hoskins in for their first Division 1 games of the season and Darshan Patel in for his second. Noah's withdrawal and the finding of a sixth eligible Cholmeleian meant that Ian Mitchell went from OC ineligible ringer to NO's third pair in the space of about 30 minutes on Thursday afternoon and he and Pete teamed up at third pair against youngster Fernando Lee and the much improved Vatche Kassardjian in a match where the North Oxford pair were never quite able to establish a foothold, losing in straight games. The Aldenham duo of Darshan and Grandad were also a bit slow out of the blocks, losing the first game 12-8 to Dan Lioubimov & Emily Scoones. but soon found their mojo winning the next three, with a tight third game win 14-11 ultimately proving decisive. On paper, first pair looked like a tough one, with multiple Kinnaird finalist Jonny Ho in the opposition ranks alongside Aroop Bhattacharya. Neither of the Cholms were at their best with Jonny rather subdued and Aroop having a bit of an off day. On the other hand, the North Oxford pair were having an inspired day, with Alex dominating the rallies and both players solid at the set piece. The unforced error count (and indeed the forced error count) was also heavily in the North Oxford pair's favour and apart from a short spell at the start of the third game, they were in control throughout surprising everyone, not least themselves, with a memorable 7,6 and 8 win. A 6-0 win in the George on the Green - early signs look promising, although anyone over 6ft tall needs to mind their head - rounded off an excellent day's work with the exciting prospect of a 1st v 2nd clash with the Westminsters back at Holyport next Saturday morning.
North Oxford 1 beat Old Salopians 1 3-0 at Aldenham 27/10/24:
N.Caplin & A.Abrahams beat T.Cox & G.Williams 3-2 (12-8, 12-13, 12-8, 9-12, 12-7)
I.Weaver & T.McCahon beat L.Lloyd-Jones & A.Morris 3-1 (14-11, 12-9, 10-12, 14-11)
G.Wiseman & A.Cameron-Blackie beat J.Saunders & O.O'Callaghan-Brown 3-0 (12-4, 13-10, 12-5)
The Old Salopians have been something of a bogey team for NOEFC in recent years, with rather more defeats than victories on our side of the leger in the league and EFA Trophy. A 3-0 Division 1 over the 2019, 2020 and 2023 league champions is something to be celebrated, therefore, and while it is true that there were one or two key members of the opposition not playing at Aldenham on Sunday morning, this was nevertheless a fine performance by a young North Oxford team. A meandering journey via Coventry, Oxford and Radlett (twice) from the team taxi-driver got the NOEFC players there just about in time to watch the match unfold under glorious blue skies. Archie Cameron-Blackie was in for his first league appearance of the season and he teamed up with Gwydion Wiseman at third pair, where they had way too much firepower for Jonny Saunders and Olly O'Callaghan-Brown, despite a bit of a concentration wobble in the second game. Second pair saw the ex-Durham University students teaming up, as Isaac Weaver & Tom McCahon took on Luke Lloyd-Jones & Adam Morris. Neither Isaac nor Tom played at their best, really, and the Salopian pair never gave up; even so, the North Oxford pair would have been very disappointed to have lost and despite almost throwing away an 11-3 lead in the first, losing the third and finding themselves 9-11 down in the fourth, they just about did enough overall to deserve a win in four games. That left Noah Caplin & Alex Abrahams to renew their partnership for the first time this season against Tom Cox and the in form Guy Williams. This was a tight match throughout, always with a bit of edge to it. Having won the first, Noah & Alex had chances to go 2-0 up but a 13-12 Salopian win pushed the match in a different direction. In the fifth game, though, Noah & Alex were definitely the better pair, playing their tightest and most consistent Fives of the match and taking their chances well to win it 12-7 and complete the 3-0. The win was celebrated with a 6-0 Round Bush victory where Noah's callisthenics and shot demonstrations bemused the local canine population and where possibly a last alfresco post-match drink of the season was enjoyed in the beer garden. A very satisfactory day. The Division 1 roadshow now moves on to new ground, with our next two matches due to take place on the new courts at Holyport College. Exciting times!
Mixed Team Tournament (The Boughton Bowl) at Highgate 20/10/24:
North Oxford A (K.Hird, R,Wood, G.Day, T.McCahon, A.Abrahams, N.Shaw) finished first
North Oxford B (E.Scoones, M.Barnes, S-L.Yuen, A.Cameron-Blackie, A.Bishop, S.Nowinski) finished fourth
The first NOEFC silverware of the season was claimed at Highgate on Sunday, with a win in the Boughton Bowl - a second in total and our first since 2021. Highgate have won the other three editions of the mixed team tournament but were unable to raise a team to defend their title this year, leaving the way clear for North Oxford to get their hands on the trophy once again (although I reckon we'd have beaten them anyway this year!). Indeed, there were two NOEFC teams in the field of four, evidence of our commitment to mixed Fives, which has been at the heart of the development of the club over the last two decades. Karen Hird was in charge of the A team, with Rachel Wood back into competitive team action following her maternity leave and Grace Day completing the female contingent. They were joined by Tom McCahon and Alex Abrahams alongside the experience of Nick Shaw to make a formidable line up. The absence of a Highgate team meant that Emily Scoones was able to return to her North Oxford roots, heading up the B team challenge with Mandie Barnes and new Monday night recruit Sze-Lynn Yuen. Archie Cameron-Blackie was on board to revive memories of his mixed universities Bath pairing with Emily and Stefan Nowinski and the club president provided the necessary gravitas. Westway and Ipswich stood in the way and both came with pretty strong line-ups; Team Karen started with a blockbuster clash against Ipswich and got off to a great start as she & Tom made short work of Charlotta Cooley & Elliot Caldwell. The rest of the team backed them up, with Nick & Rachel winning against the dangerous pairing of Simon Cass & Nadia Mason and Alex & Grace seeing off the school pairing of Sam Cook & Betsy Laws. Even better for North Oxford, Team Andy were also getting off to a flier against Westway. Some cunning pairings meant that Stefan joined Emily at first pair, with Archie teaming up with Mandie at second and both were able to win their matches against good opponents. Andy & Sze-Lynn couldn't make it a hat-trick but they then moved on to the North Oxford derby in good fettle. Nick & Grace and Alex & Rachel both won their derby matches fairly comfortably, putting the A team in pole position going into the final round. The only question was whether they would do so with a perfect six from six record, which depended on the outcome of the first pair match between Karen & Tom and Emily & Archie. This was the game of the day, a fabulous exhibition of mixed Fives with the result in doubt right up until the last seconds. Emily & Archie started better, with Emily's set piece dominant in the first game, leaving Karen & Tom with only a few crumbs to feed off and insufficient chances to keep pace with their opponents. In the second game, however, Karen began to find her cut returning rhythm and she & Tom started to take control of the match to level at 1-1. Thie third game was the best and closest of the lot and was an absolute treat for the good sized crowd who got to watch. For a long time it looked as though Emily & Archie were going to take it as they maintained a small lead and got to 11-9 ahead. The couldn't find the coup de grace, though, and a cut out of court and a couple of good returns later it was Tom & Karen walking away with a 12-11 win. The final round saw the A team going up against Westway with just one pair needing to win to ensure overall victory. Rachel & Alex were the first over the line, although the 12-10, 12-10 scoreline shows how close it was aganst Natalie Lilienthal & Abilash Sivathasan. The only question left for the A team to answer was could they win the competition with a 100% record and Westway did their best to make it difficult by parachuting in a fresh first pair in Elana Garfield-Osen & Julian Black, but they were no match for Karen & Tom and the perfect nine out of nine was completed by Nick & Grace, who produced an inspired second game comeback to win 12-9, 12-11 against Sarah Jackman & Phil Wilkinson. The final issue was whether the B team could make it a North Oxford one-two; a 2-1 win against Ipswich would do it and a 1-2 defeat would mean a three way tie for second place. Sadly, they couldn't quite manage it, with Emily & Archie suffering from "After the Lord Mayor's Show" syndrome against Charlotta & Elliot, Stefan & Mandie raising hopes with an excellent second game win over Simon & Nadia before losing in three, and Andy & Sze-Lynn not quite able to break their duck against Sam & Betsy. Still, the day was an excellent demonstration of our strength in depth (just think how strong a third team made up of players who were unavailable could have been!) and there was a nice shiny trophy to put in the club trophy cabinet at the end of it. Well played everyone!
North Oxford 2 beat Team Westway 1 2-1 at Aldenham 19/10/24:
C.Austin & N.Shaw lost to A.Abrahams & T.Campbell 0-3 (13-14, 8-12, 9-12)
S.Thatcher & D.Patel beat P.Griffiths & B.Bannerman 3-0 (12-7, 12-7, 12-5)
P.Holland & M.Chinery beat W.Thomas & P.Kendall 3-2 (14-11, 10-12, 10-12, 12-1, 12-7)
We returned to Aldenham for the first time this season for a Division 2 match against Team Westway and celebrated with a well-earned 2-1 win against one of the division's stronger teams. First pair was a real quality game, with Nick Shaw & Chris Austin teaming up to take on NOEFC's own Division 1 star Alex Abrahams and Westway captain Tancred Campbell. Last time we came up against this pairing, Gareth & Karen managed to come away with a 3-0 win down at Westway, but both players have improved significantly since then and Nick & Chris knew they had a tough job on their hands. They got off to a strong start, settling down quickly and establishing an 8-2 lead. It wasn't quite enough, though, and with several chances slipping away at 11-9 up and at 13-13, it was the Westway pair who took the first game slightly against the run of play. Chris & Nick never quite recovered from that disappointment, and although they continued to play well throughout, their opponents were now in the groove and able to keep their noses in front throughout the second and third games to take the win. Darshan Patel & Stephen Thatcher have already combined to good effect this season and teamed up again at second pair to take on Pete Griffiths & Bertie Bannerman. Both North Oxford players would probably admit that consistency and control have never necessarily been hallmarks of their playing style, but in this case they produced three games in a row that demonstrated both qualities in abundance, never allowing their opponents a sniff and closing out an excellent and almost routine three game win. Third pair was an interesting one with Newbury team mates Paul Holland and Will Thomas on opposite teams, Will having opted to play for Westway this season instead of NOEFC (something to do with emails from the club captain being automatically redirected to his "Fives" folder which he never checks. No, I wasn't convinced either...). In a further twist, we'd actually been instrumental in allowing the third pair to happen at all, recruiting Paul Kendall from Aldenham when Westway were stuck with five players. It was only fitting, then, that Paul and EFA Chair Matt Chinery - on a rare cross-border foray - should come away with the victory and this they did, although not without difficulty, salvaging the first game from 0-5 down, then losing the next two to 10 before finally wresting back control of the match in the fourth as they finally hit their straps just as their opponents were tiring.
North Oxford beat Eton College 3-2 at Eton 16/10/24:
S.Thatcher & S.Cooley lost to T.Webster & L.Turcan 2-3 (14-15, 8-12, 12-5, 12-7, 8-12)
P.Scholey & A.Constantine lost to H.Turpin & B.Stanley 1-2 (12-9, 8-12, 9-12)
P.Holland & J.Holland beat P.Courage & R.Ishikawa 3-0 (12-5, 12-9, 12-2)
I.Mitchell & W.Campion beat P.de Caraman Chimay & A.Burford 2-1 (12-8, 12-6, 11-12)
H.Asquith & R.Thorogood beat J.Sinclair & Z.Pervez 3-0 (12-1, 12-5, 12-8)
After a long time away, it was back to Eton again for the second time in a week for a five pair midweek friendly against the school team. A late substitution meant that Club President was replaced by Seb Cooley, with captain for the night Stephen Thatcher opting to put himself at first pair with the late replacement. He perhaps hadn't fully factored in the Cooley vs school pairs technique and anyone with the requisite bingo card would have been ticking things off in rapid succession - a 15-14 opening game, a "surprise" recovery from 2-0 down to 2-2, and a quick scoring finish with the match ending 20 seconds before the boys' time deadline. Splendid stuff, with only the Thatcher statistics suffering, and frankly that ship sailed some time ago anyway. Second pair was a nip and tuck affair, with Old Zuozer and Brigand Alex Constantine making a guest appearance alongside Pete Scholey. The scratch NOEFC pairing got off to a good start winning the first game but were pegged back in the next two by their young opponents. It took the NOEFC middle and lower order to ensure overall victory, with Paul Holland and son James winning in straight games at third pair, Salopians Ian Mitchell and the lesser spotted Will Campion taking an unassailable 2-0 lead at pair four before losing a sudden death third and Harry Asquith & Robert Thorogood steamrollering their overawed opponents in the first game before allowing them to regain a bit of dignity in the next two.
North Oxford 3 lost to Berkhamsted School 1-2 at Berkhamsted 13/10/24:
S.Thatcher & O.Lawton beat T.Aston & F.Gallucci 3-2 (12-6, 11-13, 12-9, 9-12, 12-5)
T.Bush & S.Nowinski lost to J.Bates & T.Lloyd-Evans 0-3 (5-12, 12-15, 11-13)
A.Bishop & M.Barnes lost to L.Faulkner & R.Whitby 2-3 (10-12, 12-10, 13-10, 11-13, 11-13)
The Division 3 team were back in Berkhamsted for the second time this season on Sunday for a match with the Berkhamsted School team, and a splendidly close match it was too. Five of the North Oxford team were there by 10:10am, a full twenty minutes before the advertised start time. Unsurprisingly there was no one else there at that time, but once proceedings got underway, all three pairs settled down into long tight games. Stephen Thatcher & Oli Lawton at first pair took on Tom Aston & Federico Gallucci in a match that was tight throughout and notable for some excellent retrieving and long rallies. The North Oxford pair generally felt as if they had things under control, even with Oli hitting game ball cuts straight out of court off the ledge in games two and four. The strategy of playing better in the odd numbered games paid off in the end, though, with a winner into the hole sealing the deal at 12-5 in the fifth.
Toby Bush reports on the second pair: "The NOEFC engine took a while to warm up in the first game, more cut returns needed and winners acted upon. Second game we mixed up our cut strategy with Bush opting for less power and more placement to catch out an opponent, who seemed to favour occupying the front wall for their returns. This paid some dividends and we went up to step - 8 but couldn’t seem to hole out, with two good chances to seal the game squandered. At 11-11, we opted for foot on 14 with our opponents on first hand and building up some momentum, which they ultimately rode to get to 15. The third continued in much the same vein, with some long rallies and closely fought points. Stefan occupied the top step with some impressive volleying form. Following another choice at 11-11, the opponent held on to win 13-11."
Third pair was one of the great epic matches with both pairs making double figures in all five games, surely a statistical rarity. The overall points score was 58-57 to Berkhamsted, a rather smaller gap than the one you get comparing the combined ages of the two pairs. From 3-10 down in the final game, Andy & Mandie (our second rhyming pair of the weekend) almost pulled off one of the great all time North Oxford comebacks, getting back to 10-10 and 11-11 before finally succumbing and heading gratefully to the pub, where we recorded a 5-0 win, although that's slightly unfair when the opposition wouldn't have been allowed in. After all that effort there was only one point to show for it, but what a match!
North Oxford 1 beat Old Harrovians 2-1 at Eton 12/10/24:
A.Abrahams & I.Weaver lost to T.Dunbar & F.Prickett 0-3 (5-12, 8-12, 12-14)
G.Wiseman & S.Simmons beat J.Fleming & A.Poole 3-0 (12-3, 12-9, 12-1)
Old Harrovians conceded third pair
The Division 1 team got their first win of the season on Saturday as well as a first chance to play a league match on the refurbished courts at Eton. The Harrovians were unable to raise a third pair, meaning Tom McCahon had to kick his heels on the bench for another week, but it was still a strong North Oxford team, with youngsters Alex Abrahams, Gwydion Wiseman and Isaac Weaver all in good form and Sid Simmons making it down from Wolverhampton for one of his occasional but very welcome appearances. For rhyming pair purposes (see Division 3 report above) Sid & Gwyd teamed up at second pair to take on Alex Poole & Jamie Fleming. On paper this looked like a tight game, but on court the North Oxford pair raced through the first game as the Harrovians shed some early season rust. The second game was the best and closest as the OH pair got into the game and made the North Oxford duo work hard, but a strong finish to win it 12-9 knocked the stuffing out of them and they rather capitulated in the third game as Sid & Gwyd hit top gear. First pair was an interesting match up, as Alex and Isaac took on Fred Prickett and legend of the game Tom Dunbar. The first game was won 12-5 by the Harrovian pair; Alex & Isaac played some good Fives at times, but didn't return enough cuts. As the second game progressed they improved their set piece and also began to tune in to the level of accuracy and precision required to compete with Tom. The North Oxford pair grew in confidence and pulled back an early deficit to 8-8 with momentum on their side. A Dunbar fall and short injury time out (he landed awkwardly on his hip but is ok after a few minutes) actually then worked in the Harrovians' favour as Isaac & Alex lost the momentum they had created and fell victim to a couple of vintage Dunbar return and volley rallies to finish the game and make it 2-0. Undeterred, Alex & Isaac attacked game three with renewed vigour, causing the Harrovian pair problems with strong attacking play and athletic defence. Fred was tiring a bit, Tom unable to dominate and Alex & Isaac found themselves deservedly 11-6 up. You don't win 19 Kinnairds for nothing, though, and with Tom sensing the moment and Fred digging deep and finding some excellent cuts, the gap was gradually narrowed. Alex & Isaac did little wrong and certainly didn't give it away or miss any open goal chances, but they were unable to land the killer blow and the Harrovian pair first levelled at 11-11 then went on to win 14-12 and take the match 3-0. Despite the defeat, Alex & Isaac can be proud of the way they played and it bodes well for the rest of the season. The one plus side of not taking the first pair match to four or five games was that the club captain was able to get Fred, Alex and Gwydion over to Holyport in time for lunch at the official opening of the new courts there, where they joined Eton coach Ryan Perrie for an exhibition game in the afternoon.
North Oxford 1 lost to Berkhamsted 1 1-2 at Berkhamsted 06/10/24:
A.Abrahams & G.Wiseman lost to R.Perrie & J.Pemberton 0-3 (5-12, 2-12, 10-12)
I.Weaver & B.Hart beat G.Campbell & T.Aston 3-0 (12-9, 12-7, 13-10)
C.Austin & P.Holland lost to D.Foster & C.Davey 0-3 (6-12, 8-12, 5-12)
A second tricky away Division 1 game in the space of a week produced a second hard-earned point against a strong Berkhamsted team containing a Kinnaird finalist, two Kinnaird semi-finalists and an U21 champion. As well as being a test on court this match also posed a logistical challenge with Oxford-based students Ben Hart and Gwydion Wiseman keen to play but unable to get to Berkhamsted on a Sunday morning by public transport. The solution was simple, with the club captain providing the early morning taxi service from Oxford to Berkhamsted and then Stephen Thatcher and Peter Scholey detouring back to Oxford after their morning Barber Cup outing at Highgate to do the return taxi ride. With the assist claimed, the point was delivered at second pair by Ben and Ipswichian debutant Isaac Weaver, who put in an excellent performance to claim a 3-0 win over George Campbell & schoolboy Tom Aston, an U16 champion at the Schools' Championships last season. First pair saw Alex Abrahams & Gwydion Wiseman team up for the first time to take on Ryan Perrie & Jack Pemberton. Alex was a bit rusty having just got back from a holiday in Greece and Gwydion couldn't quite repeat his Tuesday night Mill Hill heroics, although they did produce a much stronger performance in the third game without quite being able to push it to a fourth. Third pair was affected by injuries to Grandad (thumb) and Archie C-B (bacl/shoulder) bu Newbury's Paul Holland stepped in for a first appearance of the season alongside Chris Austin. They were up against Doug Foster & Chris Davey and after a slow start, got to 8-8 in the second game before the chance to level slipped away and with it the chances of making a comeback, their opponents' greater consistency carrying the day in the end. The students repaired to the pub (via some supermarket sandwiches rather than the full STP experience - some educational work to do there) to await the arrival of their Edwardian lift and the team now moves on to a first home game at Eton for some time, a clash with the Old Harrovians on Saturday morning.
North Oxford 1 lost to Old Millhillians 1 1-2 at Mill Hill 01/10/24:
N.Caplin & G.Wiseman lost to S.Tailor & C.Plummer 2-3 (15-12, 9-12, 12-8, 10-13, 11-13)
G.Pulsford & C.Austin lost to A.Field & O.Sander 1-3 (12-9, 3-12, 0-12 ret)
D.Patel & S.Thatcher beat E.Gosnell & V.Gudiwala 3-0 (12-9, 12-4, 15-10)
There was second league trip to North London in a week and a second narrow 2-1 defeat in a dramatic evening at Mill Hill last night. There is a long and distinguished history of lengthy five set epic first pair matches between these two teams at Mill Hill, but this one threatened even the legendary late finish of November 2016, although this one didn't feature Mrs Plummer looking at her watch and telling Charlie he should be in bed by this time on a schoolnight. These days, Charlie is the coach at Mill Hill and he and Sunil Tailor are a formidable pair to play against, especially on their on courts. So it was an impressive start for new recruit Gwydion Wiseman as he and Noah Caplin got themselves 2-1 in front in the first pair game. With everyone else either already in the pub or licking their (literal) wounds at home, the four players dug in for the fourth game which went all the way to 10-10. With the victory tantalisingly close, the home team took it to send the game into a fifth game. By the time this finished, the pub was closing, the gates were shut and Gwydion was very lucky that his lift to Oxford hadn't abandoned ship and gone home, but Stephen had stuck it out and was able to console the North Oxford pair who again got close in the fifth game before finally succumbing 13-11. at 11:15pm. The second pair match also contained a twist after a 12-9 win in the first game for the Aldenham duo of Grandad and the Wizard over Adam Field & Oli Sander. Grandad had bruised his thumb on Saturday at Highgate and when he took another direct hit, the thumb began to swell and cause serious discomfort. With the opposition not showing any mercy and playing on the injured pensioner, the game was up for the North Oxford pair and the Three Hammers beckoned. The overall team performance deserved at least one point, however, and Stephen & Darshan stepped up, improving on their Saturday performance and proving too strong for Ed Gosnell & Viral Gudiwala at third pair to get the Division 1 scoreboard ticking. Next up are Berkhamsted away on Sunday where a young team (plus Chris) will be looking to make their mark.
North Oxford 2 lost to Old Westminsters 2 1-2 at Highgate 28/09/24:
N.Shaw & G.Pulsford lost to J.Alster & B.Merrett 0-3 (14-15, 11-14, 8-12)
D.Patel & S.Thatcher lost to A.Vinen & A.Benson 3-0 (8-12, 10-12, 7-12)
I.Mitchell & G.Hoskins beat N.Choustikov & H.de Queteville 3-0 (9-12, 13-10, 7-2 ret)
The Division 2 season started with a narrow defeat against the Westminsters at Highgate on Saturday. This was actually a North Oxford home game, with Highgate the fifth choice venue after Aldenham (safeguarding/cost), Eton (not yet available), Holyport (not quite ready), Mill Hill (booked, paid for and then cancelled because they forgot they had an open day). In recent seasons, the Westminsters second team have generally been at the lower end of the table, providing competitive experience for some of their school players with a view to maintaining the long term production line to their all-conquering first team. Saturday's match, however, saw us up against a pretty strong line-up featuring six players with Division 1 experience including two members of their Barber Cup winning team from earlier in the year. Neither of the NOEFC top two pairs managed to win a game, both losing 3-0, but this doesn't reflect how close both matches were. Nick & Graham have had good wins together over the years and got themselves in a position where they were serving at gameball in both of the first two games against James Alster & Ben Merrett. Unfortunately they couldn't convert either of them, losing 15-14 then 14-11, and were unable to turn things round in the third. Darshan & Stephen at second pair were also not far away, the difference perhaps being a bit of early season lack of match practice and sharpness compared to their opponents Alex Vinen & Alex Benson, who had impressed in the Under 25s on the same courts last weekend. Third pair saw the club captain and Ian Mitchell revive memories of their glorious win in the Midlands Tournament plate in 2009, coming from behind after losing the first game to Harry de Quetteville & Nick Choustikov. The first game was notable for the captain's appalling serving, the second for Ian's excellent returning and the third for the dodgy shoulder of Harry de Q, who was forced to concede at 7-2 down. There was a 4-1 win in the pub, where the sun was shining and we were able to sit outside. Happy days. Next up are the Division 1 squad, who get their season up and running with three matches in the next two weeks, starting at Mill Hill on Tuesday evening.
North Oxford beat Harrow School 2-0 at Harrow 21/09/24:
F.Prickett & C.Austin beat Charlie & Ollie 3-0 (12-5, 12-7, 12-3)
K.Hird & L.Drummond beat Freddie & Michael 3-0 (12-5, 12-7, 12-2)
A handy North Oxford team were too strong for this year's Harrow School pairs in a two pair friendly at Harrow on Saturday. Old Summerfieldian and Harrovian Fred Prickett teamed up with the Wizard to cast a spell over the school first pair and the second pair took a while to realise that it wasn't luck when Karen kept hitting the ball into an unguarded hole, much to the entertainment of partner Lewis Drummond, someone we hope we will be seeing more of in a North Oxford shirt over the coming months. Still, good experience for the Harrow boys, a nice knockabout and a W for the stats of the North Oxford pairs and an enjoyable way to pass the afternoon.
North Oxford 3 beat The Abbey 2-1 at Westminster 19/09/24:
O.Lawton & P.Forrest lost to A.Vinen & P.Hadia 1-3 (12-10, 3-12, 4-12, 11-15)
H.Asquith & M.Barnes beat E.Phillips & F.Cowling 3-0 (13-11, 12-4, 12-5)
G.Day & A.Bishop beat S.Hunter & A.Charles 3-0 (12-4, 12-6, 12-7)
After a tricky start at Berkhamsted last weekend, the Division 3 season kicked into gear at Westminster last night with an excellent 2-1 away win against The Abbey. Availability issues were still causing team selection problems, which meant a guest appearance and NOEFC debut for Ipswichian Peter Forrest (Graves Cup winner in 1996 alongside the NOEFC captain, incidentally). He teamed up with Oli Lawton, back in the starting line up following a shoulder injury and up against Prajval Hadia and the dangerous Alex Vinen. The scratch North Oxford pairing got off to a fine start, winning the first game to 10, but Vinen's quality began to tell thereafter and despite a fine fourth game comeback (triggered by a well-timed KitKat donation from President Bishop) which almost forced a decider, it was the Westminster pair who just managed to scrape home in four. That left the Club President and the female half of the team to set about scoring the first league points of the season and they proceeded to do that in impressive style. Mandie got over the initial nosebleed from rising to the heights of second pair, and combined with Harry to dispatch Olavian Ed Phillips and Westminster schoolboy Freddie Cowling in straight games, a narrow first game win followed up by convincing wins in the next two. Grace Day made her second league appearance a few days after a difficult debut and showed what she is capable of, her athleticism, court coverage and increasing confidence the perfect complement to the wiles of her experienced partner as they put away the Westminster coach/pupil pairing of Andy Charles & Sasha Hunter in straight games. Maybe the difference this time for Grace was the "couple of team-building drinks " she may or may not have had at a lunchtime work event. A proper Fives player in the making, clearly. Luckily the President had remembered to bring his wallet this time and managed not to get it stolen (unlike the equivalent evening last year season) and was able to buy a round of drinks in a 4-1 pub victory.
North Oxford 3 lost to Berkhamsted 2 0-3 at Berkhamsted 14/09/24:
I.Mitchell & L.Maxwell lost to R.Seddon & T.Pemberton 2-3 (6-12, 10-12, 12-9, 12-8, 7-12)
A.Bishop & G.Lythgoe lost to A.Pemberton & T Oakes 0-3 (10-12, 4-12, 6-12)
G.Day & M.Barnes lost to R.Dennis & P.Whitby 0-3 (1-12, 2-12, 0-12)
The season opened with a 3-0 defeat at defending Division 3 champions Berkhamsted, but in some ways it was a triumph merely getting a full side out in the face of injury, badly timed holidays and general unavailability. There were other positives too including a second appearance for ex-RGSHW player an current Cambridge student Luke Maxwell, who teamed up with Ian Mitchell and came close to pulling off a five game win from two-nil down. There was a first league appearance for ex Oxford student and Black Cup winner Grace Day and although she and Mandie didn't get much change from Richard Dennis and his partner, there was a friendly game after and the experience will be undoubtedly beneficial. President Bishop saved the day at the eleventh hour with his recruitment of another Old Summerfieldian, current Durham student George Lythgoe, who showed definite promise and even came back for more the following evening at Summer Fields. The President then blotted his copybook by offering to buy lunch but "forgetting his wallet", with Ian this time stepping in to avoid red faces all round. There's an early chance for the Div 3 team to get back on the horse at Westminster on Thursday against the Abbey - we'll see if the Bishop wallet has reappeared by then...
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