Fives
Encyclopedia
Fives is a British
sport believed to derive from the same origins as many racquet sports. In fives, a ball is propelled against the walls of a special court using gloved or bare hands as though they were a racquet.
expression "a bunch of fives" (meaning a fist). The game has also been known as hand-tennis and historically was often played between the buttress
es of church buildings in England. There are links between Fives and the Irish
and North American
handball games and indeed, in recent years, British clubs have begun to establish ties with clubs in those countries.
Fives is not the same as Long Fives, which is played in a real tennis
court.
and Eton Fives
. A precursor to Rugby Fives is Warminster (or Wessex) Fives; another variant of Wessex fives is Winchester Fives, although there are only 9 places in the UK where this is still played.
Most schools where fives is played have only one type of court but three schools have historically had both Eton and Rugby courts - Cheltenham
, Dover
and Marlborough
. Cheltenham now only have Rugby courts and Dover two unrestored Eton courts; Marlborough have four rugby and two eton courts, all in good condition.
is played competitively as a doubles game, as opposed to Rugby Fives, which is played as both a singles and a doubles game. In Eton Fives the ball is softer and lighter than in Rugby or Winchester fives, and the gloves are fairly thin.
The Eton Fives court is modelled on part of Eton College
's Chapel and is enclosed on three sides and open at the back. It has a more complex variation and some specific court features or "hazards". A small step splits the court into upper and lower sections, and sloping ledges run horizontally across the walls, one of which forms the "line". There is a large obstruction, known as a 'buttress', or a 'pepper' to fives players, on the left-hand side of the court in line with the step. At the bottom of the buttress is the 'box' or 'pepper pot'. The step extends approximately 80 cm into the court and is around 15 cm high. The first courts at Eton were built in 1840 and the Laws for Eton Fives were first published in 1931.
, developed at Rugby School
, is played in a four wall court (quite similar to a squash
court). The four walls and floor are uniform and contain no hazards such as in Eton Fives. The front wall has a height of sixteen feet, sloping down about half way along to six feet at the back.
The balls used in Rugby and Winchester Fives are fairly hard and hence the gloves worn are thicker than those used in Eton Fives. Rugby Fives has had an official varsity match
between Oxford and Cambridge annually since 1925.
from as early as 1787. It has even been claimed that Rugby Fives
owes its creation to the famous Headmaster Thomas Arnold
who had first played Fives when a pupil at Lord Weymouth's.
Whilst an 1860 Warminster Fives Court still exists at Warminster School
, the game is rarely played in the area any more and the fine details of the game are probably lost. The Warminster Fives Rules are recorded in many locations including the Eton Fives Website.
("proper" Winchester courts) have an 11 feet (3.4 m) back wall which further differentiates the courts from the Rugby variety.
for instance, the court has a half-height back wall and if the ball bounces out of the back of the court, a 'let' is played.
and there are a number of Old Boys
' and university clubs which tend to be concentrated around the South East. There are of course many other clubs around the country including Midlands clubs such as Birmingham, Wolverhampton, Rugby, Repton and Shrewsbury.
A similar number play in schools. About forty schools are affiliated to the Eton Fives Association (the governing body of the Eton Fives variation) and compete in many tournaments and championship events throughout the year.
There are some well-established clubs overseas, such as the Zuoz Fives Club in Switzerland
, and the game is also vigorously pursued in northern Nigeria
.
The Rugby Fives Association (the governing body of Rugby Fives, founded in 1927) has affiliations from over forty schools and thirty-two clubs, from Edinburgh
to Tavistock, and there are also a number of clubs overseas, for example in South Africa
and the United States.
pair played at Harrow
in 1885 (F. Thomas and C. Barclay of Eton beat E.M. Butler and B. R. Warren of Harrow).
Currently, Blay William Bradley is the national Fives champion.
, St. Mark's School
, and the Union Boat Club in Massachusetts; a Fives Court was also built into the A.D. Final Club at Harvard in 1899.
There are also numerous championships, notably the (doubles) Eton Fives Kinnaird Cup and the Rugby Fives Open Singles championship (The Jesters' Cup) and Open Doubles championship (The Cyriax Cup). There are many other Rugby Fives Tournaments. A very special Eton Fives event is the Engadin Challenge Cup played in the Alps at an altitude of 5400 ft.
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
sport believed to derive from the same origins as many racquet sports. In fives, a ball is propelled against the walls of a special court using gloved or bare hands as though they were a racquet.
Background
The name may be derived from the slangSlang
Slang is the use of informal words and expressions that are not considered standard in the speaker's language or dialect but are considered more acceptable when used socially. Slang is often to be found in areas of the lexicon that refer to things considered taboo...
expression "a bunch of fives" (meaning a fist). The game has also been known as hand-tennis and historically was often played between the buttress
Buttress
A buttress is an architectural structure built against or projecting from a wall which serves to support or reinforce the wall...
es of church buildings in England. There are links between Fives and the Irish
Gaelic handball
Gaelic handball is a sport similar to Basque pelota, racquetball, squash and American handball . It is one of the four Gaelic games organised by the Gaelic Athletic Association...
and North American
American handball
American handball is a sport in which players hit a small rubber ball against a wall using their hands.- History :...
handball games and indeed, in recent years, British clubs have begun to establish ties with clubs in those countries.
Fives is not the same as Long Fives, which is played in a real tennis
Real tennis
Real tennis – one of several games sometimes called "the sport of kings" – is the original indoor racquet sport from which the modern game of lawn tennis , is descended...
court.
Types
There are two main types of fives, Rugby FivesRugby Fives
Rugby Fives is a handball game, similar to squash, played in an enclosed court. It has similarities with Winchester Fives and Eton Fives....
and Eton Fives
Eton Fives
Eton Fives, one derivative of the British game of Fives, is a hand-ball game, similar to Rugby Fives, played as doubles in a three-sided court. The object is to force the other team to fail to hit the ball 'up' off the front wall, using any variety of wall or ledge combinations as long as the ball...
. A precursor to Rugby Fives is Warminster (or Wessex) Fives; another variant of Wessex fives is Winchester Fives, although there are only 9 places in the UK where this is still played.
Most schools where fives is played have only one type of court but three schools have historically had both Eton and Rugby courts - Cheltenham
Cheltenham College
Cheltenham College is a co-educational independent school, located in Cheltenham, Gloucestershire, England.One of the public schools of the Victorian period, it was opened in July 1841. An Anglican foundation, it is known for its classical, military and sporting traditions.The 1893 book Great...
, Dover
Dover College
Dover College is a co-educational independent school in Dover in southeast England. It was founded in 1871, and takes both day pupils and boarders....
and Marlborough
Marlborough College
Marlborough College is a British co-educational independent school for day and boarding pupils, located in Marlborough, Wiltshire.Founded in 1843 for the education of the sons of Church of England clergy, the school now accepts both boys and girls of all beliefs. Currently there are just over 800...
. Cheltenham now only have Rugby courts and Dover two unrestored Eton courts; Marlborough have four rugby and two eton courts, all in good condition.
Eton Fives
Eton FivesEton Fives
Eton Fives, one derivative of the British game of Fives, is a hand-ball game, similar to Rugby Fives, played as doubles in a three-sided court. The object is to force the other team to fail to hit the ball 'up' off the front wall, using any variety of wall or ledge combinations as long as the ball...
is played competitively as a doubles game, as opposed to Rugby Fives, which is played as both a singles and a doubles game. In Eton Fives the ball is softer and lighter than in Rugby or Winchester fives, and the gloves are fairly thin.
The Eton Fives court is modelled on part of Eton College
Eton College
Eton College, often referred to simply as Eton, is a British independent school for boys aged 13 to 18. It was founded in 1440 by King Henry VI as "The King's College of Our Lady of Eton besides Wyndsor"....
's Chapel and is enclosed on three sides and open at the back. It has a more complex variation and some specific court features or "hazards". A small step splits the court into upper and lower sections, and sloping ledges run horizontally across the walls, one of which forms the "line". There is a large obstruction, known as a 'buttress', or a 'pepper' to fives players, on the left-hand side of the court in line with the step. At the bottom of the buttress is the 'box' or 'pepper pot'. The step extends approximately 80 cm into the court and is around 15 cm high. The first courts at Eton were built in 1840 and the Laws for Eton Fives were first published in 1931.
Rugby Fives
Rugby FivesRugby Fives
Rugby Fives is a handball game, similar to squash, played in an enclosed court. It has similarities with Winchester Fives and Eton Fives....
, developed at Rugby School
Rugby School
Rugby School is a co-educational day and boarding school located in the town of Rugby, Warwickshire, England. It is one of the oldest independent schools in Britain.-History:...
, is played in a four wall court (quite similar to a squash
Squash (sport)
Squash is a high-speed racquet sport played by two players in a four-walled court with a small, hollow rubber ball...
court). The four walls and floor are uniform and contain no hazards such as in Eton Fives. The front wall has a height of sixteen feet, sloping down about half way along to six feet at the back.
The balls used in Rugby and Winchester Fives are fairly hard and hence the gloves worn are thicker than those used in Eton Fives. Rugby Fives has had an official varsity match
Varsity match
A varsity match is a sporting fixture between two university rivals; in its original and most common form, it is used to describe meetings between Oxford University and Cambridge University.-Popular British and Irish Varsity matches:*University of Oxford v...
between Oxford and Cambridge annually since 1925.
Warminster Fives
A less well known, but possibly much older version of the game is Warminster Fives, a game based on Wessex Fives which is thought to have been played at Lord Weymouth's School, now Warminster SchoolWarminster School
Warminster School, originally called Lord Weymouth's Grammar School, is a co-educational independent day and boarding school at Warminster, Wiltshire, for students aged three to eighteen...
from as early as 1787. It has even been claimed that Rugby Fives
Rugby Fives
Rugby Fives is a handball game, similar to squash, played in an enclosed court. It has similarities with Winchester Fives and Eton Fives....
owes its creation to the famous Headmaster Thomas Arnold
Thomas Arnold
Dr Thomas Arnold was a British educator and historian. Arnold was an early supporter of the Broad Church Anglican movement...
who had first played Fives when a pupil at Lord Weymouth's.
Whilst an 1860 Warminster Fives Court still exists at Warminster School
Warminster School
Warminster School, originally called Lord Weymouth's Grammar School, is a co-educational independent day and boarding school at Warminster, Wiltshire, for students aged three to eighteen...
, the game is rarely played in the area any more and the fine details of the game are probably lost. The Warminster Fives Rules are recorded in many locations including the Eton Fives Website.
Winchester Fives
A further variation is Winchester Fives. This variation differs by the addition of a buttress which is a thin layer of concrete reaching to the top of the court on the left-hand wall, although much smaller than the one used in Eton Fives. The courts at Winchester and RadleyRadley College
Radley College , founded in 1847, is a British independent school for boys on the edge of the English village of Radley, near to the market town of Abingdon in Oxfordshire, and has become a well-established boarding school...
("proper" Winchester courts) have an 11 feet (3.4 m) back wall which further differentiates the courts from the Rugby variety.
Clifton Fives
At Clifton CollegeClifton College
Clifton College is a co-educational independent school in Clifton, Bristol, England, founded in 1862. In its early years it was notable for emphasising science in the curriculum, and for being less concerned with social elitism, e.g. by admitting day-boys on equal terms and providing a dedicated...
for instance, the court has a half-height back wall and if the ball bounces out of the back of the court, a 'let' is played.
Players
Fives is a small sport played by groups and enthusiasts numbering perhaps 4,000 active adult players in the United KingdomUnited Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
and there are a number of Old Boys
Old Boys
The terms Old Boys and Old Girls are the usual expressions in use in the United Kingdom for former pupils or alumni of primary and secondary schools. While these are traditionally associated with independent schools, they are also used for some schools in the state sector...
' and university clubs which tend to be concentrated around the South East. There are of course many other clubs around the country including Midlands clubs such as Birmingham, Wolverhampton, Rugby, Repton and Shrewsbury.
A similar number play in schools. About forty schools are affiliated to the Eton Fives Association (the governing body of the Eton Fives variation) and compete in many tournaments and championship events throughout the year.
There are some well-established clubs overseas, such as the Zuoz Fives Club in Switzerland
Switzerland
Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....
, and the game is also vigorously pursued in northern Nigeria
Nigeria
Nigeria , officially the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a federal constitutional republic comprising 36 states and its Federal Capital Territory, Abuja. The country is located in West Africa and shares land borders with the Republic of Benin in the west, Chad and Cameroon in the east, and Niger in...
.
The Rugby Fives Association (the governing body of Rugby Fives, founded in 1927) has affiliations from over forty schools and thirty-two clubs, from Edinburgh
Edinburgh
Edinburgh is the capital city of Scotland, the second largest city in Scotland, and the eighth most populous in the United Kingdom. The City of Edinburgh Council governs one of Scotland's 32 local government council areas. The council area includes urban Edinburgh and a rural area...
to Tavistock, and there are also a number of clubs overseas, for example in South Africa
South Africa
The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
and the United States.
Early match
The first match on record between schools was when an EtonEton College
Eton College, often referred to simply as Eton, is a British independent school for boys aged 13 to 18. It was founded in 1440 by King Henry VI as "The King's College of Our Lady of Eton besides Wyndsor"....
pair played at Harrow
Harrow School
Harrow School, commonly known simply as "Harrow", is an English independent school for boys situated in the town of Harrow, in north-west London.. The school is of worldwide renown. There is some evidence that there has been a school on the site since 1243 but the Harrow School we know today was...
in 1885 (F. Thomas and C. Barclay of Eton beat E.M. Butler and B. R. Warren of Harrow).
Currently, Blay William Bradley is the national Fives champion.
Today
Although the image of Fives has been dominated by well-known public schools, courts do exist at state schools, and in recent years many of these have been brought into full use. The advantages of economy of space and low playing costs (ball and gloves) make it an attractive sport for schools. Fives continues to develop in England and has started to attract interest from the wider community. In the United States the only known Fives courts are at Groton SchoolGroton School
Groton School is a private, Episcopal, college preparatory boarding school located in Groton, Massachusetts, U.S. It enrolls approximately 375 boys and girls, from the eighth through twelfth grades...
, St. Mark's School
St. Mark's School (Massachusetts)
St. Mark’s School is a coeducational, Episcopal, preparatory school, situated on in Southborough, Massachusetts, from Boston. It was founded in 1865 as an all-boys' school by Joseph Burnett, a wealthy native of Southborough who developed and marketed the world-famous Burnett Vanilla Extract . ...
, and the Union Boat Club in Massachusetts; a Fives Court was also built into the A.D. Final Club at Harvard in 1899.
There are also numerous championships, notably the (doubles) Eton Fives Kinnaird Cup and the Rugby Fives Open Singles championship (The Jesters' Cup) and Open Doubles championship (The Cyriax Cup). There are many other Rugby Fives Tournaments. A very special Eton Fives event is the Engadin Challenge Cup played in the Alps at an altitude of 5400 ft.
External links
- Eton Fives Online
- Zuoz Fives Club Zürich
- Rugby Fives Association (UK)
- Cambridge University Rugby Fives Club
- Executioners Rugby Fives Club: in London
- White Rose Rugby Fives Club (a club based in West Yorkshire)
- Old Merchant Taylors Rugby Fives Club
- http://www.unionboatclub.org/fives.htm (Boston, USA)