NEWS

John Powell and Nick Gill have won this year's Wood Plate, Stephen Kelly has earned the soldiering-on-alone award, and Les Jacobs has qualified for Wood-Plate-and-Adams-Cup Casualty Club (WPACCC).

Runners-up yesterday (Saturday, October 7) were Stephen Kelly and Les Jacobs, who dislocated a finger in the middle of the crucial game. He jammed his right hand against the upper side wall of the court as his pair was winning 5-4. As Les was taken to hospital by his sister-in-law, Rachel Douek, Stephen carried on regardless – rules were tweaked so he had two serves and cuts to him had to be heading towards the buttress. Stephen has improved both his cut and return of cut in recent years so it could be said that playing alone means that the set piece gives him a strong platform to compete against any side which is not so accomplished in those areas – although obviously after that he's badly out-numbered. Stephen played some tenacious fives but couldn't overcome the odds and lost 5-9.

Les was taken to the Whittington Hospital and had the finger x-rayed, relocated and splinted, then Les joined the rest of us at the Wrestlers on Highgate North Hill to a standing ovation later in the afternoon. Les is now one of a small band of distinguished fives players who have become Adams Cup or Wood Plate casualties: a band led by GNL Harris and GHC Lewis, who both died on court as they were competing in the Adams.

Some 13 players competed for the solid silver trophy, donated by Tom Wood in the 1970s as a prize for those knocked out in the first round of the Adams Cup. 

We were depleted by university and religious commitments – 7 October being a Saturday at the beginning of the university term – and also a couple of last-minute pull-outs as sickness and work took its toll.

However, we were delighted to welcome for the first time Jeevan Navani from CLS who has only been playing Eton fives for a year but has obviously benefitted on Wednesday afternoons at Westminster from the coaching of former Kinnaird champion Matt Wiseman.

Club chairman David Wood presented the plate, and the party was joined by Carole and Aimee Gee Grant and Shelley Jacobs at the pub, where new WPACCC member Les found us a couple of hours later.
JPR


CLS schoolboy Jeevan Navani makes his debut in the Wood Plate

Stephen Mullin cuts.

Les Jacobs suffers nobly.

Stephen Mullin and Gordon Stringer.

The runners up Les Jacobs and Stephen Kelly.

Dan Floyd in action watched by John Gee-Grant, John Reynolds and Max Twivy.

Chairman Dave presents the cup to (a puzzled) Nick Gill and Jonny Powell.

The ensemble (minus the brothers Jacobs)