NEWS
Adams Cup
Adams Cup attracts record entry for OCEFC’s 125th Birthday
By John Patrick Reynolds
The 125th birthday edition of the Adams Cup - the Old Citizen's very own fives cup, competed for by OCs and guests since 1928 - attracted a record 34 entrants and was won by Nick Gill and Massimo Melessaccio, who hasn't played a game of fives for about 30 years and who came all the way from Istanbul to do so this weekend. In the final they beat Richard Vaughan, who's not been on court for even longer but you wouldn't have thought it, and our guest from the Old Zuozers, Renato Büchi.
The game featured some very high standard rallies but everybody was wilting a little after some three hours of fives in Saturday's sun and 28 degree temperature. It was hastened to a conclusion by the rule we adopted for the occasion, borrowed from CLS rules published in the nineteenth century: that the cutter (or ‘slogger’ to use the school jargon from that time) can refuse as many serves as he likes but loses a point if he hits the cut down.
The Old Citizens' Eton Fives club is celebrating its 125th birthday this year - alongside other OC sporting clubs – as our founding meeting was held on December 1, 1893.
The Old Citizens' Eton Fives club is celebrating its 125th birthday this year - alongside other OC sporting clubs – as our founding meeting was held on December 1, 1893.
At the Adams Cup, we were joined briefly by Richard Tyler, Old Edwardian and multiple Kinnaird finalist, who came along to say hello, which was very nice of him.
After the game, we all went down The Bull, on Highgate North Hill, where we feasted.
The entrants, in no particular order:
OCs: John Reynolds, Stephen Kelly, Alexander Kasterine, Mark Stockton, Nicholas Gill, John Gee-Grant, Roman Heindorff, Mark Signy, Tom Gales, Jivan Navani, Saajan Shah, Nick Choustikov, Richard Vaughan, Tomos Bliss, Massimo Melessaccio, Mark George Jacobs, Abigail Jacqueline Jones, David Cooper, Martin East, Dan Rose.
Guests: John Robinson, Ronald Pattison, Renato Buechi, Dieter Buechi, Felix Buechi, Alexander Heubi, Christoph Semmelman, Filippo Variola, Erkki Tammivuori, Alexandre de Senger, Fenno Brakel, Toby Savage, Gordon Stringer, Sam Inigo Packer.
