Rugby Fives Asssociation
August 2024
Full results of the first season of the newly inaugurated London League can now be found on this website here
A League was run in the 1990s but lasted for just a couple of seasons. This season, spearheaded by Shinan Zhang and Penn Chai, it has been reconstituted with four Clubs entering teams to play each other home-and-away — the Edward Alleyn Club and the Executioners who play in South London and the Stoke Newington Swifts and the UCS Club in North London.
With 12 matches played over a period of 9 months the programme has now been completed, and the Edward Alleyn Club has emerged top of the standings, with a record of 6 wins from 6 matches. The Executioners came second with 4 wins from 6, while the Swifts and UCS shared 3rd place with 1 win each.
The League will continue next season in its present format, as agreed between team captains depending on court numbers, players available and time. The standard 4-a-side, singles and doubles, has been the most commonly seen, but there have been 6-a-side matches and even a 3-a-side at UCS, who have just the one court. Here three singles have preceded three doubles, which, as RFA Club Manager Hamish Buchanan writes, “… makes for an interesting dynamic and there is not too much time spent off court. The main aim is to play some competitive Fives and have fun, possibly with a beer afterwards, and the team with the most match wins tops the League.”
The Inaugural match: Executioners versus UCS
Final match for the Executioners and the Stoke Newington Swifts
Where else to check the scores than The Bridge at Hammersmith?