New champions at the Women’s Winchester Fives Championships

Malvern College

Saturday, 27th June 2026

Organiser Maddy Raynor reports: Eight players travelled to Malvern College on Saturday 27th June to compete in the Ladies Winchester Fives Championships and Challenger Cup. It was an enjoyable day with lots of competitive matches, though the heat did test those playing; luckily, though, a good breeze and lunchtime ice cream helped cool the players down. The competitors were Leonie Brown, Holly Nugent, Martha Nugent, Emily Palmer, Maddy Raynor, Phoebe Thornhill, Helena Tunks and Rachel Wood.

The day began with the Doubles competition, which was played as a round-robin. This produced a morning of closely contested matches, with all players demonstrating excellent skill, determination and sportsmanship. At the end of the round-robin stage, the two leading pairs were Helena Tunks & Maddy Raynor, and sisters Holly & Martha Nugent. These two partnerships met in a thrilling final that showcased some outstanding Winchester Fives. The match was extremely close, but Helena & Maddy held their nerve to secure victory and claim the doubles title.

We also held a Doubles Plate final that saw Phoebe Thornhill & Rachel Wood take on Leonie Brown & Emily Palmer in an enjoyable contest. Phoebe and Rachel’s greater Fives experience dominated and enabled them to claim victory.

Following lunch, attention turned to the Singles competition, which was played as a knockout tournament seeded according to the players’ rankings. Every match was fiercely contested, but it was Martha Nugent who stood out from the very beginning. Playing with confidence, composure and attacking intent, Martha produced a series of dominant performances as she progressed through the draw.

We had very competitive and close semi-final matches between Martha and Helena, and Phoebe and Maddy, with Phoebe and Maddy’s match being “nip and tuck” until Maddy eventually battled to victory. The final saw Martha Nugent face Maddy Raynor. Maddy fought hard throughout, but Martha’s consistency, accurate shot-making and relentless pressure proved decisive; she won the match convincingly to become the Ladies Winchester Fives Singles Champion and carry off the Crayke Cup.

In addition to the main Singles competition, we held two further singles finals, the Singles Plate and a Ladies Challenger Cup, which provided an exciting conclusion to the day.

The Plate Final featured Rachel Wood and Holly Nugent in a match that was closely contested from start to finish. Rachel fought fiercely throughout against a strong challenge from Holly, and after three hard-fought games, Rachel emerged victorious to claim the Plate, with both players deserving great credit for their grit and determination.

The Challenger Cup was contested by Leonie Brown and Emily Palmer, two players who are both relatively new to the sport of Winchester Fives. They produced an excellent match that demonstrated just how much progress they have both made. Emily ultimately came out on top, but both players should be congratulated for embracing the competition with such enthusiasm.

The additional finals rounded off a superb day of Winchester Fives, highlighting not only the high standard of play across the competition but also the camaraderie, sportsmanship and enjoyment shared by everyone involved. Congratulations go to all eight players for their enthusiasm, competitive spirit and excellent standard of play throughout the day. A special word of congratulations to Helena Tunks & Maddy Raynor on winning their first Doubles title together, and to Martha Nugent for her superb Singles victory after an exceptional series of performances. The competition was a great success and proved to be another enjoyable day of Winchester Fives at Malvern College.

During the lunch break, the competition paused to welcome a group of Year 9 students from Malvern College for a Winchester Fives taster session. The competitors were delighted to demonstrate the game, offering a short masterclass and introducing the students to the basic skills and techniques of the sport. It was a fantastic opportunity to showcase Winchester Fives to a new audience, and we hope the demonstrations and coaching inspired some of the students to take up the game in the future.

Doubles

Round Robin:
Raynor & Tunks bt Brown & Palmer 15-0; bt Thornhill & Wood 15-7
Nugent & Nugent bt Thornhill & Wood 15-12; bt Brown & Palmer 15-1
Championship Final: Raynor & Tunks bt Nugent & Nugent 11-5, 11-5
Plate Final: Thornhill & Wood bt Brown & Palmer 11-1, 11-2

Singles

1st round: Tunks bt Palmer 15-3; M Nugent bt Wood 15-1; Raynor bt Brown 15-2; Thornhill bt H Nugent 15-0
Semi-finals: M Nugent bt Tunks 15-8; Raynor bt Thornhill 15-13
Championship Final: M Nugent bt Raynor 11-5, 11-0
Plate Final: Wood bt H Nugent 11-5, 7-11, 11-3
Challenger Cup: Palmer bt Brown 11-0, 11-0