Cambridge University Sports Centre
Saturday, 17th June 2023
STOP PRESS Nine pairs contested the inaugural National Rugby Fives Mixed Doubles competition organised by Savanna Leboff and Helena Tunks on the courts of Cambridge University. In the main draw, arrived at after the initial two Pools had been played out, Louise Mathias & Ollie Arnold added the new title to their Winchester Fives Mixed Doubles title, beating Camille Beattie & Tom Watkinson in the closely fought final. In the Plate Martha Nugent & Ashwin Ahuja triumphed in a three-gamer against Savanna and her partner Ed Kay. Much filming was completed in the course of the competition, of which more in the report to come. Huge thanks to Savanna and Helena for setting up and running this very successful first stageing of the event.
Savanna Leboff reports: Last Saturday, the wonderful Fives on show at the first-ever National Open Mixed Doubles tournament solidified this new tournament’s place among the most competitive of fixtures. 9 partnerships consisting of some of the strongest male and female players of the game graced the aesthetic courts of Cambridge.
A day packed with Fives then ensued. First seed pairing Louise Mathias & Ollie Arnold made a clean sweep of their group (66 points in 6 games) before beating Holly Nugent & Penn Chai in a semi-final filled with power and skill (15-7, 15-4), earning the pair of pairs the sought-after mini trophy of “Best Match”. Camille Beattie & Tom Watkinson won the other group (aided by their monumental comeback from 10-2 down to win 11-10 against Holly & Penn, thereby earning the mini trophy of “best comeback”). They then won their semi-final game against Helena Tunks & Ben Beltrami (15-11, 15-6) — they too showed great power and skill. The final was a joy to watch, a thrilling game between Louise & Ollie and Camille & Tom. Louise & Ollie were the winners after a hard-fought match (15-11, 15-12), a lovely end to their final tournament for many months. Camille’s consistently effective and impressive play throughout the day earned her the mini trophy of “Best Shot”, a cardboard trophy she’ll value enormously.
In the Plate final, Martha Nugent & Ashwin Ahuja played Savanna Leboff & Ed Kay, with the former pair winning in 3 games after a mid-match wobble (11-7, 2-11, 11-3) and being awarded one of the odder trophies in circulation: a suspected sugar shaker.
Overall it was a high-quality and high-intensity day of Fives. The importance of integrating the male and female players in competitive play cannot be stressed enough, and we hope that this tournament goes from strength to strength in the coming years.
Results
