Horsham; Sunday, 28th August 2022
STOP PRESS After a mammoth round robin involving ten players aspiring to win the fourth Challenger Singles title, Ed Hatton, the organiser of the event, emerged as the winner, with Lewis Keates runner-up.
What a good way to christen the new, fifth court at CH!
Ed Hatton reports: On the Sunday ten daring players gathered for a Fives world first – an all-play-all league challenger tournament, 45 games in total. Whilst some high-quality and endurance Fives took place from all comers, perhaps the most notable aspect was the various withdrawals. It appeared very quickly that simply finishing the event was going to be the surest mark of honour, so congratulations are due to the final six players of Bhattacharya, Callaghan, Hatton, Keates, Lacewing and Woolfenden for doing so. As the only school player Charlie Lacewing deserves huge credit for his endurance and consistently high-quality play. He has a bright Fives future ahead of him. As a relative newcomer to the Rugby code Abhishek Bhattacharya brought Eton wisdom and volleying into some tight games. Nick Woolfenden brought local knowledge and great experience to his games, making them highly competitive even when not much was left in the tank! Hosting Fives master Bart Callaghan verified his quality with some solid wins and typically energetic play. Lewis Keates, probably the favourite in this event, made serene progress with clinical wins against most and the best points difference in the group. For some reason, however, the organiser found an extra gear when they met and so it was he who ended up topping the group and winning the event.
Scores
1st Hatton W5 55pts; 2nd Keates W4 49pts; 3rd Callaghan W3 41pts; 4th Woolfenden W2 33pts; 5th Bhattacharya W1 28pts; 6th Lacewing W0 20pts
