Jesters Tour to Edinburgh 2022

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Edinburgh, 18-20 March 2022

Ben Hale reports: Having had to cancel the January 2021 and January 2022 Jesters tours to Edinburgh we were delighted (relieved) to finally get up to Edinburgh the weekend of 18-20 March.

We didn’t quite make it to The Cumberland for our traditional Friday pub lunch to start the tour but were on the Edinburgh Academy courts at half one for the usual conveyor belt of young fives players representing their Junior and U16 boys and girls.  We played through to 5pm with many victories for Fives.  A team of four, including senior tourist Andy Passey resplendent in his new tracksuit, also headed out to Merchiston Castle for the traditional Friday afternoon banana skin fixture against their U16s — though this year experience did not win out.
 
The Friday Fives finishes with the select tournaments.  Fettes saw six school boys each teaming up with a Jester to play a pairs tournament.  Hard luck to the two lads that drew the organisers — we didn’t do so well.  The three pairs featuring Max (EA), Will (EA) and Nathan (Loretto) all did well, finishing with scores in the mid-forties.  However, Sam from Merchiston partnering tour debutant Lewis Keates scored 52 out of 55, thereby once again winning the Akerman Quaich for Merchiston.  Well played, Sam (and Lewis).  Over at the Academy eight of their senior girls paired up with four Jesters (Hector McFarlane’s maths, not mine) to play out an almost three-hour round robin which was eventually decided on a points per game basis, with Olivia of EA and Jester Shinan Zhang winning ahead of Louise and Jen from EA, who’d both been playing with Jez Sinton.
 
After the tournaments we headed to Fettes for the ever welcome and never under-catered curry reception.  The touring Jesters are joined by many of our weekend opponents, parents and teachers for a meal that never disappoints and definitely never runs out!  Our thanks as ever to the staff at Fettes for being so welcoming.  Hasty arrangements were then made to visit old favourites on Rose Street before the following day’s Fives.
 
Saturday morning saw all the fit and able tourists take to the court, along with many who possibly weren’t.  This year’s matches featured a North vs. South (well played to the North, although does Ben Jourdan of Edinburgh count as north of the UK or south of Scotland?); the Wessex Club against Southampton University (somewhat of a Tuesday evening at Winchester in the 2010s vibe which someone won by two points, but given Andy Passey was the only person not eligible for either team it was hard to keep track); and this year’s edition of the Sinton-Matthews Cup!  As there were  a number of absent friends from the usual Bradfield and Christ’s Hospital contingent this year’s fixture took on something of an invitational character with the match somewhat predictably ending in a tie … . Lunch was taken at Clark’s Bar — many thanks to Jez Sinton for arranging and supervising!
 
The afternoon saw a return to the school fixtures, starting with a match against the Edinburgh Academy U16s, who scored moral victories in their singles — particularly against Butler and Suddaby — and very nearly nicked a doubles against Suddaby and this Hale.  The U16 girls followed where there were no victories, moral or otherwise, for Alex Smith’s serve!  The girls couldn’t quite manage the scalps of Zhang and Thornhill either.  We also sent teams out to Merchiston and Fettes to join the touring Tonbridge school team for some tough matches involving several promising young Fives players and some Jesters.
 
In a new addition we also sent four Jesters up to Strathallan for some squash court Fives.  I’ve heard only good things about the scenery on the drive, the food provided and the Fives played.  A repeat fixture next year seems a must!  The plan to round off the day of Fives had been to stage our usual clash with the Accies, along with the inaugural Frank Akerman Survivor Series for anyone left standing — unfortunately nobody was! #bringbackFrank  Suffering as we were by this point we were no match either for the Accies team of Boyd, Murby, Jourdan x2 and McFarlane and once again surrendered the teapot — but given that it resides in Hector’s attic we never really had it anyway.
 
We had dinner as always at La P’tite Folie — fortunately nobody mentioned the rugby — it was a delight to not only be joined by some local Fives luminaries but also by the touring Tonbridge team.  Thoughts were shared by Matthews and Smith with a riposte from McFarlane before we disappeared into the night with rumours of further victores — not sure I can call them moral or for the game of Fives …
 
We rounded off the Fives on Sunday morning with games against the senior teams from each of Fettes, the Academy and Loretto, plus a game against the Caledonian Club at Merchiston.  Lacking Boyd, Jourdan and Murby as they were, we were actually able to beat the Cali Club.  Things were tight down at Fettes though, with their first pair seeing off Hale Snr and Wakelam but not quite managing to repeat the feat against Chai and Zhang.  I caught the end of the game at the Academy which followed their match with Tonbridge — a lot of tired bodies!  The reports from Loretto indicate that Andy Passey continued to spite his birth certificate, finishing the tour as he’d started it.
That just leaves me to thank the schools and masters in charge for hosting and welcoming us; our drivers for actually making the tour happen; and Dave, who does all the work!

And P.S. — congratulations to Calum and Hugo from EA on their National U16 Doubles title!
 
The best dressed tourist!
 
Shinan and Olivia win the Friday night Mixed at the Academy
 
Sinton-Matthews — a tie!
 
Ben and Mike having a tussle at the Academy
 
Sunday morning at Loretto
 
Hector’s dog supporting the EA boys