News of the Scottish Schools U18 and U16 Championships

Fettes College, Edinburgh
March 2026

The Boyd Trophy for Scottish Schools U18 Singles is retained after a superb day of Fives

Hector McFarlane reports: 15 boys from three schools (Edinburgh Academy, Merchiston Castle and Fettes College) entered the 9^th edition of the Scottish Schools’ U18 Singles. The morning’s play consisted of 4 groups of players battling it out to place themselves into the Cup or the Plate. Group A was the tightest, with three players all winning one game, one of them, top seed Jock L (E.A.), winning all of his matches. Total points was the deciding factor, which saw Freddie J (E.A.) sneak into the Cup. Group B went to seeding as Fergus F (MCS) won all his games, dropping only 2 points in the process. A commendable effort should be noted by Robert J (E.A.), who did not look out of place despite still being U14. Group C saw Lochie F (Fettes) win three tight games, 11-6, 11-8, 11-9, to progress as group winner, while last year’s runner-up Reggie H (MCS), struggling with a bruised hand, slipped into the Plate. Group D had only three entrants, so games were played to 15, with Ludo C (E.A.) taking top spot ahead of James R (MCS).

A superb lunch was provided by Fettes as competitors mulled over the knock-out draws for the afternoon. In the Cup Jock won an all-E.A. fixture against Oscar Z (E.A.) 15-8, whilst Lochie came from behind in the closest quarter-final to defeat James 15-10. The other half of the draw saw commanding 15-1 wins for Fergus and Ludo over Freddie J and Prannav J (E.A.). Jock’s deep serving and accurate left-hand made short work of Lochie in the first semi-final 15-2, before watching on as Fergus and Ludo did battle in the game of the day. Ferocious power from Fergus’s right hand was matched by Ludo’s retrieving. Ludo took to volleying at every opportunity to try and rush Fergus, but Fergus showed superb court coverage, which led to some scintillating rallies. Fergus edged himself ahead and had match points at 14-9 but Ludo dug deep and eked out solo points before Fergus finally ousted him 15-13. Jock, watching on, was the main beneficiary and Fergus had to find some energy to go again in the final. It was unsurprising that the well-rested Jock got off to a fast start in the final, taking the first game 11-3. Fergus is not player to give up easily though and dug deep, with impressive grit and resolve, to outlast Jock in game two, winning it 11-6. It all came down to the decider as it turned into more of a physical and mental battle than one of pure Fives skill. Jock found an improved length, taking a bit of pace off the ball, before winning in style with a deft left-handed, angled drop shot winner, taking the final game 11-4, thereby retaining the Boyd Trophy that he had successfully lifted last year.

In the Plate Reggie H iced up his hand and applied layers of padding to win through 15-6 in an all-Merchiston final against Angus J (MCS) to win the McEwan Plate.

A superb day of Fives, which bodes well for the Scottish Schools Doubles and for those venturing down to London for the UK Nationals later in the month.

U18 Singles

Final: Jock L (Edinburgh Academy) bt Fergus F (Merchiston Castle) 11-3, 6-11, 11-4

Plate: Reggie H (Merchiston Castle) bt Angus J (Merchiston Castle) 15-6

U18 Scottish Schools Boys Doubles Championship — Edinburgh Academy survive semi-final scare on way to cup victory

Richie Murby reports: The traditional eight-pairing draw was filled out by three schools this year: Merchiston Castle School, Edinburgh Academy and Fettes, who were also the hosts.

The pick of the early games was Fettes II vs EA II. Fettes’ Freddie and Beau showed admirable focus against capable but slightly inconsistent opponents in Max and Jamie. A pair like Jamie and Max, consisting of a left-hander and a right-hander, can be a difficult prospect, but Fettes found angles and weaknesses in EA’s shape and were able to win enough of their battles at the front, in the middle and round the walls to claim a 15-12 victory.

Max and Jamie were not dismayed for long, bouncing back to win the Plate final against another Fettes opponent, the highly rated but somewhat rusty combo of Lochie and Louis.

In the semi-finals of the main competition, MCS I (Fergus and Reggie), proved a little too strong for Freddie and Beau of Fettes, powering big drives and running-balls into the corners, to break down their valiant defence. In the other semi-final, James and Hamish of Merchiston got within range of a mighty upset against EA I, last year’s UK U16 champions Jock and Weems. The younger pairing of MCS (both are still Colts) showed an ability to sweep up almost everything that was being thrown at them without losing their composure or their shape. Frustrated and impatient, EA suddenly found themselves 11-8 down. Sensing the danger, they were able to tighten up their play and sharpen their teamwork to turn the match around and take the match 15-11.

Having survived this impressive challenge, EA’s first pair went into the final determined to play with more discipline and purpose. And so it proved as Jock’s grit combined with Weems’ technical precision and power to gradually push the match into their favour. For spells of the match it felt more like an arm-wrestle than a work of art, although Weems in particular was able to produce clean winners often enough to keep his team ahead. For Merchiston matters were exacerbated by some bruising in the palms, which inevitably blunted their weapons to some extent. With these factors at play, Weems and Jock were able to close out the match in two games and seal victory for Edinburgh Academy.

U18 Doubles Cup
Quarter-finals: Freddie A & Beau W (Fettes II) bt Jamie D & Max R (EA II) 15-12; Reggie H & Fergus F (MCS I) bt Oscar Z & Freddie J (EA III) 15-7; Jock L & Weems H (EA I) bt Lochie F & Louis M (Fettes III) 15-8; James R & Hamish F (MCS II) bt Tom M & Arthur H (Fettes I) 15-3
Semi-finals: Reggie H & Fergus F (MCS I) bt Freddie A & Beau W (Fettes II) 15-6; Jock L & Weems H (EA I) bt James R & Hamish F (MCS II) 15-1
Final: Jock L & Weems H (EA I) bt Reggie H & Fergus F (MCS I) 11-5, 11-3

U18 Doubles Plate
Semi-finals: Jamie D & Max R (EA II) bt Oscar Z & Freddie J (EA III) 15-10; Lochie F & Louis M (Fettes III) bt Tom M & Arthur H (Fettes I) 15-1
Final: Jamie D & Max R (EA II) bt Lochie F & Louis M (Fettes III) 15-8

Edinburgh Academy win the U16 Doubles and completes clean sweep of Scottish Schools Cups

Richie Murby reports: Fettes College was once again the venue for a Scottish Schools tournament, this time the U16 boys’ doubles. Eight pairings from four schools took part, as the hosts welcomed Merchiston, Edinburgh Academy and, for the first time this season, Loretto, as their younger players look to bring the school’s Loretto’s fives programme back on track.

Although the Loretto pairing did not advance, they performed well enough to raise hopes for next season. In fact, all the quarter-finals were more closely contested than the scorelines suggested. This was most notable with EA III (Harry and Nicholas) who threw the kitchen sink at Merchiston I (James and Hamish) for long periods but ultimately found most of their attacks absorbed and returned with interest by their unflappable opponents.

Harry and Nicholas quickly put their defeat behind them, winning their Plate semi-final against an inexperienced but talented Fettes II pairing (Alex and Donald) and then holding their nerve to edge an intriguing Plate final against Fettes I (Jonty and the promising newcomer Rory)

In the main competition, it was MCS vs EA in both semi-finals. James and Hamish played well against Ludo and Prannav but were ultimately undone by Prannav’s steady pressure and Ludo’s creative orchestrations. Fin and Murray (EA I) were equally sharp in the other semi-final, giving very little away and playing well-organised and accurate fives to get the better of Archie and Angus, who created a much closer spectacle than the score would imply.

Despite its being an all-EA final and the cup’s destination decided, there was absolutely no lack of intensity on the court, as friendly lunch-break rivalries were renewed on a higher stage. The quality, as it had been in the semi-finals, was high, and long rallies ensued as defending duelled with attacking amongst four evenly matched players. Ultimately Ludo and Prannav proved that little bit harder to break down, bringing a highly entertaining match to a close with a score of 11-4, 11-4.

U16 Doubles Cup

Quarter-finals: Ludo C & Prannav J (EA II) bt Alex U & Donald M-R (Fettes II) 15-2; James R & Hamish F (MCS I) bt Harry W & Nicholas V (EA III) 15-2; Fin D & Murray M (EA I) bt Jack R & Angus D (Loretto I) 15-2; Archie M & Angus R (MCS II) bt Rory L & Jonty C-M (Fettes I) 15-5

Semi-finals: Ludo C & Prannav J (EA II) bt James R & Hamish F (MCS I) 15-4; Fin D & Murray M (EA I) bt Archie M & Angus R (MCS II) 15-2

Final: Ludo C & Prannav J (EA I) bt Fin D & Murray M (EA II) 11-4, 11-4

U16 Doubles Plate

Semi-finals: Harry W & Nicholas V (EA III) bt Alex U & Donald M-R (Fettes II) 15-4; Rory L & Jonty C-M (Fettes I) bt Jack R & Angus D (Loretto I) 15-6

Final: Harry W & Nicholas V (EA III) bt Rory L & Jonty C-M (Fettes I) 15-12