Summer Festival of Fives at Alleyn’s School

Following the success of last summer’s belated and partially retrospective National Schools Championships organised by Hamish Buchanan and Dave Butler, it was decided to offer this year’s school leavers and interested university students the chance of a similar weekend of play on the courts at Alleyn’s, with Hamish this time assisted by Charlie Brooks. 

 

As luck would have it, the weekend chosen for this year’s event coincided with a series of transport strikes, with London particularly hard hit, and what initially looked to be an ample turn-out was severely reduced, perhaps also with people taking the chance of a summer holiday for the first time in 3 years.

 

However, those that did enter included a number of national and regional schools champions of both sexes, so there was no lack of quality on show in the various mini-competitions concocted by the organisers. Alleyn’s past and present were predictably well represented, but there were also players from Winchester College, the Edward Alleyn Club, London University and the University of East Anglia. There is plenty of reason to  hope that this event might become a regular, annual one.

 

 

Singles champion: Theo Vernacchio (Alleyn’s)

Runner-up: Alex Dorokhov (Alleyn’s)

Plate: Max Bolt (Alleyn’s leaver)

 

Women’s Singles champion: Katie Sumner (UEA)

Runner-up: Anna Chance (Alleyn’s)

 

Doubles champions: Kaito Bremner & Marcus Cloke Browne (Winchester leavers)

Runners-up: Genesis Nsenga & Anthony Cloke Browne (Edward Alleyn Club & Winchester College)

Plate: Joe Sumner (KCL London) and Katie Sumner.

 

Mixed Doubles: Katie & Joe Sumner beat Anna Chance & Patrick Harrison (Alleyn’s leaver)