A second President’s Cup for Helena Tunks

Winchester College
Sunday, 14th December 2025

STOP PRESS The event was held this year for the first time on the new courts at Winchester College. 32 players as usual, familiar names, new ones, players returning to the game, both sexes, past winners, all involved in the usual long and demanding day’s play with frequent three-gamers. With thanks to organiser Hamish Buchanan, and to Chris Blakeley and Lewis Keates for the transmission of details and photographs.

Organiser Hamish Buchanan reports: This year’s Cup was played on the excellent, new courts at Winchester College and was the first time that the event has not been held on a Rugby Fives court, although the T-Pot still adhered to tradition and was completed on the two Rugby courts at the College. More on that later.

The usual 32 players assembled for the traditional 9.45 start with no one quite sure if the Winchester element would speed up play or not? Could we actually follow the schedule and make the pub by 6.30?

Not a chance. Although the rallies may have been shorter, the number of three-game matches increased. Nevertheless we were on schedule until the unthinkable happened: the new courts started to sweat, with slippery floors, as the temperature and humidity increased, no doubt a result of the effort from the extreme athletes on show.

In the face of disaster the President’s Cup management committee moved into full swing with fans procured from the College front desk, the gallery cleared of recovering and perspiring players, and the masterstroke from chief negotiator Rupert Mathieu of convincing the on-site personnel to open a door at the end of the gallery that leads onto a precipitous flat roof, and more importantly, onto cold dry air. The risk of distraught players with their ambitions dashed (possibly only Guy Matthews was in this category) throwing themselves off the roof and into the void, dictated that a college guard was required and the door remained open for only 10 minutes per hour. We all survived and the courts dried out.

In essence, the College personnel helped as much as H&S would allow, and it is hoped that the issue will be solved with a tweak to the automated air conditioning system, which appeared to be on strike.

Unfortunately this sequence of events led to the T-Pot competition being played on the Rugby courts so that the Winchester ones could breathe and dry out. Not all the competitors kept their toys in the pram upon hearing this ruling, especially the newly married ones.

Throughout the four competitions a total of 11 matches went to the deciding game and 7 games reached 14-14, demonstrating the drive and desire that pervades the Cup.

The final of the main event was actually rather one-sided, with Helena Tunks and Theo Parker beating a tired Chris Davey and Nick Whitney in two games. This was Theo’s first win and Helena’s second and the day was not plain sailing as they only scraped through the first round, 15-12 in the third against Chris Jones and Andy Passey. Chris D and Nick had endured a three-game quarter-final and also a semi-final against Gwydion Wiseman and Savanna Leboff that went to the wire, 16-14 in the third.

Gwydion and Savanna went on to win the Mate’s Plate after a further 5 games and completed an incredible 13 (the maximum is 15) games in the day.

Not to be outdone by his fellow AOB and sometimes coach Gwydion, Yarin Negyal and local first-timer Rob Walton also played 13 games to win the T-Pot. With 8 of these played on the Rugby courts it was perhaps even more attritional.

The Love Mug, which is effectively the normal Plate competition, was won by Jeremy Manger and John Keyes, who after losing their first match in a gruelling three games, clearly decided that was a fool’s errand and did not drop a match thereafter.

The President’s Cup always attracts dedicated followers and over the past few years Abbie Evans and Adam Amine-Piekos have been two of those. This year Adam celebrated his first match win in the tournament, but unfortunately this led to a game against his off-court partner Abbie. Deep in thought, Adam wondered if the RFA had considered providing a relationship councillor for support in this scenario. There was no need as Abbie served out onto the buttress numerous times, indeed quite possibly more times than any other player on the day, and with Lewis Keates moved on to the next match. Adam retired with a cup of tea and a piece of cake — everyone’s a winner at the President’s Cup.

Scores

1st round: Tom Maconie & Ross Wilson bt Tim Hebblethwaite & James Malton 15-9, 15-8; Yarin Negyal & Rob Walton bt Ashwin Ahuja & Guy Matthews 15-7, 15-7; Will Akerman & Ian Jackson bt Abbie Evans & Lewis Keates 15-9, 15-3; Theo Parker & Helena Tunks bt Chris Jones & Andy Passey 14-16, 15-1, 15-12; Savanna Leboff & Gwydion Wiseman bt Nick Geere & Will Kennedy 15-10, 8-15, 15-13; Alex Goodwin & Rupert Mathieu bt Adam Amine-Piekos & James Tilston 15-9, 15-9; Chris Davey & Nick Whitney bt Sam Roberts & Charles Rollo 15-2, 15-8; Dave Butler & Alex McGee bt John Keyes & Jeremy Manger 16-14, 13-15, 15-8
Quarter-finals: Maconie & Wilson bt Negyal & Walton 15-7, 7-15, 15-12; Parker & Tunks bt Akerman & Jackson 15-8, 15-9; Leboff & Wiseman bt Goodwin & Mathieu 16-15, 15-11; Davey & Whitney bt Butler & McGee 5-15, 15-12, 15-12
Semi-final: Parker & Tunks bt Maconie & Wilson 6-15, 15-8, 15-7; Davey & Whitney bt Leboff & Wiseman 6-15, 15-5, 16-14
Final: Parker & Tunks bt Davey & Whitney 15-1, 15-5

T-Pot: Negyal & Walton bt Goodwin & Mathieu 16-15, 4-15, 15-10

Love Mug: Keyes & Manger bt Jones & Passey 15-6, 15-9

Mate’s Plate: Leboff & Wiseman bt Maconie & Wilson