Titles regained and retained at the Vintage Championships

Cambridge University Sports Centre
Sunday, 17th May 2026

Bob Dolby reports: The National Vintage Championships for the Over 55s, run with his customary light touch by non-playing Brian Kirk, was a fabulous Day of Fives and Friendship. A 10-strong entry for the Singles and 8 pairs in the Doubles brought together players from Marlborough, Derby, Manchester, Tonbridge, Dulwich and Barnes to play out both categories on the three superb Cambridge University glass-backed courts.

With the players perhaps no longer so fleet of foot but with a wealth of experience and highly developed powers of anticipation, there were some hard fought early contests in the upper half of the ever contentious Singles draw. In the quarter-finals defending champion Andy Pringle was stretched far further in his first match of the day than he would have liked by James Hughes, as was Ian Jackson by his nigh-on annual contest with Sam Roberts at the same stage. Y Club stars John Minta and Dave Fox had it easier at that stage before their inevitable meeting in the semi-finals. Both these players were aware that Dave had never beaten John in a competitive match but most probably a number of times in a friendly game at Manchester. Whether the earth moved this day when Dave did in fact break his duck remains unknown, but the photographer did get a snap of the victor kissing the vanquished. Andy Pringle’s semi-final win over Ian Jackson was much less emotional but played out in an appropriately friendly spirit.

In the final there was more than a hint of the toll the earlier 3-gamer had taken on the defending champion and the spectators were denied the much anticipated prospect of a lengthy tussle between Andy and Dave. Dave was impressively consistent in his line and length and gave Andy particular trouble with his service, duly and deservedly walking away with his third title and Mackenzie Cup in 4 years. Why not a fourth next year? As far the clock is concerned it proved a blessing that the match didn’t go to a third game, as a subsequent two-hour overrun of the Doubles competition meant that your reporter barely got home to Nottingham in time for ‘Silent Witness’ as it was. The Singles Plate final did not get the audience it deserved, for which we can only apologise: James Hughes was suffering from a leg injury and seems to have decided to get the match over asap. Which he did.

The aforesaid Doubles started pretty well as planned, with a straightforward knockout draw (ever contentious, of course), and a projected completion time envisaged to be in line with the booking of the courts. The quarter-finals immediately threatened a surprise when Harvey Bishop & James Hughes took the first game off Hamish Buchanan & John Minta. Hamish & John got back to 14-10 in the second game, when, sadly, James became so hampered by his increasingly painful leg and Harvey by an issue with his back that they had to retire.

A 3-pair Plate got underway on one court while the semi-finals proceeded. No great drama in Hamish & John’s straight-games semi-final win over Rupert Mathieu & Guy Harman, but by the time it finished barely one game had been completed next door, where defending champions Andy Pringle & Morgan Spillane were taking on Dave Fox & Sam Roberts in a closely fought and drawn out match well worthy of a final. By the time the winners, Andy & Morgan, were sufficiently recovered to begin their final against Hamish & John it was almost time for the table tennis players to roll their mobile tables into the three courts and put an end to any Fives proceedings. The gods proved to be on our side, however, because, for once, table tennis players came there none.

The score in the final — 15-5, 15-16, 16-14 — may give some idea of the struggle the match was but little of the rollercoaster nature of the second and third games, where both pairs had multiple game balls. The excitement was considerable, heightened by Hamish’s commendable enunciation of the score after every rally (thank you, Hamish). The game was played in a wonderful spirit, with lets galore offered (Morgan, and even Andy at times, got drawn to, and trapped in, the back corners as John attacked those same corners relentlessly). All four players hit purple patches — left-handed Morgan producing shots of perfect length from somewhere under his ribs; Andy on both the left and the right forcing his opponents into unsuccessful half-volleys with relentless drives à la Charlie Brooks; John bullying his opponents onto the back foot and into the corners; Hamish producing magic in the front third of the courts with touch shots that provoked gasps of admiration from selected spectators. When the final mistake was forced from the losing pair there was a brief, curious silence, as if noone could quite believe it had happened. Or that it was gone 6.30. And, oh yes, Ian Jackson & Nick Geere had won the Doubles Plate a good hour earlier.

Words were spoken, medals were hung around necks, trophies and champagne awarded (thank you, Jeremy Stubbs), photos taken, beer distributed (thank you again, Hamish). A memorable day.

Singles

1st round: J Hughes bt G Harman 11-2, 11-7; R Mathieu bt J Stubbs 11-0, 11-1

Quarter-finals: A Pringle bt Hughes 3-11, 11-9, 11-2; I Jackson bt S Roberts 11-9, 12-10; J Minta bt N Geere 11-1, 11-3; D Fox bt Mathieu 11-4, 11-0

Semi-finals: Pringle bt Jackson 11-3, 11-4; Fox bt Minta 11-4, 11-4

Final: Fox bt Pringle 11-4, 11-5

Plate: Hughes bt Roberts 11-0

Doubles

Quarter-finals: A Pringle & M Spillane bt S Kirby & J Stubbs 15-4, 15-3; D Fox & S Roberts bt H Carpenter & B Davison 15-3, 15-4; G Harman & R Mathieu bt N Geere & I Jackson 15-7, 15-8; H Buchanan & J Minta bt H Bishop & J Hughes 2-15, 14-10 retd.

Semi-finals: Pringle & Spillane bt Fox & Roberts 15-2, 15-6; Buchanan & Minta bt Harman & Mathieu 15-5, 15-11

Final: Pringle & Spillane bt Buchanan & Minta 15-5, 15-16, 16-14

Plate: 1st Geere & Jackson W2; 2nd Kirby & Stubbs W1; 3rd Carpenter & Davison