Midlands Schools Fives dominated by Bedford Modern and Derby Moor

News

Bedford, 8th March 2015

This year’s U18 competition, played at Bedford Modern School with a field of 26 players from 5 schools, produced a clean sweep of both Cups and both Plates for the Derby Moor squad.

Robert Whitehorn completed a hat-trick of wins in the Singles and, likewise, in the Doubles, this year partnered by Jai Singh. John Halligan of Derby Moor had the unfortunate experience of being runner-up in both, though he and Bally Singh gave their year-older rivals a hard fight in the Doubles final and will be the pair to beat next year.

Jai Singh won the U18 Singles Plate for losing semi-finalists, while Sam Johnson and Hasan Rehman, playing as Derby Moor IV, won the Doubles Plate for first-match losers.

All the Derby Moor players were pushed hard by Romain, Musiani and Suddaby of Rugby. We can expect the rivalry between these two schools to continue next year.

The U15 the competition, which comprised 19 players from 5 schools, was dominated by the squad from Bedford Modern, though again players from Rugby got themselves in the mix. In the Singles Joe Sumner benefited from his experience of playing last year to defeat the strong physical challenge of Alex Carter from Rugby in the semi and then the rackets-playing Will Hardman from the same school in the final.

In the morning we had seen three pairs from Bedford Modern reach the semi-finals of the Doubles. There Sumner had teamed up with Oliver Colbert, with whom he had won the Plate last year, to beat first Rugby II, then Bedford Modern II. As all these young players move up next year into the U18 category, joined by some promising players from Oundle, we are going to see some fine Fives played. We hope to be joined then by players from Bloxham where Fives is undergoing a renaissance.

U18 Singles

Quarter-finals: R Whitehorn (Derby Moor) bt G. Romain (Rugby) 15-8; L Musiani (Rugby) bt M Suddaby (Rugby) 15-7; J Halligan (Derby Moor) bt J. Attwood (Bedford Modern) 15-1; J Singh (Derby Moor) bt L Taylor (Derby Moor) 15-8

Semi-finals: Whitehorn bt Musiani 15-0; Halligan bt Singh 16-14

Final: Whitehorn bt Halligan 15-5

Plate (for losing semi-finalists): Singh

U18 Doubles

1st round: Bedford II bt Rugby III 15-12; Rugby IV bt Bedford Modern 15-11; Derby Moor II bt Oundle II 15-1; Rugby II bt Derby Moor IV 15-0; Derby Moor III bt Bedford I 15-1

Quarter-finals: Derby Moor I bt Bedford II 15-0; Oundle I bt Rugby IV 15-2; Derby Moor II bt Rugby II 15-10; Rugby I bt Derby Moor III 15-11

Semi-finals: Derby Moor I bt Oundle I 15-2; Derby Moor II bt Rugby I 15-12

Final: Derby Moor I (J Singh & R Whitehorn) bt Derby Moor II (J Halligan & B Singh) 15-10

Plate (for first-match losers): Derby Moor IV (S Johnson & H Rehman)

 

U15 Singles

Quarter-finals: J Sumner (Bedford Modern) bt J Clayton (Oundle) 11-1; A Carter (Rugby) bt C Clark (Bedford Modern) 11-9; W Hardman (Rugby) bt T Farren (Rugby) 11-2; G Larrington (Bedford Modern) bt O Colbert (Bedford Modern) 11-2

Semi-finals: Sumner bt Carter 11-8; Hardman bt Larrington 11-4

Final: Sumner bt Hardman 11-4

Plate (for losing semi-finalists): Carter

U15 Doubles

First round: Bedford Modern III bt Derby Moor 15-2

Quarter-finals: Bedford Modern I bt Rugby III 15-4; Rugby II bt Oundle II 15-5; Bedford Modern II bt Rugby I 15-7; Bedford Modern III bt Oundle I 15-6

Semi-finals: Bedford Modern I bt Rugby II 15-2; Bedford Modern II bt Bedford Modern III 15-6

Final: Bedford Modern I (O Colbert & J Sumner) bt Bedford Modern II (C Clark & G Larrington) 15-1

Plate (for first-match losers): Rugby I (A Carter & H Maddocks)

 

Jai Singh & Rob Whitehorn

Jai Singh & Rob Whitehorn