New format for the Owers Trophy

News

The Owers Trophy

St Paul’s School, Barnes. Saturday 26th September 2015

The RFA has today announced a change in the format of the Owers Trophy, the Old Boys tournament, which has been played since 2004.

Thus far, the competition has been contested by four-man teams, but in recognition of the fact that getting four players has sometimes been quite an obstacle for some teams, the RFA has decided on a new format.

So, the 2015 Owers Trophy will be organised as follows:

· A one-day competition for three-person teams

· The team’s three players must have attended the same school

· Each team can be a combination of genders and can include one current sixth-former

· Schools can enter more than one team

· Each team is placed in a group and will initially play matches against the other teams in their group

· Each match will be doubles-only and consist of one game of doubles against each possible pairing – ie 1&2 v 1&2, 1&3 v 1&3, and 2&3 v 2&3. A match will consist of three games, and the result is decided on points. Games will be to 11 or 15, depending on the size of the groups

· Teams may change their members between matches, but not during one

· After the group games, winning teams will play knockout finals/semi-finals (depending on time and numbers), and other teams will compete for the plate

The Owers Trophy was created to encourage players from the same school to stay in contact, keep playing and to provide a format where different combinations of teams and pairs would play, in a structure rather different to the more common knockout doubles and singles tournaments.

Over the past 10 years, a great variety of ages and standards of players have played, with teams from Alleyn’s, St Pauls, Eastbourne, Derby Moor, St Dunstan’s, Oundle, Bedford, Rugby, Christ’s Hospital, St Olave’s, Pilgrims’ School, Winchester College, Tonbridge, Merchant Taylors’, Clifton, Bradfield, and Blundell’s.

This new format is designed to allow more flexibility, more combinations of pairs and more fun. Above all, the RFA hopes that more teams will be able to enter, and that schools will look into contacting sixth-formers and any lady players from their schools to make up their squad.

Club captains are advised to put the date in their diary and start contacting their school’s old boys. Organiser Alex Smith will circulate the official entry form later this month, and it will also appear here on this website,