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server throws the ball high so it bounces off the front and right wall, landing after the step and roughly in the middle of the court (note: different players like the ball to bounce at different points in order to get varying types of spin on their 'cuts'). There are no rules about the serve but as a cutter can reject any serve, there is little benefit in a serve which can not be easily hit. The cutter will then often play the ball overarm so that it is 'up', usually into the corner, so that the ball hits the right then the front wall and goes straight back at the server. The best way to follow up this 'cut' is to follow the ball in and stand on the step, ready for a volley if the server returns it high. From here the cutter and the server will try to volley the ball, while the other two players will sweep up anything that they miss. This continues until the ball is either hit 'down' or out of the court.
285:
301:"buttresses" are usually anywhere from 2 – 10 inches in width. Shots very rarely hit this part of the court, but once they do it is usually very effective for winning a point. Between the buttress and the top step is a small rectangular area about 10 cm sq, often referred to as the 'pepper pot'. If the ball is hit into the pepper pot it is almost always point-winning. Each of the courts at varying schools differ in some way, leaving room to modify how your school's courts are built to a certain extent. In this way the 'home team' will often have an advantage over a visiting side because of their knowledge of the court's characteristics and layout.
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detailed later. There is a diagonal ledge that circumvents the entire 'top-step' at about chest height; it is this ledge which the ball has to hit or go above to be 'up'. Below this ledge, at knee height, is a horizontal ledge about two inches wide, and which is only present on the 'top-step'. This is merely here because of the origins of Eton fives as the ledge is present at the chapel in Eton
College.
156:, played as doubles in a three-sided court. The object is to force the other team to fail to hit the ball 'up' off the front wall, using any variety of wall or ledge combinations as long as the ball is played 'up' before it bounces twice. Eton fives is an uncommon sport, with only a few courts, most of them as part of the facilities of the
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The
Kinnaird Cup is an open tournament for any age. Over the years it has become more and more competitive, and is now the most sought after trophy of them all. Other tournaments include the Northern Championships and the Eton fives Association (EFA) Trophy, where teams of 6 players (3 pairs) compete
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approximately halfway up the court. There are also two levels to the court, the front being around six inches higher than the back half of the playing area. On the front wall is a vertical black line about three-quarters of a metre from the right wall; this is used during the serve and return process
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A point operates thus: At the start of the play, the server stands between the buttress and the front wall. The receiver, known as a 'cutter', stands in the backcourt, along with the other two players (the cutter's partner stands behind him, with the server's partner in the bottom right corner). The
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The cut must go to the right of the black line on the front wall (note: if the ball hits the right hand wall and then hits the front wall to the left of the black line this is regarded as 'in'). If the ball goes to the left of the black line a 'Black Guard' is in effect and if the serving pair hit
268:
City of
Norwich School (formerly Eaton (City of Norwich) School) is possibly unique in being a state run comprehensive school which houses two fives courts. Matches have been undertaken on the courts between Eaton & Eton, but in the 1990s the courts were used as car parks for teaching staff,
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The diagonal ledge drops vertically at the edge of the 'top-step' and then returns to normal at a slightly lower height on the bottom step, running to the back of the court. At the back are brick columns that jut out slightly into the court, which vary in width from school to school, these
246:, where A. C. Ainger and some of his friends developed a simple set of rules in 1877. The rules have been modified since that time to those seen now, but the essential components are still the same and are described below in the 'Rules' section.
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The "Keeper of Fives" is the equivalent to the captain of any particular sport at any particular establishment the sport is played at. It is one of a number of minor officer positions to be held at Eton
College.
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When a pair reaches 11 points, the server must stand with at least one foot on the bottom step when they serve. From that point they cannot move until the 'cutter' has hit to ball. This is called 'step'.
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You can only use your gloves to return the ball, no legs, arms, wrists, feet or any other appendages can be utilised in this way (similar to tennis and squash where you can only use your racket).
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383:. There are championships for every age group, ranging from the Under 10s to the Open (Under 18s). Within these championships are the Main Tournament, Plate A and Plate B.
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The
Schools National Championships are the highlight of the season for school players across the country. The location of the championships changes every year between
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where he was master in charge of Fives, has written and published a history of Eton fives. The book is titled "Eton Fives: A History." The co-author is Peter
Knowles.
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The start of a point comes from a serve, and then a shot called a 'cut' is used to try and stop the server or his/her partner being able to hit the ball back.
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You can only hit the ball once before it must go up, and therefore only one member of the pair is able to hit the ball during the return of a shot (i.e., no
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The buttress, step and ledges on the High Elms
Country Park court, recreating an arbitrary architectural detail of the Eton College chapel
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All games are played to 12. However, if the score is 10–10, or 11–11 the game can be 'set' so that you play to a higher number.
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The ball is only allowed to hit the floor once (note: it can bounce off as many ledges or hit the walls any number of times).
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There are now a huge number of championships and tournaments that take place at various times throughout the fives season.
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Much earlier than the formalisation of Eton fives, a court was built in the grounds of Lord
Weymouth's Grammar School, now
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On 'step' the cutter can hit the ball anywhere on the front wall, it does not have to go to the right of the black line.
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enjoy being the only non-private schools with Eton fives courts in the UK. Other schools with Fives courts include
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However, the first real public courts have recently opened in the
Westway Sports & Fitness Centre in London's
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however since 2013 one of the courts is being used for fives, whilst the other is now a boiler room.
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in
Australia (the school is often referred to as the 'Eton of Australia'); there are also courts in
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The pair whose turn it is to hit the ball 'up' must do so without the ball hitting the ground.
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and Summerfields Prep school house the only indoor Eton fives courts in England, with three
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Fives has many rules that are similar to other court type games, such as tennis or squash:
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An Eton fives court consists of three walls, with the left-hand wall interrupted by a
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court complex at the former, which together form the Jock Burnet Fives centre.
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The only known court to be owned by a private individual in the UK is on the
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However, there are a large number of rules unique to the game of Eton fives:
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The University of Cambridge, St Olave's Grammar School, Bryanston School,
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the ball down they do not lose the point; it is treated as a 'let'.
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666:"Opening of new Fives courts at the University of Cambridge"
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Only a few courts exist outside Britain, most notably at
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8 – Gordon Campbell (Edwardian): 1958, 65–68, 71, 73, 75
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9 – Tony Hughes (Edwardian): 1958, 63, 65–68, 71, 73, 75
717:"'Eton of the east' celebrates 150 years in Darjeeling"
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19 – Tom Dunbar (Harrovian): 2002–04, 06–07, 09, 11–23
253:, in 1787, the School's 80th year. It is claimed that
621:, another game involving hitting a ball with the hand
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8 – Robin Mason (Edwardian): 1993–95, 98–99, 2002–04
242:. The shape of the court used now is taken from the
751:
Encyclopædia Britannica article on Fives in general
574:currently has the only Eton fives courts in Wales.
62:. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed.
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391:The following have won eight or more Kinnairds:
329:A pair can only score when it is their serve.
202:. Unsourced material may be challenged and
806:Learn how and when to remove this message
222:Learn how and when to remove this message
158:independent schools in the United Kingdom
122:Learn how and when to remove this message
769:This article includes a list of general
372:against one another in one-set matches.
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257:a pupil here took the game with him to
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820:
404:10 – Brian Matthews (Citizen): 1981–90
238:developed in the late 19th century at
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401:11 – John Reynolds (Citizen): 1981–91
261:leading to Rugby Fives. The court at
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200:adding citations to reliable sources
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60:adding citations to reliable sources
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27:Handball game similar to Rugby Fives
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833:School sport in the United Kingdom
775:it lacks sufficient corresponding
746:The Eton fives Association website
670:The Eton Fives association website
432:Royal Grammar School, High Wycombe
398:13 – Seb Cooley (Olavian): 2011–23
272:Dale Vargas, a retired teacher at
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556:courts being part of a Fives and
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196:improve this section
56:improve this article
591:Lyceum Alpinum Zuoz
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194:Please help
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71:"Eton fives"
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54:Please help
49:verification
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843:Team sports
788:introducing
554:Rugby Fives
154:Rugby fives
848:Ball games
822:Categories
771:references
626:References
565:White City
535:Torry Hill
381:Shrewsbury
324:Volleyball
146:Eton fives
82:newspapers
18:Eton Fives
619:Baseball5
183:does not
701:6 August
650:23 April
613:See also
607:Provence
294:buttress
784:improve
727:15 June
676:9 April
603:Grillon
355:A point
204:removed
189:sources
164:Origins
96:scholar
773:, but
587:Zürich
583:Geneva
558:Squash
468:Harrow
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853:Fives
305:Rules
280:Court
236:sport
150:fives
103:JSTOR
89:books
729:2020
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678:2024
652:2006
522:and
446:and
379:and
377:Eton
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