Rugby Fives
Encyclopedia
Rugby Fives is a handball
game
, similar to squash
, played in an enclosed court. It has similarities with Winchester Fives (a form of Wessex Fives) and Eton Fives
.
It is most commonly believed to be derived from Wessex Fives, a game played by Thomas Arnold
, famous Headmaster of Rugby School
, who had played Wessex Fives when a boy at Lord Weymouth's Grammar, now Warminster School
. The open court of Wessex Fives, built in 1787, is still in existence at Warminster School
although has fallen out of regular use.
An early mention of the game can be found in the novel Tom Brown's School Days(1857) by Thomas Hughes
. The author attended Rugby School during the period when Dr. Arnold was Headmaster.
The game is played between two players (singles) or between two teams of two players each (doubles), the aim being to hit the ball above a 'bar' across the front wall in such a way that the opposition cannot return it before a second bounce. The ball is slightly larger than a golf ball
, leather-coated and hard. Players wear leather padded gloves on both hands, with which they hit the ball.
The floor is concrete
so that the ball will bounce well. The walls may be stone or concrete but covered in a layer of hard-wearing plaster.
Rugby fives courts tend to be somewhat idiosyncratic and the dimensions stated above are not always adhered to exactly.
In doubles, only the receiver initially designated to return serve may do so, unless the serve is a blackguard. In this instance, either receiver may choose to say 'yes' and return the ball.
Games are played either to 11 or 15, normally agreed before the game commences. If the score is tied at 1 less than the originally agreed winning total (i.e. 10-10 or 14-14) then the winning total is increased by 1 (12 and 16, respectively) but no further (unlike in tennis where you have to win by 2 points in a tie-break).
The receiver's score is said first, so if the receiver has 10 points, and the server has 5, the score is 10-5. Zero is said as 'love'.
At the start of a game of doubles, the servers only need to win one rally in order to switch so that they are receiving (for the rest of the game the usual two before switching applies). http://www.rfa.org.uk/files/RFA_rules.pdf
Ladies
Other
The asterisk indicates that these tournaments have qualification rounds to play in the main knockout. The top 4 players in the singles rankings automatically qualify for singles tournaments, and the similarly the top 4 doubles pairs qualify automatically.
), and national doubles champions are Hamish Buchanan and Robin Perry (holding for the seventh consecutive year).
Gaelic handball
Gaelic handball is a sport similar to Basque pelota, racquetball, squash and American handball . It is one of the four Gaelic games organised by the Gaelic Athletic Association...
game
Game
A game is structured playing, usually undertaken for enjoyment and sometimes used as an educational tool. Games are distinct from work, which is usually carried out for remuneration, and from art, which is more often an expression of aesthetic or ideological elements...
, similar to squash
Squash (sport)
Squash is a high-speed racquet sport played by two players in a four-walled court with a small, hollow rubber ball...
, played in an enclosed court. It has similarities with Winchester Fives (a form of Wessex Fives) and Eton Fives
Eton Fives
Eton Fives, one derivative of the British game of Fives, is a hand-ball game, similar to Rugby Fives, 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...
.
It is most commonly believed to be derived from Wessex Fives, a game played by Thomas Arnold
Thomas Arnold
Dr Thomas Arnold was a British educator and historian. Arnold was an early supporter of the Broad Church Anglican movement...
, famous Headmaster of Rugby School
Rugby School
Rugby School is a co-educational day and boarding school located in the town of Rugby, Warwickshire, England. It is one of the oldest independent schools in Britain.-History:...
, who had played Wessex Fives when a boy at Lord Weymouth's Grammar, now Warminster School
Warminster School
Warminster School, originally called Lord Weymouth's Grammar School, is a co-educational independent day and boarding school at Warminster, Wiltshire, for students aged three to eighteen...
. The open court of Wessex Fives, built in 1787, is still in existence at Warminster School
Warminster School
Warminster School, originally called Lord Weymouth's Grammar School, is a co-educational independent day and boarding school at Warminster, Wiltshire, for students aged three to eighteen...
although has fallen out of regular use.
An early mention of the game can be found in the novel Tom Brown's School Days(1857) by Thomas Hughes
Thomas Hughes
Thomas Hughes was an English lawyer and author. He is most famous for his novel Tom Brown's Schooldays , a semi-autobiographical work set at Rugby School, which Hughes had attended. It had a lesser-known sequel, Tom Brown at Oxford .- Biography :Hughes was the second son of John Hughes, editor of...
. The author attended Rugby School during the period when Dr. Arnold was Headmaster.
The game is played between two players (singles) or between two teams of two players each (doubles), the aim being to hit the ball above a 'bar' across the front wall in such a way that the opposition cannot return it before a second bounce. The ball is slightly larger than a golf ball
Golf
Golf is a precision club and ball sport, in which competing players use many types of clubs to hit balls into a series of holes on a golf course using the fewest number of strokes....
, leather-coated and hard. Players wear leather padded gloves on both hands, with which they hit the ball.
Court
A rugby fives court is four-walled, with the floor being rectangular in shape. It is 28 feet long by 18 feet wide and the upper limit of the in-court area is 15 feet for the front wall, sloping down the side walls to 6 feet at the back wall. In addition, a wooden bar running across the front wall with an upper height of 2.5 feet marks the lower limit of the in-court area on the front wall - there is no lower limit for the other three walls.The floor is concrete
Concrete
Concrete is a composite construction material, composed of cement and other cementitious materials such as fly ash and slag cement, aggregate , water and chemical admixtures.The word concrete comes from the Latin word...
so that the ball will bounce well. The walls may be stone or concrete but covered in a layer of hard-wearing plaster.
Rugby fives courts tend to be somewhat idiosyncratic and the dimensions stated above are not always adhered to exactly.
Service
Usually a 50-50 chance scenario is adopted at the start of a match in order to determine who should serve first (e.g. one player puts the ball behind their back and their opponent guesses which hand it's in). In order to initiate a point, the server must first throw the ball so that it hits the front wall above the bar, then clips the side wall. Once the ball has bounced on the floor, the server hits it so that it hits the side wall followed by the front wall. If, on the hit part of the serve, the ball hits the front wall first then the serve is referred to as a 'blackguard' . The receiver has the option to take a blackguard, as long as they say 'yes' before striking the ball. If three consecutive blackguards are served without being taken then the server is deemed to have lost a rally.In doubles, only the receiver initially designated to return serve may do so, unless the serve is a blackguard. In this instance, either receiver may choose to say 'yes' and return the ball.
Play
Following the serve, the receiver and server take alternate turns to strike the ball against the front wall. The ball must be struck prior to it bouncing twice and while it may hit any combination of back and side walls on its way to the front wall, it must not hit the floor or an out-of-court area. Failing to validly hit the ball against the front wall loses the rally, which results in the following:- In singles, the loser of a rally must serve the next point
- In doubles, if the servers lose the rally then the designated server within that team changes. If the receivers lose the rally then
- if they have lost a previous point since they last served then they must serve the next point
- if they have not lost a previous point since they last served then the designated receiver within that team changes
Scoring
Points are scored from receiving the serve in Rugby fives, as well as in Winchester fives. Thus, a point is only scored if the receiver wins the rally.Games are played either to 11 or 15, normally agreed before the game commences. If the score is tied at 1 less than the originally agreed winning total (i.e. 10-10 or 14-14) then the winning total is increased by 1 (12 and 16, respectively) but no further (unlike in tennis where you have to win by 2 points in a tie-break).
The receiver's score is said first, so if the receiver has 10 points, and the server has 5, the score is 10-5. Zero is said as 'love'.
At the start of a game of doubles, the servers only need to win one rally in order to switch so that they are receiving (for the rest of the game the usual two before switching applies). http://www.rfa.org.uk/files/RFA_rules.pdf
Tournaments
MenTournament Name | Age Restrictions | Singles | Doubles |
---|---|---|---|
National Singles (Jesters' Cup)* | Open | Yes | No |
National Doubles (Cyriax Cup)* | Open | No | Yes |
West of England | Open | Yes | Yes |
South-West Open | Open | Yes | Yes |
North of England Open | Open | Yes | Yes |
North-West Open | Open | Yes | Yes |
Scottish Open | Open | Yes | Yes |
London Open | Open | Yes | Yes |
Yorkshire Open | Open | No | Yes |
National Veterans | Over 45s | Yes | Yes |
National Vintage | Over 55s | Yes | Yes |
National Masters | Over 65s | No | Yes |
National U25s | U25 | Yes | Yes |
National Student and BUCS Championships | Student (at least part time) | Yes | Yes |
National Schools' Championships | U13, U14, U16, U18 | Yes | Yes |
West of England Schools' Championships | U16, U18 | Yes | Yes |
Schools' Winchester Fives Tournament | U18 | No | Yes |
RFA President's Cup | Open (Random Draw) | No | Yes |
Winchester Fives Open Doubles | Open | No | Yes |
Winchester Fives Northern Doubles | Open | No | Yes |
Ladies
Tournament Name | Age Restrictions | Singles | Doubles |
---|---|---|---|
National Ladies Singles | Open | Yes | No |
National Ladies Doubles | Open | No | Yes |
National Ladies Winchester Doubles | Open | No | Yes |
Other
Tournament Name | Age Restrictions | Singles | Doubles |
---|---|---|---|
National Mixed Doubles | Open | No | Yes |
Owers Trophy (Old Boys' Tournament) | Club (Open) | Yes | Yes |
National Club Championship | Club (Open) | Yes | Yes |
The asterisk indicates that these tournaments have qualification rounds to play in the main knockout. The top 4 players in the singles rankings automatically qualify for singles tournaments, and the similarly the top 4 doubles pairs qualify automatically.
The Rugby Fives Association (RFA)
The RFA is the governing body for the sport of Rugby Fives. The association aims to promote the playing and coaching of Fives at schools, universities and senior level, and throughout the community in general. It does this by organising matches and tournaments throughout the season and advising on – and wherever possible supporting financially – the regeneration of facilities and provision of suitable coaching and equipment to further the game's development across the country.National singles and doubles champions
The current national singles champion is James Toop (for the fourth time). Toop is also a past Kinnaird Cup champion (Eton FivesEton Fives
Eton Fives, one derivative of the British game of Fives, is a hand-ball game, similar to Rugby Fives, 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...
), and national doubles champions are Hamish Buchanan and Robin Perry (holding for the seventh consecutive year).
External links
- Rugby Fives Association (UK) - Includes information on where Rugby Fives can be played.