Fixtures.

Captain’s Report on the Season 2018-19: Fair to say it’s been a year of ups and downs for CURFC. A strong start to the season with a win over the RFA was followed up with a close loss to a strong Jesters side.

Captain Jeremy Manger made the plate final at BUSF, but was unable to beat Cameron Low, fatigued from his 3-game semi-final, while Andrew Boyd reached the semi-final, but after a mammoth quarter-final against Oxford’s Ben Kirwan was too sapped to endure the onslaught from eventual winner Dave Butler. Ladies Captain Lottie Simpson reached the final of the Ladies U23 Doubles, but was pipped at the post by a very strong pairing of Louise Mathis &  Shinan Zhang. CURFC was also well represented at the President’s Cup, though failed to win any silverware, but ex-Cantab Ed Kay, brilliantly partnered by Martha Nugent, took the ultimate prize.

Lent term kicked off with Andrew Boyd reaching the semi-final of the North West Open, losing a tough match to Dan Tristao. At National U25s, Jeremy yet again reached the final of the Plate, only to suffer defeat at the hands of another Bristolian, this time Archie McCreath, while Boyd had huge success, reaching the final but yet again finding Dave Butler too strong. Past v. Present was, as ever, a wonderful occasion, with some great fives played by both sides, and the Past eventually taking the win, while Cassi Henderson’s IV took the Ted Isaacs Trophy.

Varsity, the highlight of the year, was hotly contested, and the Cambridge team always knew it would be a tall order, but the Men’s score of 229-327 demonstrates the incredible fight put up by the VIII.

The Ladies side continued their previous successes with another substantial win over the dark blues, 170-84, while the Sparrows fought hard but ultimately were defeated by a strong Oxford side.

As mentioned earlier, this season has not been without its tough points, but overall the Club has acquitted itself very well throughout the last year, and I am confident that CURFC will thrive in the safe hands of captains Ashwin Ahuja and Holly Nugent.

Jeremy Manger , June 2019

Captain’s Report on the Season 2017-18:

CURFC have had a great season and it’s been an honour to serve as Captain. This year saw a highly competitive men’s Varsity Match which went narrowly to the dark blues in both the 1^st VIII and the Reserves match. Past v. Present was also a close contest, with promising performances from Jeremy Manger and Charlie Mabbutt, but this year the win went to the Past 218-267. In the Ladies’ Varsity Match, Cambridge won convincingly 181-33 led by Captain Lottie Simpson and with a top performance by novice Helena Tunks. It has been a fantastic year for the ladies, with Cassi Henderson, ranked ending the season ranked 18^th, winning the Singles Plate in the Ladies Nationals, and fresher Holly Nugent improving her ranking to 21^st.

The Kay & Shaw partnership prospered, winning the British Universities and the U25s competitions where Kay also picked up both singles titles. Similarly representing the light blue colours in these competitions were Andrew Boyd, Ed Pyman, Laurence Cook and Jeremy Manger.

Recruitment has gone well this year, with four novices to the game joining: Allan McPherson, Tim Bennett, Cat Bar and Helena Tunks as well as the ranks of the Sparrows being filled with continuing players from school including Ashwin Ahuja, Ben Yass, Ollie Smart and Alex Spencer.

Ed Kay ended the year ranked 2^nd nationally as a result of singles wins at the London and Yorkshire Opens – a brilliant achievement that clearly demonstrated the hard-work he has put in over the last year. Matt Shaw, a doubles specialist, ended the year ranked 6th in the doubles after a win at the London Open and finishing as runner-up with Kay in the North West Open.

Jeremy Manger and Cassi Henderson have been appointed Captains for what I am sure will be another successful season.

Matt Shaw, June 2018

Captain’s Report on the Season 2016-17:

CURFC enjoyed a very successful season once again this year, managing to retain our Varsity crown in February by a margin of 293 points to 94, as well as triumphing over the Past in our annual match the previous weekend. These events underline how far many players have improved over the course of the year, with both Andrew Boyd (Churchill) and Jeremy Manger (Downing) putting in very strong performances in their first Varsity Match. Other players showed their potential during the series of matches that CURFC played this year. Charlie Mabbutt and Charlie Constable both performed well, especially the latter as he only started at the beginning of this season! Our now well-established female players continued to improve over the course of the year, as is highlighted by their impressive presence on the Women’s rankings. Cassi Henderson rose from 27 to 17 in February after her performance in the Ladies’ National Singles and Georgina Shepherd has maintained her position at 13. Lottie Simpson also has developed her game over the season, as was underlined by her performance in the Varsity Match, helping the Ladies IV to an emphatic 180-6 victory over Oxford. Hopefully they, along with the rest of the Club, can continue to improve and build on such successes in the future!

There were a few stand-out individuals over the course of the season whose achievements ought to be noted. CURFC Secretary for 2016/17, Matt Shaw, enjoyed his best season to date. He won the North West Open Doubles Championship, his first victory at open level, and the National Under-25s Doubles Championships for the third year in a row with teammate Ed Kay as well as successfully defending the BUSF Doubles Championship for a second time with Ben Beltrami early in November. As a result of these achievements he was deservedly awarded a Full Blue at the beginning of 2017, only the 6^th to have ever been granted to the Club in its history, and he saw his national doubles ranking increase from 11 to 6. Matt’s respective partners Ed and Ben also had highly successful seasons, with Ed retaining his BUSF and National U25s Singles crowns – defeating Ben in both finals for the second successive year – and Ben attaining his first open title by winning the National Winchester Fives Doubles at Sedbergh in March.

Thanks go to Elliot Tebboth, Aurelien Gueroult and, once back from the States, to Laurence Cook for their support of the Club and to Jane Coombs for her part in the ladies’ success. Many thanks to the Cambridge Past, whose continual support makes the high standard of Fives in Cambridge possible, and to our President Bob Dolby, whose close supervision of the Club is invaluable to its successful running.

Ben Beltrami, June 2017

Captain’s Report on the Season 2015-16:

Once again CURFC’s ‘superstars’ had a stellar season.  Between them, Ed Kay, Ben Beltrami and Matt Shaw took home a variety of titles including the Universities and U25s tournaments in both singles and doubles formats. They also helped the men’s 1^st VIII to a convincing victory in the Pol Roger Varsity Match. The men’s 2^nd IV’s encounter with the Oxford Beavers was arguably the least predictable match of the day and it was excellent to see our players, so new to the game, show such strength as they claimed the win.

The most pleasing development this year, however, has been the arrival of a full strength ladies’ team. They have gone from four beginners at the start of the year to threatening the top 10 of the National Women’s rankings. They were attempting both to avenge last year’s defeat (though none of them played then) and to help Cambridge become the first squad to win all three matches on the day. Captain Cassi Henderson played the game of the day against her Oxford counterpart, and her successor Georgina Shepherd struggled manfully to victory despite a shoulder injury. Ably supported by Lottie Simpson and Sasha Haco, they led the team to a 147-83 victory. All four are staying next year and will surely only improve. They challenge any school or club ladies’ team to take them on!

The only blemish of the year was a first defeat for several years by the Past but, as ever, all enjoyed a very convivial Jock Burnet Dinner at Magdalene. A number of players will be joining the Past this year and one of them we should particularly like to thank: Jacob Brubert, who played in seven Varsity Matches and captained us to our record victory last year.

We must also thank most warmly Peter Reynolds who has performed the role of Senior Treasurer for our Club, and for CUEFC, for more years than any of us can know. We wish him well in his ‘retirement’ from Rugby Fives and look forward to working with Andrew Cates, who has kindly agreed to take on the role of Senior Treasurer for CURFC. Andrew (Clifton & Trinity) played for the Club against Oxford in 1985, 87, 88 and 89. He is currently Bursar of Pembroke College.

Successes

Varsity Match:

• CURFC beat Oxford University 284-120
• Cambridge Sparrows bt. Oxford Beavers 161-92
• CU Ladies beat Oxford Ladies 147-83

British Universities Championship: Ed Kay wins the Singles; Ben Beltrami runner-up. Beltrami & Shaw win the Doubles for second year in a row.

Ed Kay was a semi-finalist in the West of England Championship and in the National Singles Championship. He was runner-up in the North West Open and winner of the National U25 Championships, where he did the doubles, winning the Doubles with Matt Shaw. Ed was also winner of the National Winchester Fives Doubles in partnership with Will Ellison.

Ben Beltrami was runner-up in the British Universities Championship and in the National U25s, as well as in the North of England Championship.. He was a semi-finalist in the West of England Championships and the North West Open. Ben Beltrami was runner-up in the U25 Doubles with Ollie Arnold. He was also runner-up (with Hamish Buchanan) in the North West Open and likewise with John Minta in the North of England Championships. Matt and Ben were semi-finalists in the West of England Doubles.

Ed Kay & Ben Beltrami were semi-finalists in the National Doubles.

Ben Beltrami won the Winchester Fives Mixed Doubles, playing with Kathleen Briedenhann.

In the End-of-season National Rankings Ed Kay is 3rd in the Singles rankings and 4th in doubles; Ben Beltrami 4th and 6th; Matt Shaw 11th and 9th; Jacob Brubert 25th and 35th=.

In the End-of-season Women’s rankings Georgina Shepherd is 13th.

James Pinder, July 2016

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Captain’s Report on the Season 2014-15:

At every level, 2014-15 has been a phenomenal season for Cambridge University Rugby Fives Club (CURFC). Bolstered by some fresh young talent and with very few departures, competition for places was hot. The first competition of the year took a slightly different format to normal; the inaugural Lady’s Cup was held in Cambridge, where some well matched mixed doubles matches took place, and, although CURFC could only field two pairs, Sienna Tompkins and Jacob Ader went on to take one of the Plates!

Michaelmas saw five home matches take place, with four wins and one loss (permissible given that CURFC ‘donated’ two players to the opposition, the Alleyn Old Boys). On the road, CURFC were represented at the West of England Championships and the BUSF Student National Championships. There Ed Kay continued his 2^nd place streak in the singles, falling prey to Dan Grant once again. Defending doubles champions Kay & Jacob Brubert were not able to defeat Grant & Chase (ex-Cambridge) in one semi-final; however the raucous pair of Ben Beltrami & Matt Shaw stormed to victory in the final, marking an exciting start to their university careers. Cambridge proved to be the most successful university once the results had passed through the Hebden computer.

During the Christmas vacation the first Winchester Fives Varsity Match took place, at Winchester College. Oxford fancied their chances in this version of the game; however Cambridge adapted their tactics and swept to a 120-48 victory. Hopefully this form of the Varsity Match will continue to take place in years to come.

In the New Year, the countdown to the Varsity Match began. Against Merchant Taylors’ and St. Paul’s School, CURFC did not field their strongest side and suffered close losses in both cases. However, at the National U25 Championships all guns were blazing: Kay raced to his first student singles victory, defeating Ben Beltrami in the final. Furthermore, the Plate Singles final was also an all-Cambridge affair, with James Pinder beating Tom Bury. In the doubles, Kay paired up with Matt Shaw to beat Brubert & Chris ws (Imperial) in the final.

The Past v. Present match fell on Valentine’s Day this year – surely a sly tactic by the organiser to eliminate key players from the game (!) – but the Present still overcame the Past for the 3^rd consecutive year by 248-164.

The following week Cambridge and Oxford descended upon St Paul’s School for the Varsity Match. The day commenced with the 1^st IV singles games, in which Cambridge dominated for the loss of just 4 points. The ladies then took to the court in the inaugural Ladies’ Varsity Match. Oxford Ladies were the more experienced and dominant side, winning 60-2. The men’s doubles (1^st VIII) and Sparrows v. Beavers (2^nd IV) matches took place after lunch.  In the main match Cambridge enjoyed phenomenal strength in depth and conceded just 19 points in the doubles, leading to a record victory by 300-23. In the Sparrows match Cambridge fielded both experience – in the form of Wilson Lau and Richard Law – and fresh enthusiasm from James Tennison and Cameron Jenkins. Cambridge prevailed by 151 to 86. In summary, it has been a year of fine victories and female firsts!

Back in Cambridge 7 teams entered the Cuppers tournament run by Wilson Lau. It produced a final between Emmanuel and Queens’. The Emma side consisting of Ed Kay, Laurence Cook and Georgina Shepherd won by some 8 points against a Queens’ side featuring Jacob Brubert, Tom Bury and Sacha Hajnal-corob.

And a final word of congratulations to Ed Kay, who started the season by winning the Singles title at the inaugural South East Open at Horsham in August and then, in April, reached the final of the National Doubles at Alleyn’s, playing with fellow Pauline Tom Dean. There they lost to the favorites Daniel Tristao & Will Ellison.

We have now had two seasons on the new courts and they are playing well. It certainly feels as though the club can call the Sports Centre its new home.

Jacob Brubert May 2015

The President’s Report: Jacob Brubert has been an exemplary Captain. Ably aided by his Secretary, Jacob Ader, he has organised, cajoled and encouraged his club-mates all season, keeping up a stream of information and invitations and doing his best to enable both experienced players and newcomers to enjoy the game and the courts. We wish him well as he goes off to Oxford to further his studies – and doubtless bolster their squad. He will not be the first player to have played fives for both universities but it is a select band. After the very one-sided Varsity Match of this season we expect next year’s contest to be a more traditional one.

We also look forward to more ladies playing the game. We have made a start this year with a Ladies’ Varsity Match, but there is far to go. I am convinced that CURFC ought to be able to produce a ladies’ National Champion within a few years. I hope very much that next year, under the leadership of James Pinder and Ben Beltrami, we shall move nearer to that goal. I look forward to the new season as we say goodbye to some of our ‘old hands’ – Jader, Wilson, Jack, James and Tom – hoping to see them back for the Past versus Present in February.

Bob D.

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Captain’s Report on the Varsity Match:

Captain’s Report for 2013-2014:

The Rugby Fives club had a great season, mainly thanks to the great new courts, which have allowed us to get many more people playing the sport. They meant that we could hold more training sessions and host more home matches, and we now have a dedicated group of beginners who have weekly training sessions coached by a member of the squad.

In Michaelmas there was a tight win against the RFA but, in attempts to field a similarly match ed team, narrow losses to St. Paul’s School, Bedford School and Derby Moor Fives, with all of these matches taking place in Cambridge. Success came at the BUCS tournament where, with a record 12 players from Cambridge taking part, we won the unofficial prize as best performing university. In a repeat of last year, Ed Kay and Jacob Brubert won the Doubles tournament in a very tight match against Bristol’s first pair, whilst Ed lost in the final of the Singles to UCL’s Dan Grant. Cambridge also hosted a national singles qualifying tournament, with Ed and Jacob qualifying. Ed went on to win the Plate competition at the National Singles tournament the week after.

One of few disappointments came with a narrow loss against Durham University over the Christmas holidays in a fixture where we were unable to field a full-strength team. This is now becoming an annual event and always proves to be competitive.

In Lent we had good wins against the Jesters Club, the RFA and revenge against St. Paul’s School at St. Paul’s. We entered 8 players in the National Under 25s tournament and it was a similar result to last year, with Ed Kay losing in the Singles final to Dan Tristao and then teaming up with Dan to win the Doubles for the third straight year. Jacob Brubert did well to reach the semi-finals, also losing to Dan, whilst Jack Malde and Jacob Ader played well to defeat a strong Durham pair and win the Doubles Plate title.

This year the annual Past versus Present match was held at Cambridge. The Present won for the second year running by 242-206, with a total of 90 people dining at Selwyn afterwards. This form then showed through at the Varsity Match held at St. Paul’s and sponsored by Pol Roger, with Cambridge winning the main match 269-153 and the reserve match 146-117. Despite excellent play from the Oxford first pair, who bested both of our top pairs, Cambridge never looked like losing the match. Particular mention should go to freshmen Zach Brubert, James Pinder and Richard Law who played very well in the their first Varsity.

The club is continually thankful to President Bob Dolby without whom we wouldn’t be playing on courts in Cambridge and who can always be called upon to find players for an emergency fixture and to impart his considerable wisdom. We are also thankful to St. Paul’s School for once again hosting the Varsity Match. The future is bright and, with courts on our doorstep, the club looks to go from strength to strength.

Captain’s Report for 2012-2013:

The Rugby Fives club had another successful year, with entrants in several national tournaments as well as wins against strong sides throughout the season. In Michaelmas there were wins over the RFA and Bedford School, while some of the top players competed in the West of England Open and National Singles Qualifying. We entered 5 players into the BUCS championships in November, with Jack Malde winning both the singles plate and the doubles plate (teaming up with Adam George from St Andrew’s). Ed Kay and Jacob Brubert won the doubles, which went much of the way to ensure that Cambridge won the unofficial prize as best performing university at BUCS. In the National Singles the week after Ed Kay made it to the quarter-finals before being knocked out by Dan Tristao.

Over the Christmas holidays the club organized a match to raise money for new courts to be built in Cambridge. The Cambridge squad took on more than 30 opponents over a 24-hour period. Despite our losing the match 820-593, the event was a huge success, raising over £4000 for the cause.

In Lent term the team improved further, with wins against St Paul’s and the RFA. We also managed to enter 8 people In the National Under 25s tournament this year (as opposed to one the year before), which showed a good level of enthusiasm and commitment within the squad. At this tournament Ed Kay was again beaten by Dan Tristao – this time in the final – but then teamed up with him to win the doubles. Jacob Brubert put in a performance which belied his advancing years to beat Peter Hanton and Chris Burrows, and reach the semi-final of the singles. Jack Malde and James Lane performed well in the doubles, eventually losing to Durham’s 1st pair, who went on to reach the final. At the annual Past versus Present match, the form of our team was evident as we comfortably beat the past side by 90 points – the biggest recorded victory for the Present since 1969. This form eventually showed through at the Varsity Match, sponsored by Pol Roger, with the whole squad performing exceptionally well and with each pair adding to the total. The final score was 265-176, a fantastic achievement against a strong and well organized Oxford VIII. Particular mention should go to Will Sloper and Jacob Ader for performing well in their first Varsity Match.

With the potential completion of the new courts before the start of the 2013-2014 season the Rugby Fives Club is looking forward to a new era, with more frequent training and a larger fixture list as well as (hopefully) greater numbers playing the game. We are constantly thankful to President Bob Dolby, not only for his exceptional fundraising effort over the past year, but also for making sure the club has continued to run effectively through this difficult 18-year period without courts in Cambridge. A final thank-you must go to Oundle School who have hosted us during much of that time and enabled to club to continue to exist.

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Captain’s Report for 2011-2012:

After a very successful 2010-2011 season and with the addition to our squad of some talented freshers, plus the return of ex-captain Alan Beverly, the outlook for the season was very positive.

The first few weeks of training and matches were used predominantly to integrate the new players into the team and work out pairings for BUCS and, eventually, for the Varsity Match. Two wins and one loss from the three fixtures leading up to BUCS was a positive start and turnout to training was higher than in previous years. The BUCS championships were held this year at Marlborough College, which took away the home advantage of the previous year. Hopes were high for Cambridge, with Ed Kay seeded high in the Singles and Cambridge also having 1st and 3rd seeded pairs in the Doubles. However, in the end, fitness seemed to be the biggest enemy as, after a gruelling number of games on Saturday, Kay ended up runner-up in both Singles and Doubles, where he was paired with Tom Chase. The Cambridge second pair of Elliott Malone and Alan Beverly managed to reach the semi-final, but lost to the eventual winning Durham pair, who were seeking to regain the doubles title they lost the previous year.

Even though the team came away with no trophies, the large turnout from Cambridge at the tournament emphasised the enthusiasm and commitment of the team, despite the long journey to and from Marlborough. This was also the first chance we had of eyeing up the Oxford team, and, it was clear that, with continued hard work, we would be favourites going into the Varsity Match.

In the Lent term, the focus was on sorting out the strongest VIII to compete in the 82nd Varsity Match, selecting not only the order of singles, but also building doubles partnerships. The strength of teams we played stepped up dramatically and the team travelled down to St Paul’s school on numerous occasions to practise playing on the courts where the Varsity Match was to be played. Some notable results included beating the RFA, St Paul’s and the Executioners, the latter two fixtures played on the opposition’s home courts

Another significant success was that of Ed Kay, who managed to bag his second doubles title in as many years by winning the National U25 Doubles Trophy with ex-Oxford Dan Tristao. This was a tremendous achievement for a 19 year old undergraduate. Ed and Alan Beverly were selected to represent BUCS versus the RFA later in the season.

On Saturday 18th February, the VIII and the Sparrows IV travelled to St Paul’s for the 82nd Varsity Match generously sponsored, in the shape of 12 bottles of bubbly, by Pol Roger Champagne. The selection process was difficult, due to the depth of the squad, and a lot of thought was required in selecting the doubles pairings to ensure we had the strongest overall team. The atmosphere as ever was one of nervous excitement to get the games underway and the pressure seemed to increase as we felt we were favourites to retain the Jock Burnet Trophy. After the singles, which included some dramatic games, including convincing wins from Kay and Jacob Brubert, as well as Chase’s fantastic comeback from 1-10 down to beat his opposite number 15-13, the Cambridge VIII were 13 points up. This, however, is only a small margin with 16 doubles games yet to be played. Fortunately, all the Cambridge pairs fought hard for every point and won 14 out of the 16 games, making the final result 290-158pts to Cambridge. The side dropped only 10 points out of a possible 300. Particular mention should go to James Lane, Jack Malde and Peter Judge, who all held their own in the doubles, despite it being their first Varsity appearance, Judge notably justifying his selection in the 4th pair with a tremendous performance. This is the highest points margin Cambridge have won by since 1983 and reflects the incredibly hard work put in by the team all year. It was a very satisfying end to the season.

The Sparrows IV also had success in their match, winning their match more narrowly against the Oxford Beavers 138-119. The team was captained by the returning Luke Rowland, who led his team from the front and used his previous varsity experience to good effect. This is the first time the Cambridge team have won the ‘Iron Fist’ trophy since it was first introduced.

Elliott Malone

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