Cambridge successes since April 2025

RLDNews

18th July 2025

Bob Dolby reports: The 2024-25 Rugby Fives season came to an end with the Derby Moor Invitational Doubles on June 28th. There were no past or present Cambridge players involved, but within two weeks, at the first tournament of the new season, Ed Kay won his fifth South West Open Singles title, beating fellow Sparrow Ben Beltrami in the final; the two of them then won the Doubles together, their third in a row. Charlie Brooks was one of the pair winning Silver in the Doubles.

Ed Kay wins the SW Open Singles for a fifth time

Benm Beltrami runner-up in SW Open Singles

Ben & Ed win their third SW Open Doubles title in a row

Charlie Brooks runner-up in the SW Open Doubles

Back in April Andy Pringle and his partner Morgan Spillane reached the final of the National Veterans Doubles Championship, seeking to defend their title won the previous year. It was not to be — they came away with Silver . But there was better to come the following month.

Silver for Andy and partner in the Veterans Doubles

Unfortunately events conspired to prevent multiple champions Bernard Atkinson and Martin Wilkinson, from competing in the Masters and Grand Masters Championships which took place the same weekend at Marlborough College. However, later in the month Charlie Brooks led his team of Old Paulines to their third victory in a row in the Club Knockout, the Wood Cup, played at St Paul’s.

Charlie Brooks with Wood Cup winners

Next up for ex-Cambridge players, in early May, was the Scottish Open at Fettes College, and it was National Universities Champion Andrew Boyd who won Silver in both the Singles and the Doubles, losing to Dan Grant in the Singles and, partnering Ben Jourdan, losing the Doubles to Penn Chai & Lewis Keates.

Andrew Boyd runner-up in the Scottish Open Singles

Andrew wins Silver in the Scottish Open Doubles

The month continued with a great deal of success for the light blues. Firstly, a wonderful day at the National Vintage Championships, where Andy Pringle deservedly won his first Singles title, beating a former champion Morgan Spillane, and then going on to win a third-in-a-row Doubles title with Morgan. In that same Doubles event Ian Jackson, also a previous champion, won the Plate with OMT Bhaswar Baral.

Andy Pringle wins the Vintage Singles title

Andy beats his partner Morgan Spillane in the Vintage Singles final

Andy & Morgan win their third consecutive Vintage Doubles title

Ian Jackson wins the Vintage Doubles Plate with Bhaswar Baral

Ian with partner and opponents

Meanwhile Helena Tunks continues to garner medals silver and gold. In the National Women’s Winchester Fives Championships at Bradfield College Helena was runner-up to Shinan Zhang in the Singles but then, together with Shinan, won their third Doubles title in four years. Savanna Leboff, semi-finalist in the Singles, won the Doubles Plate with Sophie Lundie.

Helena Tunks wins Gold and Silver at the Women’s Winchester Fives Championships

Savanna and Helena then organised the Open Mixed Doubles Championship, held at Alleyn’s School. It was no surprise that Ed Kay partnered National Women’s Champion Camille Beattie to victory in this event, but there was a strong entry, especially from Cambridge, to provide some very serious Fives. Savanna Leboff & Andrew Boyd came 3rd, Helena Tunks and partner Cameron Low fourth, Harriet Fearon & Matt Ord seventh.

Ed Kay and Camille Beattie win the Open Mixed Doubles

A large entry from Cambridge at the Open Mixed Doubles

Cambridge players figure highly in the National Rankings, particularly Ed, Ben and Charlie in the top 10 of the Open Singles and Doubles Rankings, and Helena in the Women’s Rankings. Marcus Cloke Browne, Emrys Thursfield, Andrew Boyd and Savanna Leboff are also to be found variously in the top 30.

By my reckoning Cambridge players past and present have won 46 medals in the course of the season, 20 gold, 16 silver and 10 bronze. Top Club!