doodlefivesUpdated
THE GAME EXPLAINED
Give people a ball and they kick it, throw it or hit it.
Fives is the English way of hitting it: with the hand, against a wall. It began against church walls centuries ago and settled into two main games, Eton fives and Rugby fives, each named after the school where it took shape.
HAND, WALL, BALL named in the 1600s
Compare the courts
THE SHORT ANSWER
That is how the Rugby Fives Association explains it.
Played as singles or doubles.
ORIGINS
Both associations trace the game to people hitting balls against church and chapel walls. The Eton Fives Association says the name, used since the 17th century, probably means the fingers, as in a bunch of fives.
The historyRUGBY FIVES
Formalised at Rugby School, it is hit with gloved hands. Under the Rugby Fives Association rules, the first to 15 points wins, or 11 by agreement.
Compare the courtsETON FIVES
The Eton court is modelled on a bay at the foot of the chapel steps at Eton College. It has a step, a buttress called the pepper-box and an open back.
Court wordsA QUICK COURT CHECK
Pick a place to play to see what the fives associations say about it. The bar shows how many quirks the court has, from plain walls to steps and buttresses.
Based on the Eton Fives Association history and Laws, and the Rugby Fives Association's guide and rules.
TWO NUMBERS WORTH KNOWING
One date for the first purpose-built courts,
one count of where Eton fives is played now.
1840
First purpose-built Eton fives courts
Eton's headmaster, Dr Hawtrey, built a block of four courts along the Eton Wick road, based on but not an exact copy of the chapel bay. Modern courts follow them with very few changes.
FIRST COURTS · EFA
40 sets
Sets of Eton fives courts in England
The Eton Fives Association counts 40 sets of courts in England, from Dorset and Kent to North Wales and Cumbria, with more abroad in Switzerland, India, Malaysia, Brazil and Nigeria.
COURTS TODAY · EFA
The Eton association says the game peaked in popularity between 1890 and 1900, and that the Second World War cost several courts to bomb damage, including those at the Queen's Club in London.
FOUR WORDS FROM THE LAWS
These come from the Laws of Eton Fives and the Rugby Fives rules. Some courts also have local rules, so the laws suggest checking with the home team.
On an Eton court, the lower angle of a ledge across the front wall, 4 feet 6 inches up. Every shot must be hit up on or above it.
A shallow step dividing the Eton court into an upper and a lower part.
A buttress jutting from the left-hand wall; with the step it encloses Dead Man's Hole.
A special kind of serve named in the rules. In Rugby fives, if a player says yes to a blackguard, the rally starts.
FROM CHAPEL TO COURT
Eton College chapel was held up by buttresses that formed bays where boys played. The bay at the foot of the chapel steps was different: a handrail made a hazard and a landing extended the floor. That bay became the model for every Eton fives court.
In 1877 A. C. Ainger and friends published the rules as played at Eton. The first schools match was Eton against Harrow on 12 February 1885, and the Eton Fives Association published its Laws in 1931.
Questions
What is fives?
Fives is an English handball game: players hit a ball with a gloved hand against the walls of a court, rather like squash without a racquet. It began against church walls centuries ago and settled into two main games, Eton fives and Rugby fives, each named after the school where it took shape.
Why is it called fives?
Nobody is sure. The Eton Fives Association says it probably refers to the fingers, as in a bunch of fives, and that the name has been used since the 17th century.
What is Eton fives and how is it played?
Eton fives is a doubles game, two against two, played on a court with three walls and an open back that copies a bay of Eton College chapel. Every shot must be hit up on or above the line, a ledge across the front wall 4 feet 6 inches up, and the court has a step and a buttress called the pepper-box. Only the side that is up, the serving side, can score points; a game is won by the first side to 12 points, and matches are generally the best of five games.
What is the difference between Eton and Rugby fives?
Both are handball games. Eton fives copies a chapel bay, with three walls, an open back, a step and a buttress. Rugby fives took shape at Rugby School and is often described as squash with gloved hands.
Why does an Eton fives court have a step?
The Eton Fives Association says the court copies a chapel bay where a landing between two flights of steps extended the playing area. When the first courts were built in 1840 the floor was made less steep and the buttress set further from the front wall, and the step at the back was probably the result of raising the courts a few inches to avoid flooding.
Can you play fives on a squash court?
Rugby fives, yes. The Rugby Fives Association rules allow any court enclosed by four walls, such as a squash court, and a Squash Court Fives ball adjusts the bounce for the larger court, the cushioned wooden floor and the lower tin. On a squash court the serve must be hit so its second bounce would land beyond the half-court line or the short line; a short serve counts as a blackguard.
How is Rugby fives scored?
Under the Rugby Fives Association rules, the first player to 15 points wins the game, with a special rule at 14-all. By agreement, games can be played to 11.
Do you need gloves?
In Rugby and Eton fives in the UK, players normally wear gloves. The Rugby Fives Association's guidance is that players wear suitable gloves with padding or inner gloves, as they prefer, while the Laws of Eton Fives specify no particular type of glove and say it is quite permissible to play in bare hands. In northern Nigeria, the Eton Fives Association notes, players use tennis balls and so do not need gloves.
Is fives still played?
Yes. The Eton association counts 40 sets of courts in England plus community clubs, and three Rugby fives courts with glass back walls opened at Cambridge University Sports Centre in 2013.
What should I check before buying kit for fives?
Three checks help. Gloves for your game: the Laws of Eton Fives specify no particular type of glove, while the Rugby Fives Association asks players to wear suitable gloves with padding or inner gloves, as they prefer; its risk assessment notes that fives balls are hard and rigid. Padding: the same guidance says gloves, with any inner gloves or padding, should give adequate protection for the hands. Shoes: it also asks for footwear with good grip, such as trainers, properly laced and securely tied.
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