fives

A handball game played by two or four players, derived from the French game jeu de paume (‘palm [of hand] game’). The first recorded game was at Eton School in 1825; other variations include Rugby and Winchester fives. The origin of the name is uncertain: it may be because the game was played with the five fingers of the hand or because the original scoring system was in multiples of five.

There are links between Fives and the Irish and North American handball games and indeed, in recent years, British clubs have begun to establish ties with clubs in those countries.

Fives is not the same as Long Fives, which is played in a real tennis court.

There are two main forms of the game, Rugby Fives and Eton Fives. Eton Fives is played competitively as a doubles game, while Rugby Fives is played as both a singles and a doubles game. The rules for Eton and Rugby Fives were both published in 1931, and Rugby Fives had an official varsity match from 1925. In Eton Fives the ball is softer and lighter, and the gloves are fairly thin.

The Eton Fives court is modelled on part of Eton College's Chapel and is enclosed on three sides and open at the back.

Eton Fives has a more complex variation and some specific court features or 'hazards'.

Rugby Fives uses a simpler court, quite similar to a squash court, and has a back wall. However, the court is generally finished in cement not plaster and playing fives in a squash court typically causes immediate damage. A variation of Rugby Fives, known as Winchester Fives, differs by the addition of a buttress (resembling the tambour of a real tennis court) on the left-hand wall.

Fives is a small sport played by enthusiasts numbering perhaps 4,000 active adult players in the United Kingdom.

About forty schools are affiliated to the Eton Fives Association (the governing body of the Eton Fives variation), and there are a number of Old Boys' and university clubs.

The Rugby Fives Association (the governing body of Rugby Fives, founded in 1927) has affiliations from over forty schools and thirty-two clubs, from Edinburgh to Tavistock, and there are also a number of clubs overseas, for example in South Africa and the United States.

Although the image of Fives has been dominated by the well-known eponymous public schools, courts do exist at state schools, and in recent years many of these have been brought into full use.

There are also numerous championships, notably the (doubles) Eton Fives Kinnaird Cup and the Rugby Fives Singles Open championship (The Jesters' Cup).

Exceptional players in recent times have included John Patrick Reynolds and Brian Matthews (Old Citizens, Kinnaird Cup) and John Pretlove (Alleyn's) and Wayne Enstone (Manchester Y.M.C.A., Rugby Fives).