Eton Fives
From Free net encyclopedia
Eton Fives, one code 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. One of the best ways to achieve this is to hit the ball into the 'pepper-pot' between the buttress and step which divides the court. The 'pepper-pot' buttress, the step and the slanted sides to the walls make for the occasional odd bounce, making Eton Fives as much about preemption of 'funny-bounces' as preemption of your opponent's intentions. The players wear leather gloves as the ball is quite hard, being made of rubber and cork. However the gloves are much thinner and the balls softer than in Rugby Fives.
A point operates thus, At the start of the play, the server stands between the buttress and the front wall. The receiver, known as a cutter stands in the backcourt, along with the other two players. The server throws the ball high so it bounces off the front and right wall, landing after the step. There are no rules about the serve but as a cutter can reject any serve, there no point in not giving him a serve which can not be easily hit. The cutter will then smash the ball overarm so that it is 'up', usually into the corner, so that the ball hits the right then the front wall and goes straight back at the server. He will then usually, follow in and stand on the step. From here the cutter and the server will try to volley the ball, while the other two players will sweep up anything that they miss. As the line above which the ball must be up is about chest height, ralleys can go on for a surprisingly long time with good players. Points are frequently won on mistakes or funny bounces. It is very rare for the ball to end up in the pepper-pot, because it is only slightly larger than the ball, and because the server will usually have his right hand near it. A team can only score on their serve.
Eton fives is an uncommon sport, with only a few courts, most of them as part of the facilities of the Public Schools in the United Kingdom; consequently, it is primarily the preserve of their students. However, the first real public courts have recently opened in the Westway sports centre in London's White City, marking a possible change in fortunes for Eton Fives as a minor sport. Only a few courts exist outside Britain. Most notably at Geelong Grammar School in Australia, the School is often referred to as the 'Eton of Australia'. The are also courts in Geneva, Zurich, Lyceum Alpinum Zuoz, Switzerland, St. Paul's School, Darjeeling, India and Malay College Kuala Kangsar, Malaysia
Courts are stepped with the end of a wall butting out on the left-hand side. This shape of court originates from the space in Eton, in the lee of the chapel, where the game was first played. Different schools courts tend to be slightly different, giving a home team a slight advantage.