Ahead of Bloxham’s first ever girls’ Fives match, we caught up with Nina, the team captain, to learn more about what it means to her to be involved in this very special moment for the School. Nina is a second generation Fives captain with her father, John, having captained the boys’ team when he was at Bloxham. Fives is similar to squash, except you wear gloves and hit the ball with your hands. It’s a very fast-paced and challenging sport which takes real skill and determination to master.
What do you love about playing fives?
I enjoy the fact that it’s something different to the normal hockey, netball and tennis which most girls play. It’s a sport that not that many people have heard of, so to be able to say that you can play Fives is interesting.
What does it mean to you to captain the very first Bloxham girls’ fives team?
It’s an honour! It shocked me to know that there has never been a girls’ Fives fixture before. To be the first girls’ Fives captain is really special. We are playing Marlborough College in our first fixture which will hopefully be a good game. We’ve played them at hockey and netball before so I’m hoping to see some familiar faces.
Your father was also captain of the fives team. did that impact on your decision to play the game? What does it mean to you to be a second generation fives captain?
I actually picked Fives as an activity not knowing that my dad had played when he was here! I went home the weekend after my first training session and mentioned that I had taken up this new sport. That was when I found out from my dad that he had played Fives at Bloxham and captained the team. That made me even more keen to play. My dad is definitely looking forward to seeing our game. He came over to the Fives court once after a hockey fixture and he helped Mr Batten to coach us and that was really cool.
Simon Batten, one of our Fives coaches, is very proud of Nina and the whole girls’ team. He said,
The girls have been practising hard in their Monday sessions, and have made great progress already, especially in terms of hitting the ball to the back wall, a challenge on the Bloxham courts, which are among the biggest in the country. Nina has been playing Fives since the First Form and has taken her duties as captain very seriously, encouraging a promising group of girls to take up the game.
What do you think the future of girls’ fives looks like at bloxham? are there many other girls interested in learning to play?
The sports department recently introduced Fives as a PE option so this term you can play squash, badminton, or Fives, and everyone is having a go. A lot of girls are trying it and they’re all saying that they really enjoy it. The girls in the year below will definitely carry it on as they move up the School. The coaches at Bloxham really want girls to continue with the game so I think there’s a lot of hope for the future of girls’ Fives here.
what has the process of setting up a new team been like?
I did Fives as the only girl for a couple of terms and then I persuaded some of my friends to do it, and then they persuaded some of their friends to do it, and it grew from there. This year, all the girls in my House are trying it out and some people had to be sent away because so many wanted to do it, which is so amazing to see! It has been a natural progression to there being a girls’ team.
Nina’s father, John, shared,
I’m very proud of Nina and I hope that her and her team mates have as much fun playing Fives at Bloxham as I did all those many years ago. The girls’ Fives team are starting a new chapter in the history of Bloxham sport and Nina has the honour and responsibility of being their captain. I shall definitely be watching her matches and giving them all my strongest support.
We wish Nina, Phoebe, Emilia and Holly the very best of luck in their first fixture.
