Will Lyons played fives at Bradfield, with friends such as Jeremy Sinton (F 91-96) and  the late Jeremy Ball (E 87-92), but fives is not only a sport for people called Jeremy as Will explains;

'I’ve been playing Fives for most of my adult life, so it’s an enormous honour to be taking on the role of President of The Rugby Fives Association for the next two years.

It’s a wonderful game. As I once wrote in The Wall Street Journal, in its simplest form Fives belongs to that family of indigenous court games that evolved around the world from perhaps the most natural sporting instinct of all: hitting a ball against a wall.

In Britain, Fives is played in three main forms (Eton, Rugby and Winchester) each distinguished by the shape and features of its court. Think squash, but instead of a racket you hit the ball with a gloved hand.

Years ago, I interviewed Howie Eisenberg, who grew up playing handball in 1950s Brighton Beach in New York and went on to become one of the game’s great players. He described it as a game of power, speed, reflexes and stamina. It is.

But above all, this small, niche game is a community.

I’ve spent years travelling around the country to play it, from Cumbria to Kent, and it has brought me immense joy and friendship.

I’m looking forward to working with a fantastic team at this small charity over the next two years to introduce more people to Fives, widen the game’s reach and help it thrive'

If you are interested in playing Fives there is an Old Bradfieldian Fives Club to find out more reach out to bradfieldsociety@bradfieldcollege.org.uk