The Fives Pod: Recent Episodes
Matt Shaw
The Fives Pod. Dave, Matt and Sam chat about everything that's going on within the world of Fives. We keep you up to date with the latest action from around the country covering school fives, club fives and tournaments!
To round off the season the Fives Pod Team chat about the highlights from Season 3 and recent news. We'll be back in the Summer where hopefully we're all back on court!
This week on The Fives Pod guest host Gareth Price answers some fives FAQ's, with the help of a few special guests including two Fives Pod debutants...
This week we are delving into the archives (for a pre-Christmas episode), which is a place very familiar for our guest Alex Smith. Alex has multiple roles across the Fives world where he is a player, a coach, an RFA board member and most importantly the keeper of the RFA handbook - sort of like a Wisden for Fives!
In this weeks episode, we talk to five of the best fives players in the country (Dan Tristao, Ed Kay, Will Ellison, Dan Grant and Ben Beltrami) about the key skills required to be a top quality fives player. We cover the serve, the weaker hand, the drop shot, movement and power and also have some fun along the way. Tune in to get inspired for what will hopefully be a summer filed with fives!
Today we have Martha Nugent on fitness motivation, how she applies it in her fives preparation and Kite surfing! Martha has been able to study at the World Class Academy for Kite surfing whilst travelling all around the world. Stay tuned!
This week the Fives Pod speaks to Ian Fuller about his life in Fives, who transitioned from school fives to become one of the top players in the game during the 80s and 90s. Ian was renowned for his cross-court shot to a length and for his epic partnership with Dave Hebden, making him one of the greatest players of all time!
This week we explore Fives balls with our resident Fives historian Bob Dolby and Gloves and Balls entrepreneur Howard Wiseman. We chat about the history of Fives balls and how different balls have affected playing styles at the top of the game, today's Fives balls and the secrets behind their manufacture and new developments for a Squash Fives ball.
In this weeks episode we are taking a trip up to the legendary Manchester YMCA Club with Peter Woods, John Beswick, Geoff Sherratt and Dave Fox. We talk about the history of fives at the club, the golden generation of players galvanised by Fred Beswick (John Beswick's dad) and take a look at how the club is doing today. Tune in for an insight into one of the most successful fives clubs of all time.
This week we travel back up North for an episode chatting to some of Durham's finest. On the show for today's episode we have Oscar McIntyre, Camille Beattie, Simon Beattie and Adam Hicks who tell us about their Fives experiences and then turn the tables and ask our host a few questions of their own!
This week on the Fives Pod, guest host Gareth Price takes us on a trip around the globe!
Joined by guests Willie Polanco (USA), Geert Vandervelden (BEL) and Dan Grant (UK), we dive into the wide and wonderful world of international hand ball sports to discover what fives has in common, what our differences are, and ultimately what lessons we can learn from one another.
This week on the Fives Pod, new host Shinan Zhang welcomes Phoebe Thornhill and Julie McIntyre to talk about their experiences into Women’s Fives. We chat about how they started playing fives, their experiences in the fives social scene and the competitions they have participated in and organised. Regardless of what stage of your life you are at, anyone can start playing!
This week on the Fives Pod, we talk to two time National Singles champion and current national veterans champion, Matt Cavanagh, about his career in Fives and rise to the top of the game!
To kick off Season 3 we have David Parlby, the RFA President, on the Podcast to launch the start of the new season. We chat about the latest developments that are ongoing as part of the RFA’s strategy, including the launch of the new website, as well as about the vision for the future. And of course it wouldn’t be the Fives Pod if there weren’t a few good anecdotes!
In this Christmas special season finale the fives pod team reviews the 2020 calendar year for fives. We speak with RFA president (David Parlby), current National Singles Champion (Louise Mathias) and two of the most talented fives playing school pupils out there (Gwydion Wiseman and Martha Nugent) in order to provide a review of everything that happened on and off the court this year.
If you have enjoyed listening to the fives pod, we would be very grateful if you could make a donation to the RFA Christmas present by clicking on this link: https://tinyurl.com/y76ghmjy
In this weeks episode we are joined by Charlie Brooks, Dan Tristao and Bob Dolby to discuss the Men's National Singles Championships, which should have taken place at the start of December. We discuss what might have happened if the tournament had taken place and also play out a "champion of champions" tournament, where 16 of the greatest players of all time play for the ultimate crown. Tune in for a bit of hypothetical fun and to hear about some of the greatest talents to grace the game!
This week we welcome Helena Tunks, Holly Nugent and Viola King Forbes to tell us about their experiences on the Jesters tour. Get the inside story on Ladies Fives in Edinburgh and what it is like to be a newbie on the tour!
We welcome Ben Hale, Alex Smith and Jon Peterson to the Fives Pod to talk about the Jesters Tour to Edinburgh. Tune in to hear our guests thoughts on the legendary tour, how it benefits Fives in Scotland and their favourite Frank Akerman stories!
This week the Fives Pod speaks to Gareth Price - RFA's Development Officer. Gareth has been pivotal to running outreach projects for Fives across the country and in supporting the RFA Board with its initiatives. In this episode we speak about his role, outreach projects and the future plans for Fives.
We welcome any thoughts, opinions or views on any of the topics we've spoken about on this episode, so do get in touch with Gareth at rfadevelopment@icloud.com or us at fivespod@rugbyfives.com
In this weeks episode, the fives pod is joined by one of the most enduring doubles partnerships in the history of fives: Tim Lewis and Stuart Watson. We discuss what makes a great doubles partnership and who should make the shortlist for the greatest doubles partnership of all time. Tune in to hear about the "Fuller tutt", the rise of polygamy in the modern fives player and a range of other interesting snippets from this entertaining double act.
This week we cast Rupert Mathieu off to the Fives desert island and see which parts of the game he would take with him!
In this weeks episode The Fives Pod chats to the RFA General Secretary Phil Atkinson to find out about his route into Fives and his role as the General Secretary on the RFA Board. We chat about the President's Cup, his favourite RFA President and the Fives Strategy going forward.
In this weeks episode The Fives Pod takes a look into the early history of fives, from the first records of Fives being played in the early 17th century up to the standardisation of the sport at Rugby School in the late 19th century.
The background research for this podcast was carried out by David Barnes, David Hebden and Sam Russell. Please tune in to find out about the origins of UK fives - "the UK's original sport"!
On this week's episode, The Fives Pod branches out into the wonderful world of Winchester Fives. To tell us more about the different dynamics that one small buttress provides to Fives we have invited Harry Akerman, Will Ellison and Sam Roberts to the show. Tune in for this bumper 1-hour episode!
On this week's episode, The Fives Pod takes on one of the most complicated aspects of sport: mental strength. We are joined by three guests - Shinan Zhang, James Toop and Ed Kay - who provide us with their insights into the mind of a champion. They explain how the difference between winning and losing on a fives court is often down to mental toughness and outline some ways in which we can all harness our minds to achieve our full potential (both on a fives court and in life more generally!)
This week The Fives Pod travels to Cambridge to catch-up with Ashwin, Savanna and Sarthak before term starts in October. We chat about the highlights of the 2019/20 season, re-introduction plans for Fives at the Cambridge Sports Centre and this year's recruitment drive!
Dave's Desert Island Disc is back and this week we cast away an all time Legend of the game as well as RFA rankings mastermind - Dave Hebden - to see which parts of Fives he would take with him...
We're back for Season 2 and for this week's episode we catch-up with the team of Matt, Dave and Sam for the main purpose of assessing Sam's options now that he has left work. For that and all the classics including Fives top trumps, that Roadtrip conversation and this week's challenge tune in to this week's Pod!
This week, The Fives Pod travels to the West Country with special guests Ollie Arnold and Louise Mathias. We chat to Ollie and Louise about the West of England club's recent success at the Wood Cup, the difficulties surrounding the Clifton Courts, and a couple of Mr and Mrs questions for Fives' power couple.
This week, The Fives Pod travels up to Derby Moor with special guests Stuart Kirby and Lewis Keates. We chat to Stuart and Lewis about the history behind Fives in Derby, the success of the Derby Moor Club, and about how to nurture and develop a Rugby Fives club.
Check out the Derby Moor website at www.derbymoorfives.net/ and YouTube channel at Derby Moor Fives!
This week, The Fives Pod travels up to Durham to explore the ethos behind the two clubs that are helping fives to flourish in the region. Both clubs have made great strides to grow the sport with Tom and Julie promoting inclusivity and participation at The City of Durham Club, and Michael and Douglas continuing the proud social traditions at the University Fives Club. Tune in to find out more!
For our latest episode we travel up to Scotland to visit Richie Murby and Hector McFarlane who have been helping to grow the Scottish game. So much so in fact that we can reveal the launch of the ‘Calcutta Cup’ for Fives between England and Scotland.
We discuss the growth of the Scottish schools and which players we think will make the line-ups for the first international match. Categories are 2x U23s, 2x Ladies, 2x Open, 2x Wildcard, let us know your line-ups for an English VIII or a Scotland VIII at fivespod@rugbyfives.com and who you think will win!
The Fives Pod team of Dave, Matt, Sam and Theo are back together for the latest instalment of the Fives Pod where we discuss everything that is going on in the Fives world, rate the best players and attempt to answer the pressing question of "Where is Theo Parker?"
Dave's Desert Island Disc is back and this week we cast away Y Club Fives legend and Tampopo, Disco Helmet superstar Dave Fox to see what parts of Fives he would take with him...
The latest edition sees Theo Parker talk to a very special guest... Daniel Grant! Dan is best known for his recent fame as the man behind the Fives Pub Quiz. (Though when he's not creating custard adverts he's also rather good at playing Fives)
Tune in to listen to Dan's origin story, favourite Fives moments and his pitch on Wall ball!
In this weeks episode of the fives pod we are joined by four panelists, from all walks of the fives community: John 'doubles specialist' Beswick, Ibby 'all-rounder' Lee, Guy 'you'll hear him before you see him' Matthews and Dan 'reigning champ' Tristao. Tune in to hear our panelists answer a selection of fives related questions and defend the indefensible to see who will be crowned the arbitrary 'winner' of this weeks pod.
This episode we cast away Fives Legend Hamish Buchanan to a desert island and see what parts of Fives he would take with him...
Welcome to The Fives Pod! Sit back and relax as you listen to Dave, Matt, Sam and Theo attempt to produce some funny chat that is loosely related to Fives in this introductory podcast.