Eton Fives
Eton Fives is a handball sport derived from the English sport Fives. The sport originated in the late 19th century in Eton College, and was standardized in mid 20th century.
It is played in a doubles format, on a specially designed court. The court is three-sided, with walls on the front, and the two sides. The rear side of the court is left open. There is a vertical black line on the front wall, 3/4th of a meter from the right side wall. The court has a few hazards like, a step in the middle, and a buttress in the left side of the wall halfway down the court.
Players wear gloves, and the ball used is softer and lighter than the balls used for other variants of "Fives". The ball can be hit only with the palm of either hand.
The play begins with a serve. The serve has to be returned within the vertical black line, after which players are free to hit the ball on any part of the front wall. Points are awarded to a team if the opponent is unable to return the ball back onto the front wall without bouncing on the floor, or if the opponent is unable to return the ball within one bounce on the floor. Points can be scored only off serves.
Matches are played in sets, with a team to reach 12 points first winning the set.
Similar Sports
- Fives — an English sport in which a ball is propelled against the walls in a specially designed court by using a bare or gloved hand.
- Rugby Fives — an indoor court game played with gloves, hitting the ball against the wall
- American Handball — players use their hands to hit a small rubber ball against a wall, like squash without rackets.
- Australian Handball — similar to Squash, though played without a racquet.
- Basque Pelota — a variety of court sports that involves hitting a ball against a wall using the hand, a racket, a wooden bat or a basket.
Related Pages
- Complete list of sports
- The Encyclopedia of Sports
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