With the new EFA League season about to start and the sense of anticipation amongst the Fives community almost tangible, a whole host of questions spring to mind – will Division 1 be a two-way battle between the Olavians 1 and the Harrovians again or can one of the other teams challenge for the title? Can Berkhamsted retain the Aston House Cup in Division 2? What garish new piece of kit will Windsor & Eton be sporting this year? To find out the answers to some of these questions and more, read on for an exclusive fivesonline.net preview of the 2010/11 season.

Division 1

Old Cholmeleians: This is a big season for the Cholms. After a successful return to the League two years ago, last season proved to be a bit of a struggle. The team was always competitive but didn’t manage to pick up many points. The key is whether they can fully utilise the number of talented players that come off the Highgate School conveyor belt every year. Captain Guy Chapman will be hoping to see the likes of Robert Desmond, Sam Little, Jonny Ho and Harry Hatchwell on court as much as possible if the Cholms are to challenge at the top end of the table.

Old Harrovians: After one title win and one near miss in the last two seasons, the Harrovians will have to adjust to life without Peter Dunbar this year, as work commitments take him away to the Middle East. The core of the side still looks strong, with new Captain Nick Shaw able to call on Tom Dunbar, Ross Bryan, Jamie Fleming and Richard Tyler as well as rising stars Will Jones, Tommy Faber and Alex Poole, of whom much is expected and on whom much depends if the Harrovians are going to regain the Division 1 top spot.

Old Olavians 1: As always the Olavians look like a very strong outfit with James Toop and the Wiseman brothers leading the way and strength in depth from the likes of Peter White and Dave Mew. Captain Howard Wiseman has said that he will be looking to give some of his younger players regular exposure to Division 1 Fives this year and it will be interesting to see what effect this policy has on results in the short term. Still the team to beat, though.

Old Olavians 2:  The Olavians 2 showed last year that they were capable of producing some impressive results, notably a 2½-½ victory over Olavians 1. Seb Cooley and Peter Cohen have proved themselves to be a match for anyone in the Division at first pair, but once again this year the key to success will be their ability to consistently produce strong pairs at two and three in order to pick up enough points to improve on last season’s mid-table position.

Old Salopians: As with the Cholms, the Salopians struggled a little last year to turn competitiveness into points and as with their Highgate counterparts, Captain T Walters will be looking to get as many appearances as possible from a talented pool of young Salopians which includes the likes of Rex Worth, Tom Cox, Rory Griffiths, Chris Hughes, Matt Mckeever and Tom Gerrard. If the youngsters can provide sufficient support to experienced campaigners T Walters, Ed Taylor and Mike Hughes, then the Salopians will be hopeful of significantly bettering last season’s points tally.

Old Westminsters: Since their promotion to the top flight two years ago, the Westminsters have quickly established themselves as a force to be reckoned with in Division 1. The core of the Westminster team have raised their game to cope well with the higher standard in Division 1 and have benefited considerably from being able to select from the same small group of players for every match. Captain Giles Coren goes into this season with much the same group of players – himself, Ed Rose, Saul Albert and Laurie Brock, supplemented by Kinnaird semi-finalists John Reynolds and Doug Foster – and will be looking to break into the top half of the table.

Division 2

Berkhamsted: Last year’s Division 2 champions will be looking to defend their title, having opted not to go up into Division 1. The main reason for this is the loss of a couple of key players from last year’s team: Mark Herring will be unavailable for the whole season, having upped sticks to Canada, whilst Andrew Joyce’s availability will be limited by his studies up at Durham. There remains a pretty formidable pool of talent at Berkhamsted, however, led by school Master in Charge Doug Foster and Fives coach Ant Theodossi and they will certainly be the team most feared by the rest of the Division.

Highgate School: Since joining the EFA League three years ago, Highgate School have shown themselves to be more than capable of competing at this level. This year should be no exception as the school continues to produce a large number of talented young players, who are particularly hard to beat on their home courts.

North Oxford: Champions two years ago and runners-up last year, North Oxford will be once again looking for a high finish. Buoyed by the success of the Aston House Studs in the Westway Summer Superleague and with much the same side as last year, North Oxford will be tough to beat. Improving youngster Jeremy Hindle and new signing Chris Austin are two to watch out for this season for the Oxford-based outfit.

Old Carthusians: Led as always by the inspirational Ronald Pattison, the Old Carthusians will once again be looking to get the most out of a small but highly competitive team. With Simon Parrish moving to Sweden and Justyn Comer in New York, much will depend on established players such as Alex Burrows and Ronald himself, who will also be looking to recruit some younger Carthusians to bolster his slightly threadbare squad.

Old Edwardians: After an impressive re-introduction to League Fives last year, the Old Edwardians will be looking to make further progress in 2010/11. The squad contains a nice blend of experience (Captain Peter Scholey, Courtney Friend and Richard Tyler), youth (Chris Mellor and Simon Purkis) and a sprinkling of useful outsiders (Nick Bunyan and Nigel Cox). The signing of Zuozer Alex Cybulski could yet prove to be one of the best close-season transfer deals.

Old Etonians: The Old Etonians remain the enigma of the Division. Capable of beating anyone on their day, can they find the consistency of selection to threaten the top of the table and a return to Division 1 after an absence of three years? Alex Knight had some success last year in bringing some newer and younger faces into the Etonian fold and will be looking to some of those players to step up and become stalwarts of the team this time round.

Old Ipswichians: The Ipswichians will be looking to climb up the table after a slightly disappointing points tally last year. The talent is there, as captain Tom Fletcher can call on the experience of himself, his brother Tim, Mark Graves and the evergreen Peter Boughton as well as younger players such as Dave Leach, Will Gibbons and Oli Watts. With some promising players also beginning to come through at Ipswich School, the Ipswichians are looking to the future with optimism. As with all the teams in the Division, however, the key to their performance this season will be the ability to get their best players out on court as often as possible.

Old Millhillians: The Old Millhillians have been quietly improving for the past three or four years, with high finishes in the league and the development of a group of improving young players under the guidance of club captain Chris Vincent and Millhillian eminence grise Steve Plummer. Could this be the year when the likes of Vishal Bhimjiyani, Justin Lefort, Olly Sander, Sunil Tailor and Jitesh Patel finally break through and make a charge for Division 1?

Old Olavians 3: The Olavians third string are another team who will be looking for greater consistency of selection this year. At their best they are a test for anyone, especially on home ground in Orpington, and it was the loss of seven penalty points last season that hit them hard and stopped them obtaining a much higher finish. Captain Billy Dennis will be looking for strong support from within the Olavian ranks and if he can get that, then the Olavians will be contenders.

Old Salopians 2: The arrival of a Salopian second team in Division 2 last year was a resounding success, and new captain Al Taylor will be looking to build on last year’s results and establish the team as a strong presence in the Division. With the likes of Al himself, James Pollock, Marc Quinn, Craig Webster and others all in the mix, the Salopians look set for another good campaign.

Old Stoics: Once again, Old Stoic duo Mike Skjott and Jurgen Hutter will be looking to perform miracles in Division 2, marshalling their slender resources and recruiting effectively to maintain or even improve on their top half finish from last season. Long-term, there are hopes of a greater number of players emerging from Stowe to bolster the ranks. In the meantime, whilst retaining a Stoic core, Skjott’s eclectic mix will once again look to punch above their weight.

Old Westminsters 2: Since the Westminsters achieved promotion to the first division two seasons ago, their Division 2 challenge has fallen to their second team, which has required a period of readjustment for the OWs. Despite losing the services of the group of players now performing well in Division 1, a loss which might have been too much for many clubs, the Westminsters have battled hard and impressively and found the resources to emulate the Salopians and Olavians by being able to field sides in both of the top two divisions. Led by the indomitable Andrew Aitken and featuring a nice blend of youth and experience, the Westminsters 2 will be looking to consolidate this year and attempt to improve on last season’s points total.

Division 3

Abbey Club: The strength of the game at Westminster is reflected in the consistent results obtained by the Abbey team in Division 3. Under the guidance of Matthew Wiseman, this year should be no exception.

Lancing Old Boys: After their heroic run to the semi-finals of the Barber Cup, this could be the year that sees the Lancing Old Boys break out of Division 3 and start making a charge up the league ladder. On paper, the top line-up looks formidable, with Doug Foster, George Campbell, Mylo Scurr and the three Betts brothers surely more than good enough to make short work of most other Division 3 teams. Can Nigel Cox and Richard Black get their men on court often enough to fulfil the club’s objective of promotion this year?

London Universities: An intriguing and exciting addition to Division 3 this year is the London Universities side. Based at Westway, organised by Westway maestro Peter Cohen and captained by Old Emanuel and Imperial student Alun Meredith, this team could prove to be a real force if they can get their act together.

Old Citizens: It is a great pleasure to see the Old Citizens back in the League this year and it is to be hoped that they are able to produce the strength in depth and size of squad necessary to cope with a full league fixture list. The quality of the line-up is not in doubt – Nick Gill, Spencer Chapman, Roman Heindorff et al are a potential threat to anyone in the Division. The challenge will be getting the bodies on court.

Old Reptonians: Sam Basu’s men will once again be tough for anyone to beat and with the Skjott brothers and Simon Warren-Thomas on the team sheet there is a good blend of youthful enthusiasm and canny court experience to call on.

Team Westway: After some false starts in recent seasons, this should be the year when Westway establishes itself as a league team. With Peter Cohen’s hand on the tiller, Team Westway will be out to prove that Fives is flourishing under the A40 and that the local talent is beginning to come through and able to compete at national level.

Windsor & Eton: Perennial contenders and defending Division 3 champions, Windsor & Eton will be looking to add to their reputation as the most sociable side in the League, whilst maintaining last season’s high standards on court (of Fives rather than sartorial elegance). Led as ever by Nick Bunyan, Windsor & Eton are the only side in the League whose shirts provide sufficient light to play by in the event of a power cut.