Eton Fives, one code of the British game of Fives, is a hand-ball game, similar to Rugby Fives, played as doubles in a three-sided court. The object is to force the other team to fail to hit the ball 'up' off the front wall. One of the best ways to achieve this is to hit the ball into the 'pepper-box' between the buttress and step which divides the court. The 'pepper-box' buttress, the step and the slanted sides to the walls make for the occasional odd bounce, making Eton Fives as much about preemption of 'funny-bounces' as preemption of your opponent's intentions. The players wear padded leather gloves as the ball is quite hard, being made of rubber and cork.

Eton fives is an uncommon sport, with only a few courts, most of them as part of the facilities of the Public Schools in the United Kingdom; consequently, it is primarily the preserve of their students. However, the first real public courts have recently opened in the Westway sports centre in London's White City, marking a possible change in fortunes for Eton Fives as a minor sport.

Courts are stepped with the end of a wall butting out on the left-hand side. This shape of court originates from the space in Eton, in the lee of the chapel, where the game was first played.

External link

• The Eton Fives association website
• Brief introduction
• Brief history
• Encyclopaedia Britannica article on Fives in general