Before I go off on my course in astral navigation (following the stars around Africa in search of suitable babies to purchase), further news is breaking on a most urgent issue. On the 24th October the ‘Ladder’ cometh to Aldenham for the first time.

In medieval times you usually pushed it away from the parapet and followed through with a bucket of boiling oil , but in today's brave new world you register to play fives on it and then try to destroy your opponents in a more sporting fashion.

So it’s time to extract the proverbial digit, get onto fivesonline, register yourself with OUR club - not any old (boys) club - and get your name down for this fixture! BE AWARE, we have committed ourselves to no less than THREE TRAYS of sandwiches. So you'd better turn up!

Thus was the exhortation to participate disseminated to the expectant hordes.

Response was good and, with the arrival of a few outside contenders, four courts (16 participants) commenced play, with the uncommitted filling a further court. Upon conclusion everyone assembled in the Roundbush before returning home.

The second of the two fixtures was played on 4th March 2007. Initially it seemed all 6 courts would be in use, but a couple of late withdrawals saw the draw close with 5 courts and 20 players. Not a bad turnout….After a pre-match exhortation by Ed Taylor, play commenced – in some cases rather more successfully than others! There was a distinct lack of usable/acceptable balls which spoiled the evening for several entrants – a heavy hint to your Secretary that a new batch should be ordered (where do all the balls go?). Nonetheless, most players had returned to good humour by the time they left the pub.

At the time of writing, the Club’s official standing in the Ladder is FOURTH with 1000 points - taking into account All Players’ scores. This would probably be better still if everyone had picked Aldenham as their primary club…….... As a matter of interest the Club total points table, taking into account all its usual players, is as follows:

Phillip Lyndon                 280       
Neil Margerison              270
Graham Pulsford           220
Joshua Rose                  140
Rubel Mallik                   130
Chris Cernuschi              120
Richard Smith                100
Simon Randall               100
Paul Kendall                   90
Richard Dennis               65
Andrew Fraser                60
Jonathan Lindsay          60
Bob Pace                       35
Tim Shepherd                 35
Martin Lindsay                30
Matthew Barrett            30
David Goad                  30

Totting that lot up, we actually clock some 1795 points!!!