Fives

Rugby Fives is a game which is similar to squash without the racket and it is played with both hands wearing gloves. There are two Fives courts at Merchiston and three age group teams play regular school and club fixtures, as well as competing in the Scottish Schools’ Cups and at the UK National Schools Championships.

The 2018/19 season was a historic one for Merchiston fives, where the school dominated the domestic circuit in Scotland, winning all three trophies available; namely the U18 Edinburgh Schools Doubles, the U16 Edinburgh Schools Doubles and the U18 Scottish Schools Singles.

In Easter 2019, six boys travelled to London for the UK National Schools Fives Championships at St Paul’s, where the U18s reached the top four in the UK at both singles and doubles. The four U16 boys were even more impressive, all winning their groups, play-offs, and quarter-finals, resulting in the unprecedented achievement of all-Merchiston semi-finals on both sides of the U16 Singles draw! This resulted in the school's first ever U16 UK National Singles Champion. In the U16 Doubles, Merchiston was again dominant from the off and went through the rounds to become the U16 UK National Doubles Champions. 

The school had previously won two UK National trophies, in 1996 and 1969, which puts into context just how enormous an achievement this season was. Three Scottish trophies and two UK National trophies; the most successful fives season in Merchiston’s history. 

This success was followed up by another UK National Schools Champion in 2022, with Merchiston winning the U16 UK National Schools U16 Singles Cup for the second time.