cu-sparrows.net

What is CU Sparrows?

CU Sparrows is the website of the Cambridge University Rugby Fives Club and of the Sparrows, the club's former members. Rugby Fives is a handball sport played in a walled court, and the site serves as the club's home for news, contacts and fixtures.

The page evidence shows it functioning as a practical club hub rather than a general introduction to the sport:

• Current officers: it lists the Men's Captain (James Milburn, Jesus), Women's Captain (Katie Parry, Trinity Hall) and Secretary (Keshav Kedia, Caius) with contact emails.
• Season: it is framed around the 2026–2027 season.
• Key dates: the Past versus Present match on Saturday 13 February 2027 at Cambridge University Sports Centre (New Portugal Place) and Pembroke College, and the Varsity Match on Saturday 20 February 2027 at St Paul's School.

Who it is for

The site suits three audiences: current Cambridge students who want to play or contact a captain, former members ("Sparrows") keeping up with the club and the Past versus Present fixture, and anyone following the Varsity Match. If you are a prospective player, the most useful next step is to email the relevant captain to ask about joining or trial arrangements. If you are a former member, check the Past versus Present date before planning a return to Cambridge.

How can I join the Cambridge University Rugby Fives Club as a current student?

To join as a current student, contact the club through its current officers: the page lists Men's Captain James Milburn (Jesus), Women's Captain Katie Parry (Trinity Hall) and Secretary Keshav Kedia (Caius), with university email addresses. A short message stating your college, year and any racket-sport experience, and asking about intro sessions or trials for the 2026–27 season, is the practical first step. The site presents itself as the home of the Cambridge University Rugby Fives Club and of the Sparrows, its former members, so expect the club to point you to its own joining process rather than a public signup form.

What to expect from Rugby Fives

Rugby Fives is a handball game played in a closed court with gloved hands, so it suits people who enjoy squash or tennis but want something less equipment-heavy. Beginners are common in university clubs, and the usual route in is a taster session followed by regular club play. The page's calendar gives a sense of the club year: the Past versus Present fixture on Saturday 13 February 2027 at Cambridge University Sports Centre (New Portugal Place) and Pembroke College, and the Varsity Match on Saturday 20 February 2027 at St Paul's School. Watching or volunteering at these is a low-pressure way to meet members before committing.

Checking the club is right for you

If you are weighing it against other university sport, compare on cost of kit, court access and time commitment rather than prestige. Rugby Fives needs only gloves and shoes, which keeps startup costs low; the trade-off is that courts are fewer than for gym-based sports, so session times matter more than fees. For a concrete scenario: a second-year who plays squash twice a week could email the secretary asking whether beginners can join mid-season and which evening sessions are open, then attend once before deciding.

For a broader view of sport at Cambridge, the university sports service at Cambridge University Sport lists clubs and facilities, and the national governing body at Rugby Fives Association explains the rules and club network if you want to understand the game before contacting the captains.

What happens at the Past versus Present match and how do former members take part?

The Past versus Present is the Cambridge University Rugby Fives Club's annual reunion fixture, listed on CU Sparrows for Saturday, 13 February 2027, split between the Cambridge University Sports Centre (New Portugal Place) and Pembroke College. In practice it is a day of matches pairing current club players against former members (the Sparrows), with play spread across both venues and the social side—meeting old teammates, watching courts run, and catching up between games—mattering as much as the results.

How former members usually get involved

• Playing: former members turn out for the past side, so the day is the natural fixture to arrange a game if you still play. Courts and timings are split across the two venues, so confirm with the club which session you are in.
• Spectating and socialising: alumni who no longer play come to watch, reconnect, and stay for the post-match gathering.
• Organising: the club's officers are the point of contact for the season—for 2026–27 the Secretary is Keshav Kedia and the Men's and Women's Captains are James Milburn and Katie Parry, all reachable via the email addresses published on the site.

A practical next step

If you intend to play, email the Secretary early with your preferred venue and availability, since court allocation across the Sports Centre and Pembroke depends on numbers. If you are simply attending, note that the Varsity Match follows a week later, on Saturday, 20 February 2027 at St Paul's School, so some former members plan around both dates.

When and where is the 2027 Varsity Match, and can spectators attend?

The 2027 Varsity Match is listed for Saturday, 20 February 2027, at St Paul's School (in London). The same page gives the Past versus Present fixture as Saturday, 13 February 2027, split between Cambridge University Sports Centre (New Portugal Place) and Pembroke College.

On spectators: the site names the date and venue but says nothing about ticketing, entry or whether the public may watch. Rugby Fives matches are typically played in courts where standing room is limited, so a visitor should not assume open access. The practical next step is to email the club secretary, Keshav Kedia (Caius), at the address published on CU Sparrows, and ask directly whether spectators are welcome and whether any arrangement is needed. If you are travelling, also confirm the exact court location at St Paul's School, since large school campuses can be hard to navigate on a first visit.

For context on the sport and its calendar, the national governing body, the Rugby Fives Association, is the usual reference point; the University sports service at Cambridge University Sport covers venue and travel details for the Cambridge side.

Who should I contact to get involved with the men's or women's team for the 2026-2027 season?

For the 2026–2027 season, contact the relevant team captain:

• Men's team: James Milburn (Jesus) — [email protected]
• Women's team: Katie Parry (Trinity Hall) — [email protected]
• General enquiries: Keshav Kedia (Caius), Secretary — [email protected]

Email the captain for your team first, saying briefly that you're interested in joining for 2026–2027 and asking about training times and any kit or experience requirements. Copy the Secretary if your question is administrative rather than about playing. This information comes from CU Sparrows, the site of the Cambridge University Rugby Fives Club and its former members.

What is Rugby Fives and how is it played at Cambridge?

Rugby Fives is a handball game played in a walled court, most closely associated with British independent schools and universities. Players wear padded gloves and strike a small hard ball with the hand against walls, using angles and the court's buttresses to make the ball difficult to return. At Cambridge, the sport is organised through the Cambridge University Rugby Fives Club, whose site also serves the Sparrows, former members of the club. The page lists the club's captains and secretary for the 2026–2027 season, and dates two annual fixtures: Past versus Present on Saturday, 13 February 2027 at Cambridge University Sports Centre (New Portugal Place) and Pembroke College, and the Varsity Match on Saturday, 20 February 2027 at St Paul's School.

How it is played

• The court: an enclosed space with a front wall, side walls and a back wall, plus buttresses and a sloping floor area that create unpredictable bounces.
• The glove: a padded glove protects the hand; the ball is small and hard, so control matters more than raw power.
• The aim: hit the ball so your opponent cannot return it before it bounces twice, using wall angles and the buttresses to disguise direction.
• Doubles and singles: both formats are common, and university clubs typically field pairs in inter-university competition.

What Cambridge play looks like in practice

A new player arriving at Cambridge would usually start with club sessions, learn the court's angles, and be paired with more experienced players in doubles before moving to singles. The club's season structure matters here: the captaincy and secretary roles listed for 2026–2027 are the people to contact about joining or arranging a match, and the two February fixtures give a clear sense of the competitive calendar — a social alumni game in Cambridge and an inter-university Varsity Match in London.

If you are deciding whether to try it, the practical test is simple: Fives rewards quick hands, positional sense and patience in rallies rather than size. Anyone comfortable with squash or rackets-style wall games will recognise the geometry, but the gloved hand changes the technique substantially. For a broader view of the sport, Fives Online covers courts, rules and results. To contact the Cambridge club, use the captain or secretary details published on CU Sparrows.