It is with great sadness that we report that Jes Ball passed away on Sunday 29th September. He died in hospital where he was being treated for a critical heart condition - awaiting a heart transplant. His heart condition in fact revealed itself when he collapsed on court at a Wessex club night 7 years ago. This incident put an end to his Fives playing career, but he still kept in touch with the group and made occasional visits to the club.
Below, Dave Butler, a former pupil and close friend of Jes, fondly recalls their shared experiences playing at Wessex during his time as a student at Bradfield and in the years that followed. Additionally, members of the Fives community share their heartfelt memories and tributes to Jes.
Jeremy will be remembered by most Wessex members as a familiar face throughout the 2010s. His first club night was in 2009 when he drove me down one Tuesday night to get in some extra practice against adult players. He was a little apprehensive about playing at first, but the club's welcoming atmosphere soon put him at ease. By the next week, he was out on court, and got stuck in.
Jes quickly became a regular and a well-liked, respected member of the club. He approached Fives with a lighthearted attitude, never taking the game too seriously and always being the first to congratulate others on a well-played rally. He often joked that his style was more social than competitive, offering anyone who partnered with him a dependable left-handed defense—until, of course, he’d attempt an impossible cross-court slam, miss, and follow it up with a cry of “Jeremy!” and a self-aware wry smile to the gallery and others on court. He found a real sense of belonging at Wessex and truly treasured club nights.
Off the court, his dry wit and often self-deprecating humor were appreciated by everyone. After I left school, we’d often head to the Wykham Arms after play, where club members enjoyed getting to know him even more—a man who was not only well-regarded at Bradfield but also genuinely liked by everyone at Wessex.
Some of my best memories with Jeremy come from our car journeys to and from Wessex. We made the 40-minute trip from school most Tuesdays, and during the holidays, Jes would often swing by my house to pick me up. Along the way, we’d chat about the latest rumors and murmurings from college and generally put the world to rights.
Two memories of Jes stand out to me, and I think embody the way he did not take life too seriously and was great fun to be around. The first was when I was 16, and he gave me a lift to the National U16 Schoolboys at St. Paul's in London. My dad dropped me off at Jes’ place on the school grounds, and true to form, he wasn’t quite ready, so he invited me in while he finished his breakfast. As a competitive, disciplined schoolboy used to well balanced, nutritional breakfasts, I was shocked to see his half eaten breakfast consisted of two croissants and some jam. When I asked what else he was having, he gave me a cheeky grin and said I should “get into the real world, Butler.”
The second memory was on a winter drive back from a Tuesday night Wessex session. Halfway down the M4, his car suddenly stopped. We managed to make it to the hard shoulder, and after an initial inspection yielded no obvious signs of the problem, we called the AA. Sitting on the grass in the pitch dark at 10:30 pm, knowing the boarding house would be locked soon, we waited. When the AA man arrived, he asked Jes when he’d last filled up with fuel. Jes confidently replied, “Oh, don’t worry about that, there’s definitely enough.” Of course, there most definitely was not enough - the tank was empty. But in true Jeremy fashion, he phoned the school and, with complete confidence, reassured them that it wasn’t his fault and we’d be back as soon as possible.
I will forever treasure my memories of time with Jes - while in recent years our contact and meet-ups have been more sparse, he was someone I always looked up to and has seen me grow from a competitive and somewhat highly strung schoolboy to the person I am today. He was always only a text message or phone call away—ready to offer advice, put me in my place, or simply catch up and, as always, put the world to rights. He will be deeply missed.
Jes Sinton writes:
My first memories of Jes was as a school boy at Bradfield College. He was often present at the Thursday evening fives practice session honing his left hand. He was three years my elder but always enthusiastic about involving others and welcomed me on court for a game even as a young first year. As a ‘lefty’ he was always a great doubles partner and played a competitive game with a joyful spirit. Later as a teacher at Bradfield College he headed up fives. He would support the Old Bradfieldian Fives Club where and when possible and as a fives coach had some great success on the School circuit with David Butler winning the U18 National Singles in 2012. A great ambassador of the sport as both player and teacher. He will be sorely missed
Tim Heblethwaite writes:
Jeremy was in the year below me at Bradfield and in the same house. He was frequently at the Fives courts in the evenings after supper and absolutely loved playing the game. Jeremy was always very jovial and enjoyed giving out banter to his fellow Fives players, creating a very fun and friendly environment. I distinctly remember the positive energy he would bring when he walked through the doors to the courts and how that rubbed off on everyone. Jeremy was such a lovely, kind and warm person and very sadly has been taken away from us far too soon. He will be greatly missed.
Mike Crompton writes:
He was always a pleasure to join on court whether on your side or in opposition. He will be missed by many for years to come. We should learn and all remember that life is for living and not to take ourselves too seriously.
Harry Akerman writes:
Jeremy was a lovely, kind, gentle, funny man. He never took himself too seriously and fitted in perfectly to the Wessex Fives Club where he was a regular player for many years. He was always generous with his time (Dave Butler knows about that!), generous with his compliments, and generous in the Wykeham Arms. He will be very much missed.
Ed Ronan writes:
I was fortunate enough to have Jes both as a teacher and doubles partner. In both settings his sense of humour, self-deprecation, wit (not to mention his tolerance!) made it a pleasure to be in his company. He’s left the court far too early.
Chris Thomas writes:
It was always a pleasure to play Bradfield when both working at Kings College School, Wimbledon or at Malvern College. Bradfield was my old school and Jeremy was in the same boarding house but a few years younger, and we often spent time at the back of the court reminiscing over how times had changed, both for good and for bad. In his own words a ‘very average’ Fives player, I was always impressed by his commitment to getting a team out and trying to keep the game developing. As someone running the sport in a similar school, I know how challenging this is especially with the other demands of the job and school’s commitment to ‘major’ sports. The Fives teacher community is a small but close knit one, with many of us having been in post for decades – he will be sorely missed by us all.
