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Close Call for 'Castle Against Docklands
London Docklands 3
– 2 Newcastle (Staffs) (19-25,
25-21, 25-20, 25-27, 15-10)
As
the Docklands match programme indicated, ‘Castle had not made an impact on a
game at Bacon’s College for years, let alone challenged for a win, but with a
couple of inches of snow lying on the ground the team seemed in a far more
competitive mood seeking a fourth successive league win. After winning the
double in 2006-07, Docklands lost their two star hitters, NVL legend Albrecht
Glitz and Dejan Miladinovic and have struggled to reach the levels of last
season, but for this game Miladinovic reappeared and made a huge difference to
the London side, especially at the crucial times of the day.
Sunday
matches have never been a strength for ‘Castle but on this occasion they leapt
out of the blocks to establish a commanding early lead and shock Docklands’
home faithful. It was strong serving and attacking from Cooper that set the
tone, and with Pennock keen to use middle blocker Will Roberts as much as possible
in attack, ‘Castle roared into the lead at a frightening pace. Young wing
attacker Nathan French brought Docklands closer than it looked it might be at
one point, but ‘Castle took the set 25-19 to the delight of the travelling
supporters.
After
‘Castle’s momentum initially looked like continuing in the early stages, the
second set saw the hosts reassert themselves with coach Legrand taking control
of his charges with an early time-out. This led to a spell of domination by the
hosts who opened up a seven point lead at 20-13 with Miladinovic and French
powering through the defence. After a fightback of sorts that allowed ‘Castle
to regain respectability, the set ended 25-21. The third set started messily
before Docklands’ Philips served a stream of jump float serves that disrupted
the receivers. ‘Castle had a period of errors in attack and service receive and
from a mid-set position of challenging, the set was gone 25-20 and Docklands
looked to be on their way to victory.
Coach
Viggars continued to be happy to mix-up his line-up as ‘Castle’s squads again
showed its strength and spirit, but the match was turning into a classic
Docklands bulldozer performance reminiscent of the days of Glitz. It was his
former partner in power hitting Miladinovic who was making the difference on
this occasion as he killed the ball through the right side time and again.
Docklands led 15-10 and then 24-20 as the game looked to be over before ‘Castle
started to pull the rabbit out of the hat! Dave Lovell saved the first set
point and ‘Castle rotated to be stuck in
the unenviable position of having a front court setter, their short middle
blocker and their least experienced wing hitter in his first NVL 1 season. Sam
Booth wiped off the block and then produced a great kill to bring the score
back to 24-23. With opposite player Lovell serving with great authority, French
was pinned at position four and Roberts produced a block to level the game at
24-24 before French responded to give the hosts a fifth match point. The period
classic ‘Castle play then continued as Roberts again blocked French, before
Docklands produced an unlikely rotation error to hand a set-point to the
visitors. Amazingly for a player who has struggled with blocking form this
season it was Roberts yet again blocking French to end the set and take the
match into a fifth set!
After
‘Castle leapt into a 2-0 lead Docklands responded to take an 8-7 lead at the
change of ends. The game was truly in the balance when at 10-10 Miladinovic
rotated into the front row and finished the game with aplomb. At 12-10 the
giant Serb appeared to hit long with a miss-hit attack that scudded over the
block, however a touch was awarded by the line judge and then on match point
Primus must have avoided touching the net by the finest of margins conceivable,
and Miladinovic finished an exciting match 3-2 as Docklands secured a top-half
finish.
‘Castle
Team: Ant
Viggars (player-coach), Will Roberts (captain), Jon Pennock, Sam Booth, Dave
Lovell, , Andy Riding (libero), Adam Brewer, James Cooper.
‘Castle overcome headache to
beat Guildford
Guildford
International 1 – 3 Newcastle (Staffs) (25-23,
20-25, 17-25, 24-26)
After
two successive wins, ‘Castle travelled to Surrey knowing that a win would give them their best run of the season, with three successive
victories. The team arrived ready and prepared, missing Sam Allen who was
playing at the British Colleges Final for Stoke-on-Trent Sixth Form (and taking
3rd place) and Stuart Carvell (still on honeymoon) and took to the
court following the end of a good standard local league ladies game. After
putting the net up to men’s height the team had a quick work-out on court prior
to the game.
Relegated
Guildford look as though they are looking
forward to being back in NVL 2, and had only 6 players at this home match,
which ‘Castle ended up providing one linesperson for! Coach Viggars rung the
changes at the start of the game, bringing in Drijfhout through the middle and
allowing Cooper to return to the starting line-up. After a good start, Cooper
turned his ankle after 7 points, forcing the introduction of Booth to hit
through four. This early enforced changed clearly unsettled ‘Castle who then
proceeded to play an awkward and disjointed set of Volleyball, establishing
leads again and again before seeing them slip as Guildford played a canny game
of playing the unexpected hot at every turn, volleying into spaces and playing
first and second contacts over the net. This did the trick for the host who
sneaked through to win 25-23.
For
the second set, Roberts was introduced for Drijfhout and the team did have a
little more spark about their game as the team captain went across the front
line killing six of seven balls set to him. With Brewer also providing a
similar threat ‘Castle were showing their class as the better team, but
Guildford’s tactics continued to frustrate the visitors who really should have
got a handle on them earlier in the game to stop this style of play. Towards
the end of the set, yet another cynically poked ball came over the net from
Guildford towards the deep 1 corner saw both Pennock and Roberts chase the ball
with the determination that another weak point would be conceded. Unfortunately
for Roberts, his full length dive meant that his head collided into the knee of
a sprinting Pennock! ‘Whilst the ball was kept in play and ‘Castle won the
rally, a groggy Roberts left the court to be replaced by libero Riding, and
‘Castle closed out the set to level the game.
In
the third set ‘Castle were again the comfortable leaders, but were increasingly
frustrated by Guildford’s tactics and the
handling calls of the denim wearing referee on the stand. Coach Viggars was
warned about questioning a call as Guildford’s
setter played another extraordinary shot. The set was ultimately won by ‘Castle
who managed to grind out a 2-1 lead in the match.
With
a line-up of Pennock, Cooper, Booth, Drijfhout, Lovell and Brewer, plus libero
Riding, ‘Castle were determined to wrap up the game and they established
themselves in the set with Pennock manipulating the Guildford passers with great effect with clever serving. Guildford were then called up on
a rotation error that delayed the game for 3 minutes before being resolved by
both teams appearing to be placed in new positions, and Guildford fought their
way back into contention. ‘Castle however retained their lead and at set point
Pennock totally deceived the home team’s block and Cooper went for a mammoth
kill to win the match. His spike was hit from high, was very powerful and
landed just beyond the 3m line, but also jut off the court, it was 24-24.
Cooper immediately atoned for the error with a huge block and then finished the
match at the second time of asking to seal a well deserved MVP performance!
To
finish an interesting day in Surrey, ‘Castle were thrown a carrier bag of food
by Guildford’s players who then left immediately, but not before asking the visitors to tidy up
as they wish to play at the same venue next season!
‘Castle
Team:Ant
Viggars (player-coach), Will Roberts (captain), Jon Pennock, Sam Booth, Dave
Lovell, Falko Drijfhout, Andy Riding (libero), Adam Brewer, James Cooper.
‘Castle do the double over
Lynx
Newcastle (Staffs) 3
– 1 London Lynx
(25-27,
25-19, 25-17, 25-22)
‘Castle
approached this match with the opportunity to complete what would be a rare
double, over London Lynx. When the two sides met earlier in the season the
absence of Dave Lovell had given Sam Booth his first chance to start a game for
‘Castle and he was a memorable success, knocking the Lynx setter off his feet
with a powerful line hit in a comprehensive 3-0 win! With James Cooper
unavailable for this game Booth was again back into the starting line-up and he
did a great job to play a strong part in another convincing victory over these
opponents.
With
the under 15 boys in the process of winning the national title down in
Birmingham as this game went on and the girls preparing for their finals the
following day, it could be expected that the crowd would be badly hit,
especially in the middle of the school Easter holidays, but in keeping with
excellent attendances throughout the season the North Staffordshire faithful
came out with yet another 50+ attendance.
In
the first set ‘Castle initially opened up a decent lead with Lovell, Booth and
Viggars well supplied by setter Sam Allen. Libero Andy Riding was again on
solid form and ‘Castle were defending with their usual grit to repel the
aggressive attacking play of Lynx who were really go for it with all guns
blazing at the net. This led to a stream of errors from the Londoners and it
looked as though the set belonged to ‘Castle, but, not for the first time this
season the team seized up and handed the set to the visitors 27-25.
Despite
the disappointment at throwing the first set down the pan, ‘Castle changed ends
with an air of confidence that did not reflect being 1-0 at home. The team took
to the court with a bang and quickly asserted themselves on the game. With the
team’s two setters, Pennock and Allen both operating at a high level, ‘Castle
eased not only to a second set win, but also to the third with comfortable wins
to 19 and 17 points respectively.
The
fourth set saw coach Viggars able to use his squad fully as they closed out to
a 3-1 win which give them the opportunity to challenge for a top-half finish,
dependent on results that ‘Castle cannot effect!
‘Castle
Team: Ant Viggars (player-coach), Will Roberts (captain),
Jon Pennock, Sam Booth, Dave Lovell, Falko Drijfhout, Andy Riding (libero),
Adam Brewer, Sam Allen
Thrilling win for ‘Castle
Newcastle (Staffs) 3
– 2 Cambridge (29-31,
25-15, 19-25, 25-18, 15-13)
This
was the third encounter between the two teams this season, with Cambridge
having won the reverse league fixture back in the autumn in a tight five setter,
and ‘Castle having swept them aside 3-0 in the third round of the cup in
January. Cambridge arrived at Keele with a full-strength squad, something that
has been a rarity for them this season, and with it they had a formula that
they knew they would be able to challenge ‘Castle with: Canadian Andy Lynn and
Czech Vaclev Petricek through the wing and setter Ruud De Wildt providing the
ammunition with his questionable low handling technique.
This
was a topsy-turvy game, reminiscent of the previous league fixture, and neither
side was able to take hold of the game with two hands. That said ‘Castle can
reflect on missed opportunities in the first set, where they held the lead
throughout and had a number of set points before losing due to two unforced
errors in a row, a heartbreaking 29-31 score.
The
second set started much as the first had finished, with the two teams trading
points, Cambridge almost exclusively attacking through the wings, and ‘Castle
mixing things up to allow both Brewer and Roberts, with their contrasting style
of play through the middle, to attack and score regularly. As the mid-point of
the set was reached the scores were at 15-14 to Cambridge, but a strong side-out for ‘Castle
coincided with captain Will Roberts going to the service line. Roberts is
certainly not known for his attacking serves, but the Cambridge passing unit
could not cope with the placement of the serve, and ‘Castle played some
inspired counterattacking Volleyball for a 5 minutes period to race away with
the set 25-15!
In
the third there was a marked return to form for Cambridge, whose coach Jacquet must have
given them a roasting for their collapse in the previous set. As Cambridge won out,
‘Castle’s coach Viggars replaced himself with Sam Booth in what was an
instrumental shift in the game. Despite going 2 set 1 down, ‘Castle bounced
straight back, with Booth, Cooper and Lovell in the wing hitting positions, but
it was Booth who proved most effective hitting from great height with real
power. Cracks started to reappear in the Cambridge team and ‘Castle libero Riding provided the passing foundation around which the
hosts were able to build all of their attacks and again win comfortably 25-18.
The
score in the fifth set was as close as it can be, but in truth ‘Castle held the
advantage throughout, leading at the change of ends and then extending that
lead to three points to give themselves the buffer they needed. Match point
came up at 14-11 to ‘Castle but Cambridge sided out and then took a point on their own service to raise the tension. At
14-13 to ‘Castle, the home team put in a strong attack which Cambridge defended
well, only for setter De Wildt to drop his hands so low that the referee had no
option but to call the handling and ‘Castle won the match!
This
result all but secures ‘Castle’s position in NVL1 this season and the team has
now amassed more wins in 07-08 than they got in the whole of 06-07, so with 4
matches to play the team now focuses on seeing how far up the league they can
get. Cambridge on the other hand face a must win encounter with City of Bristol
next week, a defeat would all but consign them to NVL2 next season.
‘Castle
Team: Ant
Viggars (player-coach), Jon Pennock, James Cooper, Sam Booth, Dave Lovell,
Falko Drijfhout, Andy Riding (libero), Adam Brewer, Sam Allen, Will Roberts,
Stuart Carvell
‘Castle capitulate to miss
out on Semi-final
London Polonia 3
– 0 Newcastle (Staffs) (26-24,
25-14, 25-18) 3rd February 2008
‘Castle
travelled to London for this Sunday afternoon 2.45pm start, cup quarter-final in the knowledge that
Polonia would be gunning for victory after ‘Castle’s league win over the tall,
powerful team of (primarily) Eastern European Volleyball talents. After that
league match in December, Polonia were fuming at the result and complained
vociferously about the officiating throughout the game, with the exceptional
power-hitter Jablonski particularly enraged.
And
so in the first set Polonia used Jablonski with great regularity, but ‘Castle
stood up to the test very well, with diminutive middle-blocker Will Roberts
recording a roof block on the Pole and Andy Riding lead the fight to dig his
attacks in the backcourt. This pressure exerted by ‘’Castle in the mid-period
of the set allowed them to force Polonia coach Hykiel to call time-out when
17-16 ahead after having previously led by 5 points. The set was characterised
by what some might call classic ‘Castle play, with fight and battle to rival
that of any Staffs team over the decades in trademark style. In a disappointing
finish to the set, Polonia won out as a result of consecutive unforced errors
to finish the set 26-24.
Following
the change of ends it seemed as thought ‘Castle would get themselves back on
terms and they came out for the set full of energy to take an early lead.
However, Polonia then sprung into life to produce a great blitz for 10 minutes,
when the hammered pinpoint serves and attacks over the net to batter ‘Castle to
look like a pale imitation of the way they played in the first set. Booth and
Pennock were introduced to try to stem the flow but to no avail, and with no
Drijfhout available, Viggars had no more options as the set finished 25-14.
The
‘Castle players were frustrated by their performance in the second set and came
out fighting in the third. With Lovell, Cooper and Booth in the wing hitting
positions ‘Castle started well, taking the lead and at 9-9 it looked as though
the team might be able to turn things around. With the first referee deciding
to clamp down on Polonia coach Hykiel standing in for the club’s absent line
judges by warning their captain Saller that further gesticulation and standing
on the line to make calls would result in a yellow card, the atmosphere through
the net kicked up a notch. However, the comeback was not to be, as Polonia
opened up the gap to lead 14-9 as Viggars called a time-out. This did nothing to
stem the flow as Polonia maintained their lead, ahead 17-13 as Pennock was
introduced for Allen. This was sadly to no avail as Polonia closed out 25-18,
playing a fantastic match from their point of view making very few errors,
passing and hitting with consistency, deservedly making it through to the
semi-final to play against London Malory… at ‘Castle’s very own home venue of
Keele University.
‘Castle’s
players were left to reflect on the match with abject disappointment, thinking
“can we start the match again?”
‘Castle
Team: Ant
Viggars (player-coach), Will Roberts (captain), Jon Pennock, James Cooper, Sam
Booth, Dave Lovell, Andy Riding (libero), Adam Brewer, Sam Allen
Malory avenge defeat
London Malory 3 –
0 Newcastle (Staffs) (25-20,
25-19, 25-21) 27th January 2008
After
the disappointment of the defeat at Bristol the night before ‘Castle arrived at
Malory’s venue in South-West London in plenty of time having successfully navigated
their way through the streets of the capital thanks to the sat-nav systems used
by all! A fantastic facility, the teachers amongst the group marvelled at the
building and all of the sports equipment available. Despite the straight sets
defeat ‘Castle played better volleyball than in Bristol the previous evening and challenged a
full-strength Malory team made up of the full-compliment of 12 players.
The
first set was close throughout, although Malory would probably (and
justifiably) argue that they were always 2 or 3 points ahead, ‘Castle passed
far better than the previous day and setter Jon Pennock set with speed to his
wing hitters to wipe off the block regularly. Despite being relatively close,
this first set flew by quickly in just 18 minutes as both teams stuck to their
starting line-ups throughout.
‘Castle
raised their game further in the second set as Viggars stuck with the same
line-up, but the result and flow of the set was much the same as in the opener.
Former Scottish International stat Simon Loftus was having an off-day and was
replaced by Malory’s coach Jefferson Williams, so it was Steve Fee who played
the key role passing and defending impeccably to provide Richard Dobell the
ammunition he needed to let the marauding Alex Bialokoz loose on the ‘Castle
block as he attacked with speed, height, power and variety through the middle.
‘Castle substitutions saw Sam Allen and
Jon Pennock swap places, and Sam Booth come on for Ant Viggars, and the
visitors fought hard to stay in the set and within reach of Malory. Stuart
Carvell was introduced for the final 6 rallies of the set in place of Dave
Lovell, to become the third member of ‘Castle’s 2nd team to get a
taste of NVL1 action this season, but he could not prevent Malory going 2-0 up
25-19.
In
the third set coach Ant Viggars withdrew himself entirely from the action
allowing Sam Booth the opportunity to start the set. ‘Castle stayed level until
around 10-10, spurred on by Will Roberts’s spectacular back-court diving
retrieve midway through the longest rally of the match, that ‘castle ended up
winning to the delight of all in the squad. Despite battling hard yet again, it
was to no avail as Malory swept on to a 3-0 win, leaving ‘Castle to reflect on
coming home from the weekend empty handed on the long drive back north.
‘Castle
Team: Ant
Viggars (player-coach), Will Roberts (captain), Jon Pennock, James Cooper, Sam
Booth, Dave Lovell, Andy Riding (libero), Adam Brewer, Sam Allen, Stuart
Carvell
Bristol get the cream
City of Bristol 3 – 2 Newcastle (Staffs) (25-20,
25-19, 19-25, 18-25, 15-12) 26th January 2008
Bristol University has been an unhappy hunting ground for ‘Castle ever since City of Bristol (and in their
former life as legendary club, Speedwell) returned to NVL1 around 5 years ago,
but the team travelled with renewed determination to try to take the double
against this opposition this season. Cheered on by both the under 16 A and B
teams who had played with success in Wiltshire earlier that day the venue was
like a home match for ‘Castle as 25 fans swarmed the balcony, outnumbering the
Bristol fans and providing an attendance for an NVL match that neared that of a
normal match at Keele University.
In
the first two sets ‘Castle struggled with the passing and broken play phases of
their game, but it would be an injustice to focus on their own troubled
performance and ignore those of Bristol’s Alex Burt and Dami Bakare. 25 year
old Burt played for ‘Castle in the 2003-04 season, and this was one of his best
performances since that time as he blocked and attacked with confidence. The
star of the show though, was Bakare who was outstanding and looked every inch
of the player that all in English volleyball know he can be, tall, athletic,
powerful and high jumping, he dominated play. Despite well formed blocks, set
perfectly by Cooper, Lovell, Viggars and Allen, Bakare hit over the top with
ease as setter Matt Pierce used him time and again as Bristol raced into a 2-0 lead 25-20, 25-19.
Viggars
rung the changes in the ‘Castle line-up, introducing Pennock and Drijfhout for
Allen and Roberts, and this made the difference. With Pierce varying his
attacks further to keep Bakare playing with a reasonable workload, Tony
Sullivan had more of the hitting load and ended up withdrawing himself from the
court as ‘castle got on top. The awkward style of ‘Castle’s Dutchman Drijfhout
proved vital for ‘Castle as his left-handed middle play troubled Bristol’s
block to give Lovell and Cooper the gaps they needed to win point after point.
With the away supporters beginning to raise the roof on the venue, the game
went into a fifth set as ‘Castle drew level, winning 25-19 and 25-18.
At
the start of the fifth set it looked as though there could only be one winner
as all of the momentum was with ‘Castle and they led 7-4 before Bakare hung in
the air to slap down Viggars’ tip and then ‘Castle failed to pick-up a tip,
before Bristol produced two great attacks to leap into an 8-7 lead at the
change of ends. ‘Castle were left shell-shocked by the sweping turnaround, as
perhaps were Bristol who could not believe their luck and grabbed it with both hands to increase the
lead to 10-8 and then 14-12. Fittingly it was Bakare who finished the match to
take the fifth set 15-12, an overall score of 102 points for Bristol and 101 for ‘Castle!
A
thoroughly entertaining match for those that watched, but a disappointing
result for ‘Castle end one that means they will spend the next few weeks
studying the league table looking below themselves rather than above. A
5-setter on the Saturday of a double-header weekend is never a good omen for
the game the next day… at league leaders London Malory.
‘Castle
Team: Ant
Viggars (player-coach), Will Roberts (captain), Jon Pennock, James Cooper, Sam
Booth, Dave Lovell, Andy Riding (libero), Falko Drijfhout, Adam Brewer, Sam
Allen, Stuart Carvell
‘Castle cruise to last 8
Newcastle (Staffs) 3
– 0 Cambridge (25-18,
25-23, 25-17), 12th January 2008
This
game was played at ‘Castle’s training venue of Madeley High School due to a
hundred or so exam desks being on the court at the normal home fortress of
Keele University, and ‘Castle took to the court having witnessed 8 (yes, 8!)
under 14 boys ‘Castle teams compete in the West Midlands qualifying round of
the National Championships with the A and B team both qualifying for the
National Finals in March! So, the omens were good and although captain Will
Roberts was immobilised and on the bench throughout due to the stomach bug that
swept the nation this winter, the team played as if at full strength.
After
losing the league encounter in Cambridge in a disappointing 3-2 reverse,
‘Castle were determined to progress to the last 8 of the National Cup and took
to the court positively, with Sam Allen setting fellow 18 year olds Adam Brewer
to cut straight through the Cambridge block early on. The two youngsters had
played for the England Junior Men at the European Championships 1st
round in Denmark and were on great form after a period of intense training over the Christmas
and New Year period. The passing unit of Lovell, Cooper and Riding were
untroubled by Cambridge as ‘Castle built up a commanding lead and won the set 25-18.
In
the second set coach Ant Viggars made a number of switches and the hosts again
took a commanding lead by the middle of the set, playing classic Newcastle
(Staffs) style volleyball, defending the opposition attacks with a great
appetite to ‘get stuck in’ and then swing hard in attack. Towards the end of
the set, Cambridge’s Canadian passer-hitter Andy Lynn started to show what made
him such an exceptional player when he first came to play in England back in the
2001-02 season and Cambridge pulled their way back in as Lynn hit with power
and control. The 25-23 score-line was in ‘Castle’s favour and as Cambridge had made such
an effort to get back into contention without the reward of levelling the
score, ‘Castle changed ends full of confidence.
The
pattern of the match was repeated in the third set as ‘Castle opened a sizeable
lead, and as setter Jon Pennock sought to give the high jumping- powerful
hitting Sam Booth as many attacks as possible the home team won the set 27-17
and the match 3-0. Progressing to the quarter finals was the aim of the match
for the team, and coach Ant Viggars expressed his delight at knocking a fellow-
NVL1 side out at this stage. The team now travels to London Polonia for an intriguing
quarter-final in February.
‘Castle
Team: Ant
Viggars (player-coach), Jon Pennock, James Cooper, Sam Booth, Dave Lovell,
Falko Drijfhout, Andy Riding (libero), Adam Brewer, Sam Allen, Will Roberts
‘Castle take the points
Newcastle (Staffs) 3
– 1 London Polonia (25-25,
30-28, 20-25, 21-25)
Matches
between ‘Castle and Polonia have featured in NVL 1 for over 20 years now, and
certainly in recent years have been tightly contested affairs between two teams
gunning for victory, and this encounter was no different. For the last 2
seasons Polonia have been on the edge being title challengers and this season
have further strengthened their squad, so despite the loss of inspirational
coach Jurek Jankowski were expected to challenge again. In recent weeks though,
results have been disappointing as they have lost to Sheffield, Warwick and Malory.
‘Castle
roared into action in this match, quickly identifying the Polonia libero as a
serving target and making the most of his erratic display. ‘Castle’s own libero
Andy Riding has been in great form this season and attended a number of England
training camps, so his unavailability for this match was a potential weakening
factor of the home line-up. However, 18 year old home grown talent Tom Robinson
stepped into the breach with great confidence to play an assured role in this
win. The first set was pleasing for the crowd of around 50, who saw Cooper,
Lovell and Brewer all serve with consistency, and 18 year old setter Sam Allen
distribute the ball effectively allowing his wing attackers plenty of
opportunities to kill the ball, which they did with great effect to take the
set comfortably 25-17.
In
the second, Polonia’s Cuthbert and Jablonski both provided spectacular blocking
in the early phase of the set to nullify the threat of Lovell and Cooper.
Cuthbert and Jablonski are surely one of the NVL’s most potent combinations of
setter and power hitter, and both proved they can also block emphatically! From
that point the set was characterised by a slow battling performance from
‘castle as they dragged themselves into contention, with Sam Booth, Jon Pennock
and Falko Drijfhout all called into the action with great effect, so that
despite the large deficit that occurred early on, the set finished 25-22 to
Polonia.
The
momentum was with ‘Castle and as Polonia’s frustration with their own
performance grew they began to take in out on the officials and through the net
to the ‘Castle players. This led to a tense encounter for the remainder of the
match with ‘Castle making the most of the opportunities the came their way to
close the match out. In the fourth set the home team opened out a big lead
which was pegged back somewhat, leading to a nervous finish, but ‘Caslte
deservedly held on to win the match 3-1 and go into the Christmas break with a
5:6 win:loss record.
‘Castle
Team: Ant
Viggars (player-coach), Will Roberts (captain), Jon Pennock, James Cooper, Sam
Booth, Dave Lovell, Falko Drijfhout, Tom Robinson (libero), Adam Brewer, Sam
Allen.
‘Castle run out of steam in
derby match
Newcastle (Staffs) 1
– 3 Warwick Riga (23-25,
30-28, 20-25, 21-25)
This
match had been promoted as the big showdown between the two powers of West
Midlands men’s Volleyball, and those involved had their hard work repaid with a
crowd of 108 in attendance at Keele University! Surely one of
the biggest crowds in NVL history, certainly in recent years! With the match
announcer providing commentary and music between points and in time-outs, and
the cheer-sticks booming out immense volume, the atmosphere was intense and for
four-sets the action on court provided entertainment to match.
Warwick
have an experienced team with 3 players having around 20 years of NVL know-how
behind them, and in this match it was this factor that could be said to have
made the difference between the sides as Warwick played steady and ‘Castle over-revved at
times to make errors. Most notably, these errors came in serve as players tried
to put extra pressure on Warwick’s
serve through pace and power, but instead delivered an alarming number of
mistakes that cannot be withstood at this level.
For
the first two sets of the match the teams were locked together in an almighty
struggle with neither able to gain a clear advantage at any point. De Hoogh
was, as always, proving to be the major threat for the visitors as setter Phil
Wyles delivered consistently to the wings, and whilst ‘Castle quickly got to
grips with Anderson (NZ) and Morawski, De Hoogh was a constant threat. The
improved passing of ‘Castle meant that Jon Pennock was able to use middles Adam
Brewer and Will Roberts far more often than of late and this paid off with
Warwick’s block becoming unsettled in the middle of the net. It was however a
hitting error from Brewer that handed Warwick a tight first set 25-23, though he made amends with excellent work in attack in
the second set. Ant Viggars was wiping attacks off Morawski with regularity,
and both Lovell and Cooper were able to make big kills as ‘Castle held on to
level the match with a 30-28 win to the delight of the crowd, who were
generating such a noise that the referee was having to raise the volume on his
whistle!
‘Castle
started the third set slowly, almost visibly breathing out at the relief of
having held on to take the second, and this told as Warwick raced ahead into a
strong early lead. As the home team struggled to respond to do any more than
just maintain the same deficit, coach Viggars rang the changes seeking the
desired change in any way possible. The team was forced to adapt and think on
their feet, and this paid off as the gap closed by two points, but Warwick were never going
to let go of taking a 2-1 lead and finished the set 25-20.
In
the third, ‘Castle remained buoyant, due in large part to the support of the
100+ crowd, but despite their toil could not make take the match into a fifth
set. Warwick used substitute Chris Andreson (Eng) to great effect, and he did his future
selection in the starting line-up no harm at all by turning on an excellent and
energetic display to replace Morawski. It was the introduction of Andrerson
that made the difference between the sides in the final set as he boosted Warwick despite their libero struggling to deal with those
‘Castle serves that troubled the Warwick receivers rather than the net band!
Despite
the disappointing defeat ‘Castle can reflect on another improved performance,
especially in the passing unit and as form on the court continues to recover
from its recent dip the players and supporters can look forward to taking on
London Polonia next Saturday at Keele, 6pm.
‘Castle
Team: Ant
Viggars (player-coach), Will Roberts (captain), Jon Pennock, James Cooper, Sam
Booth, Dave Lovell, Falko Drijfhout, Andy Riding (libero), Adam Brewer, Sam
Allen.
Sam gets the Bragging rights!
Sheffield 3
– 0 Newcastle (Staffs) (25-14, 25-21,
25-22)
After
four years with ‘Castle, Sam Bragg left the club this summer to take the next
steps towards his ambition of being a pro volleyball player by moving to
Sheffield and train full-time, and on Saturday he showed his quality with an
MVP performance against his former club. NSVC travelled to Sheffield in high spirits having come through a tricky period where form on court had
been relatively disappointing but results remained positive on the whole.
Ironically this week, the performance improved whilst the team actually slipped
to their heaviest defeat of the season as Sheffield’s
claims on the title were shown fully.
With
GB captain Andy Sinclair having opted to spend his first season on home soil
for a number of years after success in Sweden, Sheffield now have the tools to
mount a serious challenge for the title, and it was Sinclair who benefitted
most from Bragg’s setting in the first set. ‘Castle started slowly, almost in
expectation of an onslaught from the powerful Sheffield team, and by the time the players had snapped out of their drowsiness. The
visitors’ block was exposed, and as ‘Castle could not hold a solid passing unit
in place Sheffield raced away after having
opened an early 5 point lead to win comfortably 25-14.
At
the change of ends coach Viggars did not read the riot act, but made it clear
to his players that their performance left a lot of room for improvement, and
in the second set this began to emerge. The service reception, although still
not at 100% stepped up a notch and this resulted in a far more cohesive
attacking. A brief duel emerged between two middle attackers Will Roberts of
‘Castle and Sheffield’s Dave Clayden, as each
made kills and blocks against each other, however this was to be a match
dominated by the attacking of wing players. Viggars and Cooper were to the fore
for ‘Castle as the teams battled out the set to what looked like being a
thrilling conclusion, but just as an opportunity appeared to open the door was
shut by Sheffield who closed out 25-21.
The
third set was a similar story with Sinclair proving to be an irresistible force
hitting through the left side with immense power and control, but ‘Castle were
at their fighting best, hanging in there and doing some damage themselves.
Unfortunately for the Staffs team, they were unable to avoid their first 3-0
defeat of the season as Sinclair finish the match in the nick of time for
Sheffield, wiping off the block of Roberts and Allen just as Sheffield were
creaking at 24-22.
‘Castle
Team: Ant
Viggars (player-coach), Will Roberts (captain), Jon Pennock, James Cooper, Dave
Lovell, Falko Drijfhout, Andy Riding (libero), Adam Brewer, Sam Allen, Luke
Davenport
Back to winning ways at the
fortress!
Newcastle (Staffs) 3
– 1 Guildford International (22-25, 25-14,
25-23, 25-12)
A
bumper crowd in excess of 80 turned out to watch ‘Castle’s match-up against
Guildford International this. Maybe it was the expectation of a home win
against the side that is rock-bottom of NVL1 that led to the big crowd, but
certainly the fans did not witness a smooth display of Volleyball. It is
perhaps a measure of the attitude of the team this season that many of the
players left the court feeling less than satisfied with what is after-all,
another 3 points in the bag. The home team were missing Sam Booth who has
impressed greatly since signing in the summer, but had Falko Drijfhout
returning from injury enough to play a bit part, and promoted Luke Davenport
from the second team to get his first taste of division 1 action.
It
was a dismal start to the game for the home team, who simply looked to lack
energy and vigour as they allowed Guildford’s
unorthodox attacks and tempo to dominate the game early on. Guildford raced into a 13-7 lead forcing Viggars to call a time-out, and then suddenly at
a worrying 17-10 down ‘Castle suddenly woke-up and started to do the basics
right. This meant for an epic comeback and they drew back to 23-22, before the
visitors grimly held-on to take a 25-22 set 1 win.
The
second set was a great contrast as the hosts roared into action and took an
early 5-0 lead, pushing Guildford’s fragile
serve receive unit all around the court. This lead was extended to 15-8 and from
that point ‘Castle accelerated over the finishing line to win the set,
characterised by a period of stellar play from James Cooper. Cooper was in
tempestuous form and after tipping short over Guildford’s
low block, in front of their despairing defender at position 1, Cooper blasted
a huge kill straight down over the block with the ball bouncing before the
defender! The crowd rose to their feet in appreciation and the match was soon
tied at 1-1.
The
third set was a tighter one, but ‘Castle led throughout, by a margin of up to
four points, and although the set ended 25-23 in ‘Castle’s favour, they had
held 24-21 lead and were not under pressure to hold on. In the fourth set,
‘Castle repeated and even bettered their 2nd set performance with an
emphatic 25-12 win which at one stage looked as though Guildford might not make
it out of single figures. Setter’s Sam Allen and Jon Pennock again shared the
court time, and 18 year old Luke Davenport made a good kill in the middle,
indeed at one point ‘Castle had three 18 year olds on court together, all of
whom have been at the club for at least 3 years.
The
3-1 win leaves ‘Castle 5th in the league with a record of 4 wins and
4 losses in the NVL, and with 3 tough games coming up before Christmas the
players know that improved performances with leave them sitting pretty in the
league over the festive period. Next week’s trip to Sheffield is a real test,
and following that on the 8th December they host rivals Warwick Riga
in the West Midlands derby clash, 6pm at Keele University.
‘Castle
Team: Ant
Viggars (player-coach), Will Roberts (captain), Jon Pennock, James Cooper, Dave
Lovell, Falko Drijfhout, Andy Riding (libero), Adam Brewer, Sam Allen, Luke
Davenport
‘Castle win… to lose their
title!
Leeds 1 – 3
Newcastle (Staffs) (20-25,
18-25, 25-23, 19-25)
‘Castle
took on division 2 Leeds in the cup this week
knowing that a win would prevent them from defending their National Shield
title, so proudly won in April. The match took place in unfamiliar
surroundings- Leeds’ normal home venue was unavailable so the match was hosted
north of Bradford, and it appears that this
put off the hosts and officials more than ‘Castle who arrived well in advance
of the match and were forced to wait for the other parties! Surely the late
arrival of the home team and match officials is a unique reason for the late
start of a match!
The
first set started to plan as ‘Castle raced into a 6-1 lead, only to be pegged
back almost immediately following a time-out from the home team. The play was
of a generally scrappy standard as both team adapted to the dusty underfoot
conditions, and side-out play dominated. Only when ‘Castle raised the level of
their service and service-reception at the end of the set did the difference in
level of the teams begin to tell, and the division 1 team pulled away for a
comfortable 25-20 win.
The
only change made by coach Viggars for the 2nd set was the swapping
of setters with Pennock replacing Sam Allen. The set followed a similar pattern
with ‘Castle opening up a lead before being pegged back by Leeds until the last quarter, when ‘Castle increased their lead and closed out 25-18.
A
two-setter system was adopted in the third set and this change allowed both Pennock
and Allen to swing their arm in attack which was a much welcomed tactic by both
setters! Leeds raised their game and opened up
a sizeable lead of 8 points by the mid-point of the set, with ‘Castle’s new
system disrupting their pattern of play. Following a time-out ‘Castle came out
all guns blazing and blasted their way back into contention, and Leeds started
to falter under pressure- knowing that the set was in their grasp but that
‘Castle were chasing a straight sets win. Intelligent serving from Sam Booth
led to disarray in the Leeds team, unable to
produce any form of attack for 4 consecutive rallies. Unfortunately for
‘Castle, Booth’s run could not continue and as he attempted another attacking
serve he pushed too hard and handed the set to a grateful Leeds team.
In
the fourth set the pattern of the first two was resumed as ‘Castle struggled to
find any real form, but ultimately provide too good for Leeds and won the set 25-19 and the match 3-1.
With
the 3rd round draw now completed, ‘Castle face either division 1
rivals Cambridge, or Division 3 South side Dartford in January at home.
Ant
Viggars (player-coach), Will Roberts (captain), Jon Pennock, Dave Lovell, Andy
Riding (libero), Adam Brewer, Sam Allen, Sam Booth
Mixed weekend in the Capital
London Lynx 0 – 3
Newcastle (Staffs) (17-25,
19-25, 23-25)
London Polonia 3
– 1 Newcastle (Staffs) (25-14,
25-21, 26-28, 27-25)
‘Castle
went into this double header weekend in London knowing that anything less than one win from the two games would not be good
enough. The players went into the first game at London Lynx without Falko Drijfhout
(injured) and Dave Lovell (unavailable) in unusual circumstances: forced to
warm-up on another court, play without lines people and in a hall with less
than three metres clearance at one end, but plenty at the other! This
environment made for a lacklustre match with the hosts never really getting
into the match.
‘Castle
felt their way into the first set with service reception that did not allow for
free use of the middle attackers, but kept wing men Sam Booth (on his first
start for the club), James Cooper and Ant Viggars swinging hard to win 25-17.
At the start of the second set Lynx coach Sola introduced himself for setter
Nick Davies who had played with relative fluency and this further disrupted
Lynx as handling errors were called with regularity. Both teams used their full
squad and this allowed young ‘Castle setter Sam Allen to swing his arm in
attack which he did with great effectiveness as the visitors went 2-0 up.
In
the third set Sam Booth produced the shot of the match, hitting with great
power down the line to knock the defender at position 1 off his feet, and this
set the tone for a surge of points for ‘Castle who maintained a lead of at
least five points until the scores reached 20-15. Lynx made a late play to take
the match into a fourth set, but this came too late as the Staffordshire team
closed out to take a comprehensive 3-0 win, soured only by the hosts refusal to
nominate an MVP on the score-sheet.
Sunday
saw the players travel across London to take on their old foe London Polonia, who judging by their form of recent
seasons, further influx of high quality Eastern European talent and recent
results should challenge for the title this season. Unfortunately for ‘Castle
circumstances conspired against them as a closure on the M25 left half the
squad in gridlock, and after the cars managed to get off the motorway one of
the cars suffered a freak puncture. A swift tyre change was not enough to make
the difference as it took the players two and a half hours to complete a
forty-five minute journey. The match was not delayed and ‘Castle were forced to
play the first set without either libero Andy Riding or captain Will Roberts.
This disruption was met with contempt by the hosts who brushed ‘Castle aside
25-14. The second set was much better as ‘Castle employed some characteristic
fight 25-21, and with their tails up the match looked like it could get
interesting.
The
third set was a good quality Volleyball battle as the teams traded closely
throughout, with the largest difference between the sides being 3 points.
‘Castle had the first opportunity to win the set but Adam Brewer hit into the
net; the visitors continued unperturbed and sided-out immediately for a second
chance to win the set, only for Polonia to again bring the sides level. This
continued for two further high octane rallies before ‘Castle eventually
completed the set 28-26 with a powerful strike from Cooper.
After
this good work it was disappointing that Polonia opened up a 7-1 lead at the
start of the fourth set, with the irrepressible Jablonski hitting with power
and control through the right side of the net. The hosts’ lead stayed similar
throughout the set and at 17-12 coach Viggars called his second time out.
‘Castle upped their performance but it looked as though Polonia were going to
finish the match at a canter as they held a 22-17 led, but ‘Castle fought back
strongly producing a phenomenal patch of block-defence as Polonia started to
snatch at their attacking opportunities. Incredibly ‘Castle held firm taking
the set into extra points, but unfortunately taking the match to a fifth set
was a step too far as Polonia scrambled the win 27-25, 3-1.
‘Castle
Team v London Lynx: Ant
Viggars (player-coach), Will Roberts (captain), Jon Pennock, James Cooper, Andy
Riding (libero), Adam Brewer, Sam Allen, Sam Booth
v
London Polonia: Ant
Viggars (player-coach), Will Roberts (captain), Jon Pennock, James Cooper, Dave
Lovell, Andy Riding (libero), Adam Brewer, Sam Allen, Sam Booth
Home defeat for ‘Castle
Newcastle (Staffs) 1 – 3 London Docklands (25-20,
22-25, 22-25, 15-25)
After
winning the league and cup double last season London Docklands are facing an
uphill battle to retain their league crown after consecutive defeats against Warwick
Rigs and London Docklands, but they came to North Staffordshire with a clear
tactical plan which ultimately paid off, though ‘Castle will be very
disappointed to throw away a potentially winning position in the second set.
Tall
Dutchman Falko Drijfhout injured his ankle during the warm-up and had to be
ruled out of the game which was a great disappointment to the hosts as he has
been in excellent form this season. ‘Castle started the game very positively
however, and quickly opened up a lead in the first set as Docklands looked off
the pace. This lead was extended with good net play from Cooper and Brewer and
although Docklands made the hosts work for their points more at the end of the
set, ‘Castle closed out with relative ease, 25-20.
The
second set followed much the same pattern with ‘Castle not operating with full
fluidity, often due to a variable service reception quality, but playing well
enough to really challenge the champions. The scores remained level throughout
much of the set a wing attackers traded attacks, and although Docklands’ block
was starting to impact, ‘Castle were defending resolutely, making for an
intriguing contest for the large crowd. After holding a 2-point lead in the
final third of the set, ‘Castle got stuck in one rotation with a front-court
setter, pinned in by intelligent serving and this allowed Docklands to steal
the set and change the complexion of the match.
Despite
disappointment at throwing the second set away, the home team came out fighting
in the third, and another close set ensued until the midway point. One critical
step on the accelerator for either team was clearly going to make the
difference and unfortunately for ‘Castle that came from Docklands who were now
playing characteristic steady Volleyball- nothing flashy but a considered
approach that wears opponents down. Just like the second set, the champions won
25-22.
Unfortunately
for ‘Castle they were not able to maintain the five-set intensity that ground
out those great wins over Malory and Bristol, and all momentum was lost by the
mid-point of the fourth set, and the match ended with a whimper as Docklands
cruised to a 25-15 set score win. So, back to the drawing board for next
weekend’s crucial away double-header in London against Lynx and Polonia, and without both Drijfhout and Lovell a small ‘Castle
squad know they must deliver at least one victory.
‘Castle
Team: Ant
Viggars (player-coach), Will Roberts (captain), Jon Pennock, James Cooper, Dave
Lovell, Andy Riding (libero), Adam Brewer, Sam Allen, Sam Booth
Disappointment in Cambridge Saturday 20th October 2007
Cambridge 3 – 2 Newcastle (Staffs) (25-19,
22-25, 22-25, 25-19, 15-10)
After
two stirring home wins against London Malory and City of Bristol,
‘Castle travelled the long road to Cambridge hoping to get their first ever away win over these opponents. In a tight venue
with a net system that provided less than satisfactory level of tension on the
net, ‘Castle appeared uncomfortable from the outset despite the healthy
travelling support. Due to the overrunning of the previous match, the game
started around 30 minutes late, during which time a number of Cambridge’s usual starting players arrived
for the game.
Cambridge opened up with a line-up
oriented around height with a tall setter who struggled with mobility but got
away with suspect handling to supply the irrepressible Petricek and free
hitting Ekanem with a host of attacking opportunities. Although the teams
remained level throughout the set ‘Castle dropped from being at 18-18 at their
first time out to trailing 22-18 at the next and the set was lost.
Early
in the second set Cambridge’s
Ekanem wasted time between points and was given a time delay warning by the
official only to repeat the trick 10 points later to earn himself a yellow
card. This led to Ekanem, who was outstanding on the court throughout the match
with a powerful hitting display, not making many friends with the opposition
players or supporters by waving an imaginary yellow card at the ‘Castle players
throughout the match at any opportunity! However, the action that really
mattered was improving for the visitors who played slightly more fluidly to
open up and then maintain the lead in the second and third sets. Andy Riding
excelled as libero covering all corners of the court and it was Cooper who
impressed most in attack making some fantastic kills with line and cross court
shots. With 25-22 wins in both sets ‘Castle took a 2-1 lead.
Unfortunately
the team was not able to keep up their level of performance in the fourth set
and instead of closing out the match they allowed the ever impressive Petricek
to take the game away from them. It was as if the Czech swing hitter was
everywhere, defending every ball and then killing his attacks with disarming
ease. In the fifth set Cambridgeestablished an early lead but ‘Castle levelled up quickly to maintain the drama
of the match. At 7-6 up ‘Castle appeared to have taken a two point lead into
the change of ends when Ekanem over stepped the attack-line on a back-court
spike, but the referee adjudged a let on the basis that Ekanem had spiked the
ball from below the height of the net thus not incurring a fault. Typically for
the match, ‘Castle lost that point and the next to change ends trailing 8-7 and
were then blocked out for three consecutive points to trail further 11-7 and effectively
lose any chance of winning the match. This proved true as Cambridge closed out
to their delight 15-10, leaving ‘Castle despondent at their lacklustre display.
‘Castle
Team: Ant
Viggars (player-coach), Will Roberts (captain), Jon Pennock, James Cooper, Dave
Lovell, Falko Drijfhout, Andy Riding (libero), Adam Brewer, Sam Allen, Sam
Booth
‘Castle keep up the pace Saturday 13th October 2007
Newcastle (Staffs) 3
– 1 City of Bristol (18-25,
25-17, 25-20, 25-19)
‘Castle
followed up their momentous home win over London Malory with another victory,
this time over City of Bristol.
The ‘Castle players have made it their mission this season to reward their home
fans with the kind of never say die performances that the club is renowned for,
and turn Keele into a fortress.
With
this in mind the first set was a disappointment to all as ‘Castle failed to gel
fully and allow Bristol’s
18 year old starlet Dami Bakare to attack with little resistance. ‘Castle knew
that Bristol would be a compact and well organised unit, and so it proved as the visitors
ground out a strong lead in the opener. However, towards the end of the set a
number of substitutions took place including that of Sam Booth for his debut,
and this coincided with a swing in the momentum of the match as ‘Castle raised
their level.
Despite
the apparent success of the mass changes to the line-up at the end of the first
set, coach Viggard reverted to the starting line-up for the second set and was
rewarded by his players who swung the game round completely to dominate from
start to finish. James Cooper, Dave Lovell and Ant Viggars were swinging
consistently and reliably through the wings, but it was the middle of the court
where ‘Castle began to take the game by the scruff of the neck. Bristol’s blocking
tactics afforded Drijfhout, Roberts and Brewer the opportunity to exploit big
gaps which they took full advantage of to the delight of the home crowd,
levelling the match at 1-1.
The
second and third sets saw much of the same as ‘Castle never fell behind again
in the match. Setter Jon Pennock followed his MVP performance against Malory
with another strong display using his attackers with great variety, stretching
the Bristol defence and as the visitors block weakened in the fourth set, ‘Castle always
looked comfortable for the win. Once the match was completed at 3-1, coach
Viggars was able to reflect upon a second successive home win in front of a
crowd of around 70. With all 10 players taking a full role in the game the
squad can prepare with confidence for their next match, away at Cambridge next Saturday.
‘Castle
Team: Ant
Viggars (player-coach), Will Roberts (captain), Jon Pennock, James Cooper, Dave
Lovell, Falko Drijfhout, Andy Riding (libero), Adam Brewer, Sam Allen, Sam
Booth
Newcastle off to a flier at home! Saturday 29th September 2007
Newcastle (Staffs) 3
– 2 London Malory (24-26,
25-23, 26-28, 25-20, 15-6)
After
starting their season with a disappointing 3-1 loss at Warwick Riga, Newcastle (Staffs) men played host to London Malory for
their first home match of the season at Keele University,
and did their loyal supporters proud with a display that must rank amongst the
best in recent years. ‘Castle have pulled off some great wins over the sport’s
biggest sides at home in recent years but those matches were always played in
circumstances where victory was a real imperative as the side faced relegation,
but this early season encounter was a different story with a full campaign
ahead.
‘Castle
started much the brighter of the teams and raced into an 11-4 lead but Malory’s
style of grinding teams down with utter consistency and composure pegged
‘Castle back to scrape the first set, only taking the lead for the first time
at 23-22 and then took the opener 26-24. The second was much the same story but
this time ‘Castle came out on top with player-coach Ant Viggars making vital
tactical plays introducing Sam Allen and Falko Drijfhout for himself and Jon
Pennock at a crucial time to extend their lead. Once Malory closed the gap
Viggars reversed that switch and ‘Castle levelled the game with aplomb, 25-23.
The
third was another close encounter as the sides traded set points only for
Malory’s combinations of setter Richard Dobell with hitters Alex Bialokoz and
Mark Brown to show their class and close out 28-26. ‘Castle came out at the
start of the fourth set knowing that anything less than the best would mean a
defeat and the players produced an almost error free performance to the delight
of the home crowd. Viggars, Lovell and Cooper continued to use the Malory block
with great effect, and crucially ‘Castle stepped up their blocking performance
to finally get a proper handle on Bialokoz and this led to their taking the
match into a fifth set with a 25-20 win.
As
the teams came out for the start of the final set the home fans raised the roof
with support for their team and ‘Castle responded with a powerful display to
take an 8-4 lead at the change of ends. ‘Castle’s serve pressure was strong
throughout the match and this continued as Malory’s passer-swing hitter was pinned
close to the side-line and removed from the attack and suddenly ‘Castle found
themselves 14-4 ahead. Malory finally sided out and then took a second point
before ‘Castle closed out the match to the delight of everyone present!
‘Castle
return to action in two weeks time (Saturday 13th October) with
another home match against City of Bristol who have had an identical start to
the season as the North Staffordshire side with one win and one loss. The game
starts 6pm at Keele University.
‘Castle
Team: Ant
Viggars (player-coach), Will Roberts (captain), Jon Pennock, James Cooper, Dave
Lovell, Falko Drijfhout, Andy Riding (libero), Adam Brewer, Sam Allen, Sam
Booth
‘Castle defeated in opener Satuday 22nd September 2007
Warwick Riga 3 – 1 Newcastle (Staffs) (25-13,
25-13, 23-25, 25-18)
The ‘Castle
men followed up their trip to the successful Kilmarnock pre-season tournament
with an NVL opener at Warwick.
The Scottish trip saw ‘Castle take on Kilmarnock (the league and cup double
winners in Scotland),
Bon Accord (3rd in Scottish League) and UCD of Dublin, equal first in the
All-Ireland Premier League, and finish a highly creditable 2nd place, leading
to a strong belief at the start of the new NVL campaign. The match was played
in controversial circumstances, with ‘Castle’s young players Sam Allen and Adam
Brewer forced to complete a round trip of over 200 miles to the match due to a
Volleyball England administrative issue which led to a vital England u19
training camp being scheduled on the same weekend.
With James
Cooper and Sam Booth also unavailable but Richard Guest remaining at the club
for one more game before switching back to Manchester after two fantastic
seasons back at hos club of origin, coach Ant Viggars’ pre-season preparations
were shot to pieces but this was no excuse for the poor showing of the team in
the first two sets. ‘Castle lacked cohesion and conviction as they slumped to
mid-set lapses which allowed Warwick to pull away.
Viggars was
forced to shake the team up in the third set and shifted the rotation and the
players on court significantly. This sharpened the focus of the ‘Castle players
who were forced to fight hard for every point and unsettled Warwick experienced side. New libero Andy
Riding settled into his club debut in the NVL with an improving performance
throughout the match and he started to perform a crucial role covering beneath Warwick’s block to keep
‘Castle in a number of rallies. The NSVC showed some trademark grit and
determination to hold on under extreme pressure and win the set 25- 23 to the
delight of the traveling supporters.
The fourth
set was another entertaining one for the supporters as ‘Castle continued to
raise the intensity of their rallies to force Warwick into picking up their game, which
they did at the crucial time. As ‘Castle looked like pushing to take the match
into a 5th set Warwick’s giant wing hitter De Hoogh stepped his foot on the gas
and middle-man John Gilling showed his class, punishing the slightest error in
the ‘Castle block. The players fought hard to stay in the set but it was to no
avail as Warwick clinically finished the match. Despite the disappointment of the defeat,
‘Castle can take heart from Warwick’s
retention of their strongest team throughout the match and the excellent
display of their opponents. Next up for ‘Castle are London Malory at Keele University on Saturday 29th September… get along to support ‘Castle!!
‘Castle
Team: Ant
Viggars (player-coach), Will Roberts (captain), Jon Pennock, Richard Guest,
Dave Lovell, Falko Drijfhout, Andy Riding (libero), Adam Brewer, Sam Allen.
|
Match
Reports Men National Volleyball League Division 1 2007-2008 by Captain Will Roberts