Editor: Nic
Writer: Maya
Writer: Maya
Christmas is long gone and the exam period is finally over, which can only mean one thing - the biggest event of the university indoor season is upon us, University Women’s Indoor Nationals. This year’s women’s competitions are being held at Ravenscraig’s indoor 3G pitches, a far cry from last year’s location in Nottingham, and it’s almost time to boot up.
Following its debut last year, this is the second University Women’s Indoor Nationals Division 2 competition ever. Division 2 rewards teams who just miss the Division 1 mark the opportunity to be ranked nationally, and to show the continued growth of women’s ultimate in the UK. This year, we will witness impressively accomplished second teams, and even one third team at Nationals, who have managed to force other university first teams out the way on their journey to the tournament.
Being only in the second year of competition makes predictions slightly tougher to make. Nonetheless, here are some thoughts:
North
Let’s begin with arguably the toughest region on the map, the North. This region now boasts ten spots at Nationals following its’ teams’ brilliant performances at Nationals last year. Four of the top eight Division 1 finishers were Northern teams whilst Durham and Sheffield snatched third and fifth in the second Division competition. The wealth of talent in the region means teams like Sheffield, who just missed out on Division 1 this year are not necessarily shy of the skill needed to compete at Division 1 level. For roughly this reason, my bets are hedged on Sheffield making the Division 2 final. They’re agile, are willing to play both a long and short game and never rely on key players for points. They’ll also be gaining Becca Mighell, an all-round player who was injured at the time of Regionals. If she’s back on form, it will be tough for competitors to challenge Sheffield.
Leeds 2 could also cause a storm. They are the only second team who qualified for Nationals in the region. Speaking to Emily Potter (GB U24, Spice Ultimate), who has been coaching the team whilst playing for Leeds 1, I gained insight into the second team’s success. She explained, they gained a wealth of women last year and have picked up some remarkable freshers. Whilst they are a team of largely intermediates, and employ a simple offensive strategy, they don’t crack under pressure, which is where other teams can falter, making poor decisions and turning over. The mastering of these basic skills enabled them to beat several first teams at Regionals. They will also have a couple of stronger players who couldn’t make Regionals, so keep an eye out for Leeds.
West
Cardiff is the West’s highest seeded team. They lost out to Birmingham 11-6 in their game to go which could indicate they are not quite at medalling level. At Regionals they seemed to rely on a couple of key players whose flow Birmingham managed to stifle. Having said this, Cardiff are a quick team and if they cherish the disc on offence, utilise all their players and maintain a strong mental game, they’ll likely still finish relatively high in the table, meddling amongst the top contenders.
It seems Warwick could surpass their seeding. They finished an impressive fifth at Mixed Nationals in December, above Loughborough, St Andrews and Newcastle whose women are particularly impressive. They can’t have achieved this result without tough women so it will be intriguing see if they surprise other teams after having had the opportunity to gel some more.
East
The Eastern region have the most spots available for Division 1 yet can only gift three teams with Division 2 spots. Those that secured these places were St Mary’s, LSE and Brighton. This is Brighton and St Mary’s first opportunity to show their power at Division 2 Nationals so it’s an exciting year for both teams who’ve shown improvement since last season. LSE competed in Division 2 last year and finished ninth. Thus, it seems these teams are unlikely to cause great waves at Nationals especially as most regions will have have their fifth and sixth regional finishers competing for the top spots at Division 2 Nationals, whereas the East’s seventh, eighth and ninth finishers are competing for the same medals. For this reason, it seems these teams may struggle against other region’s higher finishers.
Scotland
Lastly, we must consider the effect the Scottish powerhouses will have on the tables. This year Nationals will be on their turf, so they have the slight advantage of more sleep and a shorter journey. This year St Andrews have unbelievably managed to qualify three teams for Nationals! Whilst Scottish teams do have greater student retention due to players predominantly having four-year courses, this is still an impressive achievement so congratulations to them. We’ll be seeing their second and third teams play in Division 2. St Andrew’s second team managed to finish eighth in this division last year. However, bar Warwick and Sheffield, the other teams above them made Division 1 or didn’t make Nationals at all this year so they could potentially achieve fifth or sixth place this year if they play well. Edinburgh just missed out on Division 1 in a tough game to go against Dundee, so will have been happy to take the wildcard spot (although they were our favourites to win Division 2).
North
Let’s begin with arguably the toughest region on the map, the North. This region now boasts ten spots at Nationals following its’ teams’ brilliant performances at Nationals last year. Four of the top eight Division 1 finishers were Northern teams whilst Durham and Sheffield snatched third and fifth in the second Division competition. The wealth of talent in the region means teams like Sheffield, who just missed out on Division 1 this year are not necessarily shy of the skill needed to compete at Division 1 level. For roughly this reason, my bets are hedged on Sheffield making the Division 2 final. They’re agile, are willing to play both a long and short game and never rely on key players for points. They’ll also be gaining Becca Mighell, an all-round player who was injured at the time of Regionals. If she’s back on form, it will be tough for competitors to challenge Sheffield.
Leeds 2 could also cause a storm. They are the only second team who qualified for Nationals in the region. Speaking to Emily Potter (GB U24, Spice Ultimate), who has been coaching the team whilst playing for Leeds 1, I gained insight into the second team’s success. She explained, they gained a wealth of women last year and have picked up some remarkable freshers. Whilst they are a team of largely intermediates, and employ a simple offensive strategy, they don’t crack under pressure, which is where other teams can falter, making poor decisions and turning over. The mastering of these basic skills enabled them to beat several first teams at Regionals. They will also have a couple of stronger players who couldn’t make Regionals, so keep an eye out for Leeds.
West
Cardiff is the West’s highest seeded team. They lost out to Birmingham 11-6 in their game to go which could indicate they are not quite at medalling level. At Regionals they seemed to rely on a couple of key players whose flow Birmingham managed to stifle. Having said this, Cardiff are a quick team and if they cherish the disc on offence, utilise all their players and maintain a strong mental game, they’ll likely still finish relatively high in the table, meddling amongst the top contenders.
It seems Warwick could surpass their seeding. They finished an impressive fifth at Mixed Nationals in December, above Loughborough, St Andrews and Newcastle whose women are particularly impressive. They can’t have achieved this result without tough women so it will be intriguing see if they surprise other teams after having had the opportunity to gel some more.
East
The Eastern region have the most spots available for Division 1 yet can only gift three teams with Division 2 spots. Those that secured these places were St Mary’s, LSE and Brighton. This is Brighton and St Mary’s first opportunity to show their power at Division 2 Nationals so it’s an exciting year for both teams who’ve shown improvement since last season. LSE competed in Division 2 last year and finished ninth. Thus, it seems these teams are unlikely to cause great waves at Nationals especially as most regions will have have their fifth and sixth regional finishers competing for the top spots at Division 2 Nationals, whereas the East’s seventh, eighth and ninth finishers are competing for the same medals. For this reason, it seems these teams may struggle against other region’s higher finishers.
Scotland
Lastly, we must consider the effect the Scottish powerhouses will have on the tables. This year Nationals will be on their turf, so they have the slight advantage of more sleep and a shorter journey. This year St Andrews have unbelievably managed to qualify three teams for Nationals! Whilst Scottish teams do have greater student retention due to players predominantly having four-year courses, this is still an impressive achievement so congratulations to them. We’ll be seeing their second and third teams play in Division 2. St Andrew’s second team managed to finish eighth in this division last year. However, bar Warwick and Sheffield, the other teams above them made Division 1 or didn’t make Nationals at all this year so they could potentially achieve fifth or sixth place this year if they play well. Edinburgh just missed out on Division 1 in a tough game to go against Dundee, so will have been happy to take the wildcard spot (although they were our favourites to win Division 2).
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| St. Andrew' will have a lot of players representing at Nationals this weekend Photo Credit: University of St. Andrews Ultimate Club Facebook |
Top 8 predictions
1. Sheffield
2. Cardiff
3. Plymouth
4. Manchester
5. Warwick
6. St. Andrews 2
7. Leeds 2
8. St. Mary's
2. Cardiff
3. Plymouth
4. Manchester
5. Warwick
6. St. Andrews 2
7. Leeds 2
8. St. Mary's
Wherever teams finish, the level of competitive Ultimate in Division 2 is promising for the future landscape of women’s ultimate. Good luck to all the teams heading to Ravenscraig. Run hard and fast…you’ll need the stamina for the upcoming outdoor season.
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