Chair: Alun P
Alun P
Welcome the The Cutting Lane Floor's What Went Down at Men's Regionals. This weekend saw nail-biting finishes, history-defying upsets and stunning plays, and that was just in the rugby. The Ultimate was even better.
We kick things off with the South West region, where we welcome three new contributors, D Clegg, Jonny Millar and tallJamie.
South West Schedule
South West Schedule
So then, what are the big takeaways from the weekend?
tallJamie
UWE are the story of the tournament for me
Jonny Millar
Absolutely
D Clegg
Couldn't agree more. First time at Nationals and straight into Div 1.
Jonny Millar
They only lost one game the whole tournament, and that was their semi final against us (Bristol) after having beaten us in the pool on Saturday
Alun P
How unexpected was it to see someone other than the usual Bath, Bristol and Exeter competing for those top spots?
tallJamie
Very, everyone in the region knows that Dan Moss is a standout player, but he really stepped up this year and so did the rest of the team. They have real depth and each player knows their role which is good to see.
D Clegg
Yeah I think the story of that team is that they've really developed players around Dan so credit goes to their coaching as well
tallJamie
Specifically Lewis Cope too, he almost always gets free in the endzone when he wants to.
Plymouth had our 2v7 against them, and the plan was to tire Dan out as he was playing chase, but they just ran away with it early, shredding our zone and our match. The plan started working and we began to bring it back but it was too little too late, and the game ended 9-7.
D Clegg
Very similar story for us (Bath 2) in the 3v5 they came out really quickly and took a 4-0 lead which was just never going to come back
Jonny Millar
They looked strong all weekend, and having trained with them a few times leading up to Regionals I think most of us at Bristol knew what they were capable of. Whether they had the composure and big game experience to pull it off when it mattered was a different question entirely
But full credit to them, they did, and they fully deserve their spot
Alun P
The other Div 1 spot went once again to Bath, along with a first regional title in a few years for the 1sts. How did they look this weekend?
tallJamie
I only saw them play against our second team and parts of the final as I was playing, but they looked comfortable throughout, other than maybe the first half of the final.
Jonny Millar
They looked solid as ever. The main thing I noticed playing them in the final was that they are very very good at capitalising on mistakes, and they very rarely make mistakes of their own
D Clegg
They definitely felt like they had a good weekend, the core of that team hasn't really changed and with Seb Allen to come back in they're looking to do well at Nats
tallJamie
I wish we'd had a chance to play them, they're a pretty short team so it would've been interesting to see how they dealt with our tall one. I'm sure they would've found a way but still it'd be interesting.
Jonny Millar
They seemed to be relatively unchallenged over the weekend, with their closest game of the weekend being a 7-4 win over Southampton in the pool
Who they then beat 12-3 in the semi final
D Clegg
Yeah the lack of power pools was frustrating as neither Bath team played Exeter or Plymouth
Alun P
They notably went the whole weekend without seeing UWE. How do we see that match potentially shaking out at nats?
Jonny Millar
Bath win, but UWE won't make it easy for them. UWE's zone is frustrating, but Bath are a patient and intelligent team and their man defence is really tight
D Clegg
Yeah the emphasis on match defence I think was what made the weekend relatively comfortable for Bath and should translate well to Nats. I found it interesting that most teams played zone almost exclusively with the exception of the Bath teams
tallJamie
Bath are a step ahead of the rest of the region, I don't think anyone is really in with a shot just yet. One of the main reasons I think is fitness - they don't get tired towards the end of a tournament when the games really start mattering. Case in point their scores against Southampton on Saturday and then Sunday.
D Clegg
Another case in point, Bath 2 losing to Southampton 1 first game on Sunday but then winning our game to go at the end
Alun P
Filling out the Div1 spots we have Bristol. What can we expect from them come February?
Jonny Millar
I think we managed to prove (just about) that we're the second best team in the region, although 2nd, 3rd and 4th all seem very close at the moment.
Losing to UWE in the pool i think was a blessing in disguise as it gave us a crossover as a warm up game on Sunday to iron out any kinks and come in to our quarter firing
As for what you can expect from us at nats, I don't want to give too much away but there's a lot of focus on playing safe until a shot opens up, from anywhere on the pitch
especially as the pitches at wildcats are pretty short
But yeah all in all we were happy with our weekend, and elated that there wasn't a 2-3 game to go!
Alun P
Finally on the Nationals front, Exeter and Bath 2 take the Div2 spots. Surprising?
D Clegg
I don't think either of those are big surprises, Bath 2 came into the weekend definitely targeting a nats spot and just about got there, didn't see much of Exeter as they were on the other side of the bracket
tallJamie
I was honestly really expecting this to be a Plymouth year, but 2 universe losses to Exeter and the previously mentioned 2 point loss to UWE knocked us out of contention. Exeter are never going to be a surprise in the region, they're always up there, and with Kofi Jones really coming into his own they're a force to be reckoned with. As for Bath 2, you can never discount the reigning champions!
Jonny Millar
Exeter may feel a bit unlucky, losing to us on universe in the quarter, and then losing to UWE on universe in the game to go to Div. 1.
They, with help from new coach Jess Taylor, seem to be a bit reinvigorated. They play with more energy than in previous years and I can see them doing pretty well at Div 2
Alun P
As anyone who's seen a few Regionals will know, sometimes the real fun happens below the Nationals spots. What are the stories from some other teams?
Jonny Millar
I think another big story from the weekend has to be Falmouth. To Iron Man a whole weekend and still beat their seed is seriously impressive
Alun P
Not to mention having one of the best kits in uni Ultimate.
Jonny Millar
Special mention to Sam Thompson who flies under the radar a bit. Came up with some huge plays and never seemed to stop running.
tallJamie
We played them in the 7v8 right at the end of the weekend, and they were still going strong. They play very patiently and their zone kept putting on pressure.
D Clegg
They had a long Sunday as well as they had a pre-quarter early in the morning.
Jonny Millar
We only managed to beat them 4-3 in our pool. Definitely a good team, and I'd love to see them coming back up through the ranks in the coming years
tallJamie
Their cross into the top 8 ended up being Bristol 3, anyone see how they ended up 2nd in their pool?
D Clegg
Bournemouth had a rough time of it on Saturday and lost the 8 seed in our pool.
Jonny Millar
I think to be honest our 3rd team are actually a pretty good outfit, and I personally can't wait to see how the players develop over the next couple years.
tallJamie
I'd like to bring up the schedule. I know it's hard to schedule an awkward number of teams but a lack of power pools I think affected the results. We only played 1 game against the other half of the bracket (vs UWE), when Southampton and Bath 2 would've been more favourable matchups.
I think we played a really good weekend of frisbee, but just ran into the wrong opponents. I know we should've just beaten one of them but I think it's a fair point.
D Clegg
100% agree with the lack of power pools being an issue, there was no opportunity to sort out the higher seeds before splitting into the bracket. Also find it interesting when Jonny mentioned that the pre-quarter on Sunday morning helped Bristol, I think that was something Bath 2 missed out on
Alun P
I'm not sure how it's decided which schedules have power pools, but I do know that the scheduling committee are currently reviewing seed snaking policy, which might address the relatively common pool rematches we've seen in brackets this weekend (Bristol vs UWE, and Sheffield vs Loughborough in Yorks and East Mids being two notable examples)
Jonny Millar
I know from personal experience beating the same team twice in a tournament can be tough, and fewer rematches mean you get to play more different teams which can only be a good thing
tallJamie
Yeah, being in the top 8 all weekend and only playing 3 of the other 7 teams is a bit disappointing.
Alun P
One final thing that's come up a few times is references to people playing chase. Does this mean that there was a strong prevalence of zone this year, and if so, how did it affect the tournament?
D Clegg
Definitely for Bath 2 we felt that pretty much everyone played zone against us whereas we played exclusively match. Did it affect the result? Hard to say but we weren't used to playing against it
tallJamie
Every team we played against at least attempted zone. Some teams were better than others but it was definitely a dominant strategy. I think it lends itself towards teams with maybe a couple of less experienced/athletic players that can just slot into a zone rather than having to match up against likely better players.
Jonny Millar
I don't know whether it was a factor, but div 1 nats being played at Wildcats in Nottingham definitely lends itself towards zones with its small pitches
tallJamie
That brings us back to the fitness of Bath. Their first team used man to get themselves into the lead, and then would slip into zone to slow the opposition down, which turned out to do very well for them. Seems this let them conserve their energy well while still using man as their main strategy.
Alun P
We'll wrap it up there. Thanks for your time guys, and as a final talking point, 1) how will the Nationals qualifiers do? and 2) pick a regional power line
Jonny Millar
Bath with a relatively unchanged squad i reckon will do similarly to last year, I'll say 7th again
Bristol will be gunning for top 8 but I think 10th may be more realistic
UWE may not have the depth or big game experience to take them far but I'm sure they won't disappoint. 15th
D Clegg
Bath to medal this year I think, Bristol and UWE will be very close together, I'd say 12th and 14th
Jonny Millar
I guess Nationals being held on a hard court may hinder teams who qualify on larger rubber crumb pitches, so anything can happen.
My power line would be
David Noble (Bristol)
Nathan Sanders (Bristol)
Pieter Keenan (Bath)
Ben Giles (Bath)
Jamie Rabbetts (Plymouth)
Kofi Jones (Exeter)
Joe Friend (UWE)
Dan Moss (UWE)
D Clegg
Ben Giles, Bath
Nate Sanders, Bristol
Oli May, Bath
Jamie Rabbets, Plymouth
Dan Moss, UWE
Peter Keenan, Bath
Kofi Jones, Exeter
Mark McCurdy, Bristol
tallJamie
Bath are a top 8 team, I don't think they're quite top 3 yet though so they'll be in that mix. Bristol are unpredictable as they're so emotional, I'm gonna go with 14th though it really could be +/- 6. UWE are a wildcard too, I'm gonna go 13th, give them that final vengeance game v Bristol at the end!
As for a power line:
Kofi Jones (Exeter)
Ben Giles (Bath)
Dan Moss (UWE)
Lewis Cope (UWE)
Ed Hanton (Bristol)
Sam Thompson (FXU)
Dan Samson (Plymouth)
Sam Fawcett (Plymouth)
Alun P
We'll move on up the country now to West Mids and Wales, with Swansea's own andrew.
Yet again, Birmingham are in the final, and this time they get the win over Bangor. How did they look?
andrew
Birmingham are so hard to stop, they have a throw to the endzone from any point on the pitch and are very good at setting up 1 v 1’s and resetting the disc with ease. It was classic them, really. In a region that has sometimes seen the overall skill level come and go they’re always a tough team
Alun P
Did they show any vulnerabilities?
andrew
I missed a lot of pool matches due to scheduling, but every team struggled. But they were lucky to play Bangor at the end of the tournament. Due to dropouts, the Bangor seconds iron manned and the 1sts only had six. Bangor’s weave is so strong, really explosive, but even they looked a little worn out in the final, couldn’t keep their edge which allowed Brum to pull away early
Alun P
Rough circumstances, but that makes their finals spot and showing against uBu even more impressive.
andrew
Yes, dunno if this is a hot take, but I think Bangor might have taken it, had they been at full strength
Alun P
They certainly have the top end talent. Dom Knight and Quinn Kuiper are a vicious double act
andrew
Yeah, they’d love to play 3 v 3! Which they basically do anyway, just sending a couple talls to the back while that solid core sort out the offense between them.
Alun P
I suppose it makes a change from teams running everything through the talls.
andrew
Haha finally a version of indoors that uses the horizontal space and not just the vertical
Weave was pretty popular in general, Warwick 2’s and I think the 1’s ran it, Cardiff and Swansea would bring it out if their ISO’s got stuffed.
Alun P
Bangor's finals appearance here and title at mixed have headlined something of a Welsh resurgence in a region (in my memory) often dominated by the Midlands pair of Birmingham and Warwick 1s and 2s. How's it been taking those top spots off them?
andrew
Yeah we’re all really happy to be taking those slots, with Bangor leading the charge. Inter Welsh games are intense due to a bit of a rivalry but we got the solidarity when they’re up against someone else. The big WAAAAAALES chants come out in force. I’m seeing more friendlies between Swansea, Aber and Cardiff happening and we’re trying to make an appearance at a tournament Bangor is hosting so there’s a community building up.
I played for Swansea and we’re still buzzing at making Men's Nationals for the first time in maybe 5 years. We lost to Warwick 2 (AGAIN) in the 4 v 5 on Sunday morning half psychological/cold hands half Warwick 2’s are just plain good, dismantles our zone with ease. We won on universe vs Ubu2 after stomping them in pools. Really close, intense game, really could have gone the other way. Big cheers to the Birmingham sideline which called a somewhat dicey disc up for the universe score. That was the 5v8.
And then Cardiff in the game to go was very well spirited and an intense game. We scored a break early which settled our nerves and just got the D’s and scores to slowly seal out the game. We were worried after a less spirited game at Mixed that we’d be in for a #badfeelings slog but very glad it didn’t turn out that way
Alun P
Just above Swansea, and straddling the Div1/Div2 divide, were Warwicks 1 and 2. In the past they've often shown fairly distinct team identities and styles as a way of both being effective. Was that the case again?
andrew
Unfortunately due to the odd schedule I don’t believe I saw a single Warwick 1 game so I couldn’t say for sure, but Warwick have traditionally been very good at creating strategies for the specific team, not just having the 2nds play a slightly worse version of the 1sts Ultimate. Also worth mentioning that Warwick 3 were top 8 after day 1, though they lost a cross to Aber on Sunday
Alun P
But still managed to finish 11th. Yet another reminder never to underestimate the depth of a Bears squad.
andrew
Yeah, if their 3rd team is doing that well then they’ll be a powerhouse for a good long time. Excellent beginner development over there.
Alun P
With spirit results having come out today, congratulations go to Aberystwyth for taking home the real trophy. How was spirit across the tournament?
andrew
They also got joint 2nd at Mixed. Clearly they’re doing something right over there. And after a bottom three performance at Mixed, all three Swansea teams placed in the top 8 for spirit so whoever made that bad Welsh spirit comment after mixed better reassess ;).
It was pretty good, though I felt like knowledge of the rules has been eroding slowly over time
Lot of clubs are working with slightly different rule sets and teaching their freshers incorrectly. Might be something UKU wants to look into/invest in.
Bangor placed bottom here and at Mixed. I don’t want to be too harsh, but that should be unacceptable at any club. I think they need to have a difficult conversation about why they keep getting low spirit scores and what they can do to reverse this trend as soon as possible. Hopefully they can be open to the gentle criticism teams have given them at these two tournaments and make positive changes without being defensive. Bangor are a great team and this doesn’t have to define them if they don’t want it to
Alun P
All that's left now are some suitably outrageous predictions. How will everyone do come February?
andrew
Oh boy I sure do love getting these wrong. For Div 1 I think Bangor will be top 8, managing to squeak past Birmingham and take maybe 5th or 6th. Birmingham one or two places lower and Warwick 1 to come 12th or so. Bangor are going to be stronger at Nationals with their full team available to play.
In Div 2 I really don’t see Swansea or Warwick 2 medaling, let alone winning the tournament. I predict a Swansea v Warwick 2 rematch somewhere in the back half of the bracket. Which Warwick will win because of course they will. Swansea have a very weak mentality and (likely) getting crushed a few times in pools will not be good for that.
But then every time I try to rag on someone they end up going on some miracle run to the finals so what do I know? 🤷
Alun P
To sign off, who makes your WWUMIR power line?
andrew
Dom Knight (Bangor)
Josh Camilleri (Bangor)
Ryan Kapma (Swansea)
James Sully (Aberystwyth)
Joe Penning (Cardiff)
Adam Vaslet (Birmingham)
I couldn’t think of another so:
Andrew Eck (Swansea)
#backyourself
Alun P
Continuing northwards, we come to the North region, which we will be taken through by Clackers.
Durham romped through the tournament, playing all the other Nationals qualifiers and remaining unbeaten. Can they be stopped?
Clackers
Durham really turned around their unlucky performance at mixed. It definitely helped putting out a very strong side, including bringing in Fraser Mcdonald (GB U24, SMOG) who was unable to make mixed. Can they be stopped? Maybe, who knows...
Alun P
Behind Durham, Manchester and Newcastle claimed the remaining Div1 spots. Were they looking their usual effective selves?
Clackers
Oh yes, both in their very different styles of play. Manchester, just as Durham, had brought in a new player that didn't play last year, or mixed, Seamus Turvill (GB U18), alongside their very powerful tall players such as Steve Dixon, making them a very athletic team. Which we had to play twice...
Newcastle have perfected their offence strategy to great aplomb this weekend, almost faultlessly weaving the disc between the handlers. I wish I had seen more closely the Newcastle - Manchester power pool game, because that must have been an incredible contest. Both teams definitely deserve their Div 1 spots
Alun P
They couldn't be separated in that power pool game, playing out a draw, which really showcases the parity at the top of the region.
Clackers
Newcastle were gutted they didn't win that game, it could have led to a different outcome on the Sunday, since they did not play each other again.
Alun P
And left Newcastle stuck on Durham's side of the bracket. Luckily for them it didn't cost them a Div1 spot.
Although they did have to come through a very tight game to go against Liverpool. After a number of recognisable faces left last year, and a disappointing outdoor season thus far, a Nationals spot will be a welcome sign of progress.
Clackers
Yeah, but they both made it in the end, so all’s well that ends well
Liverpool indoors is a very different team to Liverpool Outdoors - the team is very much held together by Will Carter (LLLeeds), Alex Hately (MUC), and Alex Arkle (Brown), reinforced by some solid, consistent players. Their style of play is very height-orientated, and it pays off
Alun P
Slotting in just behind them, break out the Beatles, because it's an all-Liverpudlian contingent headed to Div2 as LJMU held off Northumbria in the game to go. Any insight on that one?
Clackers
LJMU are hot off the back of their Div 1 Mixed qualification, and without their stellar women, their men are still good enough to hold their own. They only just lost out against Newcastle, and Northumbria have similarities (the Northumbria coach is the Newcastle captain, Alex Thompson). Both LJMU and Northumbria also play similarly, and if you're facing a team that plays like you do, you know how to deal with it
Alun P
You've mentioned elsewhere that iso had replaced vert as the dominant style in the region this year, and both those teams are established fans of it.
Clackers
Yes, it's growing ever popular. Even Manchester are starting to practice it on occasion, who used to exclusively stack, and Durham are also employing it as a club. It works so well in hard court, and that's all Regionals is in the North. Doubly helps that Nationals is also hard court this year
Alun P
It's a tall man's game sometimes
Your own Lancaster found their way back into the top bracket this time out, winning a cross up against Newcastle 3. How was your weekend, and how did a third team find themselves in a top powerpool?
Clackers
Our weekend went to plan - keep our seed. I had a more chill time than most of the team since I only played half a game on Saturday due to knee troubles, although I played all of Sunday. We also briefly won spirit (at the end of the tournament we were announced winners although we'd gone home by then), which was mind boggling.
The thing with the group seedings, is that unlike Mixed, in which seedings were done by how each president felt their team has changed since the previous year, seedings in Men's were literally just where you came last year. This meant that Manchester 2, coming 7th last year, were seeded 7th this year, but perhaps a little undeserving of this seed. And Newcastle 3 were able to beat them in their group. Likewise Durham 2 were seeded based on their low position, and were able to beat us in our group (and in the 7-8 final on Sunday). Newcastle 2 were in a normal group and maintained the 9th seed they started the tournament in.
Which was good news for us, since Newcastle 3 taking 7th seed meant us losing to Durham 2 allowed us to crossover against them rather than Newcastle 2 (edited)
Alun P
It's always nice when a schedule works out like that
Clackers
Unless you're Newcastle 2
Alun P
The big question, of course, is how will all the qualifiers fare when Nationals roll around?
Clackers
Durham will do very well, I definitely predict them in the final. Manchester and Newcastle I think will finish top 8 - the North is so used to hardcourt I can see the region doing admirably - we've done well at it in previous years.
In Div 2, Liverpool and LJMU will finish top 8, I imagine Liverpool will do the better of the two teams. Definitely praying for the North to regain one of the two extra Div 2 spots for next year
Alun P
And to close out, who would you pick for a regional power squad?
Clackers
Fraser Mcdonald (Durham), Dylan Spiers (Durham), Steve Dixon (Manchester), Robbie Kyme (Manchester), Ross Nugent (Newcastle), Will Carter (Liverpool), Alex Hately (Liverpool), Finn Campbell (LJMU)
Alun P
Next up, Yorks and East Mids, which will be taken by co-editor and Sheffield stalwart Slender. Take it away.
Slender
Thanks Alun, the main talking points from the region were
- Sheffield make it two in a row, beat Loughborough twice and win the final despite trailing for all but the first and last point of the game.
- Trent make it to the final but lose out on Div 1 spot to Luff in the game to go.
- Depleted Nottingham and young Hallam teams make up the other 2 Div 2 spots.
- Leeds fail to make Nationals for the first time in at least 5 years, probably much more. (edited)
Slender, Sheffield managed to retain the title after coming in seeded 5th and in the same group with pre-tournament favorites Loughborough. Was this Sheff victory to be expected or a big upset?
Well Slend, probably a bit of both. The Sheffield team were quite annoyed with their seeding having won the region last year, but that's the consequence of playing Div 3 outdoor Nationals, shouldn't be a problem this year. Sheffield managed to sneak a 9-8 win against Luff which fueled the teams belief, they watched the match that evening and made notes on what to do in their inevitable rematch the next day and won 9-7 the second time. While the Sheffield team may be considered to be relatively unknown they are mostly young, talented players with quite a lot of club experience behind then, supplemented with a few veterans.
What about Trent? I think i'm correct in saying it's their first time in any regional final?
That's what they told me on Sunday! They're a very traditional indoor team in that they're built of big boys and I think of all the big teams were the only one to consistently play a "pure iso" on Tom Barkley (Lough's stack which morphs to iso doesn't count). The second they go ahead they shift defensively to a very conservative zone and suffocate the game.
It must have been heartbreaking for them then to lose the game to go after being a point away from winning the region?
Yes it certainly was, though fair play to Luff they played a hefty 12 games across the weekend so to have the energy and spirit to win the game to go was impressive.
What about the other teams that qualified? Nottingham and Hallam.
Nottingham were heavily depleted for a variety of GB, injury and birthday reasons but still managed to qualify for Nationals fairly comfortably, it's a credit to their club that losing so many players didn't affect their placing too much. Pete Garnett and Kat Cheng probably deserve some credit as well. Expect Notts to be a force in Div 2. Hallam also managed to get a Div 2 spot down to what I can only describe as grit and desire. They managed to out run and stifle Leeds' side stack in the game to go.
Ohh yes, Leeds of course being the one of the regular teams at Nationals suffering from Trents' resurgence. Was this an upset or not?
I think it might seem like it to those not in the region but unfortunately Leeds essentially lost an entire team over the summer, they'll be back given some time. Also they play a proper, 3 man side stack indoors...their national ambitions may be significantly helped if they stop doing that.
Alright Slend, any other talking points?
Not really Slender, all the other results were somewhat predictable, the only thing noticeable this year was a lack of 2nd teams doing well, normally there is at least 1 2nd team pushing for Nationals however this year the top 8 was made of 1sts. I can't tell if this is because the clubs in the region have gotten their act together and their 1st teams are better, or if the best teams in the region are losing their depth.
How do you reckon they'll do at nats?
Luff and Sheff to both finish ~ 9-12th in D1, Notts could medal at D2 if they send their best squad, Trent top 8 in D2 and Hallam mid tier.
Line of the best performers of the weekend?
Dan Hillman, Oliver Bell, Tom Kirby, Tom Barkley, Alex Morgan . (Luff, Sheff, Notts, Trent, Hallam)
One final question Slend, are you interviewing yourself?
Yeah I am, I'm shamelessly copying Andrew from mixed because it's quite a good way of doing this when you can't make the original chat.
Alun P
For our final stop, we visit the South East. None of our local writers could be there at the weekend, but as a special treat, our own Tatenda sat down with the captains (Charlie Butt and Dom Burnham) from Sussex to have a chat about the top end of the tournament. Here’s their take, starting with their final against Reading.
Schedule has crashed, so, Nationals Qualifiers
- Sussex 1
- Surrey 1
-------------- - Reading 1
- Chichester 1
Charlie Butt
It was a tactical battle with reading because they played 3-1-1 and we played 2-1-2. We found it a little easier to poach onto their iso because of that. I think that we won because we were able to adapt on defence and our end zone offence was cleaner. We had two really intense games with Surrey in the Semi’s and Reading in the finals with both of them going to Universe point. We kinda let the hype get to us a little too much, gonna work on that for Nationals. We took a small squad, missing some of our best players and we’re gonna be stronger come nats.
Dom Burnham
Shout out to Dom Burnham who scored or assisted every point for Sussex in the final.
Tatenda
Did anyone on Reading stand out to you?
Charlie Butt
Ryan Coones, he skied me like 5 times on some insane discs, I don’t think anyone else in the country could have come down with some of them, it was ridiculous.
 |
| Reading were a tough match for even the strongest teams at SEUMIR Photo: Camilla Spearing |
Dom Burnham
Surrey vs Reading was also mad, Reading were probably pretty down after the defeat, they then came into the game and went down by about two or three breaks which they might have been surprised about because they thought Surrey would have been a bit of a walkover. Surrey was then able to maintain the breaks, but then Surrey's pick up Warwick player from last year got injured, turned his ankle, and Reading then broke back and were up by 1 point and had possession of the disc when the whistle went. They then turned, and surrey made it a universe game, and they then turned again on universe, they seemed to basically choke it. Surrey forced them to do something other than their 3-1-1 and they didn’t have many other ideas.
There were about 4 good teams that were structured, maybe 5 at a push, every other team and had least two freshers on it.
Charlie Butt
It was really good to play on a well spirited team, the vibe of the team was a lot better than it has been in the past, especially compared to last year in my opinion.
There was a pretty limited amount of clubs there, so a lot of 1st 2nd and 3rd teams, and each team had big side-lines. I think that was mainly what lead to reduced spirit scores for the lower teams, which was just loud sidelines from their first teams. I think our 1st team (Sussex), Reading 1st team, and Oxford 1st team, where all guilty of over-sidelining their junior teams’ games. I think that might have been reflected in the spirit scores for those teams.
Our side of the table was clearly harder, we had us, Surrey and Chichester, which was 1,2 and 4 – whereas reading only had one hard game which was the semi-final which meant they weren’t as prepared as they kind of walked over oxford in their semi.
Tatenda
Do you think, being in the harder side of the table for the pools worked out better for final standing, because you had those higher-level matches as practice going into the knockout stages?
Charlie Butt
Yeah definitely, Surrey had the harder game in the quarters, than we did, and I think that raised their level for the semi, brought them a little closer to us, and I feel like having that universe semi really got us into the mindset of “right, we’re gonna go and win this thing, we’ve been through it” I think that really helped in the universe point in the final as well. I don’t think Reading ever really mentally recovered from that defeat. I think they were the better side.
Prediction for Nationals - Sussex and Surrey top 8
Alun P
Apologies go out to Scotland and East and London, we don’t currently have active writers for those two regions in attendance at Regionals. If anyone from either region is interested in contributing in future, please get in touch with me on Facebook (Alun Pinder). If you want to catch up on those results, the schedules are here.
That wraps it up from us, we’ll see you in February for Nationals.
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