Chair: andrew (Swansea)
Editor: hazard (Oxford, still)
Welcome to What Went Down At! This is a chat format where we gather our writers and discuss what happened in a tournament the last weekend. We have here chats about North East & North West, Yorkshire & East Midlands, South East, Scotland, and Wales & West Midlands. Feel free to just scroll to your region, or read the whole thing to become the overly-informed person in your club.
We still have applications open for writers from many regions (Women: Scotland/W&WM/South West/East & London, Men: Scotland/Midlands/W&WM), so if you see gaps here or think you’d like to help provide coverage in future chats/previews, do drop an application to hazard.frisbee@gmail.com. We can only produce coverage for the people we have. Thanks for reading.
andrew
Alright, here we go! Our chat about UXIR (University Mixed Indoor Regionals) is officially starting. Anyone please feel free to chime in with your thoughts at any point.
First up we have Tom ‘Clackers’ Claxton and Nicola ‘Nic’ Edwards to talk about the North.
Div 1
Manchester 1
Newcastle 1
Div 2
LJMU 1 (Liverpool John Moores University)
Durham 1
Northumbria 1
andrew
So how did you feel the weekend turned out? Does that qualification list look about right to you?
So how did you feel the weekend turned out? Does that qualification list look about right to you?
Clackers
Considering who was there at the weekend that does seem like the best 5 teams in the region. Although LJMU making 3rd is a definite upset, especially with Durham performing so strongly on the Saturday
Nic Edwards
Okay, so I’ve gone for a more comprehensive answer than Clackers, feel free to take what you want from it...
1. Manchester had a rough start on the Saturday, losing to Durham 13-6. However the addition of Steve Dixon (Chevron) to Manchester’s roster was huge and lead them to win the region comfortably.
2. Newcastle was very reliable and played well together. They had some close games, including a 3-4 against Durham but came out on top which then led them on to win the final 2-3 convincingly against LJMU to gain the last Division One spot.
3. LJMU came out of nowhere to those that weren’t aware of their capabilities. I’d say, and others have agreed that LJMU had the strongest women of the region at the weekend; Grace Prior and Katalina Bernane, and their beginner lady (who has been playing less than three weeks) certainly let her presence known. With the addition of their men the team as a whole played well as a cohesive unit, and caused some big upsets which included beating their derby rival Liverpool to then go on and beat Durham 8-4 in the one/four crossover.
4. Durham started off well with Will Collier and Dylan Spiers, winning their pool and beating Manchester. But on the Sunday they took a big hit losing to LJMU and Newcastle seized and opportunity to take advantage of that. The 3-4 was a highly contested match, Newcastle took a convincing lead and then Durham showed up to take them to universe but unfortunately couldn’t capitalise and lost, leaving them with a Division 2 qualification and an upsetting finish to what seemed like a promising journey to Div1.
5. Northumbria have always had dominant men and this year they had some women that managed to keep up with their lead. It was a big win for Northumbria and they managed to beat Liverpool to the final spot at Division 2.
Clackers
On a more personal level I feel the weekend went pretty much as expected for us (Lancaster). We weren't really expecting great things, the 5th seed was completely erroneous considering the first team came 9th last year, and are usually seeded last at Outdoors. We beat Manchester 2 in the group games which was nice (why they were seeded so low I don't really understand either), and they ended up finishing in the top 8.
andrew
How did LJMU create this upset? It’s true, as Nic says, they came out of nowhere and pounced on unsuspecting teams. What led to their upset wins here?
Nic Edwards
They have only been a team for 2 years, and have formidable players that haven’t really made an impact on a national level just yet but people will know their names now.
Clackers
I wouldn't say they completely came out of nowhere. I wasn't expecting them to do so well because I thought Grace and Finn Campbell (MUC) had graduated, but I was evidently wrong. They're coached really effectively by Oli Browne and Rachel Turton (SMOG WUCC/GB Women), and it has definitely showed since last year. The entire region seems to have suffered losses of key players (Liverpool most of all) so LJMU were able to capitalise on this.
hazard
Both Northumbria and LSJU qualified for Div. 2 Men’s Indoor Nats last year, but respectively came 17th and were unable to qualify in their Women’s Regionals. Neither made too much of a splash at Men’s Nats last year it’s fair to say. We’ll see if this year they can compete on the national stage too.
andrew
The other team that caught my eye in your openers was Durham. They seem like a team perennially knocking on the door of those top slots, but they missed Div 1 last year as well. This year they even defeated the eventual tournament winner, but weren’t able to close it out on Sunday. Any thoughts?
Clackers
Durham's Achilles heel these days seems to be Newcastle.
Nic Edwards
Well Manchester didn’t have Steve Dixon (Chevron) on the Saturday which is when Durham beat them. Come the Sunday I just don’t think Durham’s women had the depth that LJMU had.
And yeah, what Clackers says. Plus I’d say Newcastle’s ladies had more depth and experience than Durham’s, by the looks of it or they’re just not as confident (I want them to prove me wrong).
andrew
Newcastle’s women are very intimidating players.
hazard
Durham lost Kat Rowland this year, which didn’t help.
andrew
Did you find the top teams generally had standout women or were they relying on their guys more or a mix?
Nic Edwards
Yes they are, I’d say Manchester first team women are more intimidating personally.
Kat Rowland went to Leeds!
Clackers
I agree with Nic about Durham's women being a little less experienced, Manchester, Newcastle and LJMU have really stand out women.
hazard
I’m going to should out Emily Atkinson on Newcastle. She’s a first year at uni, but comes from the same school team as me (Manor) and has been playing for ages, including mid-Mixed Tour. So she’s one to watch.
andrew
It’s terrifying to hear first years getting shout outs.
Nic Edwards
Yes, I’d say the same, it’s just LJMU didn’t have enough women unfortunately so were tired by the end of Sunday it seemed.
Nic Edwards
Yeah, I played against Emily quite a bit. She demands her presence be known on the pitch. Definitely one to watch!
andrew
So what about the teams that just missed the cut? That would be Liverpool 1, Durham 2 and Manchester 2. Liverpool are probably particularly heartbroken, since they nearly won Div 2 last year.
Did they not have the depth or did they just get unlucky?
Clackers
Liverpool were missing Will Carter (LLLeeds), and many of their players from last year have graduated.
Nic Edwards
Yeah, Liverpool came second last year at Division 2 - lost out to St Andrews (bloody Scotts)! 😀
They were upset but they did much better than people were expecting. They have lost the majority of their men compared to last year and were still a contender. Shout out to Alex Hately (MUC) who really put his body on the line to lead Liverpool and get them so far, the team impressed me considering the significant hit of graduating players.
Clackers
Alex and Alex Arkle (The Brown) were an effective team, although they seemed to suffer from general lack of numbers (I think only 4 men and 4 women).
Nic Edwards
I’m excited to see how well Manchester and Newcastle women fare at Regionals considering they did so well at Mixed Regionals.
andrew
That’s a bit thin. I guess the thinking is take the absolute minimum and don’t add anyone unless it makes the team stronger. But then you’re playing the game to go on Sunday and it’s a struggle
Yes and they both have strong lines in both genders and the second teams did very well too.
Clackers
I think Liverpool just didn't have enough experienced players, and having their beginners gain some valuable experience in their second team.
With regards to the rest of the top 8 (Durham 2 and Manchester 2), I feel that both teams would be pleased with their performance. They finished ahead of several first teams (grrr), as well as Newcastle 2, who came 5th last year.
hazard
Nic any quick prediction for who will do better at UWIR, Manchester or Newcastle?
Nic Edwards
You see...
Manchester because of how dominant their women were however I think their second team mixed women lack the depth that I know Newcastle are going to carry.
Newcastle had a lot of depth within their women this weekend and I know of one/two extra women that weren’t there, but will be a significant addition to their Regionals squad.
I’d even go as far to say that one of them will win the region (even if I am going to face a lot of hate from my alma mater, Huddersfield). I just think they have more depth and experience.
andrew
In terms of Spirit, the North deserves massive props! Out of 16 teams, only 1 was awarded below a 10 in spirit! That’s pretty impressive, better than any other region. Do you think the North is particularly well sprinted? I don’t think that’s how it was back in my day....
Clackers
Yes, I'd say the North is well spirited, we're quite a small region so everyone knows everyone, which makes it a nice atmosphere.
Nic Edwards
In the experience I have had of university teams I would go as far to say that the north are more spirited, and just seem to have an overall happier time.
I’d say a big addition to that spirit was Newcastle’s four teams rendition of ‘Sweet Caroline’ (instead they used the words ‘too many pies’). Imagine that being screamed on the sideline from about thirty people. You couldn’t help but smile.
andrew
I wondered how a 4th team won spirit!
Nic Edwards
I enjoyed my time in a different region, knowing Yorks. & East Mids relatively well and watching the North this weekend. I reckon there are going to be some big upsets come Women’s Regionals.
andrew
Alright let’s indulge in some speculation! How do you think Manchester and Newcastle will do at Div 1 Nats? LJMU, Durham, and Northumbria at Div 2?
And don’t worry if you get it massively wrong! They’ll only start a sideline chant to call you out.
Nic Edwards
I reckon Manchester are a contender for the title of Div 1, if their team doesn’t change from Sunday and depending on what the Scots are throwing out.
Newcastle will finish in the 8-16 bracket, wildcard for top 8 but I will be pleasantly surprised.
LJMU, so long as they can do enough damage on Saturday and win relevant games on Sunday morning - I reckon they will finish top 4.
Durham will be a contender for doing well at Div 2 and come out fighting, I really want them to win and I think they should focus on that.
I think Northumbria will finish mid of the bottom 8, their men will do what they do and I want their women to have more confidence (they can do some damage if they start to gel well as a team).
Clackers
I think Manchester will do well, not as well as last year's 3rd, but definitely top 8. Newcastle, probably around the 12th ballpark.
For Div 2, I have a feeling Durham will turn it up and switch positions with LJMU, both teams in the top 4 though. Northumbria might suit the home field advantage, but probably will come near 12th
andrew
I’m bullish on Durham as well. Okay, thanks you two! Can’t wait to see how it turns out
Nic Edwards
Ooooh, please....
Women: Grace Prior (LJMU), Kate Gibson (Newcastle), Bella Tait (Manchester), Katalina Bertnane (LJMU).
Men: Alex Hately (Liverpool), Steve Dixon (Manchester), Will Collier (Durham), Alex Thompson (Newcastle).
Clackers
Men: Steve Dixon (Manchester), Alex Thompson (Newcastle), Dylan Spiers (Durham), Alex Hately (Liverpool)
Women: Kate Gibson (Newcastle), Grace Prior (LJMU), Natasha Torres-Coote (Manchester), Katalīna Bernāne (LJMU)
andrew
Alright next we have Alun Pinder and Sam ‘Slender’ Higginbotham to give us the down low on Yorks. and East Mids (with photographer Alice Hanton popping in when she feels like it).
Div 1
Loughborough 1
Huddersfield 1
Nottingham 1
Sheffield 1
Div 2
Leeds 1
Nottingham Trent 1
andrew
So since the schedule doesn’t seem to be working I’m flying a little blind here. Looking for Alun P and Slender to fill in my considerable knowledge gaps!
What I DO have access to is spirit scores, so I’ll start there. Guys, what the heck is going on with fouls in York and East Mids? Two teams averaged a 2 and every single other team was lower!!
And the overall spirit scores aren’t even that bad. Help me understand this.
Alun P
To me, the universally low scores highlight a bit of a disconnect between the contact teams are ok receiving and giving. If there are some poorly scored teams, that usually means they are too rough, but if everyone is low, it suggests that both sides are getting contact-y and then complaining about the opposition.
Alun P
Alternatively, there could be a pile of one off bad bids going on that I missed. I saw one nasty collision in Leeds v Trent, but the rest of what I saw all weekend didn't seem any rougher than the last four/five years .
andrew
It’s true that the fouls you receive often reflect the ones you’re giving out. I’ve never seen quite an across the board low scores like this before, though. But what you say makes a ton of sense.
Alun P
Not meaning to complain about any specific teams, but I think university frisbee as a whole has a bit of an issue with being ok handing out contact but not ok being matched, and teams as a whole either need to clean up their play or accept that what goes around comes around. I'd prefer the former, obviously.
Slender
Might just be me becoming old and my generation graduating but there seemed to be less experience present at the tournament and maybe that led to "odd" spirit scores due to inexperience.
andrew
All very plausible and reasonable. Certainly something for teams to think about. Moving on!
How do we feel about the qualifying teams? Are there any qualifying teams that raised some eyebrows?
Slender
Trent qualifying came a bit under the radar for me. All of the times I watched them over the weekend they looked distinctly mediocre. And then all of a sudden they are in a game to go.
andrew
How was their schedule?
Alun P
I reckon the top five were a fairly safe bet coming in. Trent was more surprising, but having played them, they have a very big zone, and don't give up points easily.
Trent lost 9-8 to Leeds in pool, 5-2 to Loughborough 2 in crossover, then beat York in a last chance cross up, before revenge-killing Loughborough 2 and taking down Nottingham 2 in the game to go.
Nic Edwards
Trent had the return of Tom Barkey (EMO) and the addition of a ridiculously jumpy junior with 18 months experience from Black Sheep too.
andrew
Loughborough winning the region is a bit of an un-surprise. How’d they look? Katie Allen’s a big pickup, obviously. I don’t have the game schedule in front of me, did they lose any games or have some tight matches?
 |
| Leeds tried to squeeze their way to the top of a tight field. Photo: Benedict Rickards |
Slender
Nottingham in the semis went to universe point. They stomped Huddersfield in the final though.
Alun P
Loughborough 2 in quarters, and destroyed Huddersfield in the final.
Nic Edwards
I’d say Katie Allen is a pickup but they also lost the majority of their women from the first mixed team last year, such as Rupal and Ruth. And they did destroy Huddersfield. Huddersfield weren’t as different as last year, if anything they were stronger this year. I’m assuming Loughborough managed to stop their iso and smash through their zone.
I’m happy to see Loughborough do well. They deserve it.
Slender
They scored easy points against there zone and got a few breaks early, Hudd knew they would be smashed playing person D/ didn't change anything anyway so were stuffed from there really. You can't win a final playing zone when you're already 3 points down.
Alice Hanton
Loughborough are very consistent in their development of players so the women on first team this year weren't inexperienced despite being different to last year (I believe Ruth was injured last year too).
Nic Edwards
Yeah. It is good to see the long standing development coming out of clubs such as Loughborough. Similar to Newcastle and Leeds.
hazard
Having a club team (LED) that nearly all their players are involved in is really good as well.
andrew
So who just missed out? If Nottingham Trent was a surprise, then I’m guessing someone expected to qualify didn’t.
Slender
Hallam nose dived in the rankings compared to last year.
Alice Hanton
I think there are five clear qualifiers in the region (i.e. the top five, who are probably all div 1 worthy) and it becomes less obvious after that.
Nic Edwards
I’d agree with Alice. Trent was given spaces at Div2 over the last two years because teams dropped out, and unfortunately didn’t perform.. I’ll be intrigued to see how well they do this year, considering they had more consistent players in previous years.
It has always seemed to be the top 5, a couple of other teams and then everybody else.
Alun P
I'm not sure who I'd pick as the obvious 6th going in. Having played Hallam at Leeds beginners they were very much behind the leading teams on women. York play exciting but risky frisbee, and the top end of the region are just too strong for it to pay off consistently. Then you have Loughborough and Notts 2nds. At the end of Saturday I probably would've picked Notts 2 to take the last spot, after they nearly upset Sheffield in pool play, but the manner the lost that game, blowing a big lead, suggested they were potentially fragile.
andrew
Who should we be on the lookout for in the upcoming Men’s and Women’s Regionals tournaments? Especially if they’re non-obvious. Mixed is a very different beast.
Nic Edwards
Notts have gained Kat Cheng this year (previous Iceni, current Hydra). If that means anything.
Alice Hanton
Nottingham women were all very strong!!
Nic Edwards
I think Loughborough women will be a contender for the final.
If other teams manage to work out Huddersfield then I’d say Huddersfield will still qualify but with great difficulty. Their team hasn’t really changed since last year.
Alun P
I expect Loughborough and Nottingham to be the top teams at Men's. Nottingham will be big at women's too, they were strong enough that Kat didn't hugely stand out. Monica Persson is a bit ridiculous as well.
Slender
It sounds weird but I think Leeds are going into Women’s Regs very underrated.
Alun P
Kat Rowland will score all the points though.
Alice Hanton
Sheffield should do well at women's too. Huddersfield have three very strong players in Ellie White, Tanya Fozzard and Bella Barber-Lowell who run the show, but not sure about their depth (they only had those three playing mixed). Yeah I'm hopeful/confident for Leeds women.
Nic Edwards
Maddie is still at Huddersfield who has four years experience, but she didn’t play Mixed Regionals. She did play last year at women’s though. Along with Lucy who has two years experience. It’s the same team as last year for Hudds.
Alice Hanton
Ah right, similar team to last year then for Hudds.
Alun P
And Sheffield have lost Zarah Dixon, but picked up Helen Thompson (flipping CANADA!) to go with the majority of the pre-existing team.
andrew
So how do we think these teams will fare at Div 1 and 2 Nationals? Feel free to tack on a power line too!
Alun P
Div 1 is hardcourt, so Huddersfield might not lose us another bid this time. #notbitter
Slender
My hot take is Huddersfield will lose us another Div 1 spot this year. Games like the one against luff tell me they get exposed by the higher level teams.
Alun P
Loughborough are likely to go a very long way this year. I have them 3rd-5th, Notts around 9th, Sheff similar, and Hudd near 14th.
Slender
Yeah, I agree with that. Just with Hudd roughly 6 places lower.
andrew
And power lines?
Alun P
Leeds to medal at D2, Trent about 12th.
Slender
Power line would be Sam Wilson, Helen Thompson, George Gayton, Monica Persson and Kat Cheng (Luff, Sheff, Nott, Nott, Nott).
Alun P
Disclaimer: saw basically no Loughborough games so I don't know who did what for them. Also because what I did see, you might as well just pick a fully Haze team. My Loughborough-free power squad is:
Monica Persson (Notts), Kat Rowland (Leeds), Helen Thompson (Sheff), Elly White (Hudd), Joel Miller (Notts), Slender (Sheff), George Gayton (Notts) and me (#backyourself)
andrew
Looks good to me! Thanks you two for participating.
hazard
Results:
1. Reading (Div 1 Q)
2. Surrey (Div 1 Q)
3. Oxford 1 (Div 1 Q, Spirit)
--
4. Brighton 1 (Div 2 Q)
5. Sussex (Div 2 Q)
--
6. Oxford 2
7. Chichester
8. Portsmouth 1
9. Kent
10. Oxford 3
11. Portsmouth 2
12. Brighton 2
hazard
Welcome to the South East. And welcome to two new writers: Kathryn Powlay and Desmond “Tatenda” Mombo - what do you think was the big headline(s) of the tournament?
Tatenda
For me, It would be Reading Winning, Brighton Finishing above Sussex but both Teams Qualifying, and Oxford 2 finishing above some other 1st teams in the region.
hazard
It’s been a while since we’ve qualified our second team, but it was nice to see them make the game-to-go again. 😀 I think Sussex should do well with the spot, especially after they earned us another Div 1 spot at Nationals due to their performance last year.
Kathryn
For me it was a very well spirited tournament. I’ve never played so many matches where all calls were discussed so calmly, even in the higher stakes games. Plus Oxford calling their own fouls, regardless that it would work against them was lovely to see!
hazard
And there were certainly some high stakes games. A close fought Reading vs Surrey final and a very close fought Reading vs Oxford semi-final probably the standouts. What did we think of Reading finally managing to claim a Mixed title? (They lost in sudden death to Oxford last year)
Tatenda
It was a thoroughly enjoyable game to watch, I think they've done well to develop returning players from last to be able to deal with the turnover that happens every year and still establish themselves at the top of the region, and then to progress and do better than the year before is something everyone wants to achieve but is often easier said than done so kudos to them!
hazard
They also had a couple players out (Ryan Coones and Ben Peppiatt) who should make them even stronger come Nationals, although Sam Benians and Sina Rahmani stepped up well. And Charlotte Marriott is using that “still technically a student” time at the end of her Ph.D very well - she’s noticeably dominant on field for the team.
With that said, they have a high-risk game which is very fun to watch, but throws up some inconsistency in results. Notably a loss against Brighton in pool stages.
So, I’m going to turn in a very biased manner to what I think might be one of the main stories - Oxford failing to make the mixed final for the first time in five years (the entire time with the regions in their current state). What were your opinions on the Oxford side this weekend?
Tatenda
In the 3 v 4 game to go, they seemed to take care of Brighton quite comfortably (9 - 5). Oxford are always one of the most spirited teams in the region, and that trend continued with them having a score of 14 when the scores were being announced. Having said all of that, it was weird to not see them in the final.
hazard
If we were doing swiss draw, one sudden death loss and winning every other game by at least 4 would have put us top #justsayin #allhailthealgorithm. With that said, I’m going to give a small shout out to the team. We actually only had one returner from last year’s team on the Saturday (and one more on the Sunday) - the rest were all new from last year. So seeing the chemistry we had was really encouraging. Just wait until we’ve been in term for more than three weeks.
Tatenda
I was also impressed with how Oxford were able to field 3 teams - the most in the region.
hazard
We didn’t actually get a chance to play Surrey in a 2 vs 3. Saying that, picking up Alice Brealy from Reading and Jonah Varney from Warwick has sudden given a lot of depth to a team that had to grow from not even being able to field a team last year.
I sadly didn’t get to see the final, but Surrey seemed to have fairly decent disc skills across the team and ripped through Brighton’s zone fairly well in the semi-final. With that said, Brighton seemed a lot stronger this year. They ended day 1 with wins against Surrey and Reading, and then just collapsed a little on Sunday. Sussex (the other Div 2 qualifier) seemed to have the opposite - recovering from a loss vs Chichester on Day 1 to qualify the hard way on the Sunday.
Tatenda
Surrey put up a valiant effort, and particularly noticed Camilla Spearing's impact on the pitch, especially on the defensive end.
hazard
Any thoughts on the Sussex/Brighton teams and how they'll fare in Div. 2?
Tatenda
I think it's notable that Brighton beat Reading 11 - 8 in the Pool stages and also went undefeated in the Pool stages, I think they're glad to have qualified after not qualifying in the past few years, but they certainly had the ability to make it to Div 1.
hazard
Any idea what went wrong?
Tatenda
I think they just didn't play well in the semi-final against Surrey and then dropped their heads and keeled over, the score was 7-3, the least amount of points they put up all weekend.
hazard
Any thoughts on Sussex then? Could/Should they have finished above Brighton?
Kathryn
Sussex seemed to have a more mixed day on the Saturday, losing against Chichester but winning by a mile in other games. It felt like they came back on the Sunday a team that had learnt what works for them and used it to make them stronger.
Tatenda
Sussex are relatively content with how they did. They did have notable absences from Will Seth (playing in his 5th year) and Dom Burnham, but that allowed other guys in the club to step up and was almost like an acid test for them, which they passed. Having Charlie Butt who stands at 6'5ft is also nigh on cheating indoors.
hazard
Being blunt, Sussex seems like they would have played a bit better against us had they actually played a bit more mixed. I know they were going through a bit of a growth period with their women’s team last year, but I think they would have pushed us closer if they had used their full team potential this year. Especially because we have a 6'6ft guy, so it’s nice when indoors isn’t just a game of talls.
Let’s look at the other teams to finish. Chichester and Portsmouth have both played Div. 1 in recent years, but seem to be rebuilding a bit now. Let’s have any thoughts on them, or any other team.
Kathryn
Portsmouth are currently focusing on development, we lost the vast majority of our experienced players over the summer and it is showing, but things are looking positive in my opinion. I have to say I’m proud that we managed to get a second team together because in the past we haven’t had enough girls.
hazard
Emma Rowledge as a GB junior isn’t a bad pick-up either.
Kathryn
We are very lucky she choose Portsmouth!
hazard
I wonder what/who convinced her…
For real though, you used her as an iso shot very well.
Kathryn
Her brother, Will, was a key member of the team a few years ago and you can see his influence in her playing for sublime (going as far as to give her his old kit).
hazard
I’m sure we’ll see more of her (and the Portsmouth beginners team that won SICKO) as the season goes on.
Also, Chichester seem to be doing fairly well. They did get a win over Sussex, which bodes well for them for future years.
A small note - I was super happy with OW! 2 coming 6th and OW! 3 coming 10th, I think they did very well. But I should sadly note that the region is smaller than previous years (12 teams vs 14) and it’s never really been huge. It’s a core group of unis turning up each year, but hopefully some of the smaller uni teams will be able to get teams out for some of the other divisions. With that said, well done Brighton/Portsmouth for also fielding second teams.
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Ok. Anyone with any predictions for how the teams will do at Nationals/any other thoughts?
Tatenda
I think there’s quite a lot of parity in the region, but I'm not sure how this will manifest at Nationals. I'm going to say that all 3 teams going to Div 1 finish in the 8 - 15 spots, and I think that Brighton and Sussex will both do well at Div 2 with both finishing in the top 8.
hazard
All Star team (4 men, 4 women)
Women: Charlotte Marriott (Reading), Cam Spearing (Surrey), Emma Rowledge (Portsmouth), Phili Kent (Oxford)
Men: Sam Benians (Reading), Jonah Varney (Surrey), Ricardo Fungairiño (Brighton), Andrew Bunting (Oxford)
andrew
And now here’s Oscar ‘Rush’ Nolan giving his insights into how things went up in Scotland.
Div 1
Aberdeen 1
Glasgow 1
Strathclyde 1
St Andrews 1
Edinburgh 1
Div 2
Heriot-Watt 1
Dundee 1
andrew
Okay, let’s get cracking. Right off the bat, Aberdeen take the region?
Rush
Aberdeen had an excellent tournament. They have obviously prepared well for the weekend and done the necessary work on their iso plays in training sessions. It helps when you have one of the best women in Britain in the form of Ellie Taylor but tbh they all played a great game.
andrew
I see Glasgow took them to universe in the final. How likely are we to see an Aberdeen vs. Glasgow rematch in the Div 1 Nationals final?
Rush
Very likely, although Aberdeen have that X-factor about them. The Glasgow offence were excellent. They just couldn’t convert when Aberdeen turned. Although they were struggling on occasions, it was a very competent all around performance.
I’ll say it now: I see Aberdeen, Glasgow and Strath doing the 1,2,3 at UXIN.
andrew
Overall how do the qualifying teams look? We can quibble about exactly where each team should have finished, but I’m not really seeing anything unexpected.
But then I am American. Uneducated in the ways of the Scots.
Rush
All of the those teams have a pedigree in mixed ultimate. You see those names, St Andrews, Strathclyde, Glasgow, Aberdeen and Edinburgh and you think of some excellent players in the past. Excellent teams who know what it takes to perform well at mixed nationals
in terms of a team by team basis.
I forsee trouble for Edinburgh this year. They had a tough Mixed Indoor Regionals and they struggled to make div 1. The team lacked the expertise and star power from last year with many ex-players having moved on from university.
Glasgow have always been a good mixed team, look for them to play through their women more often at mixed nationals than we have seen in the past.
St Andrews have a very strong male core which might have carried them to a qualifying spot at mixed nationals this season but their women played well against Edinburgh so they can definitely hold their own.
Aberdeen are an all around unit. Excellent men with excellent women. The women really led the way for them at this year's Scottish Mixed Indoor Regionals. They showed up in a big way in the final and I predict great things from then in the near at hand future at indoors.
Strathclyde are still the same excellent team they have always been. They've only lost one or two players from graduations so expect to see a very similar line up from previous nationals. Strong men and women throwing each other open and dominating the field.
Good to see Heriot and Dundee at UXIN this year. Dundee played an excellent weekend, I was very impressed. I think Heriot will struggle for women but they should be able to make do for Nationals.
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Aberdeen come out as winers in ScUXIR (aka Scottish Mixed Nationals)
Photo: Daniel McElderry |
andrew
I’ve been trying to mention spirit once or twice in these chats, but Scotland’s seemed very run of the mill standard stuff. Anything to note there?
Rush
I think I spied all the St Andrews teams down in the bottom half of the table. They will be very disappointed with that and I'm sure their coach will be having firm words with them over spirit at nationals. Otherwise it was a pretty bog standard day at the office for Scotland, we're not a badly spirited set of teams, we can be a little bit contact happy but I suppose we're just used to it up here.
andrew
Although there is contact between regions, they are insulated from each other to a certain degree, especially the 2nd and 3rd teams. Different spirit ecosystems develop.
Spirit, uh, finds a way.
Alright so let’s charge forward with predictions. You’ve already mentioned you’re expecting a top 3 Scotland finish at Nationals, where’s everyone else in the region placing?
Rush
I forsee a top 3 for sure from Scotland. I see Strathclyde working themselves into the 5v6 bracket but I fear Edinburgh will struggle. I see them sliding down to 9v10 placing area. I know they probably won't like me saying it but they feed off encouragement.
andrew
Rush here giving a lot of tough love to Edinburgh. How about in Div 2?
Rush
Sometimes it's good for the soul, they didn't quite come out firing this weekend so they'll be back with a vengeance for nationals
I see Heriot placing somewhere in the top 8, exactly where I couldn't tell you because they can be a mixed bag, they occasionally are on fire and occasionally just don't turn up. I see Dundee sliding in just below that probably around the 9v10 area.
andrew
So a far cry from Scotland winning the division last year?
Rush
We shall see, I've often been proved wrong before but I wouldn't say my mixed predictions are always accurate. I forsee Scotland bossing Div 1 but unsure as to how Div 2 will go.
andrew
I have never made an accurate prediction, so no worries there.
Would you like to design a power line/team?
Rush
Eleanor Taylor (Aberdeen), Hayley Dalmon (Strathclyde), Beth Hall (Dundee), Joel Terry (Glasgow) and Dan McElderry (Aberdeen). Yes a women dominant line, Scotland's women are fierce, I need only to point you to the Black Eagles performance at Nationals and Worlds. All down to their women.
andrew
Quite a few people have constructed female dominant lines! It’s been good to see
Since that was a little short, so you have any final thoughts or something you want to discuss?
Rush
Just a bit about the location for mixed indoor nationals. It's like an 8 hour drive away for the Scottish teams. Absolute pain... But I suppose the counter argument is "why are we having Mixed Outdoor Nationals in St Andrews?". Just tough to travel between the locations I guess. The Scottish teams are probably gonna a coach together and travel as a unit so look for us to be a force to be reckoned with coming to a nationals near you!
Also shout outs to Eleanor Taylor and Joel Terry for their spicy play from this year's ScUXIR final. Two of the best players in Scotland right now I would argue.
andrew
Yeah, why ARE we having mixed nationals at St Andrews?? 😂 Okay and with that, Scotland is wrapped up. Thanks for taking the time to chat!
And lastly, here’s me, Andrew ‘andrew’ Eck bringing up the rear to give you the details on West Midlands and Wales.
Div 1
Bangor 1
Birmingham 1
Div 2
Warwick 1
Cardiff 1
Warwick 2
andrew
Thanks for being here, Andrew.
Oh, happy to lend a hand, Andrew.
Clackers
Alright so, let’s talk about the teams that qualified. I know Swansea just missed out on a Div 2 spot. And is Bangor is a surprising winner for this region?
Rush
You could say that's very similar to Aberdeen, a surprise winner in Scotland.
andrew
Haha, yeah, we lost to pretty much every team going. Bangor really deserved the win. They looked unstoppable, even in universe point situations, I really felt like they had the game in hand. They defeated Birmingham in power pools to take 1st, then beat them in universe in the final, then when there was a tournament format mix up they beat them AGAIN.
Sort of, anyway. They basically just played a couple of extra points.
Clackers
How do you mean?
andrew
There was some confusion about what to do if the score was tied at the buzzer. I think somehow they thought they had to finish the point and then it was cap +1? It was all very confusing, but it didn’t affect the result.
Birmingham absolutely deserved the other Div 1 slot. Their graduations and pickups roughly balanced out, and their reset play was incredibly hard to stop.
Warwick 1, no surprise there, the called 3 women a lot and punished teams with a guy/girl skill disparity. Ditto Cardiff. Watch out for these two at Women’s regionals. I was especially impressed with the women on Cardiff 2, so there’s some depth there.
As for Warwick 2... Swansea kind of collapsed mentally after suffering three defeats, especially in universe against Cardiff, but the Warwick guy contingent is quite deep, lot of talent there.
Clackers
Any big names to speak of in the region?
andrew
Dom Knight for Bangor is pretty threatening everywhere on the pitch, and Hannah Yorwerth of Warwick stood out to me! Swansea have picked up a GB dude in Ryan Kapma, his shoulders probably hurt from carrying our offence. He’s here for three years so he’ll be around.
Clackers
So Bangor won the tournament but came last in Spirit, the same was also true of Reading, I believe. I also notice that four Welsh teams make up the bottom four. Any thoughts on this?
andrew
Well sure, good teams often play close, competitive matches with other teams that really want to win, so sometimes spirit suffers as a result, some of it is sure to be sour grapes from teams who just lost. That said, Bangor have a bit of a reputation for especially fouls and there are some hotheads on the team so it’s something to work on for Nationals!
As for the Welsh lack of spirit, I’m not sure! I guess I would say that it’s unusual, but that no one would bat an eye if it was an English bottom 4, I think. So we’ll see. I’ll be looking at Nats spirit scores to see if there’s a trend.
Clackers
Alright, well how do you think everyone will do at Nationals?
andrew
Bangor is hard to quantify, but I think top 4 is in reach for them if they play their hearts out. Their offence is so explosive, it’s hard to deal with if you don’t have height and speed. UBu will be just below that. Top 8 seems right. I’ll be very surprised to see either of them lower. In Div 2, Warwick could clean up, since they’re often a Div 1 team. I’ll back them for the bottom half of top 8, just under that for Cardiff, and I’m sorry to say it, but probably bottom 4 for Warwick 2.
Clackers
Want to put together a power line?
andrew
No thanks!
Clackers
Sure thing, Andrew, thanks for being here.
andrew
And with that we’re done! Good chat everyone, thanks for participating!
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