Reports

This season

21-Apr-2008 Mixed Team Results

13-Apr-2008 Mens1 Champions, Men's 2 and Ladies Results

16-March-2008 Ladies Results

9-Mar-2008 Mixed Team Victories

17-Feb-2008 Ladies Results

11-Nov-2007 Mixed results for Mens 1, Mens 2 and Ladies

3-Nov-2007 Juniors excel at Melksham Grand Prix

28-Oct-2007 Newbury Ladies -v- Farnborough Devils -v- Basingstoke Chicks

21 Oct 2007 Newbury Mixed -v- Spikeopaths Mixed 1 -v- Spikeopaths Mixed 3

Previous seasons

21-Apr-2008 Mixed Team Results

Newbury's Mixed team travelled to Oxford for the last fixture of the season. The league had already been won by Spikeopath's 1 but Newbury could still snatch 2nd place from Oxford. 
The first match was against Spikeopath 2, who although behind us in the league, had been the only team Newbury had not beaten all season.  Spikeo's fielded only 5 players as they were a lady short but their men players  were looking strong. The first set started well for Newbury and half way through Newbury were 14-8 up, all of Newbury's player contributed well and the set finished out at 25-19 to Newbury. The 2nd set started badly for Newbury with a serve into the net and from there it went downhill. Even though the Captain managed 6 unanswered serves to put the team 2 points in front at one stage, Newbury never really got into its stride and the set was lost 25-19 to Spikeo's.  The final set was a rout by Spikeo's 15-6 and Newbury lost the match.

All was still not lost, Spikeo's proceeded to beat Oxford 2-1. This  meant that and if Newbury could beat Oxford in straight sets than we could still take 2nd place.
Unfortunately Newbury self destructed, with poor receiving on the serve, poor serving and too many unforced errors. We never looked like troubling Oxford at all and the set ran out 25-15 to Oxford. The second set was better and it was close right up to the end but Oxford pulled themselves together and took the set 25-23.

Team was
Chris Giltnane   Captain
Alex Lusby Taylor
Vuthea Tep
Sue Sayers
Magda Kowalska
Isabel MacDonald
Tina Arendholz

So not great end to the season but we still did well to come 3rd overall in the league. Considering that this year the team had  lost a some key players over the summer , we had some players yet to finish their first full year of playing volleyball and a new captain, it was a great team effort to be there at the end fighting for podium place.
After the match the captain awarded a bottle of wine to Tina as this was her last match for the mixed team, Magda for winning the most Player of Match's in the season and Isabel for being the most improved mixed team player of the season.

This was my first year as a captain for Newbury mixed and unfortunately my last as for personal reasons I am unable to make that level of commitment next season. So my thanks to all the Newbury players that have played in the mixed team this year, it has had its ups and downs but it has always been fun.

13-Apr-2008 Mans 2 and Ladies Lose Out

Mens 1 Champions

Newbury took on a very determined Oxford in the first match of the triangle.  Colin Underhay set intelligently to get the best out of his hitters, but they were unable to establish any superiority until Derek Wiggins came on to serve.  Good blocking from Antonio Codington and off-setter Rafael Ferro opened a four point gap, which Oxford were unable to close.  Newbury winning 25-18

In second set a desperate Oxford turned the tables getting off to the best of starts, to force Newbury to chase the game.  Despite some heavy kills from Ed Armishaw, Newbury were always a couple of points down and Oxford closed the set out 22-25.

In the third Jaro Michna was able to impose with his outside hitting.  However the set looked like going to the wire until Colin Underhay deployed a devious series of serves.  Oxford were never allowed to finish the point with some great rescues by Derek Wiggins and Rafael Ferro.  Antonio Codington eventually crushed the ball with an awesome backcourt spike to kill the game 15-12 to Newbury.

The win ensured that Newbury Volleyball Club won Berkshire Volleyball Association Men’s Division 1.  Maidenhead then beat showing why they managed to secure second place in the league beating Oxford.

In the final game the experienced Maidenhead side did enough to squeeze by a now more relaxed Newbury team winning 25-20, 18-25, and 15-9.  This was all to no avail, Newbury’s season long commitment produced a better record, giving them the title.

Newbury were the first club in the country to achieve Volley2, Volleyball England’s Clubmark.  They were named as Volleyball England, Club of the Year, and came second in the Central Council for Physical Recreation, Sports Club of the Year.  These awards were for their work in the community, where they bought volleyball to around 500 young people.

If winning the league and achieving these awards were not enough, Newbury were also then able to announce that they have been successful in their application to join the elite English clubs in the National Volleyball League.  “Volleyball is the third most played game in the world”, says Richard Cottle, club chairperson, ‘and we are happy to give as many young people as possible the chance to find out why the game is so hugely popular worldwide.  We are also looking for sponsors for next season, who will be glad to share our success’.

Mens 2

In Newbury’s first game of triangular fixture they took on Newbold Monarchs a largely Serbian team, who have taken the 2nd Division by storm having lost only five sets all season.  Newbury competed very well throughout with Karol Kowalski and Stuart McCulley being the main hitting outlets.  Accurate serving from Will Lockyear and Rob Mcmenamin kept the pressure on Newbold and they were unable to dominate until the final points, closing out the set 25-19.

It was much the same in the second set with Rob Scarr and Richard Cottle blocking at the net to continually frustrate Newbold, whilst frequently making their own kills.  However, Newbold always did enough to hold the lead and eventually win 25-18.  Newbold similarly disposed of Spikeos 2 in straight sets.

In the third game Newbury took on a Spikeos 2.  The first set was a dog fight with Newbury having the best of the early exchanges only for Spikeos to gradually reel them in.  Again good blocking from Newbury’s Richard Cottle and substitute middle James Berryman and excellent picking up from Karol Kowalski made Newbury hard to beat, but Spikeos went on to win 27-29.

The second set was a radical reversal.  Rob Mcmenamin caused maximum damage on the serve, ably abetted by Newbury’s best defensive display of the season.  Rob Scarr chipped in with seven points too, to grind out a humiliating 25-6 game.

The third set was much more closely contested as Spikeos got a grip of themselves.  Will Lockyear was rightly awarded player of the match for his heroic picking up.  Although tested, Newbury always maintained control, with excellent backcourt hitting from Karol Kowalski.  Newbury were able to claim the game 15-11 in the final set.

16-March-2008 Ladies Results

9-Mar-2008 Mixed Team Victories

Newbury Mixed had two matches on Sunday, and despite fielding what looked to be a weakened team with only two men players, those players gelled well and showed that a good team is more than just a group of individuals. 

The first match was against Maidenhead, who started the day one point ahead of Newbury in the table. Strong jump serving by Magda Kowalska got Newbury off to a good start, and consistent hitting from Isabel Macdonald ensured that Newbury were always ahead. Maidenhead were forced to call time-outs and tried to force their way back into the game, but captain Chris Giltnane ensured a Newbury win with some powerful hits from front and back court, the final score being 25-18. The second set started even better than the first, with Alex Lusby Taylor’s serving taking the score from 3-4 down to a 12-4 lead. Accurate wing hitting from Magda Kowalska and Tina Arendholz, enabled by some good sets from Sue Sayers, found the holes in the Maidenhead defence, and Newbury won the match comfortably, 25-18, 25-11. Player of the match was Magda Kowalska.

Their second game was against Farnborough Lions. Some great blocking by everyone on the team and consistently precise digging by the back row, particularly Tina Arendholz, ensured that Sue Sayers was always able to pick out the hitter she wanted, and a well spread attack, featuring some dangerous hitting from Chris Giltnane, left Farnborough not knowing where the next ball was going to come from. They introduced their strongest player who had started on the bench, but good blocking from Alex Lusby Taylor neutralized his threat. The score for the first set was 25-12. The second set continued in the same vein, with powerful jump serving by Alex Lusby Taylor, good digging by Isabel Macdonald and Magda Kowalska, and fine hitting from Chris Giltnane and Tina Arendholz ensuring another strong win for Newbury, the second set ending 25-14. Player of the match was Alex Lusby Taylor. 

These two wins left Newbury Mixed second in the league, with an outside chance to win the league

11-Nov-2007 Mixed results for Mens 1, Mens 2 and Ladies

The Newbury Ladies played in Aldershot on Nov 11th.  The day started off badly for Newbury, as two players were stuck in an accident on the M4, and three other were lost en-route.  So with only three players on-time, Newbury was forced to forfeit the first set against Reading.  The second set Newbury came out strong, and with some strong serving from Christine Milne and Kay Wallace, Newbury was able to take the set 25-17.  The third and deciding set saw Newbury off to a shaky start, with Reading up by 5 points early on.  After a motivating time-out, Newbury was able to even the score with some great hitting by Magda Kowalska and fantastic defensive work by the whole team, and went on to win the set 15-10.

The second match against Farnborough was another slow start for Newbury, making critical receive errors, and allowing Farnborough to get ahead by nine points early on.  After another motivating time-out, accurate serving by Leah Thompson and Tina Arendholz put Newbury back in the game.  Kay Wallace and Christine Milne had some great hits, allowing Newbury to get ahead of Farnborough and win the set 25-21.  The second set saw great play from both sides, and newcomers Amy Boyd and Isabel Macdonald played well from the outside and middle positions.  Despite some amazing defensive play from Tina, Newbury dropped the set 26-24.  The third and final set saw Newbury make a number of unforced errors, allowing Farnborough to gain a strong lead.  Despite a late substitution, and some strong offensive play from Magda, Newbury lost the set 15-7.  Player of the match was Leah Thompson.

Men’s Division 1 - Newbury 1 v Spikeopaths 1 and Maidenhead

Newbury Men’s Volleyball Club came up against two of the expected big teams in their triangular at the weekend.  In the first game, Newbury faced Spikeopaths 1, a Reading side fielding a National League player.  New boy Krzysztov Markowicz was fast out of blocks clubbing some heavy kills.  Colin Underhay picked out his attackers wisely, and Newbury were able to maintain constant pressure.  Even so the set was precariously balanced at 22-24 in Spikeopaths favour, when Andrew Lo came on to serve. He proved that it is the penetration of the serve that is vital, rather than the power.  With their opponents unable to develop a telling attack Newbury were allowed to steal the game 26-24.

This appeared to be psychologically damaging to the Reading team and Newbury were never in trouble in the second set.  Sixteen year old Karol Kowalski, lashed in some major outside attacks.  Once the defensive pressure eased Jaro Michna and Tomonori Ikeda began to score.  It was the variety of the attack that stretched a strong Spikeos team enabling Newbury to taken the second set 25 -21, and win the game.

Newbury came up against a full strength Maidenhead side fielding three National League players.  Andrew Lo and Jaro Michna lead the way in defence, returning some awesome power hits from Maidenhead.   There were a number of times too when Krzysztov Markovicz swept up the pieces when Maidenhead were ready to celebrate the point, and Newbury were able to build their own attack. Newbury were blocking well as a team at the net, frustrating their opponents.  With their serve pressurising the returns Newbury forced their way to a 25-23 win in the first set.

In the second set Maidenhead’s own blocking began to take its toll.  The athletic Tomonori Ikeda made several diving pick ups but Newbury were no longer able to give setter Colin Underhay to pick out his attackers.  However it was a bizarre incident that undermined Newbury’s efforts.  One player had to substitute off court to respond to a telephone medical emergency.  Veteran coach Richard Cottle had to replace him for sixteen crucial points. With Newbury’s rhythm disrupted Maidenhead were able to build an advantage.  When the substitution was reversed, after the incident was dealt with, Newbury lost no more ground.  However the deficit was too great, and Newbury lost 14 -25.

Maidenhead were roaring on all cylinders now and constantly repelled Newbury in the block.  However it was no the one sided battle that the score line might suggest.  In particular Karol Kowalski, rescued a number of points, when all seemed lost.  Again it was not the sort of ball to the setter that gave choices in Newbury’s attack so they were ground down 4–15 in the final set. However, Newbury can take a lot of pride in their battling spirit, and will cause other sides problems.  Maidenhead went on to beat Spikeos in the final very close game by 17-15 in the third set.

Men’s Division 2 Newbury 2 v Spikeopaths 2 and Newbold Monarchs

Newbury hosted a second division game at St Gabriel's School on Sunday.  In the first game of the triangular Spikeos lost out narrowly to Newbold College.  Newbury then took on Spikeopath 2, in a hugely entertaining game.  Solid setting bought the best out of the impressive Chris Whitehead, and he distributed his attacked to confuse the defence.  Alex Lusby-Taylor was giving nothing away at the back and did a fine job of picking up stray ball.  Mike Davis’ blocking cause Spikeos 2 problems and they were unable to score freely.  However Newbury only managed to win 25-22. This was reversed in the second set 23-25 when Newbury seemed to overhit and allowed Spikeos back into a game they should have sewn up. In the third set it was the nimble Rob Scarr with the damaging blocking.  Wojciech Bednarski now had time to feed ball to a busy Richard Cottle who was able to lash in some fine attacks.  Newbury were able to close out the set 15-7, to win 2-1.

The College team made up almost entirely from players from the Former Yugoslav Republics, will cause problems to any team at this level.  Although Newbury had the best of the early part of the set, they never dominated and pulled away.  Despite some heroic Newbury defence, Newbold’s massive outside attackers held sway, with even the court coverage that Chris Whitehead was able to offer was not quite enough. The second set was more of the same, Newbury originally ahead but the College never out of it. Newbury went down 19-25 and 20-25, but remain second in the division. In the end it was a triumph of youth over experience, the Newbold team being made up of students, while Newbury's team included three over-50's.

3-Nov-2007 Juniors excel at Melksham Grand Prix

Newbury Volleyball Club sent out another three teams for the second week running. This time it was the turn of the junior section to represent the Club. The teams travelled down to The Christie Miller Leisure centre in Melksham to take part in the Grand Prix Junior Tournament on Saturday 27 teams took part. The pools were made up of different age groups. Newbury entered the under 12 boys – Newbury Reds, the under 13 boys - Newbury DJ’s and the under 14 boys - Newbury Tags.

Newbury Reds team were made up from four players two aged 11 years and two only aged 9 years, and very new to volleyball. In this pool they played each team three times during the day. Their first game was against the Devizes Devils they got off to a good start winning the games 18-8. With plenty of encouragement and support from team Captain Oliver Craven Todd they continued their good fortune winning the next match against Melksham Maltesers 20-16. Newbury’s third opponents were against the strong Melksham Mini Monkeys who went on to win the match 21-11.

Results:

Newbury beat Devizes Devils 2 games to 1
Newbury drew against Melksham Maltesers both winning a game each then on equal points in the last match
Melksham Mini Monkeys beat Newbury Reds 2 games to 1.
Newbury Reds finished the competition in 2nd place
Team Oliver Craven Todd, Daniel Kowalska, Robert Scholey and Conor McMenamin

Newbury DJ’s played each team in their pool twice. They got off to a shaky start in the first match losing 14-21 to Melksham Minimunch but turned the score round when they met again winning 15-10.
The second match they stormed ahead beating Wessex 21-10 and again 16-11.
The third match they put up a good fight against the Young Guns but remained a few points behind throughout and losing 16-11. In the return duel Newbury upped their attacks and took the match 18-15.
The final team Priory monopolised the game forcing Newbury to make tactical errors and lose the match 22-10. But undaunted in their final game of the day Newbury pulled together with some very good court defence and narrowed their opponents lead losing by only 4 points to a very strong team. Newbury DJ’s finished in 2nd place
Team James Hill Jordan Ayres and Dave Godden.

Newbury Tags although an under 14 squad ended up playing against some slightly older teams. This was the first time they had all played together in competition. Newbury started well in their first game by beating Melksham 20-16. Their second match against an experienced team Wessex proved a real struggle leaving Newbury trailing 18-6. Newbury were unable to return the forcefull attacks from Wessex. The third match against Kings saw Newbury Tags reinforce their play with better digs and setting from the players enabling them to finish within one point of Kings lead of 14-13. They went on to play teams from Pool B and eventually finished in third place

Team Alex Whitehead, Tim Godden, Alasdair Lockyear and George Scholey

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28-Oct-2007 Newbury Ladies -v- Farnborough Devils -v- Basingstoke Chicks

The Newbury Ladies played a home game at St. Gabriel's in Newbury on October 28th, with matches against Farnborough and Basingstoke.  The first match was Basingstoke vs Farnborough, which Basingstoke fought hard to win 25-23, 25-23.  Man of the Match was K Power of Farnborough. 

The second match was Newbury vs Farnborough.  With three new players and a junior, Newbury fought hard but lost the first game 25-23.  The second game Newbury was much more focussed, and with some great serving from Magda Kowlska and Tina Arendholz, Newbury was able to win 25-23.  In the third and deciding game, Farnborough had some great serving, and Newbury was unable to respond, dropping the game 15-9, with the match going to Farnborough.  Man of the match was again K Power from Farnborough. 

The third match was between Newbury and Basingstoke.  Newbury came out very strong, with some unreceivable serving from Magda Kowalska and Aga Tubek, and some great hitting from junior Will Lockyear, and took the game 25-17.  Basingstoke then put up a good fight in the second game, with some targeted serving and hitting, but the strong Newbury serving, and well placed spikes from both front and backcourt were no match for them, and Newbury won the game 25-23, to take the set.  Man of the Match was Will Lockyear, who had some fantastic hits.

Special mention to our two beginners, Amy Boyd and Aga Tubek!

Newbury Ladies (and Will!): Leah Thompson, Sue Sayers, Magda Kowalska, Tina Arendholz, Aga Tubek, Amy Boyd, Will Lockyear

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21 Oct 2007 Newbury Mixed -v- Spikeopaths Mixed 1 -v- Spikeopaths Mixed 3

Sunday 21st saw last year’s Berkshire Volleyball Mixed team champions start the defence of their title. This year Chris Giltnane took over as the new team captain, coming back to the mixed team after a year off playing for the men's team. The team this year is mixed in more than just gender, with four nationalities and a age range from eighteen to over fifty.

The first match saw Newbury take on Spikoepath's 3, after losing an couple of early points Newbury was soon in a early lead 12-4 up thanks to Colin Underhay's accurate serving. Spikeopaths 3 never recovered from this and Newbury quickly closed out the set 25 - 15. The second set went much the same way as the first set but it was Vultha Tep's serving that did the damage this time. Consistent good setting from both Sue Sayers and Colin meant that all of team had a chance to score and Newbury closed the second set out 25 - 15. Final score 2-0 to Newbury. Magda Kowalski was named Player of the Match

The second match was against Spikeopaths 1 a much tougher team. Newbury made some unforced errors and Spikeopath's middle attack took advantage of this to go ahead 14 -7. Newbury dug deep and with Some accurate serving from Richard Cottle backed be some excellent attacking play from Magda Kowelski and Tina Arendholz on the outside took Newbury to a 24 -23 lead. The next couple of points were closely fought but Spikeopaths took the set 26 -24. The second set started with both teams swapping points, gradually Spikeopaths took the lead. Newbury called a timeout late in the set in an attempt to recompose themselves but the set drifted further away and even a late substitution bringing Chris Giltnane back on court, failed to stem the run of points. Spikeopaths took the set 25 - 19 and the match.

So a mixed start for the defending champions, 1 win 1 loss. There was some good things to take from the matches, the new rotations and set piece attacks worked well but lacked a some penetration. Serving was consistently in court but needed to stretch the receivers a bit more to be truly effective.

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