Nottingham 2006 - Tournament Report
After a relatively calm spell of tournaments in the Midlands, the re-launch of the Nottingham Volleyball Tournament kicked off with a bang. The day was introduced with blazing sun and a calm(?) breeze, as the teams entered the volleyball arena offered by the rugby club in Widmerpool.
Playing for the prizes of a volleyball and trophy, and with almost all the teams arriving on time, the tournament kicked off as scheduled. With timed games of 15 minutes each way in a two set game, the teams got stuck into some quality volleyball. As the morning progressed, the music was turned louder, only to be briefly interrupted by the foghorn, as if to turn the baking turkeys on the field over in the now blistering heat.
When lunch arrived, players sought shade and refreshments provided by the clubhouse. There were moans from the crowd as play resumed on courts, just before the England vs Paraguay world cup qualifier was due to start on TV. TV vs outdoor volleyball? The few stragglers fought their patriotism and made their way onto the courts – thank goodness the football match was poor.
An afternoon of volleyball ensued, as the teams were placed in their new groups and battled it out for a place in the finals. Fatigue hit the organising committee as scores flooded in, followed by a non-event as the bar announced that it had run out of water and could only serve beer. The final arrived, with the two teams (Melton VC and Yanks09) who had played consistently well throughout the day, competing for the grand prize. A great three set final followed, with Melton VC victorious at the end.
The tournament finished with a party in the clubhouse, led from the front by the Wildcats and their ‘chicken’ game.
My thanks goes to all the teams who competed, I hope you enjoyed the day and I hope to see you again next year.
Adam.
Stats: 1 tournament, 6 courts, 16 teams, 100 people, 1 organiser, 4 hours of game time, 1 winner, 1 good time.