MISSING IN ACTION .. KRUSHALOT , WHERE ARE THEY NOW ?!

Coaver lawn was bathed in sunshine thoughout the weekend as around 300 players took part in the this years Exeter Festival of volleyball.

The weekend was a sell-out yet again, with Fun 4's, Coaver Open and the evening party all full to brimming, despite increasing the capacity by squeezing in a few more teams.

Teams travelled from far and wide to join in the fun, but it was KRUSHALOT who emerged triumphant in Saturdays FUN 4's handicapped event and took home volleyballs, pump and the illustrious silverware.

This was their first ever tournament but they were able to sweep through the pools to make it to the cup. Despite stiff opposition they managed to overcome Nice Cupboard, Lionheart B and Motley Crew in the Cup pools to earn a place in the final against Panthers 1 from Leicester. Panthers got there by seeing off Cup contenders ECPC, Once were warthogs and the Fab four.

The final was an excellent match-up with both teams playing well and tied at 28-28 as the final whistle went. Krushalot won it in overtime thanks to a brace of crushing spikes, but Panthers deserve a lot of credit for making this a great match. Krushalot were so enthused by the win that they refused to leave the court for a shower, food or presentations … it is rumoured that they stayed on court and practiced all night long (and may still be out there now) …

All of the remaining teams fought it out for their pools and the triumphant teams took away a variety of sought-after prizes. The winners were Marky Mark (Southampton), Moley Timbolis (Stroud), Scared hitless(Wimbledon), Burnetts sexy speedos, Flying Muppets (Stroud), Hare bare bunch, La maison Blanc, Shambles and Safe sets (Wimbledon). Panthers 3 were the highest placed junior team.

Party goers were entertained in the evening by Glam Rock stars DIAMONDOGZ, and awards were presented to winners and runners up in the 2003-4 Exeter & District Leagues. Individual awards went to Senad Hadzidedic (Div 1 player), Drew Rawson (Div 2 player), Jacqui Hashim & Tom Mammola (Div 3 players), Cecile Roussel & Sam Garner (Ladies players) and Jamie Hanratty & Paul Dowling (Junior players). Referees awards went to Julia Chiverton, Tony Dowling, Graham Wood, Pete Stotherd and Mike Halse. Awards were presented by Pete Notman on behalf of the Association.

Sundays Coaver Open saw 60+ teams competing on Coaver lawn despite the ravages of the previous nights party.

In the morning pools Bristol Volleyball Club, Yeovil Woods, Exeter Heat, Krushalot and Priory maintained unbeaten records to make it through to the Coaver Cup. They were joined by Once were warthogs, Torexe Breezers and Lionhearts A to complete the 8 cup finalists.

In Cup pool A Krushalot and Bristol were tied on 5 points each. Bristol made it to the final by virtue of scoring 1 more match point than Krushalot, the narrowest of margins ! Yeovil were third in the pool.

In Cup Pool B it was even tighter with three of the four teams tied on 4 points, all three losing one match. In the end Priory made it to the final with 2 more match points than Lionheart B, and with Exeter heat close behind.

WIN FOR DENMARK !?

The final saw two very good sides evenly matched and playing some top quality volleyball. BRISTOL VBC won it 29-24, quite a feat considering that they were not even entered in the tournament until the Friday before the event. They are now the Denmark of volleyball, gaining entry at the expense of Blackbrook who were forced to pull out at the last minute !

In the Plate Wonford Betablockers beat the DB's from Stroud 26-17, after seeing off WVC Vikings in the quarter finals and WVC Wanderers in the semis. DB's route to the final included victories over Lionhearts B and Zymurgy.

In the Bowl event Nutters beat Yeovil 25-23. There route to the final saw them overcome Come in Moscow in the semis, whilst Yeovil were able to see off Wimbledon B.

In the Juniors Kings Batty Boys won the Under 18's, with South West Pumas winning the Under 16's event. This was no mean feat given the number of teams entered and they did it after beating SW Cougars in the semi finals. The other losing semi finalists were SW tigers. Losing quarter finalists were SW Jags and SW Lions, clearly a strong contingent from the SW squad.

The Under 14's final was an all Panthers event with Panthers C beating fellow team mates Panthers D in a closely contested final. Panthers C were able to maintain there 100% win rate throughout the event.

The Under 12's event was won by local team Kings Stars with Triple X taking runners up spot.

DIAMONDOGZ PLUS SUPPORT

Congratulations to the successful teams and thanks to all those who came and participated, to the band of helpers who set up and cleared away, particularly to Neil Williams and Julia Chiverton, without whom the event would not have been the success it was. Also thanks to all the party goers, especially those party animals from Stroud who got everybody raving to the Dogz, and to Lisa for her solo party peice on the tamborine !