Success at the National Korfball Championships

Southampton University Club (Spartans) travelled to UEA the weekend of the 9th-10th March to compete in the BUCS National Korfball Championships.

Spartans had qualified as the second seeded team in the South, despite being a brand new club, with many players only having started playing Korfball in October. Spartans travelled to Norwich as a relatively unknown team in this aspect, and many teams did not expect them as a threat, but they were determined to make their mark.

The team was made up of Alex Bell (C), David Creed, Ste Willows, Osian Nixon, Nikesh Patel, Georgie Booth, Kate Hotton, Chloe Watts, Seoul Weare, Danielle Barrett, Carla Tate and was coached by Terry Forde.

Spartans were drawn in a strong pool against Birmingham, Sheffield Hallam and Reading. Their first match of the tournament was against Sheffield Hallam, a team that has been consistently placed in the top 8 in Great Britain for the past four years. Spartans played a strong game, breaking down Hallam’s attack whilst playing a strong offense themselves, coming away with the victory, winning 5-2.

Spartans next game was against Birmingham, the toughest team in their group with a strong line of top 8 placings in past Nationals, including the 2009 title. Spartans showed Birmingham what they had and played a storming game against the experienced opposition, but unfortunately Birmingham came away with the win 5-2.

Spartans went into their last game of the pool against Reading, knowing they had to win to guarantee a top 8 placing. Spartans absolutely dominated Reading, winning 11-4. This meant that Southampton had qualified top 8 and were guaranteed BUCS points, an amazing feat in itself for a new team.

The final match of the Saturday was the quarter finals. Southampton were drawn against the host team, UEA. UEA are an extremely experienced side, with an England U21’s player in their team, and were the only team to beat Southampton at the Southern qualifiers. Spartans played a strong match, really testing UEA’s skills and stamina, but unfortunately it wasn’t enough and they lost 10-3. This meant that Spartans would go into the Sunday playing for 5th-8th, still an impressive achievement.

Sunday dawned and Spartans played their first match against Oxford. Spartans dominated and came away with a convincing 5-2 win, meaning their final match would be a fight for 5th or 6th place.

Spartans last match was drawn against Edinburgh. After a slow first half, Spartans kicked it up a notch in the second half and beat Edinburgh 5-2, placing them 5th overall in the tournament. This means that Southampton is now placed 5th in Great Britain, and has earned 14 BUCS points for the University. This was a completely unexpected result for the new team, and they have their eyes set on even higher placing next year.

If you’re interested in playing Korfball and possibly being a part of the continued growth and success of Southampton University Korfball Club, then check out their Facebook page ‘Southampton University Korfball Club’ or email [email protected]