Tchoukball Trounce The Opposition!

Match Report Courtesy Of Stuart James Blakemore

Vs. Fareham Green The first game of the day was against Fareham Green. Lacking in experience but definitely not in talent, with three of their team currently within the Team UK Men’s Performance Program, they were going to be a tough challenge. However, in the first period, through organised tactics and capitalising on the young team’s mistakes, the Stag’s crafted a 10 point lead by the end of the first third, with strong shooting by UoS Sport & Wellbeing Bursary Athlete and 2nd year PhD Stuart Blakemore and fantastic second line defensive athleticism by club president Louis Baldwin.

In the second period the Stag’s made some substitutions and focused on increasing the gap created in the first, but mistakes crept into the attacking phases and Fareham’s intensity in defence managed to close the score by the end of the second period, leaving for an exciting climax going into the final third. Both teams came out flying, with neither team managing to grasp more than a 2 point lead throughout the period. The attacking plays were flowing with strong defence from the Stag’s and Fareham, but with time running out the Southampton side were able to go 2 up in the closing minute of play. Although Fareham managed to claw one back, the Stag’s played sensibly and used all of their passes to run down the clock and win by a single point, 58-57.

Vs. Farnborough Jets The Stag’s second fixture of the day was against Farnborough Jets. Starting with a more inexperienced line up, the Stag’s set to business to maintain the positive start to the day. 2nd year student Balwant Singh impressed as he dazzled the Jets’ defence with his unique style of shooting, going into the first break with a healthy 8 point lead. In the second, lapses in concentration cost the Stag’s from increasing their lead, but Farnborough couldn’t claw their way back. In the final period vice-captain and UoS alumni Sam Scott rung in the changes to galvanise the team, which worked a treat as Southampton romped to a 16 point victory, 55-39.

Vs. Guildford Inferno The final match of the day was against possibly one of the toughest opponents in the region, Guildford Inferno. Formed of mainly Team UK internationals from all categories past and present and previous National Champions in the 2011-2012 season, the Stag’s knew they’d have to give a stellar performance to beat Inferno, the team the Stag’s narrowly beat by one point to make the National Championship Final just 5 months ago. The match started at an intense pace that caught out the Stag’s, with Team UK U18 player Mack Hofberg taking advantage of their “deer in headlights” defence. Guildford continued to capitalise on Southampton’s inability to score, ending the first period 6 points ahead.

The second period saw a change in tactics for the Stag’s, moving 4th year student Mishal Ahmed into front line defence and Stuart Blakemore over to left shooter, which amidst a strong motivational team talk in the break had a huge impact on the team, bringing back Inferno’s lead to within 1 point almost instantly after the restart. Strong shooting from 4th year Kamran Esmaelli from the right kept Guildford within arm’s reach, but still the Stag’s couldn’t take control of the contest, trailing by 3 points going into the final third. Points were being exchanged thick and fast in the last period, with neither team managing to get a grip on the other’s attacking plays. As the end drew near, the teams were neck and neck, with the strain of the day’s matches taking effect on the Stag’s. Undeterred, Southampton fought on to finally take the lead for the first time in the match with a couple of minutes remaining. Scoring to make it 61-60 with less than 30 seconds remaining, the pressure was on Guildford to score to try and make the teams share the spoils, but a fantastic catch by Louis Baldwin when it mattered meant that it was the Stag’s who would be victorious, the final score 61-60.

If you wish to join the Southampton Stag’s Tchoukball Club, their training sessions are on Wednesdays 20:30-22:00 and Saturdays 13:30-14:30 in the Old Sports Hall on Highfield Campus. A full introduction will be given to new interested individuals and no prior experience of tchoukball is required.

Interested in joining Southampton Stags Tchoukball Club? Find them on Facebook here.