Men's Regional 2 Vs. David Lloyd
Sunday 19th October 2008
UBVC Men’s West Midlands began the season in fine form on Sunday 19th October 2008, beating the David Lloyd Club 3-1 at home. The Birmingham team was a veritable blend of new and old members, and employed a rotational system, devised by tactician Joe Ng, which allowed each player to focus on his strengths.
Birmingham began the match confidently with big-hitters Howard Hoare, Damian Wabisch and John Howard causing many problems for the opposition. Most of Birmingham’s points came from the consistency of their play, which in turn, forced the David Lloyd team to take risks and make mistakes. The home side comfortably won the first and second sets (25-15) and (25-19), thanks, in part, to versatile star Kevin Yuan’s eye-catching performance.
After cruising to a two-set lead, Birmingham’s concentration and unity was tested when David Lloyd finally appeared to find some confidence and form. Birmingham began to make too many unforced errors, particularly in service, and David Lloyd managed claim the third set (25-23).
Birmingham continued the nervous performance of their third set, into the fourth, and soon found themselves 10-5 down. Eventually, they managed to rekindle some of the flair that they had shown earlier in the match and edged to a victory (25-20), which could have been far more comprehensive, but was an important result nonetheless.
Judging purely from this match, the omens for the season are good; however, there remain several aspects of the Birmingham game which still require attention and improvement. Ultimately, the team have now set a strong precedent and must look to maintain this form.
Match Facts
Competition: WMVA Men's Division 3.
Played: Home.
Result: Won 3-1.
Set Scores: 25-15, 25-19, 23-25, 25-20.