Men's NVL Firsts Vs. Chester & Ellesmere Port Eels
Sunday 29th October 2006
From the beginning of this game, we knew that Chester were similar in ability to Newcastle after watching them go 5 sets and just about edge out a win over Newcastle earlier in the day.
The University team were on top of their game and were confident for the fixture. The first set saw the University field their strongest line up and finished teh set quickly.
Top serving by Bertrand Olie (5 points) and Grant Huddleston (11 points) saw the University team go straight into a lead of 22-6. However, some quite comical errors and poor communication between players saw Chester claw some points back, until UoB finished it off 25-15. The second set line up was changed, allowing Varinder Mattri a much needed rest, and once UoB went 19-11 up, a further substitutions were made allowing rest for Bertrand Olie, Grant Huddleston, and Thegan Moodley. The University team went on to win the second set comfortably.
The third set was a battle, with UoB fielding a less experienced line up, but the experience of Thegan Moodley and Fred Olivo, along with the speed and power of Pete Melia, James Houston, and Ronald Koko, saw UoB gently edge out the win.
The results see the University of Birmingham continue their unbeaten season and now sit comfortably in second place with two games in hand on first place. With two German players set to sign, the squad will be even stronger.
Match Facts
Competition: EVA National League Division IIIN.
Played: Home.
Result: Won 3-0.
Set Scores: 25-15, 25-19, 25-23.