Newcastle (Staffs) Volleyball Club

Men 1 match reports

2010-11 season

Pos Team P W L Sets

Pts F A

C Birmingham 16 14 2 44 19 44

P Newcastle Staffs 16 12 4 40 17 40

3 Cambridge 16 10 6 37 30 36

4 London Lynx 2 16 9 7 35 30 34

5 SGTV Solent 1 16 7 9 26 37 30

6 London Knights LSVC 16 7 9 27 35 29*

7 Richmond Volleyball 16 6 10 25 38 27*

R Leicester VC 16 4 12 27 38 24

R Wessex 16 3 13 27 44 22

Men’s National League Division 1 – final league table

Finishing 2nd in league, Newcastle (Staffs) faced London Lynx 1 in a play-off for the final place in the 2011-12 Super 8s. The match was played as a single fixture, at the home of the London team who won 3-0

National Cup

Round 1 – bye Round 2 – Harrogate (non-NVL) won 3-0 (h) Round 3 – Leeds Carnegie (Super 8) lost 3-0

NVL1 - Leicester (a) 25/9/10

'Castle Storm to Opening Day Victory Leicester 1 - 3 NSVC (12-25, 25-20, 15-25, 20-25) NSVC started their assault on promotion to the Super 8s with a solid 3-1 win away at perennial challengers in this division, Leicester. Rocked by the news that experienced passer-hitter Richard Guest required a scan and potential surgery on a knee injury NSVC travelled to the east midlands with a squad that's average age was just 22. The midweek pre-season finale 3-2 win at Super 8s side Warwick Riga had given the young team confidence, especially as two of last season's relegation squad - Andy Riding and Chris Anderson have defected to NSVC's midlands rivals. The first few points saw the teams trade side-outs and 'Castle appeared to find it a challenge to adjust to the pace of the game, but once the passing settled down the visitors grabbed the game by the scruff on the neck and took it to their hosts. Sam Allen was able to connect with both middles, and the new look passing unit including 17 year olds James Goodwin and Will Roberts (libero) alongsaide Dave Lovell were doing well. Stand-out in the first set though was Adam Bradbury who only began playing the sport in February 2009. Bradbury, a homegrown Potteries talent is a powerful opposite hitter and slots into the role vacated by Roman Neveykin who has departed for Sheffield in the Super 8s since joining the club as a 15 year old. 'Castle extended their lead, splitting the Leicester block regularly and took the first set emphatically 25-12. As the teams changed ends 'Castle knew they needed to keep the pressure on the hosts, but failed comprehensively to do so. The passing unit dropped its' intensity greatly, meaning Sam Allen struggled to produce hittable ball and Leicester increased in confidence, particularly through Davis in the opposite role. The 'Castle play became increasingly error strewn with Lovell, Goodwin and Bradbury all making hitting errors and they found themselves 16-7 down at the second technical timeout. Despite a strong second half of the set the game was levelled 1-1 with a 25-20 scoreline. Coach Craig Handford made two changes for the second set, introducing Roo Scott as setter and Rashad Ali to the middle. These changes, coupled with an increasing focus on block alignment and service pressure allowed NSVC to take the lead and stay there throughout. Roberts and Ali were dominant in the middle and Scott was able to split the block and change the pace of the game well, for 'Caslte to take the set 25-15. The fourth set saw trading of points early on, but again as time went on 'Castle were able to ease into a lead by squeezing the pressure at the crucial times. A 25-20 return in the 4th saw the visitors win the match 3-1 and with all 10 players seeing good amounts of court time all involved can feel well prepared for a week of training and next week's home match v Wessex at Keele. Squad: Rashad Ali, Sam Allen, Adam Bradbury, Falko Drijfhout, James Goodwin, Dave Lovell, Will Roberts (c), Will Roberts (libero), Roo Scott, Andy Saward. Coach - Craig Handford

NVL1 – Wessex (h) 2/10/10

Castle take home win NSVC 3 - 1 Wessex (23-25, 25-18, 25-14, 25-14) After watching their young ladies team take an emphatic 3-0 over Birmingham2, the 'Castle fans stayed on to watch the men's first team with a 50+ crowd at Keele University. Wessex arrived with the expected young squad of graduates from their excellent junior development programme over the past few years so this was to be a match between two teams made up primarily of young English talent. Castle coach Craig Handford started the match with his most experienced line-up just as he had against Leicester the previous week, but on this occassion his team got off to a sluggish start to say the least. Wessex were clearly really up for the battle and were rowdy on and off court, challenging the home team both with their impressive physical presence and their noise levels and aggressive attitude. Wessex dominated the first set and 'Castle failed to take advantage of the obvious advantage in the middle of the court, allowing the likes of Bobby Hudson to be a strong attacker for Wessex. Despite their dominance the southern team could not see Castle off though and nerves jangled as they held on to take the first set 25-23. At the change of ends Rashad Ali replaced Falko Drijfhout and the additional movement by the giant 18 year old helped to split the block and give more space to the Castle wing attackers. The experience Dave Lovell supported 17 year old James Goodwin and 19 year old Adam Bradbury in their task and the effectiveness of all three increased. 'Castle altered their service tactics to single out Seain Cook, which had a significant impact on his ability to provide the attacking outlet his team needed. Although Wessex hung in to the second technical time-out, 'Castle then accelerated to the end of the set to take it 25-18. The start of the third set saw the introduction of 17 year old setter Roo Scott for the 'veteran' 20 year old Sam Allen. Scott clearly had instructions to use the middle offence more and both Ali and Roberts benefitted from this - Ali bouncing the ball well up the back wall with a couple of spectacular attacks and Roberts using his speed and variation to find the gaps time and again. Such was the threat of Ali that on set point all three blockers went with him only for Scott to set Bradbury who powerfully drilled the ball at the ground in front of the Wessex libero to clinch the set convincingly 25-14. Credit to Wessex, they continued to fight hard throughout the fourth set, and this saw them prevent a single figures score as 'Castle's game again went up through the gears. The third 17 year old in the Castle line-up Will Roberts was dominating the serve receive and time and again his passes allowed Scott to feed Goodwin who was swinging high over the block - one of his most mature performances for the club. The set ended 25-14, a solid 3-1 win for 'Castle who now look forward to a double header weekend in London against Richmond and Lynx2. Squad: Rashad Ali, Sam Allen, Adam Bradbury, Falko Drijfhout, James Goodwin, Dave Lovell, Will Roberts (c), Will Roberts (libero), Roo Scott, Andy Saward. Coach - Craig Handford

NVL1 – Richmond (h) 9/10/10

Castle cruise to capital win Richmond 0 - 3 (19-25, 16-25, 17-25) After two wins to open the season, NSVC made its' first trip to the capital of the 2010-11 season. Not a traditionally happy hunting ground for the Staffordshire team, for this match 'Castle were missing experienced middle blocker Falko Drijfhout and without coach Craig Handford. Richmond had started the season well, also winning their first two matches before slipping up against London Lynx2 last week in an injury hit match. 18 year old Aykut Nafioglu stepped into the squad in the place for the first time after moving to Keele University for his studies. 'Castle started slowly, making a couple of errors and then being beaten by a powerful wing attack by Richmond to go 3-0 down, but this was quickly reversed as Dave Lovell picked out the Richmond libero for some targetting and 'Castle pushed into the lead, making it to 8 points first. For the second time this season the referees were unsure about the use of techincal timeouts, causing constonation amongst both squads. As the set went on 'Castle imposed themselves and their higher level of play told on Richmond, who had to rely on the excellent blocking of Kornilov and Scatigna-Gianfagna to keep 'Castle in check. The set went the way of the visitors 25-19. The second set started controversially with the referee giving a yellow card to 'Castle's Dave Lovell for over-reacting to a decision given about the ball hitting the floor on the 'Castle side of the net. This served only to give 'Castle a kick start in the set and they raced away with Rashad Ali becoming an increasingly big influence on the match. At 17-11 Roo Scott came on for Sam Allen and he jump served two aces immeidately to extend the lead. Andy Saward was also introduced and swung well in the opposite slot to win the set 25-16. For the third set 'Castle captain Will Roberts withdrew himself from the line-up to give Aykut Nafioglu his debut - leaving Dave Lovell on court with 6 teenagers! 'Castle were now playing with great freedom and Rashad Ali was a completely unstoppable force as Richmond's block disintegrated. Such was his influence that all the blockers went with him to give James Goodwin a free net - which he killed in style to go 19-14 up. 'Castle won the set 25-17 and the match 3-0. Richmond are clearly a club going places - boys and girls junior sessions prior to the NVL match, an impressive venue with a couple of hundred bleacher seats, sponsorships banners (though notably no Mikasa banner, buzzer or sub paddles), music and fantastic post match hospitality. Surely a club that should be heading to the Super 8s at some point in the future. 'Castle's fixtures continue tomorrow against Lynx 2 over in east London, a fourth win will see the young NSVC team go to the top of the table. Squad: Rashad Ali, Sam Allen, Adam Bradbury, James Goodwin, Dave Lovell, Aykut Nafioglu, Will Roberts (c), Will Roberts (libero), Roo Scott, Andy Saward

NVL1 – London Lynx 2 (a) – 10/10/10 ‘Castle’s Capital Double For the second time this weekend, Newcastle (Staffs) Men’s first team were in action in the capital, this time at Whitechapel in the heart of the east end to take on London Lynx 2. The team were in good heart after their excellent 3-0 win over Richmond the previous night and with coach Craig Handford available to lead the team they knew that they were in the best possible position to win and climb to the top of the table. Arriving at Whitechapel early, they were able to watch the Lynx first team take on Polonia in a London derby in the Super 8s, which served as good reminder of why they are so keen to bounce straight back into the top flight.

The first set started cautiously for ‘Castle as the teams traded points, both Dave Lovell and James Goodwin scoring early on and settling into their passing game. Lynx had a strong squad available including a couple of players that had been part of their first team squad last season and two England Juniors, and it was clear that they were up for the game – and why not, given that they had a 100% record and were top of the league they could have been said to be favourites for the match on home soil. As the set went on, ‘Castle continued to press the service pressure onto the Lynx libero who could not stand up to this onslaught, reducing Lynx’s ability to put together a controlled attack. From the second technical time-out ‘Castle extended their lead and were able to play very comfortably to win 25-17.

The second set saw much of the same from ‘Castle who were now well into their stride. The service pressure on the opposition libero intensified further and he was ultimately withdrawn from the court for an extended period as he was unable to provide his team with a solid passing platform. ‘Castle used this to their advantage, now piling the serve onto the wing hitters who had until that point been starved of the ball in the receive and were not tuned into their passing game. Such was ‘Castle’s dominance that not only were the middles Ali and Roberts becoming dominant, Bradbury was also able to puncture the hosts’ defence time and again. At 19-7 it looked as though the visitors might be able to win to single figures but as a number of changes were made to the line-up some of the energy and momentum was lost, though the set was won very convincingly 25-13.

Scott, Saward and Nafioglu all started the third set and whilst all three players performed well, the introduction of three new players to the line-up accompanied with some positional switches elsewhere proved too much for the young team to cope with against this opposition. The left hander Reeg, along with England juniors Karakoc and Dalrymple played key roles in the Lynx line-up and a string of unforced errors from ‘Castle saw Lynx go 19-13 ahead. With such a formidable lead the hosts were destined to take the set but ‘Castle dug deep and kills from Saward and Nafioglu brought them back into contention. Lynx’s confidence was rocking and ‘Castle sensed the opportunity to pick-pocket the set, however it was not quite to be as the home team took it 26-24.

The original starting line-up was restored to the court in an attempt to prevent the game going to five sets, but having held on to bring the game back to 2-1, Lynx were full of confidence and the game had changed significantly since the one-sided opening two sets. Despite the challenge and a difficult spell for the passers, ‘Castle saw off their opponents to win the set 25-23 and the match 3-1. The team is now 25% of the way through the NVL season and has a 100% record – following the national squads weekend the team return to action with consecutive home NVL1 matches against London Lynx and University of Birmingham on the 22nd and 29th October at Keele University. Squad: Rashad Ali, Sam Allen, Adam Bradbury, James Goodwin, Dave Lovell, Aykut Nafioglu, Will Roberts (c), Will Roberts (libero), Roo Scott, Andy Saward Coach –Craig Handford

NVL1 – London Lynx 2 (h) – 24/10/10 'Castle Cruise to Straight Sets Win NSVC 3 - 0 London Lynx(2) 25-19, 25-16, 25-16 For the second successive match the top two teams in NVL1 were going head to head as 'Castle took on London Lynx2 at Keele, and for the second time in a row the table toppers from North Staffordshire took a comfortable win. The home team's injury's worries went from bad to worse in the week as Roo Scott was ruled out of action with a back problem, joining Rich Guest and Sam Shenton on the treatment table. Despite this, a 10-man squad was fielded and the they warmed-up witht great confidence on their home court. The first set was very scrappy with limited quality from both sides, giving few highlights. Notably Sam Allen was able to use both middle players Rashad Ali and captain Will Roberts to split the block and give all the wing attackers, but particularly Adam Bradbury plenty of space to kill the ball. Lynx though, were not going to take in lying down and applied pressure on the hosts not by offering an attacking threat but by defending with real grit. 'Castle made six consecutive errors to fall four points behind, and Lynx's luck was really in as a powerful spike from Bradbury flew off the defender, over the net and the ball landed on the 'Castle side. Tough serving from Sam Allen at the end of the set proved too much for Lynx's passing unit, which looked fragile and 'Castle took the set 25-19 despite a poor performance. The hosts came out much stronger in the second set, again with Bradbury excelling. With 17 year old libero Will Roberts again showing his quality as a passer, Sam Allen fed Bradbury time and again, whether he was front or back court and the power hit repaid the compliment. This match may well prove to be a watershed in Bradbury's young career, as he showed he is now capable of attacking clinically from the back row with the power he shows in the front. Andy Saward was introduced for Dave Lovell and this reduced 'Castle's average age for the six players on court to just 18, and set was finished off with aplomb, 25-16. Coach Craig Handford changed his line-up in the third-set, giving Bradbury a run as passer-hitter, and Will Roberts as the opposite hitter. Both players seemed to enjoy the role, with Bradbury potentially showing where his future lies as he crushed the Lynx defence, and Roberts used the Lynx block well to score a number of points in the early period. Lynx's heads really started to go down and 'Castle ran away with the mid section, and the match ended with Ali killing the ball inside the 3m line and Roberts wiping off the block. Although 'Castle did not play at their best it is now five wins in a row for them in the league. Lynx's players commented on the post-match hospitality, hoping that they could have two away matches at Keele which was a generous comment - let's hope its' just the post-match hospitality that University of Birmingham enjoy next week and that 'Castle can make it six wins in the league. Squad: Rashad Ali, Sam Allen, Adam Bradbury, James Goodwin, Falko Drijfhout, Dave Lovell, Aykut Nafioglu, Will Roberts (c), Will Roberts (libero), Andy Saward Coach –Craig Handford

NVL1 – Birmingham (h) – 30/10/10 Dismal 'Castle slump to defeat NSVC 0 - 3 University of Birmingham 28-30, 22-25, 16-25 NSVC Men1 slipped to their first defeat of the season against a strong University of Birmingham team, in what had been anticipated to be a really tough match. The task was made tougher in a turbulent week for 'Castle with the availability of both Dave Lovell and Aykut Nafioglu only two hours before the match, Roo Scott passing a match-day fitness test, and Rashad Ali missing through illness to join Richard Guest and Sam Shenton on the injury list. However, nothing should be taken away from Birmingham who took two close sets and then used their confidence levels to power through the third. The match could not have started better for 'Castle as they raced ahead early on with good serving from Sam Allen, blocking from Adam Bradbury and a kill from Dave Lovell. Birmingham were feeling their way into the match, and following the prediction of coach Craig Handford neither team was able to string together runs of any more than three points - both were strong side-out units. 'Castle were struggling to use their middle players due to strong serving from the visitors, but Birmingham gifted Will Roberts consecutive kills with overpasses and this gave them the crucial advantage going into the final stages. At 24-23, 25-24, 26-25, 27-26 and 28-27 'Castle had set point, and they failed to take advantage time and again. Birmingham on the other hand were far more clinical and when 'Castle's Goodwin slipped up to gift them a set point they grabbed the chance with both hands to take it 30-28. The second set was again close and followed a similar pattern. Birmingham were piling on the pressure for libero Will Roberts who began to falter under the challenge. Across the course of the match he was forced to pass around 60% of all serves compared to just 20% each for Lovell and Goodwin. Neither Roo Scott or Sam Allen in the setting role were able to create the right opportunities from the passing that was coming in and to the disappointment of the 78 strong crowd 'Castle could not press home an advantage. The match was close and tense, and Birmingham's captain took this too far when verbally abusing the 'Castle girls who were on line judging duty and then giving the finger to his opponents through the net right in front of the referee. His yellow card gave 'Castle the advantage 20-19, but they could not finish the set off and lost out 25-22 in another painfully close battle. The third set however was a poor show from 'Castle whose young heads dropped as soon as it didn't look that they could break Birmingham's resistance. The visitors' three overseas wing attackers were now proving ultra reliable, especially the Slovakian opposite who exposed 'Castle's block. The visitors went 16-6 up and it looked like 'Castle would struggle to win another point, but when Sam Allen replaced Roo Scott the passing unit seemed to respond and for a glorious few minutes 'Castle were inspired, playing some great volleyball and allowing Adam Bradbury the freedom of the net to give some hope. But it was too little too late and the visitors took a deserved 3-0 win. Squad: Sam Allen, Chris Ashton, Adam Bradbury, James Goodwin, Falko Drijfhout, Dave Lovell, Aykut Nafioglu, Will Roberts (c), Will Roberts (libero), Andy Saward, Roo Scott Coach –Craig Handford

National Cup round 2 – Harrogate (h) 6/11/10 'Castle avoid Cup upset NSVC 3 - 0 Harrogate 25-15, 25-12, 25-11 This second round national cup tie saw 'Castle take on none-league Harrogate of the Yorkshire Premier League at Keele University. After last week's disappointing NVL1 defeat to Univ. Birmingham, 'Castle's young squad were determined to avoid a cup upset - Harrogate on the other hand were really up for the challenge and were looking to make the most of the trip. If 'Castle were looking to avoid an upset they didn't start like it, as the vistors sided out immediately and raced to a 4-0 lead. The home supporters were looking restless as Harrogate, led by former top flight player with Leeds - Graham Barker, played some aggressive attacking volleyball. Slowly but surely, 'Castle woke up and Dave Lovell spiked cross-court before embarking on a strong serving run to take the home team into a healthy lead. Kills through the middle of the net by Rashad Ali and Will Roberts extended the 'Castle lead and the home team were playing a lot more fluidly. Harrogate could not maintain their form and despite some fantastic defence, 'Castle took the set 25-15. Following the game plan significant changes were made to the 'Castle line-up for the second set as Sam Allen, Dave Lovell and Will Roberts all took to the bench where Lovell and Roberts would remain for the rest of the match. Andy Saward came into the team and passed solidly, allowing for setter Roo Scott to use power hitter Adam Bradbury regularly and he battered his way to a series of points in his normal uncompromising style. Falko Drijfhout was the only player on court out of his teenage years, and the team's elder statesman provided some uncompromising blocks to shut-out Harrogate. The set ended 25-12 after some sloppiness from 'Castle let the visitors out of single figures. The third set saw another changed line-up, with 'Castle changing to a two-setter system, shifting Adam Bradbury to pass and hit through the left side. To have two-setters capable of attacking as powerfully and potently as Roo Scott and Sam Allen is a real luxury and they both clearly enjoyed the opporttunity. Bradbury looked comfortable through the left side and Andy Saward memorably dispatched an overpass from Harrogate. The set and the match was finished with a powerful jump serve ace from Roo Scott to take it 25-11. 'Castle now face one of the top teams in the country - Leeds Carnegie, who this weekend lost out in the battle of Yorkshire against Sheffield at the top of the Super 8s. This is exactly the kind of test that 'Castle need to have if they are to reach their goal of promotion to the Super8s and the players look forward to the match on the 4th December in Leeds. Squad: Rashad Ali, Sam Allen, Adam Bradbury, James Goodwin, Falko Drijfhout, Dave Lovell, Will Roberts (c), Will Roberts (libero), Andy Saward, Roo Scott Coach – Will Roberts

NVL1 – Cambridge (a) – 20/11/10 Bradbury batters Cambridge Cambridge 1 - 3 NSVC 17-25, 33-35, 25-22, 16-25 In recent years Cambridge has been a venue that has given 'Castle no wins, so with the hosts having a 100% record prior to the match it was clear that this would be a great game to win. 'Castle welcomed Sam Shenton to the squad for the first time this season, having recovered from a long standing knee problem, which was great timing given the illness of Falko Drijfhout and absence of Rashad Ali for the second consecutive league match. The first set was a calm and solid performance from 'Castle, whose starting side provided all that was required to take it 25-17. It was in the mid-section of the set that the visitors took it, going from 13-11 up to 19-13 thanks to excellent distribution from Roo Scott who started for the first time this season over Sam Allen as setter. The second set was blighted by a string of officiating decisions that puzzled both teams with block touches, line calls, net touches and balls not judged to have hit the floor on both sides. in the early stages it was Cambridge, thanks largely to the attacking bravery of Luginsland who took the lead forcing 'Castle to call a time-out at 14-10 down. Coach Craig Handford introduced Andy Saward and Sam Allen to stem the tide and change the options but at 23-17 down it seemed that the set would be won by the hosts. But with 6 of the squad of 11 players having come through the 'Castle system as juniors, it was no surprise that the club's famous fighting spirit came through and in a flash through the serving of Dave Lovell they came back into it and closed to 23-21. There then followed a fantastic period of side-out volleyball which saw Cambridge fail to take set point no fewer than 10 times, then at the first attempt 'Castle snatched the set 35-33. This 31 minute set clearly had an impact on 'Castle whose passing dropped much to the frustration of freshly introduced setter Sam Allen. Cambridge's Hito was proving lively at the net and enjoyed hitting line and celebrating with great enthusiasm. The officiating continued to provide controversy and when Bradbury wiped off Hito for no decision to be made 'Castle captain Will Roberts queried the decision, with such apparent temerity that the referee immediately brandished the yellow card. This took the score to 17-12 and despite a strong push from 'Castle which saw the Cambridge nerves jangle the hosts closed out 25-22. The fourth set saw 'Castle show some real strength physically and mentally as the officiating continued to frustrate both sets of players and their coaches. The visitors opened a small lead early on and gradually increased this throughout the set. The passing unit were well settled and the jump serve of Hita no longer posed a threat - on the other hand 'Castle's Roo Scott started jump serving with real power and accuracy and this took the game from Cambridge. Backed up by some huge blocks from Adam Bradbury this serving gave 'Castle a massive advantage and they took the set convincingly 25-16 and the match 3-1. NSVC MVP: Adam Bradbury Squad: Sam Allen, Adam Bradbury, James Goodwin, Falko Drijfhout, Dave Lovell, Aykut Nafioglu, Will Roberts (c), Will Roberts (libero), Andy Saward, Roo Scott, Sam Shenton Coach –Craig Handford

NVL1 – SGTV Solent (a) – 27/11/10 Scott Serves up 'Castle win NSVC 3 - 0 SGTV Solent 25-15, 25-18, 25-21 'Castle went into this game looking to make it three wins in a row after the disappointing defeat to Birmingham at the end of last month. The 'big match night' at 'Castle's Keele University home drew in a large crowd with a total of 109 present on the night - it was a big shame that the UEA Norwich Ladies did not make the trip in the inclement weather conditions meaning that the 'Castle Ladies missed out on the atmosphere. 'Castle started with the same team as last week at Cambridge, with Roo Scott in the setting role and Aykut Nafioglu middle. Captain Will Roberts won the toss and immediately chose to serve - this meant the ball went into Scott's hands. He set out on an incredible series of serves to start the match, hammering ace after ace, when Solent managed to build an attack Bradbury shut it out with a huge block. Thanks to this start 'Castle went into the first technical time-out 8-2 up and never looked back. The Solent block was split apart time and again as 'Castle's players enjoyed the game visibly, and all attackers contributed well to a comfortable 25-15 first set win. In the Birmingham defeat the visitors has picked on 17 year old libero Will Roberts from the service line and gave him a torrid time. Solent adopted the same tactics - passer hitter Dave Lovell received only 5 serves, James Goodwin similar as Roberts took the brunt of the load. This time though he stood up strong and in the second set again built a great platform for his team. The early part of the set saw the teams trade side-outs as 'Castle relaxed too much from the first set, but when Scott returned to the line his serving again grew a significant lead for 'Castle. From that point coach Craig Handford rung the changes, replacing Will Roberts with Rashad Ali and Sam Allen for Adam Bradbury. This change gave Roo Scott the chance to swing and the star man made it count - powerfully burying the ball before being replaced himself by 16 year old opposite Sam Shenton. Now almost 2m tall and part of the National Academy, Shenton has been part of the club since was was 11 years old so his debut on court provided yet another success in the club's junior development programme. Ali crushed a Solent overpass just beyond the attack line and again 'Castle cruised home, 25-18 as Sam Allen provided the ammo to his attackers. The third set was a similar story for both teams with the well prepared Solent team trying to run clear attack tactics, set well by former England Junior Tom Robinson, but 'Castle having the upper hand. Debutant Shenton made a great kill late on and despite a slight stumble by the team allowing Solent the merest glimmer of hope, the win went to 'Castle 25-21, 3-0. After the match coach Handford commented on the strength of the squad performance by 'Castle with all 11 players having made a great contribution. The team should be at full strength next Saturday when they travel to joint leaders of the Super 8 Leeds Carnegie in the 3rd round of the Cup, and are definitely looking to surprise the high fliers. Squad: Rashad Ali, Sam Allen, Adam Bradbury, James Goodwin, Falko Drijfhout, Dave Lovell, Aykut Nafioglu, Will Roberts (c), Will Roberts (libero), Roo Scott, Sam Shenton Coach –Craig Handford

National Cup round 3 – Leeds Carnegie (a) 4/12/10 'Castle out to big guns Leeds Carnegie 3 - 0 NSVC 25-15, 25-17, 25-23 'Castle travelled through the snow, ice and fog to West Yorkshire to take on the joint favourite for the first ever Super 8s title, Leeds Carnegie in the third round of the National Cup. On the back of improving performances in the NVL, 'Castle's young squad was looking forward to taking to the Carnegie line-up which trains together daily and has added real strength to the English league through largely imported players. The venue in Leeds is exactly the kind of arena that should host top flight volleyball and shows the investment that Carnegie has made in its programme, but on this occasion it was the dozen or so visiting 'Castle fans that made all of the noise with their banners and great support. Coach Craig Handford had a squad of 12 available for the match, but crucially power hitter Adam Bradbury was in no real shape to perform in such a crucial match - suffering from a chest infection. The hitting warm-up for Carnegie was impressive with the American middle Bryan Simmons hammering the ball with the power fitting a player who starred in the American Collegiate system. The first set saw 'Castle struggle to come to terms with the power and speed of their opponents, when playing in the top flight this is what is faced every week - but after relegation last year, this was a fresh challenge for the visitors. Bradbury was clearly struggling with illness and will not need reminding of his personal error count in the first set, which stood at 7 - only for him to then respond with a couple of great kills. The consistency of former Sheffield player Callum Green was Carnegie's real strength, allowing his team mates to really flourish, Herczeg in particular hitting some spectacular shots - memorably down the line over Bradbury and Ali before Scott could react. When they controlled the ball 'Castle looked good and both Lovell and Goodwin scored well, using the block intelligently but they could not do enough to challenge Leeds and went down 25-15. 'Castle immediately sided-out at the start of the second set, taking Roo Scott to the line. Last week he destroyed Solent with his jump serving and on this occasion he again got it right - bombing down two aces in a series of five serves, showing that he has the right stuff to take on the top teams in the country. It soon became clear that Bradbury's tank was empty, and he was replaced by Sam Allen as 'Castle switched to a two-setter system. The impact was instant as both Allen and then Scott with a thunderbolt spike making great kills. Leeds had to respond, and they did in good style to ease away from 'Castle despite the best efforts of Goodwin who had his best game in a 'Castle shirt - at 17 he is now starting to mature into an excellent passer-hitter. The 25-17 defeat left 'Castle disappointed but not beaten as they stayed upbeat for the third. For the third set Will Roberts was replaced by Aykut Nafioglu, meaning that 30 year old Dave Lovell dragged the average age of the side up to 20! Nafioglu made an instant impact, with both he and Rashad Ali being used by the tandem setters and getting more block touches. 'Castle stayed in touch with Carnegie throughout the set with some great side-out volleyball, the passing unit of Lovell, Roberts and Goodwin having adapted to the speed and intensity of serving and kept the team in touch into the 20s. With all time-outs used, Handford used 16 year old Sam Shenton and then captain Will Roberts as serving subs - both applied pressure on their opponents to take a point on serve, but yet another kill from the ever reliable Green won the match for the hosts 25-23 as 'Castle couldn't quite take it to a fourth set. After the match 'Castle had to reflect positively. The three 17 year olds in their line-up - Roo Scott, James Goodwin and Will Roberts had all excelled, and Sam Allen and Roo Scott had performed very well as a two setter system. The team looks forward to the trip to Peckham next weekend to take on London Knights in NVL1. Squad: Rashad Ali, Sam Allen, Adam Bradbury, James Goodwin, Falko Drijfhout, Dave Lovell, Aykut Nafioglu, Will Roberts (c), Will Roberts (libero), Andy Saward, Roo Scott, Sam Shenton Coach –Craig Handford

NVL1 – London Knights (a) – 11/12/10 Capital gains for 'Castle London Knights 0 - 3 NSVC 20-25, 15-25, 20-25 'Castle made light work of their third NVL 1 away match in London for the season with a solid 3-0 win over London Knights. With this season's star man, Adam Bradbury missing due to illness joined on the unavailable list by fellow 19 year old Aykut Nafioglu 'Castle were down to 10 men available. Earlier this season Knights' home game versus title challengers University of Birmingham had been conceded by the home team due to the unsuitability of their venue, so when 'Castle arrived to see non-regulation (and hazardous) equipment and no linespeople the visitors were roundly unimpressed. The players got on with it and settled quickly into their game, utilising a two setter system due to Bradbury's absense. From the off 'Castle were able to pull the Knight's block apart when the ball was under control and both Dave Lovell and James Goodwin could swing and kill the ball comfortably past a one man block. Knights were no mugs, and Maranhao in particular was able to wipe off the 'Castle block to score points as the visitors chased the ball rather than be satisfied to take away the space. At the second technical time-out 'Castle were 16-11 up, and increased service pressure extended this to 19-13 before a loss on concentration by the visitors allowed Knights to close back to 19-16. 'Castle regained their grip on the game and closed the set out 25-20. With coach Craig Handford unavailable, Will Roberts was overseeing proceedings and he stuck to the same starting line-up for the second set, just rotating himself and the other middle blocker Rashad Ali. This paid dividends as both blocked well in the early period of the set as 'Castle again got the upper hand early on, but such was their comfort in performance they failed to really push on and at the second technical time-out the score was again 16-11. There followed another period of side-outs and Roberts withdrew himself for Drijfhout at 19-14. The tall Dutchman made an instant impact, blocking well and pouncing on an overpass and forcing the hosts into a timeout at 21-14 down. Some great defence from 'Castle kept the next rally alive and a magnificent block from Roo Scott made it 22-14. James Goodwin killed the ball impressively to then by replaced by Andy Saward, and 'Castle finished the set 25-15 winners having totally dominated the second half of the set. The third set saw Drijfhout and Saward retain their places on court and 16 year old Sam Shenton come on in the opposite slot to replace Sam Allen. Shenton could not have started better, roof blocking Maranhao. The flow of 'Castle's play became a little disjointed due to the changes enforced by Roberts, but he kept faith with the line-up until the mid-point in the set, when Sam Allen was re-introduced for Shenton to ensure three front court attackers for 'Castle at all times. Despite a more disjointed set, the team did an effective job and incresaed the pressure on their opponents at the right time to take the set away, and it ended on an ace from Lovell which hit the net tape, and dropped just over the net. Quite a poetic end to a match that had begun with the standard of the posts and net having been called into question by the visitors and the referees. With University of Birmingham winning on the day, both teams have just one defeat going into Christmas, and are well set for a title shoot-out in 2011. 'Castle return to action on the 22nd January, but before then Rashad Ali and Roo Scott are in action for the England Development Sqaud versus Scotland seniors next weekend and in early January no fewer than six 'Castle players including Scott, Goodwin and Shenton go to Latvia with England Juniors to play in the European Junior Championships.

Squad: Rashad Ali, Sam Allen, James Goodwin, Falko Drijfhout, Dave Lovell, Will Roberts (c), Will Roberts (libero), Andy Saward, Roo Scott, Sam Shenton

NVL1 – Leicester (h) – 22/1/11 Happy New Year for 'Castle NSVC 3 - 0 Leicester 25-19, 25-16, 25-19 Playing at their normal training venue of Madeley High School due to the exams at Keele University, the 'Caste Men's first team finished a long day of volleyball with an excellent win over Leicester. Having watched the under 18 boys 'A' and 'B' teams, and then the ladies in action the men were determined to maintain pressure on title rivals Birmingham with a 3-0 win. Having carefully selected a squad of 12 from the current training group of 18 players, coach Craig Handford was disappointed to lose 17 year olds Roo Scott and Michal Hawiar after their exertions for the u18s earlier the day. 'Castle started with great energy, with middle blockers Will Roberts and Aykut Nafioglu enjoying the opportunity to work the width of the net to disrupt the Leicester block. Initially Leicester stood up to the task with a couple of excellent blocks, but as the set went on setter Sam Allen was able to split their first point of defence all too easily, giving Bradbury and Goodwin in particular great chance to attack. As the set went on 'Castle's rose to the challenge perfectly and eased away to a 25-19 win. If the team was going to take a win for granted Leicester provided the perfect anecdote by racing to a 5-0 lead. Gradually 'Castle wore the lead down and consecutive serving runs by Roberts, Allen and Lovell took the team into the lead by the second technical timeout. 'Castle were able to switch around the line-up with Drijfhout and Saward both coming onto the court, Saward killing an excellent back row attack and Drijfhout finishing the set by pouncing on an overapass. In set three 'Castle started with Saward and Goodwin in the passer hitter roles, with Falko Drijfhout starting in Nafioglu's place. As always, Saward performed well and showed his great value to the side coming in off the bench and immediately settling into the rhythm of the game. Soon enough Will Roberts was replaced by debutant, 1.96m tall 16 year old Stewart Ross who began playing volleyball for the club three years ago and has made rapid progress. Ross and Drijfhout provided additional height in the block and 'Castle continued to play with great comfort. Bradbury was the vital cog in the wheel and he continued to pummel the Leicester defence, and then frustrate them by tipping just over the block as the prepared to defend another powerhouse spike. Such was the strength of the Allen-Bradbury connection in this game that it was a great shame that the match ended on a service error from Leicester. For 'Castle the 3-0 was just what was required, with Birmingham knowing that they need to match this scoreline in their game in hand. Next week 'Castle travel to Wessex in Poole, with Scott, Shenton and Ali all expected to rejoin the squad. Squad: Sam Allen, Adam Bradbury, James Goodwin, Falko Drijfhout, Dave Lovell, Aykut Nafioglu, Will Roberts (c), Will Roberts (libero), Stewart Ross, Andy Saward Coach: Craig Handford

NVL1 – Wessex (a) – 29/1/11 Lovell Stars Against Former Club Wessex 0 - 3 NSVC 14-25, 19-25, 20-25 Dave Lovell may now be in his eight season with 'Castle but he started his volleyball career at another of England's most successful clubs for developing young players: Wessex. On his first competitive return to the Poole based club since leaving for university back in 1999 Lovell played a starring role amongst his young team mates and inspired 'Castle to another 3-0 win on the road. With Craig Handford unavailable due to a Volleyball England meeting with the CEV in London, junior boys coach and team captain Will Roberts took on the role of coach - leaving teenage middle blockers Ali and Nafioglu to play the full match. Sam Allen kept his place as setter after playing the full match against Leicester the previous week and he led the team on court - and after a slow start the quickly got into their stride to lead 7-2. Ali was jumping high and on time, drawing the Wessex middle blocker time and again and leaving wing hitters Goodwin, Lovell and Bradbury plenty space. This coupled with weak blocking from Wessex setter Batt and too much of a line shot being offered to Bradbury by the blockers on his side of court allowed 'Castle to build a comfortable lead. Scott was introduced for Allen at 20-11 and Shenton for Lovell at 21-12 - this left a team on court with an average age of 17 and a half! The youngsters extended the lead by a further couple of points to win 25-14. Scott stayed on court for the start of the second set, but instead of the team taking their momentum forward they inexplicably pressed self-destruct for a few points allowing Wessex to sense an opportunity. Steady play from Lovell drew 'Castle back into contention and somehow they battled back from 6-2 down to 9-8 ahead following the first technical time-out. Goodwin found some form, beginning to attack more smartly and with Bradbury still given the freedom of the line shot to batter spikes at the Wessex libero 'Castle built their lead to a comfortable 25-19 win. Andy Saward was introduced for James Goodwin at the end of the second set and quickly settled into action in the third, again exploiting the Wessex block with expertly drilled line shots to score five points in the set. Although a less emphatic set score, the performance remained steady and comfortable for 'Castle. Bradbury was withdrawn and replaced by Allen as 'Castle switched to the two-setter system at 11-8. When Wessex closed the gap to 21-19 Bradbury was reintroduced and helped the team finish the match off 3-0 as they took it 25-20. Squad: Rashad Ali, Sam Allen, Adam Bradbury, James Goodwin, Dave Lovell, Aykut Nafioglu, Will Roberts (c), Will Roberts (libero), Andy Saward, Roo Scott, Sam Shenton

NVL1 – Richmond (h) – 19/2/11 Error strewn 'Castle put promotion in doubt NSVC 0 - 3 Richmond 23-25, 24-26, 23-25 'Castle's hopes of automatic promotion back to the top flight of English Volleyball were dealt a severe blow at Keele University by mid-table sice Richmond in a scrappy match of little quality, except for the match winning performance from the Londoners' opposite player. Set 1 started ominously for 'Castle with a jump serve error from Roo Scott, a mistake that characterised the night's performance. Neither side established any rhythm, but a string of three errors by the home side allowed Richmond to get a four point led - a hitting error from Bradbury followed by him playing at a ball that was sailing out, and then Scott failing to connect with Ali. Dave Lovell brought 'Castle back into it with a great kill before making a hitting error and then a mistake in service receive. With Richmond's main passer-hitter and opposite both hitting hard cross-court Richmond were creating their own chances but despite their positive play and 'Castle's errors it stayed close. Bradbury killed powerfully to save set point, but in a long rally Scott set Bradbury too quick through the right side giving him no chance to kill, Richmond picked up and played a roll shot just over the block which Goodwin somehow retrieved but 'Castle couldn't scramble it over and went 1-0 down. Roberts replaced Drijfhout at the start of the second set, but the team again failed to start well depsite the presence of its' captain. The team looked nervous and lacking in confidence both in attack and defence - with Goodwin tipping and rolling shots, and Saward and Roberts getting in each other's way in block-defence. After the first ten rallies or so 'Castle managed to compose themselves but took another knock when referee Parsons adjudged Bradbury's wipe off the Richmond block to have come off the net when video replays clearly showed the contact on the inside hand of the blocker. 'Castle clung on in the set thanks to improved blocking on Richmond's key men, and went into the 20s level pegging with Richmond. In a rally, setter Scott had a swing to take 'Castle clear but buried the ball into the middle of the net. The 17 year old setter then immediately made up for it by lining up his block well for Roberts to claim his third kill block of the set to give 'Castle a 24-23 lead. Scott then inexplicably served wide to even the game up at 24-24. 'Castle passed well but after failing to kill first time round, adventurously used Roberts on a short hit behind the setter and the ball was hit just out. Richmond served for the set and found the gap between libero Saward and Lovell to take it 26-24. Sam Allen took over in the setting role for the third set, and his added aggression and competitive attitude immediately boosted the team's appearance on court. The errors and lack of confidence remained evident, with Bradbury, such a key player throughout the season blazing the ball out cross-court. Allen had been instructed to use the middle where Ali and Roberts had the upper hand, and both middle men won numerous points in the set, but errors across the team meant the set stayed tight. After a long rally Allen roofed blocked Richmond's star passer-hitter, only for him to get his revenge next point drilling the ball past Saward with a powerful spike to bring up match point. Goodwin passed excellently for Allen to release Ali yet again, the blocker got a good hand on the ball and then paddled it over into the heart of the court to win the match for the visitors. After the match coach Craig Handford commented, "too many players took tonight's performance for granted and by failing to prepare effectively they didn't bring their 'A' game. As a young team we just cannot afford to do that." The team was dealt another blow to hear that for second match in a row, promotion rivals University of Birmingham had scraped a 3-2 win and now must be favourites for promotion. Squad: Rashad Ali, Sam Allen, Adam Bradbury, Falko Drijfhout, James Goodwin, Dave Lovell, Akyut Nafioglu, Iain McKellar, Will Roberts (c), Andy Saward (libero), Rupert Scott, Sam Shenton Coach: Craig Handford

NVL1 – Birmingham (a) – 2/3/11 Blood, Sweat and Tears as ‘Castle’s Promotion Hopes Fade University of Birmingham 3-2 Newcastle (Staffs) 25-20, 19-25, 25-18, 16-25, 15-7 'Castle's aims of automatic promotion back into the top flight of English volleyball took a bitter blow last night as the slipped to a midweek five set defeat against title rivals Birmingham for the second time this season. In a high qualifty and entertaining match the visitors were never quite able to put together a consistent performance, however the emergence of further young players, serve as a positive. For Birmingham, this win alll but seals the title, and with the Bulgarian Nikolov, supported by their Slovakian setter and Englishman Carl Butcher they have a player who can be a real match winner in the Super 8s. The match was played midweek due to an error in the Volleyball England fixture calendar, but both teams seemend happy enough with that was they got prepared for the showdown. The majority of the first set was made up of both sides trading side-outs and nobody really grabbing the match with both hands. Nikolov and Butcher were Birmingham's key threat and they were both exceptional throughout the set, killing almost everything they were given as 'Castle struggled with their blocking. The visitors hung in there until the crucial twenties, but then fell away as Birmingham went 1-0 up. The home side roared into action in the second set and took a 7-2 lead that really put the pressure onto 'Castle's young side. They responded superbly, all players focussing in on their roles to play a stunning spell of block and defence to wrestle the lead back. The teams exhanged the lead a couple more times before the end of the set before 'Castle took advantage of a small lead, and ended up levelling the game relatively comfortably. This continual swinging of momentum persisted in the third set, and each side was feeling the tension with Birmingham's Slovakian captain making continued trips to the referees' stand to protest their cause. 'Castle coach Craig Handford has been flipping the double substitution of Shenton and Scott for Allen and Bradbury and the two 17 year olds were repaying his faith with some great blocking and impetus added to 'Castle. At 2m tall Shenton is quite a barrier at the net and Birmingham's Grant clearly did not fancy taking this on, nullifying his attacking threat. The third set was 'Castle's chance to grab hold of the game but they did not quite manage to do so and Birmingham took a 2-1 lead. 'Castle were determined and in the third set Handford went with the young guns, keeping only captain Will Roberts on court as the non-teenager! With Bradbury through four and Shenton opposite Scott, 'Castle appeared to have a common belief and cohesion on court that they had struggled to find throughout the match. Shenton, only recently 17, was playing a blinder and with him in the front line along with the formidable Ali and Bradbury 'Castle had a big blocking line-up. Birmingham capitulated and when their captain received a yellow card it was clear they were shaking, the previously unstoppable Butcher was making errors and 'Castle swept on to take the set comfortably and level the game at 2-2. The fifth set of a volleyball match is always something of a shoot-out and this was no different. There were probably three key moments in the set. At 3-3 Nikolov sprung into action after a quiet 30 minutes, to hit sharp cross-court full into the face of 17 year old passer hitter Goodwin, leaving him with a nose bleed and clearly shaken. Then, at 6-6 Shenton was removed when in the back line to try to give 'Castle more options at the net but this supposed powerplay was undone by a horrific spell of passing that saw the match slip from their grasp. Scott swung through four at 9-6, the ball landed in but the line judge gave out and the referee who had previously overruled a number of decisions pleaded that he could not see and ruled in favour of Birmingham. The Birmingham players' response on court that 'Castle had had a number of decisions in their favour was perhaps the clearest admission that the ball had in fact landed in. So instead of 7-9 down, it was 10-6 and Birmingham pressed home the advantage to win in 5 sets and effectively claim the title. The disappointment for 'Castle was clear for all to see but the players must pick themselves up and prepare for their next match on the 26th March against Cambridge who they must now beat to secure a play-off place. Squad: Rashad Ali, Sam Allen, Adam Bradbury, Falko Drijfhout, James Goodwin, Dave Lovell, Iain McKellar, Aykut Nafioglu, Will Roberts (c), Will Roberts (libero), Roo Scott, Sam Shenton Coach: Craig Handford

NVL1 – Cambridge (h) – 26/3/11 Play-off battle tightens as 'Castle slump to third straight loss Newcastle (Staffs) 2 - 3 Cambridge 25-23, 19-25, 25-19, 19-25, 21-23 Both 'Castle and Cambridge went into this match knowing that it was a crucial one in the battle for the promotion play-off place. Interestingly, Volleyball England had appointed a University of Birmingham player to be the second referee in this match - surely one of the only times in sport that a player from a rival team who could benefit from a specific result has been given a crucial officiating role. Although Cambridge travelled light, they crucially had all of the their key players, including recent signing and former 'Castle player Sam Booth. 'Castle were missing Allen, Ali and Nafioglu but were able to welcome back Saward after a month out injured, and started with 16 year Iain McKellar in the middle. McKellar made an explosive start with three powerful kills in the first set, which 'Castle came from behind to take 25-23. Sets 2, 3 and 4 followed a similar pattern as niether team was able to really grab the game with both hands and the sides traded sets. For 'Castle, Lovell was clearly struggling with a shoulder injury that saw him withdrawn in the third set, leaving a very young team on court with captain Roberts. 2-1 up and with the teams level as they entered the final third of the fourth set, 'Castle had the opportunity to take the match, but silly hitting errors from Goodwin and Bradbury allowed Cambridge to suddently leap to a five point cushion and in the blink of an eye the game had gone into a fifth set. 'Castle started the fifth set with an average age of just 17.5, and at first the young guns looked nervous as Cambridge raced to a 5-1 lead, capitalising on tentative play from the hosts. Slowly but surely though, the 'Castle lads started to fight their way back into contention with some great high hitting from Shenton, Goodwin and Bradbury. However, three consecutive 'Castle players served errors as the nerves cranked up, and the teams stayed close. At 7-6 down Scott rose to whip down yet another great second touch attack, but after having been given free-reign all game the referee surprisingly blew his whistle to call a fault and award the point to Cambridge who then led 8-6 at the turn. 'Castle fought back again and the young wing hitters were really coming into their own and holding their nerve, coming back from a couple of match points to tie things up at 14-14. There then followed a superb 10 minutes of volleyball where 'Castle's teenagers fought for their lives to stay in contention against their experienced opponents. Shenton and Goodwin in particular were doing a superb job, killing the ball time and again as 'Castle had to keep on siding out and Cambridge missed out on match point after match point. 'Castle managed to get themselves a swing for the match but Cambridge scrambled up some great defence to repel Goodwin's attack and tie things up again at 19-19. Then came real controversy to end the match as the Cambridge skipper went to the service line and drilled a low floating serve over the net, Goodwin ducked late to evade the ball and the first referee and both linespeople awarded the point to 'Castle. Then, inexplicably the second referee called a touch off Goodwin and the first official overruled his own decision and gave the game to Cambridge 23-21. The crowd and players were shocked by the decision, as it seemed were some of the Cambridge players who understandably started to celebrate a famous win and an excellent performance from their players.

The two teams now have identical records going into the last two matches, but 'Castle have the advtange in sets difference so know that two wins will take them into the play-offs for promotion.

Squad: Adam Bradbury, Falko Drijfhout, James Goodwin, Dave Lovell, Iain McKellar, Will Roberts (c), Will Roberts (libero), Stewart Ross, Andy Saward, Roo Scott, Sam Shenton Coach: Craig Handford

NVL1 – SGTV Solent (a) – 2/4/11 'Castle get back to winning ways SGTV Solent 0 - 3 Newcastle (Staffs) 15-25, 22-25, 15-25 When these sides last met in November 'Castle were flying high at the top of the NVL1 table and emphatically won 3-0, with the powerful jump serving of Roo Scott proving the downfall of the south coast side. This time 'Castle entered the match on the back of three straight defeats that has taken them from competing hard for the title to clinging on to a play-off chance for promotion to the Super 8s. With Drijfhout and Ross unavailable along with Ali, and Nafioglu recovering from a car accident the 'Castle squad to self-selected, and the experienced Dave Lovell took on the coaching role with Handford also unavailable. The match started well for the 'Castle youngsters with the teenage team playing some solid side-out volleyball and gradually easing into their service pressure. The six on court were made of up of a 16 year old, three 17 years olds, plus an 18 and 19 year old but the solid performance of these players belied their years. Bit by bit they applied the right pressure on their opponents to turn the screw and develop a good lead. Solent were unable to get a clean kill on the ball as 'Castle were getting touches on everythig, libero Will Roberts picking up all of the scraps around the block to always maintain pressure on Solent. 'Castle's wing attackers Shenton, Bradbury and Goodwin, all products of the club's junior development programme were excelling and with the Solent middle attackers commit blocking on McKellar and Roberts the team looked clinical. Allen, absent in the 23-21 fifth set defeat to Cambridge in the previous match entered the fray for Shenton and helped the team to finish off the set in good style 25-15. The starting period of the second set saw 'Castle's performance drop slightly, and only strong serving from Roberts drew the team from 7-5 down to lead 8-7 at the first technical time-out. In the mid-period of the set 'Castle then stepped their performance right up, particularly through their two youngest players, McKellar and Shenton who became a wall at the net that could not be passed by the Solent attackers. This period of tough blocking from 'Castle resulted in a 16-10 lead at the second technical time-out and it appeared the set was all but over. 'Castle however eased off and with Solent really going for their shots the scores closed, forcing Lovell to withdraw Saward and Allen who had been introduced onto court. The young team re-settled and some excellent transition hitting from Goodwin, whose performances go from strength to strength finished the set 25-22. Between sets Lovell called for the team to demand a 3-0 win of themselves and not allow standards to drop as they had done for a period in the previous set. 'Castle came out of the blocks looking to put maximum pressure on their opponents, especially from the service line. By the first technical time-out the scores remained close but yet again 'Castle pushed on in the second phase of the set to open a strong lead, allowing Lovell to shuffle his pack and introduce Allen for a two-setter system. Solent's performance began to slump, and they were kept in the set only through 'Castle's willingness to maintain the high risk serving strategy, which gave Solent a total of 9 points in the set through errors. Both Lovell and Saward played out the end of the set meaning that Lovell retained a proud record of always getting on court for 'Castle in all 150 or so appearances for the club. The set was won 25-15 and the match in 58 minutes, an emphatic return to form for the team 'Castle now prepare for their final NVL1 game of the season next Saturday at Keele knowing that a win will guarantee a play-off place against the 7th team in the Super 8s (London Lynx or London Docklands). Squad: Sam Allen, Adam Bradbury, James Goodwin, Dave Lovell, Iain McKellar, Will Roberts (c), Will Roberts (libero), Andy Saward, Roo Scott, Sam Shenton Coach: Dave Lovell

NVL1 – London Knights (h) – 9/4/11 'Castle finish regular season in style Newcastle (Staffs) 3 - 1 London Knights 25-18, 19-25, 25-13, 25-14 Victory in their previous match and Cambridge's defeat to Birmingham had secured 'Castle's promotion play-off place and the team were determined to go into that big match on the back of a couple of good wins. The main feature of the last few weeks of the season has been the emergence of more of 'Castle's youngsters as credible threats in senior volleyball and the starting line-up against London Knights reflected this with only libero Andy Saward (stepping in for the injured 18 year old Will Roberts) in his 20s. Indeed it is possible that this was the youngester ever team to step on court at this level of the domestic game with two 16 year olds, three 17 year olds, one 19 and one 20 year old! The middle combination of McKellar and Ross was brought into the action by setter Roo Scott right from the start and both players made impressive kills. Scott, McKellar and Bradbury were gunning excellent jump serves down on their opponents and 'Castle controlled the set throughout, leading 8-6 and 16-14 at the technical time-outs before accelerating to close out the set. The introduction of Sam Allen gave the team some extra bite and options, and good work from Goodwin through the wing made it 21-17, and the team closed the set out 25-18. Dave Lovell had again assumed coaching responsibilities in the absense of Craig Handford, and he stuck to the same side for the start of the second set. Unfortunatley the team started sluggishly and immediately handed the initiative for the set to the visitors who raced to a 5-1 lead that put 'Castle on the back foot for the entire set. By the technical time-out the team had clawed it back to be 8-5 and an excellent mid-section of the set saw 'Castle right back in contention at just 15-16 down. However the young side started to lose energy and London Knight's powerful, 'nothing to lose' style of attack paid dividends. 'Castle tried to sure things up by introducing the experienced trio of Roberts, Allen and Lovell but it was to no avail and the team went down 25-19 to square the match at 1-1. The team had an air of clamness around them as they prepared for the third set and Allen came in for Scott and Roberts replaced Ross. Shenton, Bradbury and Goodwin were having a field day through the wing when the pass was good, with their height and power just too much for Knights to contend with. 'Castle dominated the set from start to finish and grew their lead throughout from 8-3, 16-10 to 21-12. With Drijfhout introduced to the team for Roberts the block again came into play with 'Castle shutting out their opponents time and again. The set ended with a convincing 25-13 scoreline. The 'Castle pack was again shuffled in the fourth set with Bradbury and Shenton switching roles, giving Shenton the opportunity to pass, a role he fulfilled with 100% effectiveness according to the offical match stats. Knights had little resistance remaining in the tank and 'Castle effectively blew their opponents of court. Lovell utilised the full squad, and it was Drijfhout who finished the match off with an excellent serving run to win the set 25-14. 'Castle now wait the outcome of the final game of the Super 8s bottom half play-off between London Lynx and London Docklands to see who they will face in the play-off on the 7th or 8th May in London. The 'Castle players were frustrated to find that Birmingham has lost to Solent, giving great significance to their unexplained 3-0 home defeat to Richmond and controversial 3-2 loss to Cambridge where the match deciding result was given by the 2nd referee who is a registered player for Birmingham. If's and but's are irrelevant at this point of the season and the team must now focus on the play-off match to come. Squad: Sam Allen, Adam Bradbury, Falko Drijfhout, James Goodwin, Dave Lovell, Iain McKellar, Will Roberts (c), Stewart Ross, Andy Saward (libero), Roo Scott, Sam Shenton Coach: Dave Lovell