The First Season

The end of spring sees the end of the City of Bristol Volleyball Club's first season. By many measures it was a very successful season for the young club.

NATIONAL VOLLEYBALL LEAGUE

The last matches of the National Volleyball League took place at the beginning of April. On the Men's side, Division 3 CBVC Men 2 managed to finish a rocky season with a couple of wins under their belt. Next season should see a large improvement as the squad prepares for another attempt at climbing the Division 3 table. Many hope that the squad's performance at this year's Southwest Championships (see below) is an indication of things to come.

CBVC Women 1 finished their season with a 3-1 record in March. The team's overall record of 11-9 should have placed them comfortably in the top half of the Division 3 table. Unfortunately, penalty points issued by the EVA for an administration error has meant that the team finished the season in 6th place. Coach Paul Locke comments:

"We believe that we are being penalised for something that was out of our control. However, while we are still in the process of disputing it, the EVA's decision should not take away from a very successful and enjoyable season. The women played very hard and are certainly looking forward to next season."

On the Men's side of Division 2, CBVC Men 1 had a resounding finish to the 2004-2005 season. Their 16-3 overall record saw them reach the quarterfinals in the EVA Prosport Knockout Cup as well as win the Division 2 title. The team was unbeaten in league play since the 30th of October when they lost a tough 5 set match to Guildford International. The penultimate match of the season saw CBVC Men 1 take their revenge on Guildford with a comfortable 3-1 victory. A shaky 5-set end-of-season match against Brentwood was a nervous one for coach Gary Burton:

"Brentwood played very well against us. We had to step up our play to take it to 5 sets. Although we were confident that we had promotion, we were relieved to end the season with a win."

The 3-2 victory meant that CBVC Men 1 finished the season at the top of the Division 2 table. They will join Loughborough Students in the 1st Division in September.

BRISTOL LOCAL LEAGUE

This year saw the resurrection of the Local Bristol League. CBVC celebrated another victory for the 2004-2005 season by winning the league title a few weeks ago.

SOUTHWEST CHAMPIONSHIPS 2005

Weymouth hosted this year's Southwest Championships on the 15th and 16th of May. CBVC made a huge impression by taking a first and second place finish on the men's side as well as a second place finish on the women's.

The two CBVC Men's teams battled it out for the gold medal in a 3-set nail-bitter. CBVC Men 1 narrowly grasped the win from CBVC Men 2, who led 8-3 at the change of ends in the third set. CBVC Women 1 lost a hard fought final match against a very strong Wessex. All three squads were tired at the end of the tournament but very pleased with the results.

Club Chairman Phil Gorton commented at the end of the tournament:

"The club's success at this year's Southwest Champs was a testament to what we have been trying to achieve as an organisation. It was a fantastic finish to a very successful first season for our club.

"Our strength comes from the conviction of our members and organisers. Without a number of key people doing the organising and planning we wouldn't be able to function as well as we did this season. We are now using this man-power to organise this summer's Whitefield Tournament."

The Whitefield Tournament, held in Bath and hosted by the City of Bristol Volleyball Club, is Great Britain's largest volleyball event. This year's tournament takes place on the 23rd and 24th of July. More details can be found at:

http://www.whitefieldvolleyball.co.uk/