22 Apr 2024
Polonia and Palatinates headline winners at Cup Finals Weekend 2024
The best teams from across the country at their respective levels and age brackets went head to head in front of their supporters for the right to be crowned national champions.
Saturday saw six teams celebrating successes, with Team Sideout’s Women’s Cup final against close rivals Durham Palatinates a particular highlight.
The two teams had finished first and second respectively in the MAREE Women’s Super League which finished earlier this month and could well face each other again at the Super League Final 4 this coming weekend.
As expected, the two were closely matched, but after coming through a titanic first set to take it 28-26, Polonia went on to close out the match by winning the next two 25-20, 25-21 to avenge last year’s Cup Final defeat to the same opponents.
Sydney Busa was named as MVP for the Londoners, who will now be eyeing a seasonal double.
Day one also saw SQUAD win an exciting Men’s Shield Final against Wigan Seahawks.
The sides exchanged the first and second sets, before the London Premier League side edged a tight third set and went on to close out the match 3-1 (25-18, 22-25, 25-23, 25-18), as Remi Riteris was MVP.
Despite defeat, Seahawks have the chance to end their season on a high when travel to the Ashcombe Volleyball Centre on Saturday to contest a promotion place in the NVL play-offs.
The first match to be completed saw Leeds Gorse clinch a straight sets victory over The Boswells School (25-21, 25-14, 25-17) in the U16 Boys’ final, led by a captain’s performance from MVP Josh Cosgrove.
On court at the same time on the other side of the arena, the Sitting Volleyball final could have gone either way before Sitting Bucks, with MVP Kevin Tann to the fore, used all of their experience to see off the challenge of South Hants in four sets (25-20, 24-26, 25-22, 25-21) to make it a third consecutive national triumph.
The Women’s Shield final saw another London Premier League side run out winners as London Bears never looked back after taking the first set to win 25-20, 25-20, 25-15, with Danna Cheung as MVP.
The Boswells School also powered to a straight sets success, overcoming Richmond 25-21, 25-18, 25-11 in the U16 Girls’ final as MVP Duru Beyazit shone.
Sunday’s play was headlined by the Men’s Cup final, where last season’s league champions Durham continued their impressive recent form to beat Malory Eagles – but only just.
Two points divided the teams in three of the four sets, which ebbed and flowed throughout and saw a high level of skill and physical ability on show.
With MVP Brad Peters to the fore, The Palatinates forged two sets in front, but Malory came back strongly to take the third and looked like they might take it to five until the North East Club snatched the fourth set at the death to secure a 3-1 (25-23, 25-20, 23-25, 26-24) victory.
The two sides will meet again in the Final 4 this weekend, which is sure to be another cracking match.
The day began with the Boswells School repeating their success at U16 level by also beating Richmond in the U18 Girls’ final.
Alice Jagielska, who had already been a winner as part of the Polonia side the day before, was chosen as MVP in a 29-27, 25-23, 25-16 win that had fans on the edge of their seats, especially in the first two sets.
On the other court, Urmston Grammar showed exceptional poise to beat a strong Richmond side by a 25-18, 25-22, 25-22 scoreline.
The Mancunians’ Jed Roque led by example to be named MVP, ahead of joining the celebrations with his teammates.
Following on from the Men’s final, the curtain came down on the weekend with two more hugely entertaining Junior contests.
Richmond ensured they finished on a high after disappointment in other matches by proving too strong for Newcastle Staffs and running out 25-21, 25-21, 25-17 victors in the U18 Boys’ final, with the help of Romario Stambolliu’s MVP performance.
And the final match to finish saw Leeds Gorse bookend the weekend with victories when they won the U15 Girls’ final to go with the success of their U16 Boys at the start of day one.
Perfection Uwagboe led from the front with an MVP display that helped the West Yorkshire side to a 3-1 success over Richmond (25-22, 17-25, 25-22, 25-21).
“Initial feedback on what I felt was a great weekend of volleyball has been very positive, with some hugely-entertaining matches, a high standard of play and passionate and vocal support in the stands,” said Volleyball England’s Chief Executive Officer Charlie Ford.
“We have worked hard to make what is one of our showpiece occasions an enjoyable and welcoming experience, not just for the players, coaches, officials and volunteers, but those that come to watch as well, via the fan zone, merchandise stalls, including partners MAAREE, and a range of food outlets.
“Alongside the Volleyball, a number of other important activities also took place with a Board Meeting, heritage project meeing and the Annual Awards presentations – for which it was great to see the winners being applauded out on court – presentations to the NVL winners and heritage project discussions.
“I would like to thank everyone who has been involved in making the event the success it was – particularly those who have volunteered their own time to make things run so smoothly.”
For people not able to attend in person, a much-improved livestream service provided a valuable alternative.
With upgraded live streams, two cameras were used on Court 1, to enable close-ups and action replays, while all matches had two commentators calling the shots of every play. The streams can be viewed here.
A team of social media content creators, photographers and a videographer also ensured those online could enjoy a plethora of coverage via the hashtag #CUPFINALS24.
Pictures by Nathaniel Macrae and Richard Beales. Edited by Daisy Macrae.
More Cup Finals content is available across social media channels Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and TikTok.
Buy tickets for next weekend Final 4 matches at the NVC.
