U18 Super Series review - Staffs take first top spot as Richmond A return to the summit

Last season’s cup finalists in this age group had suffered, by their standards, a relatively disappointing time of it this 2024-25 campaign, fishing in third and fifth respectively in the first two events. 

But the Stoke-based side showed they had learned significant lessons from previous matches to take top spot and underline their ambitions to go one better than last season when they get to the end of this one. 

Castle’s campaign began with a confident with over Leeds Gorse Orange where they ran out 25-18, 26-24 winners. 

It was no surprise that winners of the two previous Super Series events, Richmond A negotiated their first match against newly-promoted Stockport easily enough with as 25-19, 25-13 victory. 

More of a surprise, however, was that November finalists, The Boswells School, were beaten 2-1 by Urmston Grammar A in their initial encounter as the North West side completed a 25-18, 23-25, 15-9 success. 

There was also a victory for the other Super Series newcomers, Willesden Titans, who were returning to the top level after relegation at the end of the first event. 

The London club were pushed hard but eventually came through in straight sets (25-21, 25-23) against AST Academy. 

The second round of matches pitted Staffs against Umston Grammar and agains they were able to hold the edge, coming through 25-23, 25-20. 

Richmond lived up to their favourites tag as they got the better of Willesden 25-20, 25-20, while AST Academy edged out Stockport by just two points in a tie-breaker (25-15, 20-25, 16-14), condemning the latter to relegation back to the gold pool in the process. 

The pressure was on both Leeds Gorse and The Boswells School going into their second game as both knew defeat would mean relegation. 

And it was Boswells who rose to the occasion, winning in three competitive sets (25-23, 22-25, 15-12), sending the West Yorkshire side down. 

The final round of matches saw Staffs take on a Richmond side bidding to make it a hat-trick of first place finishes. 

But this time it was the West Midlanders who came out on top, bouncing back from losing the first set and the decider to emerge as 25-20, 21-25, 15-9 victors. 

Urmston Grammar clinched third spot ahead of Willesden Titans in another third set battle, recovering from dropping the first set by an agonising 28-26 to take the next two 25-22, 15-12. 

AST Academy bumped Boswells all the way down to sixth place as they took fifth following a hard-fought 18-25, 25-23, 15-9 triumph. 

And Stockport ensured their brief appearance at Super Series did have its successes as they finished seventh by beating Leeds 23-25, 25-20, 17-15 in another thrilling finish. 

While the boys’ section proved unpredictable, the girls’ section was far less so, with the top two teams from the last event, Richmond A and The Boswells School again contested top spot. 

Before that, Boswells got their campaign up and running with a confident 25-12, 25-19 win over South Bucks A as Richmond overcame Black Country 25-14, 25-13. 

Leeds Gorse Orange had few issues against Wessex A in running out winners by a 25-8, 25-21 margin, but the final match of the round could have gone either way before Malory Eagles took it 25-12, 21-25, 20-18 over Nottingham Rockets. 

The second round of fixtures saw well-fancied Boswells and Richmond both win in straight sets once more, the former 25-18, 25-9 against Leeds and the latter 25-19, 25-13 against Malory Eagles. 

South Bucks A bounced back from their first match defeat to beat Wessex A 25-13, 25-21 to relegate the South Coast side. 

Black Country were also forced to face the drop after losing out 25-21, 25-19 to Nottingham Rockets. 

As Boswells bid to record back-to-back first places, they faced a Richmond side determined to get back on top themselves after they won the first Super Series event. 

It proved to be the Londoners who had the edge – just – winning both sets by just two points (26-24, 25-23). 

Leeds Gorse claimed third place as they beat a Malory Eagles side who finished in that position in the last event (25-14, 26-28, 15-6). 

In fifth spot were Nottingham Rockets, who edged a deciding tie break 19-17, hitting back from losing the first set 25-22 to take the second 25-19 against South Bucks. 

Black Country then salvaged something from an otherwise disappointing day for them as they defeated Wessex in the seventh versus eighth match (25-19, 28-30, 15-8). 

Images by Jon Cornish

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