U18 Junior Grand Prix 3 review - Nottingham Rockets, Taunton and Urmston Grammar earn promotion

These teams will now compete in the fourth U18 Super Series, scheduled for 2nd February at the National Volleyball Centre in Kettering.

The confirmation of the second boys' Super Series spot has, however, been delayed, as Gold Pool B was postponed due to Storm Darragh.

The adverse weather also impacted several other pools, with Boys’ Bronze Pool E and National 2 Pools G and J all postponed. These pools will be rescheduled early in the New Year to ensure all matches are completed.

After postponement, a total of 38 boys’ teams competed across 11 pools, while 40 girls’ teams faced off in 10 pools, with matches taking place at venues across the country.

The boys' competition took center stage on Saturday (7th December), with Gold Pool A hosted at Coventry and Warwick Riga.

Nottingham Rockets showcased all their resilience and determination, battling hard to secure the top spot.

The East Midlands team earned promotion by clinching two crucial victories and collecting maximum points to lead the table. 

Their triumph, though, was far from easy. They faced a fierce challenge from second-placed Richmond B, rallying from a set down to secure a hard-fought win (15-25, 25-18, 20-18) and two vital points. 

This came after their commanding 2-0 victory over third-placed Sheffield, solidifying their place at the top of the pool standings.

Silver Pool C was hosted by Richmond Volleyball Club, but it was Deep Dish Crystal Palace who emerged victorious.

The South London club dominated the pool, securing a perfect record with three wins from three matches, while dropping just a single set along the way.

Dulwich finished as runners-up, winning their other two matches in tough 2-1 contests. Their strong performance included a hard-fought set taken from Deep Dish Crystal Palace.

Wapping Wildcats secured third place, while Richmond C rounded out the table in fourth.

In Sliver Pool D, hosted by Black Country, it was the host team that claimed the top spot.

They delivered dominant, straight sets victories in all three of their pool matches to claim first place.

The battle for second place was a fiercely contested showdown between Cherwell and Frodsham, with their head-to-head match proving crucial. Cherwell triumphed 2-1 (24-26, 25-17, 16-14) recovering from a set down to secure the vital points and claim second place.

The final standings saw Frodsham finish in third, followed by Hermitage in fourth.

Bronze Pool F played in Coventry could not have been any closer, with three teams winning two matches and losing one to all finish on four points.

Leeds Gorse Purple claimed the top spot due to having a superior set difference of three, while Ashfield Vipers took second place (two), edging out third placed Newcastle Staffs B (one).

To round off the pool,  Coventry and Warwick Riga, finished in fourth place.

In National Pool H, hosted by London Lynx B, South Bucks finished top of the pool, while in National Pool I, Urmston Grammar B triumphed with three commanding straight-set victories.

National 3 Pool K, contested at Urbond Portsmouth, saw the host team top the standings with two wins from two. Similarly, Preston Panthers achieved the same feat in National 3 Pool L thanks to a perfect record.

Bromsgrove School triumphed in National Pool M, hosted on their home court, while West Midlands side, Nuneaton, emerged victorious in National 3 Pool N.

Finishing off the boys section, London Giants were top of National 3 Pool O, winning all three of their matches. Though dominant overall, two of their victories were hard-fought, with both going to three sets.

In the girls’ section, played on Sunday, (8th December), Taunton topped Gold Group A by a clear margin, conceding just 85 points across all three matches.

Their perfect record earned them promotion, marking a swift return to the Super Series after being relegated for this Grand Prix.

They rounded off their impressive performance with a dominant 25-7 set victory over fourth-placed Weymouth Ripples.

Willesden Divets finished in second place with two victories, while London Lynx secured third ahead of the Ripples.

Similar to Taunton, the previously-demoted Urmston Grammar A delivered an outstanding performance in Gold Pool B, winning all three of their matches in straight sets to book an immediate return to the Super Series.

The battle for second place was a closely-contested affair, with both Ashfield Vipers and Newcastle Staffs A having won one match and lost one. This set the stage for a decisive head-to-head clash. 

Newcastle Staffs came out strongly, taking the first set 25-9, but Ashfield Vipers bounced back, winning a tightly contested second set.

In the final set tie-breaker, the Vipers held the edge to secure a 2-1 victory and clinch a well-earned second place finish.

The pool concluded with Newcastle Staffs A in third and Sheffield in fourth.

Silver Pool C was a thrilling and hard-fought contest, with three teams finishing on 2 wins and one loss, each accumulating 4 points.

However, it was Manchester Marvels who emerged victorious, securing first place due to their higher set difference (three) to second-placed Urmston Grammar (two) and third-placed Richmond B (one).

Silver Pool D, hosted by Worthing, saw the hosts finish on top with a perfect record, defeating Westminster, Richmond C, and Wessex B without dropping a set.

Although Westminster lost their opening match to the table-topping Worthing, they regrouped and put in strong performances in their remaining matches, defeating third-placed Richmond C and fourth-placed Wessex B to take the runner-up spot.

Bronze Pool E proved to be a highly-competitive affair, with three of the four teams finishing on 4 points after securing two wins and one loss each, showcasing the balanced level of play across the pool.

MK City A secured the top spot, thanks to their higher set difference (three) compared to Stockport (two) and Coventry and Warwick Riga (one), who finished second and third. Leeds Gorse Purple rounded out the standings in fourth place.

Bronze Pool F, hosted at Ashcombe Volleyball Club, saw three out of six matches going to a deciding third set.

Ashcombe capitalised on their home-court advantage, delivering a strong performance to defeat South Hants, Bristol, and Little Giants.

South Hants followed closely behind, securing second place with two wins from three matches. A crucial moment in their campaign was their hard-fought 2-1 victory over Bristol, which proved decisive in clinching their runner-up spot.

Bristol placed third and had the distinction of being the only team to take a set off the dominant hosts. Little Giants rounded out the standings in fourth.

National 2 Pool G, held at Newcastle Staffs VC, saw Newcastle Staffs C (Pictured above) dominate the competition, finishing at the top of the table with a perfect record of three wins from three.

Similarly, Dartford showcased their strength, securing the top spot in their pool while dropping just one set throughout their campaign.

Home team Bromsgrove delivered a commanding performance to win National 2 Pool I and Telford followed suit, claiming top honors in National 3 Pool J with an impressive display on their home court.

Volleyball England would like to thank all hosting clubs for putting on Grand Prix fixtures.

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