Weymouth Grand Slam sees new champions as England sweep both titles

Maia Darling and Hailey Hamlett took down fellow Grand Slam champions Anna Rantala and Abigail Russell to claim their first title, while Niko Gleed and Peter Soczewka won a close all-England final over Lewis Bunton and Bailey Harsum.

Weymouth Women’s Grand Slam - Maia Darling / Hailey Hamlett

Darling & Hamlett’s path to the final started as it meant to go on - a decisive victory over compatriots Katie Keefe and Kirsty Star in 2-0 fashion (21-15 / 21-13). A similarly conclusive 2-0 result (21-12 / 21-16) over Anna Tsoumi and Elena Forapani saw them book their quarter-final spot with relative ease.

From there, their competition pushed them much farther, but they still overcame pair Beth Morgan and Zaira Orellana in the quarterfinals 2-0 (22-20 / 21-19), before meeting semi-finalists Alana Snow and Martha Bullen - who had fought back from the tail end of their Pool and RO12 stage. However, Snow and Bullen's comeback would go no further, as Darling and Hamlett bested the pair 2-0 (21-13 / 21-19) to see themselves match up against 2025 Bournemouth Grand Slam champions Anna Rantala and Abigail Russell in the gold medal match.

In a thrilling final, Rantala and Russell put up a good fight, but Darling and Hamlett powered through the final match 2-0 (24-22 / 21-15) to claim their first UKBT Grand Slam title without dropping a single set.

Congratulations to Maia Darling and Hailey Hamlett!

Weymouth Men’s Grand Slam - Niko Gleed / Peter Soczewka

Gleed and Soczewka’s run to the knockout stages began in a similar vein of topping their Pool with a 2-1 victory (16-21 / 21-17 / 16-14) over Dorian Poinc and Oliver Tuck - which would be the only set they dropped across the whole tournament - before a clean-cut win over Theo Plaza and Stuart Perry 2-0 (21-16 / 21-12) reserved them a spot in the quarter-finals. 

They found themselves matched up against Piero Müller and Andrea Maggio, who had also fought through the RO12 to reserve their quarter-final spot. However, their comeback would be put to an end thanks to Gleed and Soczewka in a clinical 2-0 win (21-12 / 21-17) to sign their names onto a semi-final place. The Britons decided a top 4 finish didn’t quite suit them, and overcame Endi Ymeraj and Pearson Stiller 2-0 (21-16 / 21-19) to face off against NEVZA England 4th place finishers Lewis Bunton and Bailey Harsum in an all-English final.

While the first set of the final went to the wire, Gleed and Soczewka kept their composure and ensured a 2-0 victory over Bailey and Harsum (22-20, 21-11), winning in style with a skyball serve on match point and becoming the second English pair in two years to win the Weymouth Men’s Grand Slam. 

Congratulations to Niko Gleed & Peter Soczewka!

Volleyball England would like to thank the team at UK Beach Tour for putting on a great Grand Slam event, as well as all athletes who competed and everyone who helped make the event a success.

You can keep up to date with the UK Beach Tour on their website and Instagram.