RichardHowells posted on March 28, 2016 10:45
My job as Head Coach is to plan the Sunday evening programme so we cater for all our teams and players (see Chair’s report), and to support our coaches and teams.
Juniors
We have a very enthusiastic bunch of junior players aged 9-16 years. The younger players enjoy mini-volleyball as a fun game that develops court awareness and individual skills. This season Kasper (age 12) has been training with the SW junior squad. Isabel (15), Emma (15), Maisie (14) and Hayden (12) played in the SW Junior grand prix. Oriele (16) and Charlotte (16) played in our SW Ladies League team, and all of the above players played in our Wilts Ladies & Junior League team. Congratulations to all of you!
And I’d like to thank the adults who helped me with junior sessions and tournaments, including Julie, James, Donna, Laura, Tim, Michael and anyone else I forget to mention. Your help was so appreciated!
Women
Our Wiltshire Ladies & Junior League team improved every time they played and had many close matches against top teams that included national and regional league players. The only team we haven’t (yet) beaten this season is Devizes. Impressively we reached the final of the Christmas Cup and, at time of writing, it looks like we’ll finish third in the league (one position higher than last year). Well done to our six juniors (listed above) plus Elena, Alena, Donna and Wiesia.
After last season’s rebuilding, our SW Women’s League team showed distinct improvement in performance and are now on the cusp of breaking into the top teams in our league. They were much more competitive, and six of our 12 matches were five-set thrillers. We finished fifth out of seven teams and could have achieved fourth or higher if we had won more of those 5-set matches (a margin of much less than 1%). We’ll be playing tournaments at Exeter, SW Championships and Whitefield to gain more experience before next season. Well done Donna, Mirella, Oriele, Zuzana, Laura, Kat, Giorgia, Helen, Alena, Wiesia and Charlotte. And congratulations to Laura, who was nominated as best player by our opponents in 8 matches, making her the joint MVP in our league for the whole season.
Men
Also in a second season of major rebuilding, our Wiltshire League Division One team enjoyed a long unbeaten run until close to the end of the season. A tough day at Erlestoke Prison ended with two defeats against worthy champions. Then they lost a close match to next nearest rivals Olympiad. In a very tight race between these three teams it looks like they’ll finish third by a narrow margin. Although the players are disappointed, there is no doubt we improved considerably this season and can kick on to seek promotion next season. Thanks and well played to Irwin (coach), Mark, Michael, Dave, James, Zafer, Igors, Tim, Pawel, Ed, Phil… plus Donna, Laura and Zuzana who played when regulars were unavailable.
Coaches
Coaches are vital for individual players and teams – juniors, women and men – to keep developing and enjoying their volleyball. As Irwin contemplates a well-deserved retirement after 33 seasons with the club, it’s time to develop a new generation of coaches and helpers to keep our club healthy. Please do talk to Phil if you feel you can help in any way – your club needs you!
Phil Heads
Head Coach (and team coach for juniors and women)
April 2016