English clubs ready to fly the flag in beach volleyball Euros

Both teams secured their spots in the prestigious competition after winning their respective gender titles at the UKBT Club Championships held in June, meaning they have the honour of representing their country in this international event.

The CEV Beach Volley European Cup is a newly-introduced CEV initiative, which aims to expand the existing portfolio of events on the sand by adding clubs to the European beach volleyball ecosystem. 

The competition will be held at the Montpellier Beach Volleyball Club in France from tomorrow (10th October) through to 13th October.

Mark Garcia-Kidd, Head of Deep Dish Clubs acknowledges this is a key opportunity not just for their club but also for the broader development of beach volleyball in the UK.

“It's extremely important for the overall development of UK beach volleyball,” he said. “It provides another opportunity for players and communities to gain international experience and create opportunities for our homegrown coaches to gain experience at this level.”

“It will be a wonderful experience for everyone involved. Not only will it be a chance to represent the club on the European stage but also England. Exposing our players to a higher level of beach volleyball will hopefully inspire them to strive for more exposure to this level and encourage their own growth as players.”

Fireball North Devon has enjoyed a strong season overall, putting them in a good place to take on their European adventure.

The London women's number one pair, Gerda Berštautaitė and Lorena Tussis, claimed silver at the UKBT Finals and are ready to take it to the next level.

"We're excited to bring this momentum to the European stage," said Fireball North Devon player and joint-coach Sam Dunbavin. “I’m excited to see how we compare to the best clubs in Europe.

“It’s a great chance for some of the younger guys in the squad to get their first international experience and see how European-level events are run. Hopefully this is the first of many experiences for them!”

“On the UKBT tour, we rarely get the chance to compete in a high volume of top-quality matches, and when we do, it's often against teams we're very familiar with. Competing against unfamiliar teams in this tournament, where we'll need to quickly adapt our tactics, will be an invaluable experience for us.”

The strength of the two clubs was underlined by the fact that both teams men's and women’s teams reached the finals of the UKBT Club Championship, beating each other in the respective gender titles.

Fireball North Devon’s men's team overcame Deep Dish Bournemouth’s men in a thrilling final, clinching victory, while Deep Dish Bournemouth’s women’s team exacted revenge by beating Fireball North Devon's women to secure the women’s title.

Both teams are heading to Montpellier with similar goals and expectations - approaching the competition as a fun learning experience - and while they are optimistic they can perform well, they are also not putting any pressure on themselves.

Garcia-Kidd, who is thankful to fellow club Wessex for having provided both players and coaches for the team, said: “The team's expectations are to enjoy the experience, whether we finish first or last we want this to be a fun experience with no pressures apart from enjoying the experience and maximising this opportunity to compete on a European stage… we have nothing to lose.”

“Aiming to put our best performance out each game,” added Dunbavin. “We don’t know who we are playing yet or what their level will be, so if we leave the court able to say that we were fearless and we fought for every point then I will be happy.

Despite the unknowns regarding the competition, both teams have been preparing rigorously, with plans to intensify their efforts in the lead-up to the competition.

Deep Dish Bournemouth have benefited from using the courts at Sandbanks throughout the summer and during the build-up, made possible by the local support of BCP Council. 

“The Deep Dish team has been playing on the UKBT this season and competing in multiple tournaments to prepare for this tournament, we will be training before we leave for France in the build up,” said Garcia-Kidd.

Dunbavin said: “We have been out training consistently in Croyde working on different tempos and faster plays to try to stretch the big teams we come up against and we will be ramping up this prep in the lead-up to the tournament.

“There will be some physically big teams with a real presence at the net. We’ve been developing game plans to counter this, especially since our squad is relatively small.”

The tournament follows a club versus club format, requiring each participating club to field two teams, each club is required to have a minimum of four players and a maximum of six.

Both clubs are calling on a mixture of youth and experience to optimise their performance in France. 

Leading the Deep Dish team will be the experienced Victoria Palmer, who started at local club Wessex before being part of the beach volleyball programme in preparation for London 2012 and representing England at the 2018 Commonwealth Games.

Maia Darling, already a junior international player who has competed in multiple European age group championships, is making significant progress having established herself on the UKBT Senior tour.

Natalia Gruszczynska started her volleyball journey in her homeland of Poland and has since competed at multiple junior European and World championships, before a career move for England has seen her play indoors for Wessex and help them gain promotion back to the Super League.

Kamila Maciejewska started volleyball whilst studying at the Cracow University of Technology and has since become a well-known beach player across the UK in addition to featuring for Wessex indoors.

Shannon Baxter, aged 17, has improved hugely this summer on the beach thanks to her dedicated and wholehearted approach and is a vital member of Wessex's U18 team and Super League women's team.

Ella Watson has been a passionate force in volleyball for more than 10 years, competing at high levels on the beach, including at UKBT 4 and 5-star events.

Deep Dish will be coached by the seasoned Ellis Philips, who has led the team for several years and brings extensive experience from taking part in various international camps.

Fireball North Devon is also travelling with a full squad of six, separated into two teams of three.

Team one features England international Dunbavin, who is the most experienced player on the team, having competed on the world tour for England for the past nine years.

He is joined by fellow international John Morgan, a North Devon born and bred, player, who is recognised for his exceptional game awareness, speedy defending, and big jump.

Team two consists of junior England players who despite being relatively young, will be valuable assets to the club in this tournament.

Harry Hebard is a strong defender who reads the game well, while Harry Brett has represented England in junior beach NEVZA and is best known for his powerful swing.

North Devon stalwarts Ethan Hobley, an excellent all-rounder known for his strong swing and precise line over, and Mulford, known for his unpredictable style of play that makes him a challenging opponent to break down, are ready to step in as needed. 

Fireball will be coached by Dunbavin and Mulford, who will look to leverage their insights and teamwork in preparation for the event.

Article by Isabella Baker

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