U16 Junior Grand Prix round-up (14th and 15th December) - Richmond's show of strength

A total of 32 boys’ teams were in action across nione pools, while 38 girls’ teams played in 10 pools - both featuring matches across the country.

Matches in the boys’ section were played on Saturday (14th December), with Tier 1 Gold Pool A played at South Bucks, dominated by Richmond A.

The South West London side triumphed in all three of their matches in straight sets, earning maximum points to top the table, while conceding just 84 points in the process.

The battle for second place, however, was far from straightforward, as both South Bucks Mavericks and MK City had each won one match against Deep Dish Crystal Palace and lost one to the table toppers.

This left their head-to-head showdown, the final match of the day, to decide the runner-up position.

MK City emerged victorious, winning 2-1 (17-25, 27-25, 15-8) after recovering from a set down to claim the points and secure second place.

The pool concluded with the Mavericks finishing in third and Deep Dish in fourth.

Four teams competed in the Boys’ Gold Pool B, hosted at Urmston Grammar, with two of the teams representing the host club.

And it was one of those, Urmston Grammar A, who dominated on home turf, securing decisive victories over Leeds Gorse Orange, Newcastle Staffs and their clubmates Urmston Grammar B to take the full six points and confirm their place at the top.

Leeds Gorse Orange claimed second place after winning two of their three matches, while Newcastle Staffs and Urmston Grammar B rounded out the rankings.

In Gold Pool C, Richmond B led the way at South Hants, ahead of The Boswells School, Bristol and the hosts.

The Londoners were in imperious form, winning all three matches without dropping a set.

Their flawless performance ensured they finished at the top of the group, earning valuable ranking points to boost their chances of making the Last 8.

The Boswells School secured second place, narrowly edging out third-placed Bristol, with South Hants finishing in fourth.

In Silver Pool D, hosted by Black Country, the home team secured top billing, but they were made to work for it.

Although the West Midlanders started strongly against third-placed Leeds Gorse Purple, the West Yorkshire side weren’t going down without a fight.

They battled hard to take the second set, pushing the BC into a three-set match - the only set they conceded on the day..

However, it was Black Country who ultimately clinched the victory, taking the final set and winning 2-1 (25-16,21-25,15-10) to secure maximum points.

Nottingham Rockets followed closely behind the hosts, defeating third-placed Gorse and fourth-placed Preston Panthers to finish as runners-up.

Wessex hosted an exciting Silver Pool E, where four out of the six matches went to a deciding third set.

The South Coast team capitalised on their home-court advantage, putting in some commanding performances to overcome London Lynx, AST Academy and Team SideOut.

Wessex won two of their matches in straight sets, but their crucial encounter came against second-placed London Lynx, where they eked out a 2-1 triumph.

The battle for second place was closely contested, with three teams finishing on two points, each with one win and two losses.

However, it was Lynx who claimed the runner-up position, thanks to having a higher set difference than AST Academy, who took third.

AST Academy, in turn, finished ahead of Team Sideout, who placed fourth due to their lower set difference.

In Tier 2 Pool A, hosted by Worthing, London Giants narrowly edged out the hosts to top the group.

Meanwhile, in Tier 2 Pool B, Sheffield claimed victory with a perfect record, winning both of their matches.

Finishing off the boys section, Urmston Grammar C, hosts of Tier 2 Pool C, emerged victorious on their home court.

In the girls’ section, played on Sunday (15th December), Richmond A girls mirrored their boys' Gold Pool A counterparts by topping Gold Pool A, hosted by South Bucks, with a some excellent displays.

They conceded just 79 points across all three matches, capping off their impressive run with a dominant 25-5, 25-8 victory over fourth-placed London Giants.

Malory Eagles secured second place, but the hosts didn’t make it easy for them. In their showdown, Malory started strongly, taking the first set, but South Bucks fought back to clinch the second.

However, Malory showed their resilience, winning a tight third set 15-12 to claim the runner-up spot, while South Bucks finished in third.

In Gold Pool B, hosted by Ashfield Vipers, Leeds Gorse Orange emerged as the front-runners, securing a clean sweep with three wins from three matches, not dropping a set along the way.

Urmston Grammar A finished in second place, with their only loss coming to the pool leaders. Ashfield and Black Country claimed the remaining spots in the table, taking third and fourth place, respectively.

Gold Pool C, held in Ashcombe, proved to be a highly competitive group, but it was South Hants who rose to the top with three hard-fought victories.

The South Coast side faced formidable competition, with two of their matches - against second-placed Richmond B and third-placed The Boswells School - going to a decisive third set.

In their clash with Richmond B, South Hants started well, taking the first set 25-18. Richmond B, however, showed their resilience by battling back to claim the second set 25-18.

In the end, it was South Hants who demonstrated their composure and strength, clinching the final set to secure the win.

Their determination didn’t waver in their showdown against The Boswells School either, who proved to be no easy opponent.

As in the previous match, South Hants took the opening set, only for Boswells to respond fiercely and force a third set. Once again, South Hants held their nerve, emerging victorious with a 2-1 win to finish at the summit of the standings.

Silver Pool D, hosted by Urmston Grammar, the hosts dominated the standings with three wins from three matches, delivering an almost flawless campaign.

Urmston Grammar secured two victories in straight sets, but their perfect run was disrupted by fourth-placed Wirral, who managed to take the only set dropped by the hosts.

Despite finishing fourth, the North West Club showcased their ability by taking sets off both top-two teams in the table, including pushing second-placed Newcastle Staffs A hard.

Rounding out the standings, Hull Thunder claimed third place.

In Silver Pool E, hosted by Weymouth, Wessex topped the table, winning all three of their matches.

The remaining positions will be determined after the New Year, as one match could not be played due to running out of time.

Bronze Pool F, held at Willesden, was led by the Willesden Divets, who finished top of the table with a perfect record of three wins from three.

Deep Dish Crystal Palace followed closely behind, securing the runner-up spot. Despite falling to the pool winners, they defeated third-placed South Bucks and fourth-placed London Lynx to solidify their position.

Bronze Pool G featured a smaller group of three teams, where Newcastle Staffs B delivered strong performances to top the table with the maximum four points.

Nottingham Rockets followed in second place, while Stockport rounded out the standings in third.

Tier 2 Pool A proved to be highly competitive, with six out of 10 matches going to a decisive third set. However, it was the home team, South Hants, who ultimately came out on top.

Coventry hosted Tier 2 Pool C, where Cardiff Celts led the standings, while in Tier 2 Pool D, hosts ENVC finished at the top of the table.

Volleyball England would like to thank all hosts venues for overseeing matches.

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