Sitting Grand Prix 3 review - Bucks battle to stay top

The Bucks opened their campaign with a commanding 2-0 win over Panthers. With the two tiers of competition merged due to the smaller pool of teams, Panthers knew this would be a challenging start.

Help for Heroes also began strongly, grinding out a hard-fought 2-0 (25-21, 25-13) victory against Nottingham Casualties.

Casualties came close to upsetting South Hants but ultimately fell short, losing 2-0 (25-19, 25-22). Despite their reduced roster, the Casualties demonstrated resilience throughout the day.

Salisbury started with an emphatic 2-0 (25-17, 25-11) win over Panthers, marking a turnaround after a tough Grand Prix 2, where they had narrowly retained their top-tier status. 

Building on this momentum, Salisbury delivered a shock in their next match, taking the first set 25-20 against the reigning champions, Sitting Bucks.

This marked only the third time this season that Sitting Bucks had dropped a set. However, they quickly regained control, sealing the match with dominant second and third sets (25-13, 15-8).

Meanwhile, South Hants, last year’s runners-up, were locked in a tight battle with Help for Heroes. After losing the second set 25-22, South Hants rallied to win the decider 15-7.

Sitting Bucks returned to their usual form against Nottingham Casualties, securing a comfortable 2-0 (25-7, 25-17) victory. The Casualties, playing with a reduced roster, fought valiantly, with every player on the court for the entire day.

Help for Heroes showcased their strength against Panthers, dominating 2-0 (25-13, 25-10). Panthers, facing another tough opponent in South Hants, fell to the same scoreline (25-17, 25-9).

Spitfires rebounded from their earlier loss to Bucks with a decisive 2-0 (25-15, 25-16) win over Casualties.

The matchup of the day saw Sitting Bucks face South Hants in a rematch of last year’s final. Bucks delivered a clinical 2-0 victory, solidifying their grip on the top of the standings. 

This result left Help for Heroes needing a win in their final match against South Hants to keep their title hopes alive.

Help for Heroes kept the pressure on with a 2-0 victory over Spitfires. However, South Hants maintained their momentum with a hard-fought 2-1 (19-25, 25-18, 15-5) win over Salisbury, dashing Salisbury’s hopes of climbing the leaderboard.

One of the day’s closest matches featured tier-two sides Panthers and Casualties. Panthers claimed their first set of the day but narrowly lost the deciding set 15-12, finishing at the bottom of the table.

The final showdown of the day saw Sitting Bucks face Help for Heroes. Bucks capped off their dominant day with a 2-0 victory, looking to secure their position as favourites to reclaim the title for a fourth consecutive year

The next Grand Prix takes place on the 11th January with entries still open. More information can be found here.