National Cup and Shield review (11th and 12th January) - men's cup holders Durham bow out

The North East club were always going to have a difficult task to make progress given the fact that their opponents, Essex Rebels, had lost only one DYNAMIK Men’s Super League match all season going into the tie.  

 

And so it proved in Colchester, where Alex Porter’s side took greater control as the match wore on after a keenly-contested first two sets. 

The hosts gained the early upper hand by taking the first set 25-17 but Durham hot back to level at 1-1 by taking the second 25-22. 

The Rebels took the pivotal third set 25-19 and, with the momentum now in their favour, closed out the match by securing the fourth 25-16. 

Jacob Kern notched a game-high 17 kills while Thomas Jefferson (seven), Cam Kern (five) and Euan Fraser (four) led the blocks count. 

For the Palatinates, Alexei Walisser put in a strong performance to claim 13 kills and four blocks. 

 

 

There was safe passage into the last eight for Super League leaders Malory Eagles UEL who gained some revenge for their defeat to Newcastle Knights at Opening weekend – which remains their only setback so far this season. 

The two sides met at the Clifton Sports Hub in Nottingham as a halfway point for both clubs in order to make it accommodate a men’s and women’s double header where each team’s men’s and women’s sides had been drawn at home and away. 

Unlike in their previous encounter, the Londoners were in control from the start, taking the first set 25-12. 

Though it got a little closer in the second and third sets, the Eagles had few problems in booking their passage in straight sets (25-18, 25-20).  

Nathan Fullerton enjoyed a fine game as he served five aces and made 11 kills and three blocks, while Dalton Bunde and Benny Kouame added seven kills each. 

Three more sides from the capital have joined Malory in taking a place in the quarter-finals, with IBB Polonia, London Giants and Richmond Docklands all winning their matches in straight sets. 

Polonia continued their good run of recent form by making it three wins on the spin as they beat NVL Division 1 side Black Country 30-28, 2518, 25-16, where coming through a mammoth first set proved crucial. 

Giants, meanwhile, overcame fellow Super League side Essex Blaze 25-20, 25-18, 25-17 in a match where things got slightly easier for them as it went on. 

Richmond made light of a long trip up to Humberside to ease to a 25-18, 25-22, 26-24 success over Hull Thuunder at the Steve Prescott Sports Centre. 

Stockport ensured there will be one tram from the north in the quarter-final draw as they put their league struggles aside to overcome NVL Division 1 promotion challengers London Aces. 

The Greater Manchester club had few problems in clinching a 25-18, 25-20, 25-21 success over their game visitors. 

Two NVL Division 1 sides will be represented in the last eight as both won matches against Divisional rivals. 

Lincoln Cannons maintained their excellent recent form by bouncing back from dropping the first set 25-23 against Exeter Storm to win the next three 25-15, 25-19, 25-22. 

Cambridge ARU’s victory was more of a surprise after just one league win all season as they wnet to Tamworth Spartans and ran out comfortable 3-0 winners (25-12, 25-22, 25-21). 

There were no problems for the holders in the Women’s National Cup as Team Sideout Polonia continued their form from the MAAREE Women’s Super League to defeat NVL Division 1 Essex Trinity 3-0 (25-16, 25-17, 25-20). 

Resting some of their regular starters, Valeria Busquets claimed nine kills and Agnese Venezia eight, while Merve Akin recorded 31 assists from 64 attempts. 

Unbeaten Malory Eagles UEL also eased through against opposition from the division below, inflicting a first defeat of the season on championship hopefuls Newcastle Knights. 

They won 25-19, 25-179, 25-17 to underline that there is a step up in quality when moving into the top flight that Newcastle will look to bridge should they go up at the end of the campaign. 

Captain Chloe Allen led from the front for Malory with 20 kills, 18 out of 20 successful return attempts and two blocks, while Steph Boyce and Claire Kellum made three blocks each. 

Five more Super League teams booked their own spots in the last eight draw as the matches ran to form. 

Durham Palatinates looked to have perhaps the trickiest test against NVL Division 1 high flyers London Giants, but they were on their mettle to come through 25-17, 25-20, 25-13. 

Essex Rebels, fourth in the top flight, were always in control against Leicester Athena Phoenix – last year’s National Shield finalists – as they triumphed 25-16, 25-21, 25-16. 

Kathea Schamblin completed 13 kills, while Tara King served three aces and Chelseas Simmons notched four blocks as well as 27 assists from 56 attempts. 

Leeds Gorse did not have it all their own way against London League Waterloo Thunder but, nevertheless, were 25-20, 25-19, 25-23 victors, while Cambridge ARU got the better of University of Bristol 25-9, 25-13, 25-11.  

Darkstar Derbyshire headed off a potential fightback from NVL Division 1 team Stockport to win in four sets (25-22, 25-18, 19-25, 25-10). 

The only non-Super League team to go through to the next round is London League club London Bears, who saw off NVL Division 1 side Coventry and Warwick Riga. 

The team who won last year’s National Shield again showed their thirst for knockout competition success as they prevailed 25-19, 17-25, 25-16, 25-21. 

 

In the Men’s National Shield, The Army continued their strong progress as they followed up their win over MK City with a four-set win over a Reading Aces side who are going well in NVL Division 3 South West (25-19, 16-25, 25-23, 25-15). 

The other non-NVL side, Telford, bowed out, however, after initially giving Nottingham Rockets a scare. 

They took the first set against the unbeaten Division 3 North Central leaders but could not keep it going, the hosts eventually winning 13-25, 25-15, 25-16, 25-11 at the David Ross Sports Village. 

Manchester Marvels are unbeaten in Division 2 North so far in 2024-25, but they were made to work hard for it against Darkstar Derbyshire, who are in the same division, before eventually winning out 26-24, 25-20, 25-23. 

The side a place below leaders Marvels in the table, Sheffield, also progressed as they defeated Division 3 North West strugglers York Vikings in four (25-15, 22-25, 25-18, 25-15). 

In the battle of the two Division 2 sides in different regions Coventry and Warwick Riga (Central) were too strong for Spelthorne Lions (South), winning 25-14, 25-19, 25-23. 

Cardiff Panthers ensured there would be Welsh representation in the next stage as the Division 2 South side recovered from dropping the first set to Division 2 South West side Weymouth to claim victory by a 20-25, 25-18, 25-22, 25-21 margin. 

Division 2 Centrals’ Loughborough Students also overcame lower-division opposition as they battled through a close game to run out 22-25, 25-16, 28-26, 27-25 winners against Everton Dugongs. 

Wessex will make up the last eight after Northampton forfeited their tie. 

Newcastle Panthers secured arguably the most eye-catching result of the Women’s National Shield as they beat Division 3 North side Manchester Liberators. 

The visitors had suffered just two league defeats all season ahead of their trip to the North East but came out on the wrong end of the scoreline following a five-set thriller.  

The Liberators battled back from 2-1 down to level at 2-2, but the Panthers then took control to win the tie breaker in convincing fashion (25-23, 20-25, 25-21, 23-25, 15-6). 

Loughborough Students also pulled off a memorable victory as they beat the league leaders of their division, Division 2 North, Manchester Marvels Mayhem in five sets. 

The East Midlands hosts trailed 1-0 and 2-1 in sets but dug deep to triumph 16-25, 25-22, 21-25, 25-21, 15-10 to join their men’s side in progressing. 

Division 2 West (Cardiff Falcons) met Division 2 East (Northampton) and it was the latter who advanced after as 25-15, 25-21, 25-16 success. 

The roles were reversed when Bristol (West) were 3-1 winners at Cambridge (East) who had lost just one game all season in topping their table (25-20, 25-19, 26-28, 25-20). 

Bedminster are the current Division 2 West leaders but were pushed all the way by Division 2 South’s MK City before edging to a 26-24, 25-20, 25-23 win. 

Reading Aces underlined why they are Division 3 South West title favourites as they came through to beat Portsmouth in four sets (25-14, 25-13, 23-25, 25-18). 

Division 2 North side Sheffield survived an almighty scare to eventually tame York Falcons by just two points in a deciding fifth set. 

The 16-25, 25-23, 25-17, 19-25, 17-15 illustrated just how hard the South Yorkshire club were made to work to get the job done. 

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The draw for the quarter-finals of the National Cup and Shield will be made tomorrow (Tuesday) at 4pm on the Volleyball England YouTube Channel, which you can access by clicking here. 

Find out more about the National Cup and Shield competitions by clicking here.