Sitting Volleyball Grand Prix Final 4 and round 6 preview - Mike Knight (Sitting Bucks)

When they win a trophy, it’s never long before they turn their attentions to how they can win the next one. 

That’s why, going into the Final 4, they remain the team to beat. The ones who continue to set the standard. 

And it’s why, as they bid to be the best in the land for a fourth season in a row, it is hard to argue a case against them doing so. 

So far in the 2024-25 season, they have been a dominant force domestically, winning all five Grand Prix that have been played, dropping only four sets in the process. 

Going into the weekend, and, should everything go to plan, Cup Finals Weekend in late April, a four-peat is very much in the cards. 

That said, club chairman and player Mike Knight insists the team are taking nothing for granted and are intent on retaining a strong focus moving into the ‘business end’ of the season. 

“I would say our view on it is slightly different to the other clubs,” he said. “With us not having lost a game across the season and got maximum points from the Grand Prix, we are expected to go through to Cup Finals. 

“But you can always have a bad Sunday and not qualify – and that brings with it its own pressure. 

“But if that were to happen then we would wish the teams (Salisbury Spitfires, South Hants and Help for Heroes) all the best because we are all really good friends and we love playing them, so it wouldn’t change the way we thought about them. 

“Although we are going for four titles in a row, we always go into each Grand Prix with the same approach – we want to win the first match to know that we are likely to avoid relegation and then we go from there. 

“We are still very hungry to succeed. We started in 2018 and have progressed quite quickly from there, first winning in 2022, but we want to keep the success coming. 

“It would mean everything to us to make it four in a row. When we go out to play in Europe, as we may do again later this year, we want to go with the credibility of being the best in England, the champions.” 

Mike puts the fact Sitting Bucks continue to hold sway over their rivals down to several factors. 

As well as being based in a location (Bletchley) that is reasonably accessible from several parts of the country, they can also call on a number of GB players and have a good mix of experienced players and relatively new starters. 

Securing a supportive sponsor – Guidant Global – has, he says, also been crucial. 

Mike added: “Where we are in the country, we are lucky that we can attract some good players to us. 

“John and Rob have loads of experience and have played at the Paralympics in 2012 and then we are able to pull players in from further afield, such as Kev who travels from Derbyshire. 

We then have some club players, and I would count myself in that bracket, plus we have also been able to call on Natalie Bates, who recently played in the Invictus Games and has played in some of the Grand Prix this season and will feature on Sunday. 

“So we have got a really good blend of people who have been playing the game for a lot of years following those who have only been playing for a few months. 

“Alingside that, we’re also very lucky to have such great sponsors who help provide kit and support us when we have played abroad. It’s great to look the part because that really puts you ni the right frame of mind to play your best. 

“When you are playing in Europe, you want to look like you belong and are not just making up the numbers... that you deserve to be there and it is an important element in that.” 

The international competition Mike refers to is the ParaVolley Europe Men’s Silver League Pool A was played in Lyon at the start of February. 

It saw the Bucks pit their wits against some of the best club sides in Europe from Ukraine, Bosnia, Serbia, France and Italy. 

It was an experience the team greatly valued, playing against Paralympians along the way. 

“While the GB players are used to playing in that kind of environment, it was very new for us club players,” said Mike. 

“You had teams that were among the best in the world playing against little old Sitting Bucks, so it was great that we were able to compete on an even footing. 

“We took a set off the Serbian team, who the Ukrainians felt we could have beaten, we beat the French side and we lost in five against the Italians, so we were able to show that we belonged at that level. 

“Now the hope is that we can play more games at that level and we are looking to play in Leipzig.” 

Mike first took up sitting volleyball after watching the Paralympics in 2018, which encouraged him to seek out his nearest team. 

He was not put off that his nearest clubs – the Bucks were some 45 miles away – and quickly caught the bug for the game having previously played standing volleyball into his thirties, primarily on the south coast at Solent. 

It rekindled in him the appeal of playing a team sport, having first taken up volleyball at the age of 14 when introduced to it at school by England player Martin Bart, who doubled up as a school teacher. 

Although some of the skills have been transferrable, Mike has also come to appreciate the need to learn new ones too. 

He said: “When I first started it was as much fun as it looked, but it was a lot harder in terms of moving around the court – and when I got home from my first session I needed to sit in the bath and have a soak for half an hour! 

“The basic skills are the same and it helps if you can bump, set and hit it, but there are big differences too, mainly with the movement. 

“You still have to anticipate where the ball is going, but the difference is you have to think about how you are going to get to the ball, rather than your body just automatically taking you there.” 

 

Last February, Mike had the misfortune to break his hip in a cycling accident and credits sitting volleyball and Sitting Bucks for helping him get back to fitness. 

He says that what he continues to get from the sitting community inspired him to return, when he otherwise might have turned his back on actively playing sport. 

“When I had my accident, they tried to pin it at first but it didn’t work and I ended up having to have a hoip replacement,” said Mike. 

“Sitting has really helped with my recovery, having the training sessions to come to and give me a focus to get back. 

“Without it, I wouldn’t have got much physical exercise... maybe a bit of swimming, but that would have been about it. 

“I’m really thankful because it is a great sport with terrific people who have been really supportive during my recovery.”

 

---

Find out more about the Sitting Grand Prix Series by clicking here.

Fin d out how you can get involved in playing sitting volleyball by clicking here.