U14 Junior Grand Prix round two review

A total of 24 teams, including 10 boys' and 14 women's teams, competed across three venues over the weekend, with London Giants, Newcastle Staffs, and South Bucks serving as the host clubs.

Different formats were used at each venue, with matches being timed instead of following the traditional 25-point per set format, resulting in varying scores for each set.

The boys' section featured two pools, with Pool A being the larger of the two, comprising six teams.

AST Academy A topped Pool A with a perfect record, securing five wins from five matches and decisively defeating clubmates AST Academy B, Richmond A and B, London Giants, and Welwyn & Hatfield, without dropping a single set. 

Richmond B closely followed, with their only loss coming to the group leaders, earning them the runner-up spot.

Pool B, hosted by Newcastle Staffs, was the more compact of the two pools, consisting of only four teams. As the home side, Staffs made a significant impact, fielding two of the four teams.

Matches in this pool were played over two sets, and after all the games had been contested, both Newcastle Staffs A and Coventry & Warwick Riga found themselves tied on points, each having won two matches and drawn in their head-to-head encounter.

This set the stage for a thrilling final match between the top two teams to determine the overall winner of the pool. On their home court, Staffs capitalised and triumphed 2-0, securing the top spot

In the girls' section, AST Academy A, like their male counterparts, led the way in Pool A in London, narrowly edging out the home side, London Giants B, to claim the top spot with an unbeaten record of three wins from three.

In Pool B, five teams went head-to-head in a Newcastle heavy pool. Hosts Newcastle Staffs entered three teams, Newcastle Staffs A, B, and C. However, it was Ashfield Vipers A who came out on top.

They triumphed over Leicester Athena A, as well as Staffs A and C. Nonetheless, Newcastle Staffs B proved their strength, earning a draw in their showdown against the pool leaders.

In Pool C, hosted by South Bucks, it was Royal Wootton Bassett who emerged as the front-runners. 

Their path to success, however, was not without challenge as Newbury, who finished in second place, pushed them all the way. 

In their head-to-head showdown, Newbury fought back from a set down to level the match, resulting in a draw.

As a result, both teams finished the pool on 7 points. However, it was the South West side who emerg​ed victorious, owing to a superior set difference.

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