Inter Regional Championships 2025 review

London continued their impressive run at the Inter Regional Championships, with both their U17 boys and girls taking gold, and the U15 girls claiming the top spot for the third time in four years.

Kicking off the weekend, London were determined to reclaim the title they missed out on last year, finishing third behind Yorkshire and the South East.

They started strong in the pool stages with commanding wins over Wales and the East Midlands. The North West and South East each pushed them to three sets, but London came out on top every time, finishing the group undefeated with four wins from four and securing a spot in the semi-finals.

South East finished second in the pool, with their only loss coming to London, the team they had finished ahead of the year before. Despite being taken to three sets by East Midlands, they edged a thrilling third set 15-13.

Newcomers Wales knew they faced a steep challenge, with many of their squad experiencing six-a-side volleyball for the first time. They showed resilience, especially in a tight second set against East Midlands that ended 22-20.

Defending champions Yorkshire brought a fresh squad, with many of last year’s players moving up to U17s. Their opening match against East proved difficult, losing 2-0 (21-9, 21-19), and they couldn’t bounce back in time to make a playoff push.

 

East’s strong start didn’t carry into their next match, as South West capitalised on a quick lead to take a convincing 2-0 (21-18, 21-14) win.

South West had a solid run through the pool, dropping just one set—to West Midlands. Possibly caught off guard in their opening match, they lost the first set 21-14, but bounced back to win the next two 21-13, 15-11.

Keen to top the group and avoid London in the semi-finals, South West knew South East would be a major test. With just two more dropped sets than their rivals, South East edged out the standings.

All four semi-finalists were southern-based: London faced East, while South East took on South West.

Both matches began with statement performances, London winning 21-5 and South East taking their opening set 21-7. Although their opponents fought back in the second, London (21-11) and South East (21-17) both secured straight-set wins to reach the final.

In the bronze medal match, it was a nail-biter. South West took the first set 21-17, East responded with an identical 21-17 win in the second, but South West held firm to take the decider 15-11.

The final was a showcase of quality volleyball. London’s experience with many of their players featured in the Cup Finals and Last 8 earlier in the season shone through. They delivered a composed and clinical performance to win 2-0 (21-10, 21-17) and reclaim the U15 title.

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London entered the U17 Girls competition chasing a fourth consecutive Inter Regional title, but were aware it wouldn’t come easily, with a tough pool including South East, North West, West Midlands, and North East.

They had a shaky start, with South East taking the first set of the tournament 23-22 (pool matches are capped at 23). London responded well, winning the second 21-12, but South East struck back to win the decider 15-12, putting London’s streak under threat.

London regrouped with a dominant 21-9, 21-3 win over North East, followed by a solid 21-13, 21-14 win against North West. They closed their pool campaign with another straight-set win over West Midlands, who came into the match with one win and one loss.

South East carried their early momentum into the next round, defeating North West 2-0 (21-19, 23-22) and following up with another 2-0 victory over North East. However, they stumbled in their final pool match, falling 2-1 (21-19, 16-21, 15-10) to West Midlands, who narrowly missed the semi-finals, edged out by North West on points difference.

Yorkshire controlled Pool B from start to finish, not dropping a single set. They opened with a 2-0 win over East (21-6, 21-15) and repeated the feat against East Midlands (21-15, 21-11).

East picked up wins over Wales (21-17, 21-6) and a thrilling three-set victory over East Midlands (21-13, 20-22, 15-12) to secure second in the group.

Yorkshire rounded off the pool with strong wins over Wales (21-19, 21-10) and South West (21-14, 21-11), finishing top and setting up a semi-final showdown with South East.

Yorkshire and South East served up one of the day’s most exciting matches. Yorkshire took the first set 22-20, South East hit back 21-19, but the experience of Yorkshire, many of whom had featured in last month’s U16 National Cup Final, saw them take the decider 15-6.

London took on South West in the other semi-final, and progressed with a confident 2-0 win (21-11, 21-19), keeping their title hopes alive.

In the final, London made a strong start with a dominant 21-13 first set. Yorkshire pushed them all the way in the second, nearly forcing a third set, but London held on to seal the win 22-20, securing their fourth consecutive U17 Girls' title.

 

 

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The boys started on Sunday afternoon with their female teammates cheering them on.

The U15 South West Boys looked to retain their title from last year, when they got the better of the North West, and started well with a 2-0 win over their neighbours, the South East. The 2-0 (21-18, 21-17) victory was something they then replicated in their match against the East Midlands.

They took control of the pool with another win over Yorkshire. However, a loss to the West Midlands (21-16, 21-19) meant that the South East were able to claim top spot in the pool by just four points, as they had also ended the pool phase with a 3-1 record.

Yorkshire finished third with the same record as the West Midlands but a slightly better point difference.

In Pool B, the North West dominated, taking all their matches 2-0. Their local rivals, the North East, came closest to taking a set off them, with a 21-19, 21-8 scoreline.

The East also put up a strong fight against the northern side but came up short (21-15, 21-6). Despite this setback, they still finished second, leading to a semi-final match against the South East.

London had two of their four games go to three sets but could only claim one victory in the pool stage, against Wales.

A battle of the East saw the South East and East go head to head, with both teams claiming a set, forcing it to a deciding third. The South East had the grit to dig in and claim the final set—and a place in the gold medal match.

The East battled hard but were just edged out by the southern side, 2-1 (21-14, 13-21, 15-11).

The North West continued their dominance with a decisive semi-final against the South West, taking it comfortably 2-0 (21-12, 21-10) and booking their place in the final—hoping to go one better than they did last year, when they fell just short against the South West.

The final started quickly, and the North West, with their experienced players who had competed in the Cup Finals this year, were able to display that skill and took the first set 21-14.

The South East did fight back in the second set and led a couple of times, but the North were too strong and took the second set—and the gold medal.

The East also fought hard in their bronze medal match but fell just short against the South West, who took the bronze medal in a straight-set victory (21-16, 22-20).

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The London boys looked to join their female teammates in claiming back-to-back titles, with the boys having the chance to go for three in a row.

Unlike their female counterparts, they won their opening match of the weekend and remained unbeaten with wins against the East Midlands (21-12, 21-19), North East (21-15, 21-9), and North West (21-19, 21-18).

Their first dropped set came against the South East, who snatched the opening set 23-22. However, the Londoners hit back in the next two sets, taking them 21-16 and 15-6.

This meant they topped the pool with an unbeaten record, with the South East finishing second with their only loss coming against the London side.

The South East had to fight hard against the North West, who took the second set 21-17, but they held on to win the first and third sets 22-20 and 15-9.

In Pool B, the East started well with a comfortable 2-0 win over new entrants Wales.

They then came from behind against Yorkshire to take the match 2-1 (21-23, 21-18, 15-12), putting them in a strong position to claim top spot in the pool.

However, Yorkshire bounced back to win their next three matches 2-0 against Wales, West Midlands, and the South West.

The East were on track to finish top, but the South West reversed the result in their final pool match, claiming it 2-1 (19-21, 21-14, 15-12).

Yorkshire were able to claim the top spot—and a semi-final against the South East—by just 15 points.

London faced East in the other semi-final and kept their unbeaten run alive, returning to straight-set wins with a comfortable 2-0 (21-16, 21-18) victory. This put them into their fourth final in a row, with hopes of securing a third consecutive gold medal.

The other semi-final was similarly dominant, as Yorkshire comfortably dispatched the South East 21-12, 21-14. This set up a repeat of the 2023 U15 final, where Yorkshire had come out on top.

East replicated their result from last year with a bronze medal, after a tight 2-0 (21-18, 22-20) victory over the South East.

The final match of the U17 competition was a thriller, with both teams giving their all.

The first set went the way of London, edged by just two points at 22-20. However, Yorkshire battled back in the second set, winning it 25-23. This forced a third and deciding set.

Yorkshire started well, but with some big attacking threats in the London squad, the capital side were able to edge it 15-11—clinching the title and their third gold medal in a row.

 

 

Full resutls from the weekend can be viewed here. 

You can watch back all the games from the weekend on YouTube.