U18 Junior Grand Prix Series up and running!

The Tier 1 matches were preliminary round fixtures that decided which pools teams will be placed in for Round 1 – gold, silver or bronze. 

All last year’s semi-finalists in both the boys and girls’ sections join for Round 1 and will be placed in the gold pools. 

Tier 2 matches, meanwhile, saw the first round of the Grand Prix played out, giving teams valuable match experience against other teams relatively close to them geographically. 

The next round of U18 fixtures will take place on Saturday 2nd December and Sunday 3rd December. 

Tier 1 boys 

Willesden Titans finished top of Pool A, with three wins from three, and it was their 2-0 opening win over second-placed London Lynx Selby, who won their other two matches, that proved crucial. 

In Pool B, Leeds Gorse Orange topped the pile in recording their own three victories, ahead of Sheffield, but Pool C was much tighter as Ashfield Vipers edged out second placed Monkseaton on set difference after both sides won two and lost one of their matches. 

Liverpool headed Pool D with a 100 per cent record ahead of Frodsham, while Umrston Grammar A conceded just 55 points in finishing top of Pool E, with Coventry and Warwick Riga in second. 

In the South West, Pool F saw Exeter Storm lead the way from Wessex with another full house of victories, and in Pool G, the only one where three teams competed instead of four, South Hants won both their matches against Worthing Panthers and Urbond, with the former taking second place. 

Pool H saw Black Country emerge as the strongest team after securing three wins, with Cherwell claiming second spot, while AST Academy did have a set taken off them by Pool I runners-up Willesden Warriors, but nevertheless triumphed in all three of their matches. 

In Pool J, covering London and the surrounding areas, Richmond B were clear winners, but the other three teams all won one and lost two of their games, only for Dartford to take second spot by virtue of their set difference. 

Tier 1 girls 

Hosts Ashcombe edged a tight Pool A on set difference after both they and Weymouth Ripples recorded two victories and one defeat. 

Urmston Grammar B were convincing winners of Pool B with three successive victories ahead of Manchester Marvels, while Leeds Gorse won the three-team Pool B and Nottingham Rockets claimed second. 

Pool D was won by the unbeaten Black Country, while Willesden Divets took second after two wins and a defeat and Pool E was headed up by Malory Eagles, who saw off the challenge of runners-up Team Sideout.  

Three-team Pool F was extremely close, with each team posting one victory and one loss, but it was Richmond B who topped their table courtesy of set difference, closely followed by the Wapping Wildcats. 

It was far more clear-cut in Pool G, where Wessex won both their games to lead the way from Worthing Lions. 

Tier 2 boys 

The battle of the Boswells School teams in Pool A saw the team with no suffix beat the C team to top the group, with Team Medway in third. 

Pool C was keenly-contested, with London Lynx Leyton claiming a win and a draw to lead the pack, while Harvey Grammar edged out Wapping Wildcats to take second on points difference.  

Newbury won all three matches to top Pool C, ahead of South Bucks, who won two of their three games, while winners MK City and runners-up Black Country had similar records in Pool D. 

Another points difference calculation was required to separate second and third in Pool E, as Yeovil finished ahead of Royal Wootton Bassett behind clear winners Weymouth Tsunami. 

Stockport were the strongest team in a five-strong pool F, winning all of their matches, while Liverpool were second after winning three of their four contests. 

Tier 2 girls 

MK City topped Pool A after beating Rugby Phoenix, who finished second, and Leicester Athena, while South Bucks beat Richmond in a two-team Group B. 

Pool C featured five teams and saw Newcastle Staffs A claim a 100 per cent record when the other teams shared plenty of draws, Urmston Grammar proving to be the best of them. 

Two wins from two saw Royal Wootton Bassett finish ahead of second-placed Urbond and New Forest in Pool D, while Sheffield were winners of Group E on set difference ahead of Monkseaton, with York in third. 

Find out more 

For more details on all the Junior Grand Prix, including results, fixtures and tables, click here. 

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Volleyball England would like to thank clubs for submitting pictures and videos, which are displayed here in no particular order.