Southwater are Top Dodge Dogs

Southwater A won the the Horsham Area Primary School Year 5/6 Dodgeball Tournament run at The Bridge leisure centre tonight but it was close, a period of extra-time being required to split them from Holbrook B in an exciting final.

Dry and warm weather greeted 10 competing teams on the outdoor multicourt where the event was played so grip underfoot on the rubberised surface was sound, a good job with some strong throwers on show. In the first phase of competition two round-robin groups, A and B, operated to feed teams into the relevant sections of the Phase 2 play-offs that would decide the final placings.

Southwater A sailed though Division B with four straight wins in which they did not even concede a set. Holbrook A also did well with three wins to claim runners-up spot but could not stop the Southwater juggernaut, going down 2-0 in that match. Leechpool B’s win over Holbrook C was instrumental in them finishing above them and Castlewood. Castlewood’s two draws against Holbrook C’s one consigned the latter to the bottom spot.

Group A was not quite so clear cut; no team achieved a full house of victories. However Holbrook B were impressive nonetheless only failing to achieve maximum group points due to their 1-1 draw with St Robert Southwell first up. St Rob’s also went unbeaten but were second as a result of being held to two draws, third placed Leechpool A being the other team to hold them. Southwater B and C teams, the latter being the only all female outfit, brought up the rear. The Bs avoided the basement spot by beating their stablemates 3-0.

So to the play-offs. Holbrook B made a mockery of their inferior alphabetical status by beating their A team 3-0 to reach the final whilst St Robert Southwell battled bravely against the powerful Southwater A team before going down 2-1. In the middle section Leechpool A and Southwater B had straightforward victories to take themselves into the fifth place play-off, whilst Southwater C saw off fellow third-stringers Holbrook C 2-1 in the ninth place-play-off.

Leechpool B won a tight and low scoring seventh place decider against Castlewood. Southwater B also relied on a one set score to beat Leechpool A for fifth. St Robert Southwell captured third place by beating Holbrook A.

And so to that final. Southwater A came through a topsy-turvy first set to take the lead but Holbrook B levelled as a consequence of having more players left on court by the time the final whistle went. So a minute’s extra-time was declared in which Southwater made a couple of early hits and had enough nouse – ‘game management’ in trendy football parlance, to get over the line despite Holbrook’s valiant efforts.

What a great night of dodgy fun!

RESULTS

COURT 1

GROUP A

COURT 2

SHARED

COURT 3

GROUP B

 

PHASE 1 – GROUPS

3 Leechpool A v Southwater B 1

 

1 Holbrook B v Robert Southwell 1

4 Holbrook A v Castlewood 0

 

0 Southwater C v Leechpool A 5

0 Leechpool B v Southwater A 5

4 Holbrook A v Holbrook C 0

 

0 Southwater B v Holbrook B 4

3 Robert Southwell v Southwater C 0

1 Castlewood v Leechpool B 1

 

0 Leechpool A v Holbrook B 3

2 Southwater A v Holbrook C 0

4 Holbrook A v Leechpool B 0

 

3 Southwater B v Southwater C 0

1 Robert Southwell v Leechpool A 1

1 Castlewood v Holbrook C 1

 

3 Holbrook B v Southwater C 0

2 Southwater A v Holbrook A 0

2 Leechpool B v Holbrook C 1

 

1 Southwater B v Robert Southwell 2

DIV A TABLE:

  1. Holbrook B – 7 points
  2. Robert Southwell – 6
  3. Leechpool A – 5
  4. Southwater B – 2
  5. Southwater C – 0

DIV B TABLE:

  1. Southwater A – 8
  2. Holbrook A – 6
  3. Leechpool B – 3
  4. Castlewood – 2
  5. Holbrook C – 1

0 Castlewood v Southwater A 4

 

PHASE 2 – PLAY-OFFS

MATCH 1

1st Group A v 2nd Group B

3 Holbrook B v Holbrook A 0

MATCH 2

1st Group B v 2nd Group A

2 Southwater A v Robert Southwell 1

MATCH 3

3rd Group A v 4th Group B

3 Leechpool A v Castlewood 0

 

MATCH 4

3rd Group B v 4th Group A

0 Leechpool B v Southwater B 3

3rd PLACE PLAY-OFF

Loser Match 1 v Loser Match 2

0 Holbrook A v Robert Southwell 1

9th PLACE PLAY-OFF

5th Group A v 5th Group B

2 Southwater C v Holbrook C 1

 

FINAL

Winner Match 1 v Winner Match 2

1 Holbrook B v Southwater A 2

7th PLACE PLAY-OFF

Loser Match 3 v Loser Match 4

1 Castlewood v Leechpool B 2

5th PLACE PLAY-OFF

Winner Match 3 v Winner Match 4

0 Leechpool A v Southwater B 1

 

PLACINGS

  1. Southwater A
  2. Holbrook B
  3. St Robert Southwell
  4. Holbrook A
  5. Southwater B
  6. Leechpool A
  7. Leechpool B
  8. Castlewood
  9. Southwater C
  10. Holbrook C