Mixed bag on the road for TSW

AFTER successive victories, Team South Wales (TSW) Volleyball were aiming to extend their good run with another double header.

Coach Jose Castro and his players were well up for the challenge of away matches in Essex and Cambridge.

The game on Saturday against Team Essex Trinity started off with the home team showing plenty of resistance.

The Welsh players faced considerable difficulties getting through the block and bringing a challenging service.

Despite running behind almost throughout the set, TSW found their game. It was not enough the win that set, but it set the mood for the next two, during which TSW dominated.

Wing-players Dani WebbPorto and Julia Constantinou hammered the ball on court, as setter Mara Mata provided them with a single or unstable double block. This was much indebted by the excellent play of middle players Aggie Kozlovska and Diana Beljaars who were dangerous almost every time they attacked.

TSW suffered a dip in the fourth set, which Essex took to level the match but the visitors responded in the fifth to secure a 3-2 win which set up the Sunday game against Cambridge VC and Anglia Ruskin University.

Starting off well, TSW showed their best defence and attack game, leaving the players from Cambridge running after the ball.

However, it did not take too long for Cambridge to figure out how to make best use of the Welsh defence in their attacks.

The first three sets were relatively equal in terms of points won, giving TSW an advantage of 2-1.

In the fourth set, despite clever and varied attacks from offsetter Marinka van Bergen and diligent defence from libero Aspasia Karyofylli and Sophie Watts, TSW lost out and it was again down to a decider.

Despite a hard-fought battle, the Welsh squad returned home to Cardiff without the victory as Cambridge took the honours 3-2. WITH Cardiff parks games off, only four games survived – all at Llanrumney University fields – and the league’s new “game of the week” between Division One sides Aberystwyth Exiles seconds and Splott Park Rangers in the Sam Cornish Cup produced a real humdinger.

Played on the 3G facilities under floodlights, the Exiles got off to a flying start, playing fast flowing football resulting in Pete Nicol getting two goals inside 20 minutes.

Rangers clawed their way back and goals from Josh Crosbie and Sam Vega put them all square at the break.

Aber restarted once again on the front foot and Nicol completed his hat trick and a wonder strike from Martin Lazenby saw them lead 4-3 as the game entered its last quarter.

Splott kept plugging away and a great header from Kris Marshall levelled SET’S amazing, long unbeaten league record, which dates back to when they joined the league several seasons ago, finally came to an end when they went down by 5-0 to the Greek Cypriot Association of Wales in the Luxury Windows First Division.

GCAW put in a great performance and had a good attitude from the first whistle. Their back four and keeper kept SET’s dangerous attackers at bay while the midfield dominated; Kyle Hall out-jumping SET FC’s big men time and time again.

Matthew Rake got the first goal for the Greeks with a great instinctive turn and finish. This was followed by Dean Powell, who linked well with Benjamin Hartrey up top.

Little Ben Roberts then prodded the game and sent it into extra time. Both teams squandered chances to win it and with penalties looming, up popped John Crosbie to put Rangers into the last eight.

It proved a bad day for Aberystwyth as their firsts also exited the South Wales Senior Cup in bizarre circumstances. With the game at 1-1 and two minutes from the end Hirwaun, of the Aberdare League, were awarded a penalty which they proceeded to miss.

Then, with the last play of the match Hirwaun grabbed the winner with a spectacular overhead kick to end Aber’s Cup hopes.

In the Combination Cup, Premier leaders STM Sports OB found themselves down at the break against Thornhill to a Nicky Jackson strike. Things got back on track in the second half as three from Lewis Paterson and a Lee Palfrey special saw them through 4-1.

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