‘Castle News

Number 54 February 2011

Fantastic February!...under 15 boys qualify for Last 8s...

...under 16 boys qualify for National Final......under 18 girls qualify for National Final......under 18 boys qualify for National Final......ladies qualify for National Shield Final...

...men 2 get promoted!

Welcome from the Chair

Contents

3-5 – ‘Castle News Updates

6– Sportset advert

7 – Midlands under 15s

8 – ‘Castle Shop

9 – Ladies in Shield final

11-14- u16/u18 last 8s

15- LPV Festival

16- NVL Big Match Day

17 – Castle online

Main sponsor www.marangoni.com

Main school-club link and training HQ:

Madeley High School

Official Equipment Supplier: www.sportset.com

Sponsors

CBL Welding Supplies Cornovii Investment Management www.cblsupplies.co.uk

www.cornovii.com

MATRIX

AGGREGATES

February 2011 has been one of the most successful months in the history of our club – a big statement after 31 years. The satisfaction that can be drawn from these big six achievements should be based in the hard work that goes into preparing players and teams to take part.

The club still has plenty of work to do before the end of the season to build upon this and take some national titles, but for a brief moment there is the time to smile and reflect with satisfaction on what has been achieved so far!

Colin RobertsNSVC Chair

News Updates from ‘Castle!

2012 Olympic ticketsdue to go on sale 15th

March

Ticket applications for the 2012 Olympic Games open on the 15th March – if you want to go to watch the greatest sporting show on earth there is no time to waste. Get yourself online and get registered!

The women’s volleyball event starts on the 28th July, and then men on the 29th with matches going right through to the men’s final on the afternoon of the 12th August. It is not yet possible to know when GB teams will feature in matches so when ordering your tickets it will be pot luck to a certain degree. For matches in the preliminary rounds you can purchase groups of 20 tickets which lends itself well to a club sized group, so talk to your friends to sort this out. Whatever you do, don’t leave it too late and be a disappointed – tickets are expected to fly off the shelf so spend some time working out what you want to see and apply for your tickets.

Full volleyball ticket details can be found at: http://media.ticketmaster.com/en-gb/img/sys/tournament/london2012/oly-volleyball.pdf

Club of the Year‘Castle entered Volleyball England’s Club of the Year competition again this year, but sadly did not finish in the top 5 and are therefore not in contention for the prize. Whilst this is a disappointing outcome we have won this prize twice in the past 6 years and the committee remains happy with the progress that the club is making, particularly on the court where this season could be the most successful in our 31 year history. If you want to get involved with the club in any volunteer capacity please email club chair Colin Roberts on colinroberts1@hotmail.com

Social membershipAt the February committee meeting it was agreed that the club would be launching a social membership this year with sessions targeted specifically at over 16s who want to play some volleyball in a recreational environment and enjoy getting to be part of the club, It is hoped that through this route we can increase our membership base an provide opportunities for a new audience to enjoy the sport. Keep your eyes peeled for more information online at www.nsvc.co.uk

News Updates from ‘Castle!

‘Castle players are 3Touch cover stars!The cover of the most recent edition of Volleyball England's magazine features a great photo from the England Junior Men’strip to Latvia for the European Youth Championships, showingIain McKellar poised to spike after a set from Roo Scott! As a club we received a number of copies of the magazine bi-monthly and bring them to matches and training nights for members to read –but why not subscribe yourself by signing up at the Volleyball England website?

Men 2 secure promotionWith their win over Loughborough Lions on Sunday the 27th

February the men’s 2nd team won promotion to NVL2 North next season! The lads have only lost to the unbeaten Nottingham Rockets side that have secured the league title – but were docked points and awarded defeats for two matches when the whole squad and their coach were away in Italy representing England at the Euro Volley Cup in September! Rough justice most would say, but despite the handicap this gave them in their season they embarked on a superb run and the young team and coach Rod Stockwell can look forward to a new challenge next season!

This promotion could also mean that ‘Castle’s big match days might feature triple headers as all three teams could be at home in single fixtures on the same day!

Well done lads on a great season – let’s wrap it up with a couple of wins on the 20th March at Northampton!

Jenks celebrates18th birthday in style at last 8s!Alex Jenkinshad the perfect 18th

birthday playing a key part in the u18 boys qualification for the final, & wearing this stylish hat!

News Updates from ‘Castle!

City of Stoke-on-Trent 6th Form College: Volleyball Academy

For the past 4 years NSVC has developed a fantastic relationship with City of Stoke-on-Trent College in Fenton, seeing the growth of the Talented Athlete Programme (TAP) at the college to provide three training session per week for players. In 2010-11 we will continue to work closely with the college to further develop this programme which is unique in North Staffordshire, to provide daily opportunities to train through a partnership between club and college. Whilst many ‘Castle Juniors will always opt to attend other colleges, the 6th Form College in Fenton is the only one with this formal link to the club, and is the only place where players will get the chance to train on a daily basis locally.

Junior Boys Head Coach Will Roberts said, “The link with Fenton is fantastic for our young players. I did my ‘A’ Levels there back in 1998-2000 and only wish I’d had the chance to train for volleyball at college as often as they now offer through TAP. It wasn’t until I started my degree at Loughborough that I got anywhere near the quantity of training needed to play at a decent level so I hope that by strengthening the link to Fenton we are ableto help our young players progress and keep up to speed with their studies.”

Potters ‘Arf: Get InvolvedSunday 12th June is not only the day after ‘Castle hosts the West Midlands “Let’s Play Volleyball Festival at Madeley (sunshine please!!) – it is also the day of the Potter ‘Arf – the ½ marathon around the streets of Stoke-on-Trent.

The players of the men’s 1st and 2nd teams have decided to enter teams in the relay races that go on as part of the ½ marathon – at the moment it looks like three

teams – each of which will campaign to raise the most money for club funds – and of course be the winning team. Entries are being centrally coordinated so if you fancy signing up or getting a team together to add to the fundraising effort please let Will Roberts know on willroberts1981@hotmail.com

Relay Distances• Stage 1 3.3 Miles (Probably the easiest stage)• Stage 2 3.4 Miles (Involves climb up Anchor Rd)• Stage 3 4.7 Miles (Mainly flat, hilly finish)• Stage 4 1.7 Miles (Includes Milton Road)

In addition the men are planning to run a car/minibus wash at the LPV festival on the 11th June so why not get your car cleaned and raise some £’s for the club that day too?!

Midlands u15 Championships

Photos courtesy of Libby Bellamy are her facebook page – thanks Libby!

For the 8th successive year the ‘Castle under 15 boys won the Midlands Championships to qualify for the Last 8s which this year will take place in May. Unfortunately the girls did not quite make it through but finished in a highly creditable 3rd place to only just miss out in a strong competition hosted by Tettenhall Tigers in Wolverhampton. The girls team features a number of emerging talented players and will hope to do well in both the under 15 and under 16 championships next season.

The boys event was hosted by ‘Castle at Madeley, with 11 teams playing in three groups in the first stage of the competition. The winners of the groups then went into a triangular as did the second place teams etc. All three ‘Castle teams performed well, and even the ‘C’ team, featuring a number of year 8 boys almost managed to win a set, finishing in 11th

place and getting some great on court experience in a ‘Castle shirt. The ‘B’ team came third in a really tough first round pool but then comfortably won the rest of their matches to finish in 7th – they weredisappointed not to feature in the 4th-6th place pool. The ‘A’ qualified for the finals by beating Nottingham Rockets by a large margin and then drawing 1-1 with Redhill in a match that they won more points in than their opponents.

Well done everyone involved and good luck lads in the finals!

‘Castle Shop

Training T-shirt: £15.00

High quality performance material NSVC club t-shirt, Navy Blue and now in White!

Classic Grey ‘Castle T-shirt ‘Castle Hoodie ‘Castle Polo Shirt ‘Castle Drawstring Bag

£10.00 £20.00 £10.00 £5.00

To purchase any club kit please contact your coach or a club official on match-day or at

training

Ladies through to National Shield Final

Photos courtesy of Libby Bellamy are her facebook page – thanks Libby!

Last season the ‘Castle ladies fell at the final hurdle in trying to qualify for our club’s first ever women’s senior final, but on Sunday 27th February at 10am they were not going to be denied again. The ladies swept to an emphatic 3-0 win over Nottingham Rockets and will now face non-league side Surrey Orcas in the final on Saturday 16th April at Kettering.

The Shield campaign has been a strange one for ‘Castle – entering the competition after disappointingly losing in the cup against Loughborough Dolphins and were then given a bye in the first round. Each of their opponents in round 2 and the quarter-final (Brentwood and Tendring respectively gave ‘Castle the match sothe semi-final was actually the girls first match in this competition this season!!

For the ladies though, that’s irrelevant and after another dominant display in the semi-final match they can now look forward to the playing in the National Final!

‘Castle Juniors at the

Last 8sThe weekend of the 26th and 27th February will

be remembered as an historic one for

Newcastle (Staffs) Volleyball Club for five

famous reasons:

• The ladies reaching the National Shield Final

• Men 2 getting promoted

• under 16 boys through to the National Final

• under 18 girls through to the National Final

• under 18 boys through to the National Final

This triple junior success is a first for ‘Castle

and the squads will now go into full swing to

prepare for the finals on Sunday 17th April

,back at the National Volleyball Centre in

Kettering.

Over the course of the weekend ‘Castle teams

played a total of 12 matches at the last 8s,

winning all 12, and securing an amazing set

for and against record of 24-2!

Head coaches Ant Viggars and Will Roberts

reflected upon the achievement with some

pride at the end of the weekend, but both are

hungry for titles and will be looking to take

their teams up a notch as they prepare for the

finals.

Well done to all ‘Castle players, coaches and

supporters on being part of an incredibly

successful weekend.

Junior National Finals – 17th April

-u16 girls: 10am

Tameside v Wiltshire Mavericks

- u16 boys: 12noon

‘CASTLE v Boswells

- u18 girls: 2pm

‘CASTLE v Redhill Stourbridge

- u18 boys: 4pm

‘CASTLE v Boswells

Under 18 girls‘Castle’s only ever girls national titles have been the under

14 girls (2008) and under 15 girls (2009), but they have

never won an under 16s (despite reaching the final in both

2008 and 2010) or under 18s, so this year’s under 18s squad

was determined to make it through to the final. But, after a

disappointing 2nd round performance where they qualified

in 2nd place they found themselves a really tough group with

the two teams that made the final last season, Wessex and

Ashcombe.

First up for ‘Castle were the reigning champions Ashcombe.

This was a tight match but ‘Castle came through the

challenge well to win 25-22, 27-25 before going straight into

the match against Wessex. This was a more comfortable

game for ‘Castle who had now got into their stride and won it

25-19, 25-18. Things were looking good and the unit was

playing some great volleyball at times, leaving coaches Ant

Viggars and Martin Mierwza delighted to have confirmed a

semi-final place so early in the day.

The last group match was against Nunthorpe from the north-

east and ‘Castle played around with their line-up, allowing

Lucy Preston to swing through four rather than libero, but

sadly Lucy suffered a bad ankle injury that saw her rushed

to hospital and out of action for at least a month. The girls

performed well despite this loss and won the game

comfortably 25-16, 25-17.

The girls’ reward for getting through such a tough group as

winners was a semi-final against Tameside, the Manchester

club who have dominated junior girls volleyball with Wessex

and Ashcombe in recent years. Tameside has also inflicted

the painful 3-0 under 16 girls final defeat on ‘Castle last

season so the stage was set for a big match. ‘Castle opened

up well with star players Meg Viggars and Paige Nelmes

leading the way as we took the opener 25-16. Tameside are

a never say die team and it was no surprise that they fought

back well in the second set. But their best efforts were not

quite enough and ‘Castle held on to win 27-25 and take an

impressive 2-0 win, dropping no sets on the day.

In the final ‘Castle will come up against Redhill Stourbridge,

the team that beat them in the second round. Redhill beat

Wessex 2-0 in their semi-final 31-29, 25-20 so this will be an

all West Midlands final that will live long in the memory.

After the disappointment of losing the under 18 semis and

under 16 final this was a sweet victory for coach Viggars and

his players, and they will all be looking forward to preparing

for the final – a match where their mid-season tour to the

Apeldoorn tournament in Holland will serve them well.

Under 18 boysAs the reigning champions in this age group and a side that has never lost a match in the national

championships through from under 15, under 16 and under 18 the ‘Castle boys were favourites to

make it through to the final again this year, but they made heavy weather of it in a really tough

group where they faced the teams they beat in the semi-final (Team Northumbria) and final

(Wessex) last season.

‘Castle opened up against Ashcombe and made really light work of the match racing to an

emphatic 25-6 win in the first set, where the only points of note were how well Sam Shenton had

stepped into the passer-hitter role and that Michal ‘the beast’ Hawiar turned his ankle when

blocking – an injury that was to limit his role all day. ‘Castle won the 2nd set 25-14 to wrap up a

really impressive win and get the day started well.

Next up were Team Northumbria and against ‘Castle raced off to a great start by dominating the

match in the first set 25-12, before totally stepping off the gas and allowing the battling north east

side off the hook in the second set. This resulted in ‘Castle dropping the set 26-24 and the match

entered a deciding third set. ‘Castle upped their game again and swept home to a great win 15-7 to

effectively book their place in the semi-final – just the result against Wessex would decide whetherthis would be as group

winners or runner-up.

Wessex have been

consistent opponents for

this ‘Castle team over the

past 4 seasons and so the

lads knew this would be a

real battle. ‘Castle won the

first set 25-21 with Shenton

again on great form,

impressing with his back

court hitting, but Wessex

fought back to take the

second set 25-22. The match

was quickly developing into

a classic and in the decider

it was Wessex who seized

the initiative by developing

a lead early. This was

extended to 13-10 when

coach Will Roberts called a

time-out to rally the troops

and identify some

weaknesses on the other

side of the net. In a 3 minute

blitz ‘Castle turned it round

to win 16-14 and win the

group.

In the semi final ‘Castle

faced West Midlands rivals

Redhill and swept home to a

comfortable 25-18, 25-19 to

make it through to the final

where they will face Boswells.

Under 16 boysOn Sunday the 27th February the under 16 boys returned to Kettering hopeful of making it through to

the final. In this case it was definitely hope rather than expectation because although the boys had

prepared well and performed at a high level in all eight matches they had played earlier in the

season, they had underperformed badly at the under 15s last 8s this time last year.

The ‘Castle boys opened up against Nottingham Rockets (meaning that there were 3 ‘Castle v Rockets

clashes that day as men2 and the ladies were playing in Nottingham!) and in the first set played

superbly to win comfortably 25-14. In the second set Rockets has adjusted to the pace and made it

tough for ‘Castle, whose bench came into action to score crucial points, particularly Bart Wozniak and

Al Donaldson. Next up for ‘Castle were Croydon, a side that featured a star of the future Jermaine

Miles. In the first set ‘Castle played stunning volleyball to win 25-8 (!!!) before Croydon upped their

game slightly for a more respectable second set score.

The final group match was against Wessex and yet again the ‘Castle lads did a great job, winning a

tough match where in both sets they ground down their opponents resistance to then race away with

the set in the second half. Setter Jordan Adelburgh was making great decisions and made the most of

the excellent form of year 9 Richard James. ‘Castle won the game 2-0 to line up a semi-final with

Londoners Ernet Bevin who are linked to senior club London Malory Eagles.

‘Castle were at the top of their game in the semi and did not let their opponents anywhere near them

– right from the start of both sets ‘Castle served aggressively to seize the initiative . The whole side

had upped their game and were playing a superb mental and physical performance that their

opponents could not deal with. After winning the first set 25-16, ‘Castle were 23-16 up in the second

when James Chadwick secured a big block to bring up match point and he then his a smart quick

reverse set to take the match and set up another final against Boswells.

Back (L-R): Ross Thompson, Will Richardson, James Chadwick, Alastair Donaldson, Chris Ashton, Alastair Cope

Front (L-R): Dan Arme, Jordan Adelburgh, Elliott Francis, Bart Wozniak, Richard James, Cameron Rhodes

BIG MATCH NIGHT

Saturday March 26th

Keele University

3pm – ‘Castle ladies v Brentwood

6pm – ‘Castle men 1 v Cambridge

Come and support both teams

battle it out in search of

promotion in two vital clashes of

high quality volleyball

Go ‘Castle!

www.nsvc.co.uk The club website gives regular updates of information on both the home and news pages,, team and player profiles, plus carries all club match reports and an up to date club calendar

‘Castle: onlineThe club’s communications strategy (part of the four-year club development plan) is now very well advanced following the launch of our You Tube channel and Wikipedia page in the first few months of 2010, plus a Twitter feed. These additions to the existing ‘Castle News, www.nsvc.co.uk and Facebookgroup give us what is hopefully excellent connectivity to our members through whatever medium they prefer.

You TubeMatch videos can be posted online at our very own You Tube Channel http://www.youtube.com/user/NSVC1Recent viewer numbers:- Men 1 vs Richmond (NVL1) highlights – 92 views- Men 1 vs Wessex (NVL1) highlights – 92 views- Ladies vs Northampton (NVL2N) highlights – 81 views- Men 1 vs Leicester (NVL1) highlights – 92 views

‘Castle News The club’s unique monthly e-newsletter is now available only as a download through the club website’s news pages at www.nsvc.co.uk/latest-newsReader numbers from recent editions:- January 2011 – 803- December 2010 – 701- November 2010 – 601- October 2010 - 364

FacebookSign up to ‘Castle at www.facebook.com/home.php#/group.php?gid=12327566316

TwitterWe have an active Twitter account for those of you who want up to the minute information on the club. Go to Twitter and search for us

WikipediaThe NSVC Wikipedia page was launched in March 2010 and will provide a great historical record of the club and its’ achievements over the past 30 years and the years to comehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Newcastle_(Staffs)_Volleyball_Club