Deep Dish Bournemouth and Fireball North Devon secure right to represent England at Beach Volley European Cup

This past weekend, the UK Beach Tour Club Championships showcased the best of England’s Beach Volleyball, as clubs from across the UK gathered for a fierce competition. The event, held on June 8-9, saw teams battle it out for the coveted Club Championship title and the opportunity to qualify for the 2024 CEV Beach Volley European Cup. In an exhilarating display of skill, Deep Dish Bournemouth emerged victorious in the women’s division, while Fireball North Devon clinched the title in a hard-fought men’s competition.

The UKBT Club Championships offer a unique format similar to the Nations Cup, where each club competes as squads of two teams. The competition format included matches involving games between Club A’s Team 1 and Club B’s Team 2, and vice versa, and in the event of a tie, a decisive golden set to 15 points was played immediately.

In the women's final, Deep Dish Bournemouth, represented by Vicky Palmer/Kirsty Star and Natalia Gruszczynska/Kamila Maciejewska, faced off against Fireball North Devon’s Molly Quinn/Anaya Evans and Beth Morgan/Daniella Webb-Porto. Deep Dish Bournemouth showcased their dominance, winning both matches in straight sets. Palmer/Star defeated Quinn/Evans with scores of 21-19 and 21-11, while Gruszczynska/Maciejewska overcame Morgan/Webb-Porto 21-17 and 21-14. Despite strong efforts from the Fireball pairs, Deep Dish Bournemouth’s consistent performance secured their championship victory and qualification for the 2024 CEV Beach Volley European Cup.

The men’s final was a thrilling encounter between Fireball North Devon and Deep Dish Bournemouth, a repeat of the previous day’s pool game, where Fireball prevailed. In the first match, Fireball’s Sam Dunbavin/John Morgan triumphed over Deep Dish’s Niko Gleed/Tom Lycett in a hard-fought three-set game (20-22, 21-16, 15-11). However, Deep Dish Bournemouth’s Matt Hunter/Todor Topalov levelled the playing field by defeating Fireball’s Harry Brett/Harry Hebard in straight sets (21-13, 21-7), thus pushing the final to a golden set. The golden set witnessed an intense battle between Dunbavin/Morgan and Gleed/Hunter, with Fireball North Devon ultimately securing the win 18-16, claiming the championship title.

Despite only being in its second year, the Club Championships once again highlighted the exceptional talent and competitive spirit within the UK beach volleyball community and showcased the exciting future of Beach Volleyball across the UK.