Boswells Blaze 3 – 2 Wessex 31-29, 25-18, 30-28, 25-20, 16-14
The final match of the day was between Boswells Blaze and Wessex Junior Men. A hugely anticipated match, the Boswells team included Toby French and Tom Ketley, both England juniors, while Wessex Junior Men’s Miguel Espinoza had been a part of the winning Wessex team from the day before, and was looking to add this title to what had already been a successful weekend for him and Wessex.
It was first blood to Wessex as Boswell’s first smash cannoned back off Espinoza’s block and fell to the floor. This was enough to send the Wessex crowd into raptures, setting the tone for the remainder of the match! The teams traded blows, each greeted by thunderous cheers from their supporters. Wessex were up at the first time out, 8-7. Both teams came back out firing- it was all about the hitters in the early stages, as the blockers struggled to cope with the power and angles. It was literally point for point all the way until Boswells dropped 22-19 behind. Coach Darren Lewis called a time out to re-energise his players- it worked a treat as they won the next 3 points to bring it back to 22-22. A big hit from Espinoza gave Wessex set point, but they failed to capitalise as Boswells came back to 26-26. neither team was giving an inch until Boswells finally put two points together to grind out a 31-29 first set win.
With the supporters glued to their seats and hungry for more, the second set go under way. Having seen quite a few serves go into the net or fly long, Wessex’ Joel Roberts kept his head and put together a run of safe but effective serves to force an early lead, however it was once again 8-7 to Wessex at the time out. Some impressive pick ups kept them just ahead, but Boswells brought themselves back into the game with some huge hits from French as they creep ahead 14-13. That turned into 20-16, forcing Lynn Allen to call a timeout for Wessex. Boswells were just too strong though, and closed out the set 25-18 to take a 2-0 lead.
A massive task lay in wait for Wessex at the start of the third set. Could they come back from 2-0? It didn’t seem likely, as Boswells took a 3-0 lead, which was swiftly converted into an 8-3 at the first time out. Wessex were unable to close the gap, and found themselves facing an uphill task as they went into the second time out at 16-12 down. Houlihan and French continued to pound away at the Wessex defence although some big jump serves from Espinoza reduced the deficit and brought Wessex right back into the match as the scores were tied at 18-18. Three blocks from Wessex took them to 21 but Boswells had other ideas as it was their turn to come back to 22-22. A big hit from Stoimenov regained the lead for Wessex, but this was wiped out by a well positioned smash by Boswells’ Allen. It was once again going for point for point, Boswells desperate to wrap the game up in 3 sets and Wessex summoning every ounce of strength they could find to stay in the final. Boswells found themselves with a third match point as the crowd noise increased from both sets of supporters. The tension was evident, as the serve drifted long, giving Wessex the lifeline they were so desperately searching for. They kept their nerve, sending the match into a fourth set, 30-28.
That win revitalised the Wessex boys, as their kills got stronger and blockers harder to hit through. A 6-1 lead was soon brought back to 6-5 as Boswells had no intention of easing up. As many may have predicted, it was too close to call once again at the first time out with Wessex leading 8-7. The time out seemed to halt the Boswells momentum, as Wessex reeled off the next five points to open a 6 point lead. Boswells managed to claw back a few points but Espinoza once again come up with the goods when it mattered, smashing the ball cross court to seal the 4th set for Wessex.
The pressure of a fifth set was evident, as both teams were making uncharacteristic errors. Harry Jones was doing all he could to keep the ball alive for Wessex, no easy task given the pace and dip on Toby French’s jump serve. At the change of ends, Boswells were up 8-6. A block by Ketley and Munro moved it onto 10-6 as Boswells closed in on retaining their title. Espinoza kick started a Wessex recovery, as hit after hit took them into an 11-10 lead. The teams went point for point once again, with Stoimenov saving a match point with a hit through the middle. A tip from Boswell’s Wincott gave them a second match point, which James Munro was more than happy to take, hitting straight onto the floor and sending his team and supporters into hysterics.
Congratulations to Boswells on retaining their title, and also to Wessex for contributing to one of the best junior finals in recent years.
MVP: Miguel Espinoza (Wessex)
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