On Friday February 5th Colaiste Stiofan Naofa in Cork played host to the SpikeBall Primary School Southern Region Finals. Teams from Primary Schools in Cork, Kerry, Kilkenny, Limerick, Tipperary and Waterford took part in this exciting event. To qualify for the Regional Finals Schools first played in County Finals in their respective counties in 3 categories of competition, Boys, Girls and Mixed, with the winning team in each category going forward to the Regional Finals. The standard of play was very high on the day with a great improvement evident in teams since County Finals which ran during December and January. All the teams were evenly matched so an exciting day of action was in store.
The Girls competition was contested by the following teams, Ayle Koalas from Ayle N S Tipperary, Callan Starlets from Bunscoil McAuley Rice Kilkenny, Gaelscoil Koalas from Gaelscoil Philib Barun Waterford, Glenbeigh Cobras from Glenbeigh N S Kerry, Innishannon Elks from Scoil Eoin Innishannon and St Michaels Flamingos from St Michael’s N S Limerick. The Glenbeigh Cobras asserted their dominance from early in the day unbeaten in the early rounds of the competition with the Callan Starlets hot on their heels in 2nd place. St Michaels Flamingos and Ayle Falcons both put in solid performances in the group stages and also progressed to the Semi Finals. Despite some spirited play in the pool stages the Gaelscoil Koalas and Innishannon Elks took early exits from the competition. The first Semi Final pitted the Cobras against the Falcons. The Falcons battled hard throughout the game however the Kerry side proved too strong and the Cobras were the first to book their place in the Final. In the second Semi Final the Starlets overcame the Flamingos in an action packed game, to complete the Final line up. The Girls Final was full of excitement with each team trading points and unwilling to give into their opponents. However it was to be Glenbeigh’s day with the Kerry girls winning the match 2 sets to 0 and claiming the Regional title.
The Boys competition was contested by the following teams: Ayle Vipers from Ayle N S Tipperary, Blarney St Sharks from St Cholmcille CBS Cork, Church Hill Cougars from Church Hill N S Kilkenny, Gaelscoil Pumas from Gaelscoil Philib Barun Waterford, Murroe Tigers from Murroe N S Limerick and Spa Spinners from Spa N S Kerry. All matches were closely fought affairs with teams demonstrating very good Volleyball and team play skills. Church Hill Cougars and Spa Spinners were looking like early favourites finishing the pool stages in 1st and 2nd placed position. Blarney St Sharks and Ayle Vipers were also looking like strong title contenders based on early performances. The Tigers and Pumas, despite some great play were overpowered in the pool stages, such was the level of competition, and took early exits. The Semi Finals of the Boys competition were both extremely competitive and highly charged games. The Church Hill Cougars had every reason to be confident going into their Semi Final against the Vipers. The Vipers had finished 3rd in the pool stages however they were steadily improving as the day progressed and began to draw away on the score board towards the later stage in the game to book their place in the Final. The second Semi Final was also very closely contested right to the final whistle. The Spa Spinners however proved more consistent and forcing the errors on the Sharks they too progressed to the final. In the Final Ayle again improved on their earlier performances and were too strong for the Spinners. They won the match 2 sets to 0 and the Boys Regional Title.
The Mixed Competition was contested by the following teams: Ayle Wildcats from Ayle N S Tipperary, Callan Rockets from Bunscoil McAuley Rice Kilkenny, Cork Lions from Scoil Iosagain Cork, Gaelscoil Jets from Gaelscoil Philib Barun Waterford and St Michael’s Blockers from St Michael’s N S Limerick. The Jets and Wildcats just missed out on a Semi Final place after their efforts in the early pool rounds. The Semi Finals were contested by Spa Spikers and Callan Rockets on one side and the Cork Lions and St Michael’s Blockers on the other side of the draw. The Spikers put in some very consistent performances throughout the day and their consistency was the key in overcoming their Kilkenny opponents in the first Semi Final. The Cork Lions competing for the first time in National Competition put in a powerful spiking display during their Semi Final and progressed to the Final, a great achievement for their first competitive year. The final proved to be a very exciting game however the experience of the Kerry side paid off and they won the final 2 sets to 0 and the first Regional Title for their school.
Sports Studies students from Colaiste Stiofan Naofa and 5th years from Glanmire Community College assisted in running the days’ competition and also officiated all the days matches. Their help was invaluable and greatly contributed to the smooth running of the event. We now look forward to the National Finals in Mary I in Limerick on March 9th where the top two teams in each category of competition from the South will be pitched against the best of the East and West Regions. Well done to all the young Volleyballers who took part in the Regional Finals and best of luck to the teams that have qualified for the National Finals
