Team:
 

Luke Farmery (c)

Gopi Ganesathas

Ben Black

Adam Levi

Hayden Cole

Mike Elliott

Andy Glover

Tom Blackman

Jamie Ingram

*Hannah Stanton

*James Stocker

*Harry Sims

*Tom Bliss

*Jack Grabham

*Sam Jupp

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* - Also playing for Picnic

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Starting Seed - 6th
Final Seed - 5th

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South West Super Cup was upon us again and we were looking to switch our indoor tournament hats for our outdoor ones, build chemistry as a team and introduce some of the younger players in to the team and in to more competitive games.

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Following last year’s performance, with as good as the same team we took to Tour in the next few months, we started out 6th in the ‘Elite’ Division. We were nestled in between various University 1st teams who train week in week out, compared to us who could count our trainings this season on the fingers of the guy from ‘127 Hours’. Success in this tournament would mostly come down to ability and experience, with the hope of building chemistry on top of that for Tour.

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Saturday Morning at the crack of dawn we, pretty much the entire team, bundled ourselves in to the Gopi Bus like a group of refugees looking for sanctuary in the promised land. We arrived with plenty of time to warm up, run through some tactics, jiggle our pre-Tour moobs along an agility ladder and run some drills before game 1.

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Game 1 – 10:00am - Bristol Open 15–5 (L)

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This was an important game for us. Not because a loss would be disappointing and stop us from achieving what we want, but because it would be an indicator of where we are compared to a club training regularly and performing at a level we want to be at in the future. ​

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A few of us had played Bristol Open at MT1 and knew how they would play: Quick and accurate O, using a combination of short and long play, and a combination of tight and poachy D to really cut out options. We started off poorly with some instant mistakes, only completing 1 of our first 3 passes, a highlight reel 2-metre gain to centre the disc. Bristol struck instantly to take the lead. We started off trading (for the first 2 points – still counts), before Bristol put their foot down and started to run away with it. We were still adjusting to our own style of play and had some defensive lapses which were capitalised on instantly.

 

Bristol took what would normally be half if there were halves even though there weren’t halves, but if there were halves it would be half, 8-2. We took some time to talk our O & D through and tighten up as a unit, and started to put some more points in. We had a good mixture of long shots to the end zone and some handler movements to work our way up. Not a win, but not a loss to be disappointed with either.

 

 

Game 2 – 12:00pm – Kernow 1 8-8 (D)

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We didn’t know what to expect going in to this game. Kernow had performed incredibly well at last year’s SWSC, finishing 2nd, courtesy of a couple of class handlers and cutters, plus exceptional women. We saw their squad prior to the game, with a large female contingent, and immediately made the mistake of underestimating them. On offense we were able to convert fairly easily and get a small lead. On defence we were far too relaxed, relying on mismatches and poaching off players. We also set our most aerodynamic player, Andy Glover, to cover Robin, knowing how much of a threat he was an O. This proved to be our downfall as Robin handled and just threw whatever he wanted to whoever he wanted. As a result, our poach just gave them space to move around and put their O in.

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We used this game to try out a variety of zones and see which had the greatest impact and which we could use most effectively. None of them seemed to work in this game and we traded for a long period of time. Before we knew it Kernow had taken the lead, 6-8 and we were up against it. We composed ourselves, decided to stop disrespecting them with our lazy defence, and managed to bring the score back to 7-8. We pull for the next point with the wind in their favour. We tighten up our defence and manage to get the turn. We have possession and start working the disc up when the hooter goes. We carry on working the disc up through our handlers and get close to the end zone. Kernow defend well and force us to swing the disc back and forth. We eventually manage to put it in against the wind to even the scores up. We get pumped, knowing that we are then playing with the wind behind us and can get the next point to take the win. Then some guys walk on the pitch and tell us the game ended on the final possession after the hooter, so the game is a draw. Party poopers.

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We were disappointed to only draw based on how the teams matched up, but felt lucky not to lose based on how we played.

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Time for some down time before the next game, and an in-depth discussion about the medical feasibility of putting frisbees in places where frisbees shouldn’t go.  

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Game 3 – 2:00pm – Swansea 1 10-13 (L)

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Thanks to some unexpected wins and losses from the bottom 3 in our pool, most of us being ‘disc’ enough to work it out, and better maff skills than Big Shaq, we worked out that a victory in this game would secure us a spot in the ‘Elite’ division, without the need for a 4pm cross over when the weather was due to turn. As you can tell by the ‘(L)’ above, it didn’t go as planned.

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I think it’s credit to Swansea that they managed to win the game without doing anything at all spectacular. As far as I can remember, it was mostly just competent handlers doing things well. We were short staffed in this game and after the thorough sausaging of our zone in the last game, we decided to stick to man. To conserve our energy we played quite loosely and their handlers capitalised on this, frequenting the break side more often than we would have liked. Despite this, our offense was smoother than Glover’s head and we were consistently putting our O in, trading for 90% of the game. Towards the end our small squad size started to show and Swansea converted the last few points to take the game.

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Despite losing this game, we were much happier with how we played compared to the last game. It was progress.

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After the game we could almost hear the Travel Lodge calling out for us. But we had a 6v11 cross-over which could have dropped us down in to the ‘Challenger’ division. With energy levels at an all-time low and all Picnic players unavailable, smart and efficient play was needed. Luckily we had Levi’s enthusiasm for the cross over to get us through.

 

Game 4 – 16:10pm – Southampton 1 - 14-8 (W)

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From speaking to the other team before the game we found out that it would be 9 v 9, with both teams having only 2 subs for the game. This could only mean one thing – neither team would be able to cut by the end of the game.

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We put in the first few points quickly and took an immediate lead. In these points we gave them a bit of space to move around and managed to assess who were their competent cutters, who were their weak links, and who could put it long with enough accuracy to hurt us. Fun fact – no one for the latter. So we forced them all deep, cut out their unders, and gave them their long option. Only their most ‘disc’ player, who may as well have been playing in slippers, could put anything deep, and it took them 4 attempts at the long shot to get any rewards from it.

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We kept this strategy going until we took the half (which now existed) 8-2. I’m not sure what they said in their half-time discussion, but it worked, and they got their offense working and started getting points. We switched to a more honest defence to slow them down. We tightened up and forced them to make some errors. We continued to put our points in and traded for the rest of the game, with us drawing the second half 6-6. Thanks to our early heroics we were too far ahead for them to make a resurgence. Plus, we had Hannah. They had no chance.

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Once we had finished consoling Levi over the fact that there were no more games for the day, we headed to our Travel Lodge, which had been booked by a competent adult this time for the correct date. Time for a quick rest, the three S’s and we headed off to Bella Italia to smash some dough balls & calzones and watch Hayden dispute the pronunciation of 'Luganica Rosmarino' with an Italian waitress.

 

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Game 5 – Sunday 9:00am – Exeter 1 - 5-10 (L)

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Overnight our lucky egg had become more injured and couldn’t play. We were down to 1 sub. This being the first game of the day, we had the issue of Picnic not playing till the second game, and with them travelling together in their wannabe Gopi Bus we did not have our Picnic contingent.

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Despite our small numbers we came out hard. We all know what Exeter are like. They did what we expected and ran hard, threw well and held a tight defence. This wouldn’t stop us though, and we traded for a while. Our handlers were majestic in this game. The 4 handlers at the back swung the disc back and forth with ease against the wind. Even when we turned and Exeter had the wind they struggled to score. We forced them to make mistakes and then started the process again. When we had the wind behind us we felt more confident and put some long shots in, with varying degrees of success.

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As anticipated, we got tired quickly, and Exeter’s extra men started to show. They started to pull away and there was no catching them. The cavalry showed up and provided a burst of energy, but alas, it was too late. Ho hum.

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We had performed incredibly well against a very strong team who trained regularly. Nothing to be ashamed or disappointed with here.

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Game 6 – Sunday 11:30am – Mythago 1 - 9-8 (W)

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Now that we were in 6th, the highest we could finish would be 5th, but we had to hold our seed first. This meant beating another uni team. A team of players who know each other and train regularly.

This turned out to be a game of two halves, and also our most impressive game of the weekend. We came out slow and Nate & Co. punished us for it. Mythago took an early 5-1 lead. What a shambles. We reassessed our defence and got our ducks in a row. This is what was needed apparently as we put in 6 points in a row to go up 7-5. We took the half 8-7. The hooter went in the next point and Mythago put the point in to even it up to 8-8. Game to 9. This ended up being the most stressful point in the history of organised hobbies. We were working with the wind and kept getting close, but kept turning courtesy of some absolute hoolies due to fatigue. They kept trying and did well to get as close as they did. But close doesn’t win games. Scoring a point to go up 9-8 wins games. So we did that, despite Gopi getting a fat WFDF-rules facial from Nate.

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This was a great performance by the team and we deserved this win.

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Game 7 – Sunday 14:30pm – Bath 1 - 7-6 (W)

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​Final game of the tournament. We had spent the entire weekend so far doing as the seeding has suggested, and staying in 6th. We had an opportunity now to improve our seed and take 5th.

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Bath looked like an athletic group, with a higher than average hand:glove ratio across the team. Captain Dr. Luke won the toss, and chose offence in to the wind, with the plan of putting us in a good position after the half. We got a quick up-wind point and then started trading. The key here was that we got the initial up-wind point, and then traded from there on, so we always had the upper hand.

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Our defence held strong all the way through, making them really work for every point, and crushing their defence when we were working against the wind. Unfortunately we struggled to convert those final metres. Eventually Bath managed to put in an upwind point to even up the game, and then put in the down-wind to take the lead 6-5. The hooter went and the game would be first to 7. We were exhausted by this point and struggled to provide effective cuts. We eventually got the point and brought the game to 6-6.

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 This next point was the most tiring of the weekend. We discussed our defence and decided to put on a poachy man to conserve our legs, poaching the throwing lane, the open side and deep of the stack. By some miracle this worked and forced them to turn. We had to score this next point and put in our only up-wind point since the very first point of the game. This point can be entirely attributed to our excellent handlers, who not only patiently worked the disc up, but also provided some crucial handler burns to gain larger yards. In trainings we always say not to jam the disc up the side-line and to reset and centre the disc to open up the pitch. Anywho, so we jammed it up the side-line and eventually we got close. Ben put a 50/50 rolly backhand in to the side of the end-zone which was heading straight for the Bath defender, who already had images of being paraded through the streets of Bath on an open-top bus in honour of his valiant defensive efforts in a crucial moment. Fortunately, the Gods smiled favourably upon us and provided a brief gust of wind to sit the disc up and fall in to the ever-reliable hands of Tom Blackman for an unintentional honey pass to win the game.

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It’s difficult to say that this was a successful weekend. It highlighted a lot of our strengths and weaknesses as a team. There is a lot we can take in to trainings to build on, which I’m sure Captain Dr. Luke will do a wonderful job of. One of the key things to take away from this though is that even when we have nearly half the number of players, we can still compete and beat teams through will power and smart play. Imagine what we can do with a decent sized team!

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Big hand to the rookies in our team who really stepped up when they played and provided a huge impact. Keep it up.

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I look forward to the following weeks and building on this solid foundation so we can smash Open Tour 1. #BrownTown