Eating Turf #2

02 ISSUE

ALL THE SPORTS, ALL THE TIME

Surf and Turf: Rowing, Badminton, Hockey and more

REGULARS

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2

REGULARS

ISSUE 2: 18 OCTOBER '13

CONTENTS solent search for

badminton girls

p14

3

4

Sordillo fury at winchester equaliser

6

Newcomer burl guides squash team to rare win

7

Cornick tips greasly to revive squash fortunes

8

match reports

14

Solent Search for Badminton girls

15

Moore of the same this year for nathan

16

Solent scrapping second teams

18

Hard days night for american invaders

20

Match Previews

28

Make the most of our cheap offer to watch saints

29

Team Solent standing tall together

30

Equipment scuppers snowsport souths chances

32

An idiots guide to judo

33

South coast journalism // EATING TURF

FEATURES

Sordillo fury at late Winchester equaliser Winchester men’s hockey team scored two late goals to deny Solent to deny them an opening game victory as the two sides drew 2-2 in the Western 3A Division.

Words: Sam Price / Pictures: Paul Watts

S

olent’s Ken Tsang turned in two penalty corners in a wet first half to put hosts Solent into a promising position, before their lead was halved by a quick counter attack turned in by Alun Wong that had Solent coach James Sordillo fuming.

Then, with just minutes left , the visitors completed their comeback as forward Luke Warren’s deflected effort found the net from a penalty corner.

“Winchester were not playing very attractive hockey,” Sordillo said, “If you compare it to football it was like Stoke City of a few years ago.

Get the ball at the back, smash it forward and hope for the best.”

“No, I did not think the game was over at halftime. I thought we just needed to control the game and play good, sensible hockey.

“But we lost our heads for twenty minutes and let Winchester back into it.

“We got a bit tired and they got one lucky break and a short corner where we got an unlucky deflection and it went in.”

With the rain pouring down at Trojans club, it was Winchester who adapted quickest to the conditions as they forced an early penalty corner that Warren pushed wide.

But Solent soon found their feet and took the lead after 10 minutes when a penalty corner taken by captain Ted Warren ended up at the stick of

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4

Ken Tsang, who fired home.

Winchester failed to learn their lesson and were punished not long after as the same penalty corner routine came up trumps for Solent, Tsang doubling his team’s advantage.

Sordillo was pleased with his team’s effectiveness from penalty corners, but admitted they weren’t something Solent had given much consideration.

“We’ve only had two training sessions so we haven’t even looked at penalty corners,” he explained.

“We had a quick chat before the game that went along the lines of ‘Ted push out, Alex [Cowell] stop, Ken flick’ and that was all the practice we had.”

But as the weather began to brighten, Solent’s chances of winning darkened as the game entered the latter stages of the second half.

A big hit up the pitch from Winchester put them three-on-one, giving forward Alun Wong the chance to round Solent ‘keeper Dan Brier and pull one back.

The equaliser came with Solent down to 10 having had Freddy Noddy yellow carded, as Warren’s shot from a penalty corner deflected in.

For Sordillo, the draw didn’t fit with his plans for this season.

He said: “Promotion is the aim, anything less would be a failure for us. I was at Solent when we got promoted to 2A, and I think that’s the level where this university should be competing.” 

FEATURES

Solent’s Ken Tsang

Winchester Celebrate Equaliser 5

// EATING TURF

FEATURES

Newcomer Burl guides squash team to rare win

Solent squash team surged back from 2-0 down to win their first match in 11 months in beating Bristol seconds 3-2 with newcomer Ryan Burl making sure of victory in the decider.

Nathaniel Holland

S

olent, who finished bottom of the table last season, did not have the best of starts when Callum Austin lost 11-4, 11-1 and 11-6 to give Bristol an early lead.

Austin was a late inclusion, stepping in to replace Mathias Cornick who had withdrawn with injury just hours before the fixture.

Solent then found themselves 2-0 down when Ben Jacques lost 3-0 in straight games 11-8, 11-6 and 11-2.

Bristol were looking comfortable against a Solent team that had such a dismal year last time out and another defeat looked inevitable.

And Solent’s fortunes didn’t look like they were ever going to improve and Matt Lisk found himself two games down losing 14-12 and 11-6.

However it was then that the comeback began as the 19-year-old turned his match around by winning the next three games 11-6, 11-8 and 11-9 to clinch his tie 3-2.

Ben Jacques EATING TURF //

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“another defeat looked inevitable” This meant that Solent were now trailing 2-1 with two matches still to play so a victory was still possible for the home side who hadn’t won a BUCs fixture since November 2012.

Callum Greasley then made the scores level by winning his match in three straight games 11-3, 11-6 and 11-8.

This left the final game between both number ones for the victory.

Ryan Burl, a newcomer to the university, confirmed the victory for Solent by beating his Bristol counterpart 3-0.

Burl, a Zimbabwe national, arrived at the university last week on a cricket scholarship.

Luckily for Solent he is also a keen squash player and his talent shone through winning his games 11-2, 11-8 and 11-4 and confirming the victory for Solent.

Solent’s next game is an away fixture against the University of Bath 2nd team next Wednesday 24th October (Kick off 1pm). 

FEATURES

Cornick tips Greasley to revive squash fortunes Squash captain Mathias Cornick is optimistic that Solent can bounce back from a disappointing season with the help of new coach Callum Greasley.

Olivia Walters

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he squash team, who have a lot to prove after finishing bottom of the Western 2A Division of the BUCS League last season, got off to a flying start by beating Bristol 2nd team 3-2.

It’s a good start to their 2013/14 campaign despite losing one of their key players to graduation, last year’s coach and captain Stuart Parfett.

But Cornick believes this year’s squad can make up for his absence.

He said: “He was an important player so we’ve got to step up and play as best we can.

“We’ve got quite a strong team this year and everyone is quite focused so we’re planning to go out strong and win this time.”

The new coach filling Parfett’s place is one of Solent’s top players from last year, Callum Greasley.

Cornick said: “He is pretty good and hopefully he can organise some good sessions for us and get the team working together.”

Cornick, who has played since the age of 10 and shows ample knowledge of the sport, feels he is ready to get stuck into his new role and hopes this season will go smoothly.

He said: “I’m just organising the team. Hopefully it will be easy enough but I’m up for the challenge.

“I’ll bring fun, excitement and hopefully I can motivate players to play well.”

The squash club had a large turnout at trials during Freshers’ Fortnight and with a lot of beginners to train up, it looks like the new coach may have his work cut out.

However Cornick believes there are some already showing great promise and he has high hopes of being able to mount a promotion challenge this season.

He said: “Trials were a lot better than last year. We had a lot of beginners and people who had never played before and one or two top players.

Solent’s Squash Captain: Mathias Cornick

“There are four to five potential players who will be playing every match and others who are willing to train, play and hopefully improve as well.

“The social aspect of the sport is good and the fitness as well. It’s a very demanding sport.”

The season looks set to be tough with the likes of Bath and Bristol universities and Solent will have a lot of work to do to gain that all -important promotion.

But there is always excitement surrounding their matches against local rivals University of Southampton, it’s a victory that every Solent sports team craves.

Cornick feels that although they’re not Solent’s strongest rivals they are always the ones to beat.

The next match for the squash team will take place against away against Bristol 2nd team on Wednesday 23rd October.  7

// EATING TURF

ROUND-UP

Match Turrell keeps nerve to Report see off weakened Cardiff Badminton

Sam Hooley Team Solent badminton opened the season with a 5-3 win at East Park Terrace over a Cardiff side who had a two -man disadvantage.

The record will show that Solent start the season with a win, but the win may feel tainted by the two-point advantage given to the hosts due to Cardiff’s failure to field a six-man team.

In a game where some players may have relaxed, Solent captain Phil Turrell pushed the hosts even closer to an opening day win cruising to 21-11, 21-4 win over Cardiff’s number two Jack Wilson.

But the captain may have been sweating as both Luke Farrell and doubles team Scott Trevatt and Craig

Chalmers lost their respective games to bring the match back to 3-2.

Jack Wilson then bounced back from his earlier defeat to beat Luke Farrell 21-19 21-5 which meant that both Turrell and the doubles team went into their deciding games with the score level at 3-3.

Turrell once again showed he was the best player from the two teams as he ignored the pressure to beat Cardiff captain Joe Giampalma 21-5 taking away any chance of a Solent defeat.

With all the singles finished it was left to doubles team Liam Bellingham and Josh Tunstall to avoid a fourth defeat to the Cardiff team of Morgan Manwaring and Tom Higgins.

It looked like it would be close but

Match Bristol 17 Report solent 7 Lewis Hancock Inexperience was the reason for Solent Rugby’s 17-7 loss away at University of Bristol last Wednesday, according to head coach Sheridan Easton.

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Easton fielded nine Freshers in his starting XV and feels their lack of University rugby know-how was the key factor in the defeat.

“Due to availability, we’ve started with nine Freshers at a place which 8

Solent stayed composed to take the match 21-15, giving the home a side a 5-3 win.

Sam Hooley asked Cardiff captain Giampalma why he could only call upon four players to face Team Solent.

“We had a couple of players pull out last night,” he said .

“It was a really last-minute thing and I was up all night trying to get hold of more players, but unfortunately for us no-one was available.”

If Cardiff had shown up with a full team, the final result could have been very different. But the record states that Team Solent started off the campaign with morale-boosting a victory. 

Rugby

is tough to go,” the former Wasps player said.

“For some it was only their second taste of university rugby; they put up a good fight. It was inexperience that let us down on the day.”

ROUND-UP Bristol took advantage of Solent’s rawness, scoring two identical first half tries off the base of the scrum.

Despite sustained pressure from the away side led by skipper Felix Sheil and second-row counterpart Alec MacClean, they conceded a third.

A driving line-out from five metres out saw Bristol’s hooker score, and despite debutant Jack Tunney crossing the whitewash for

a consolation try, Easton was left disappointed with side’s focus at set pieces.

“We let ourselves down in the line out,” Easton said. “In particular their driven ones; they’re West Country boys who love to keep it in the tight and we played into their hands.

“Our body positions have to be better.”

Solent’s next BUCS fixture is at

home to Winchester University this coming Wednesday and Easton hopes his squad are more switched on with their surroundings.

“We put ourselves under pressure due to silly mistakes,” he said. “It meant we couldn’t implement our kicking strategy.

“We have to get numbers to training and work on these things.” 

Match Solent 4 Report Winchester 1

Women’s football

Alex Smith Solent Ladies winger Mariko Engels produced an impressive opening day display to power her side to a convincing 4-1 victory against Winchester at Test Park on Wednesday.

In the opening BUCS league game of the season, Engels ran rings around an admittedly weak opposition as Solent cruised to an emphatic win.

Tasha Kenny was the goalscoring hero, and her brace was sandwiched by an early own goal and a longrange strike from Emma Pinner.

Solent made the breakthrough 15 minutes in when Winchester defender Katie Cox inadvertently turned a corner into her own net.

Despite losing midfielder Michelle Quinn to injury shortly afterwards, Solent continued to press and should have added a second when Emma Hopkins blazed over from Engels’ pull back. Engels herself then missed a good opportunity when well set but Solent did not have to wait long

to double their advantage.

Good work from Bobby Lynch – who had an outstanding game in midfield – resulted in a cut-back towards Kenny, who made no mistake with a close-range finish just before half time.

From there the match became a formality as Solent overwhelmingly dominated the second half and could well have made double figures had their finishing not been so profligate.

Within five minutes of the restart both Kenny and Hopkins fired straight at the keeper before Kenny doubled her tally.

More good work from Engels, who was running the game by this stage, led to another cut-back which Kenny dispatched well after a smart turn. Two good chances followed for Lynch as Solent powered on. Both Pinner and Kenny were denied by a fine double save before the home side added a fourth on the hour.

Picking up a miscued clearance 20 yards out, Pinner drilled her halfvolley hard and low to the keeper’s 9

right as Solent began to eye a huge win. However, they became wasteful in attack, although they did come close to adding a fifth when Kenny headed against the bar.

Winchester pulled back a consolation late on but they had never really threatened on this occasion, and Solent manager Chris Wheeler was remaining circumspect after the game.

“The performance was pleasing in most respects, with a few areas we could have been better on,” he said. “The aim for the season is to go on and win the division. There’s no reason why we can’t.”

On this evidence, he could well be right. 

Match reports continue // EATING TURF

ROUND-UP

Match Tunney late try not enough Report for rugby youngsters rugby

William West A spirited performance from a young Solent rugby first XV team was not enough to defeat Bristol University as they lost 17-7 in the West Country.

An interception try from Solent debutant Jack Tunney was the visitors’ only contribution to the scoreboard as they suffered their first defeat of the season.

On a narrow and short pitch Solent played with the blustery wind behind them with a team that included eight freshers.

But a slow start by Solent gave Bristol great field position with a scrum inside the visitors 22.

Bristol’s No. 8 cleverly picked up from the base of the scrum and attacked the Solent try line before passing out wide to the on -rushing winger who touched down in the corner for a 5-0 lead inside the first five minutes.

Solent found themselves on the back foot, but strong tackling from back-row partners Jake Robertson and Connor Marley kept the home side at bay throughout the early exchanges.

Solent’s Alex Burnham, making his debut, made the best of the blustery conditions at fullback to keep the ball alive and counter attack the Bristol defence when possible.

Bristol, who also had a team made

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up of predominately freshers, kept the ball tight around the ruck area, mounting pressure on the Solent defence.

This was a good tactic as the Solent forwards found their body positions too high when taking contact and poor tackling allowed the West Country boys to create gaps in their opponent’s defence.

Following this passage of Bristol dominance, the home side found themselves 10-0 up after 30 minutes thanks to an almost carbon copy of the first try, this time the fullback touching down in the corner.

With half time fast approaching, Solent started to force their way back into the game with strong running from props Alex Maynard and Matt Wallin, who was promoted to the front row during the coach journey.

Fly-half Ryan Walter used his accurate kicking skills to find territory and pin the home side in their own 22, using the conditions to his advantage.

However this passage of pressure for Solent was short lived as a knockon gave the referee the perfect opportunity to blow his whistle for half time, with Bristol leading 10-0.

After a mediocre first half display, Solent knew they had to step up a gear and face a tough second period if they were to get back into the

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game.

But the home side, as expected, started the second period well with several surges into the Solent half, applying early pressure on the visitors’ defence.

It didn’t take long for the pressure to take its toll as several Solent players fell off tackles, before they found themselves defending their try line with the attack only five metres out.

After some gutsy defence on their own line, Solent finally succumbed to the Bristol pressure, barging their way over to score. This time the ball dissected the posts to lead 17-0 after 50 minutes.

Midway through the second half Solent started to pick themselves up and with good leadership from experienced captain Felix Shiel and Walter the visitors upped their game.

Solent winger Tunney offered slight hope as he intercepted a Bristol pass to sprint 50 metres unopposed and touch down under the posts. A successful conversion from Walter gave Solent their first points of the match with 15 minutes remaining.

Solent continued to pressure Bristol to snatch a late losing bonus point, but this was short -lived when the ball was lost at a faltering lineout, allowing the home side to claim victory. 

ROUND-UP

Match Jubilant Cunliffe targets Report football promotion football

Graham Owen Solent first team men’s coach Dominic Cunliffe says his side can achieve promotion this season after his team survived an early set-back to record an impressive 4-1 victory over ten-man Winchester at Test Park.

A hat-trick from the excellent Oiuwatobi Adekunle and a late goal by substitute Joshua West completed the comeback and ensured Southampton opened their campaign with three points against newlypromoted opposition.

“It’s always tricky going in to the start of the BUCS, because you never know what you’re going to have”, said Cunliffe.

“We had ten freshers in that squad of 16 today, so I was really pleased.”

The coach added: “We’ve got one target and that’s promotion. This is my third season now and we’ve been in division two for that period.

“We’ve got one objective, and that’s to get up into division one, that’s our only target this year.”

The boss couldn’t have asked for a better start to the season against a

rapidly -rising Winchester team who have been promoted twice in as many years, but it would have taken a brave soul to predict such an outcome at half-time with the game finely balanced at 1-1.

The wind that whipped across Test Park was always going to affect play, and it was the home side that were left cursing the weather conditions when they fell behind after six minutes.

Winchester midfielder Jack Radcliffe headed home from closerange after Matt Love’s wind-assisted free-kick had struck the crossbar.

Solent’s early play relied heavily on trying to release pacy right-back Kazunori Ito who was frequently charging down the right flank to give the visiting defenders something to worry about.

Just over ten minutes after conceding, Solent were level.

Winchester failed to clear a corner from home captain Sean Bartlett, allowing Adekunle to fire in his first.

After the restart came the turning point when Winchester winger Lewis

Robinson, who had already been booked for a poor challenge on Ito lunged in on Ryan Warrener and was sent off.

From then on, Solent were in control. After a string of missed chances, Adekunle was put through one-on-one with goalkeeper Ross Bryant with 13 minutes remaining and made no mistake, blasting a leftfooted shot into the top corner.

On the stroke of 90 minutes, it was 3-1, Adekunle completing his treble after a breakaway from a cleared Winchester corner, the hosts taking advantage of Winchester’s willingness to throw men forward in search of an equaliser.

Substitute West then got in on the act himself in injury time, the forward calmly finishing past Bryant to complete the rout and give Solent bragging rights over their Hampshire rivals.

If promotion wasn’t a prospect before the game, it certainly will be now. The impressive first team’s next game is at home to Bournemouth on October 23rd. 

Match reports continue 11

// EATING TURF

ROUND-UP

Match Newcomer Burl guides Report squash team to rare win squash

Nathaniel Holland Solent squash team surged back from 2-0 down to win their first match in 11 months in beating Bristol seconds 3-2 with newcomer Ryan Burl making sure of victory in the decider.

Solent, who finished bottom of the table last season, did not have the best of starts when Callum Austin lost 11-4, 11-1 and 11-6 to give Bristol an early lead.

Austin was a late inclusion, stepping in to replace Mathias Cornick who had withdrawn with injury just hours before the fixture.

Solent then found themselves 2-0 down when Ben Jacques lost 3-0 in straight games 11-8, 11-6 and 11-2.

Bristol were looking comfortable

against a Solent team that had such a dismal year last time out and another defeat looked inevitable.

And Solent’s fortunes didn’t look like they were ever going to improve and Matt Lisk found himself two games down losing 14-12 and 11-6.

However it was then that the comeback began as the 19-year-old turned his match around by winning the next three games 11-6, 11-8 and 11-9 to clinch his tie 3-2.

This meant that Solent were now trailing 2-1 with two matches still to play so a victory was still possible for the home side who hadn’t won a BUCs fixture since November 2012.

Callum Greasley then made the scores level by winning his match in three straight games 11-3, 11-6 and

Match Solent beaten Report in Trojans duel

Matt Tilbury & Calum Hill UWE snatched a 1-0 victory over Solent Women’s hockey team with a last-gasp winner at the end of the first half from Elsie Roberts.

However, coach Chris Gittens is feeling upbeat despite the defeat.

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11-8.

This left the final game between both number ones for the victory.

Ryan Burl, a newcomer to the university, confirmed the victory for Solent by beating his Bristol counterpart 3-0.

Burl, a Zimbabwe national, arrived at the university last week on a cricket scholarship.

Luckily for Solent he is also a keen squash player and his talent shone through winning his games 11-2, 11-8 and 11-4 and confirming the victory for Solent.

Solent’s next game is an away fixture against the University of Bath 2nd team next Wednesday 24th October (Kick off 1pm). 

women’s hockey

He said: “Considering it’s the first time they’ve played together it wasn’t too bad.”

He also had praise for the keeper.

The coach said: “Kirsty was good in goal, she kept us in it for large parts of the first half.”

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Solent started shakily as UWE pressed early on with two short corners both ending in a shot by Rebecca Poh but were saved by the keeper.

The first effort by Solent didn’t come until the 12th minute however the shot didn’t trouble Anna Griffin in the UWE goal and went comfortably wide after good build-up play.

A second chance came on 16 minutes when Tash Starnes had a one on one chance after a lucky loose ball fell into her path. However the keeper blocked, and soon after Starnes was

ROUND-UP given a green card following a mistimed tackle.

UWE raised their game after the 18th minute, Poh was again threatening when she played a short pass to Katie Booth who found the side netting from an acute angle.

Despite the ongoing pressure Solent showed resilience in defence.

On the 26th minute a shot by Poh was saved resulting in a scramble in the box though Solent remained

robust and cleared the ball.

The defence held strong but in the final actions of the half Poh breached the back four and fired a shot which was thwarted by the post but Roberts followed in to finish the rebound giving UWE a half-time lead.

Solent came out on the front foot in the second half pressing UWE back and consequently created a chance on 40 minutes courtesy of a run by Kathryn Todd but the move came to

Match Best In Report Sho Josh Donaldson Newport manager Steve Brougham proclaimed Sholing FC to be the “best team in the league” as his side escaped the Silverlake Arena with a 1-1 draw.

The manager saw his men outclassed in the first half going into the break 1-0 down. A header from Sholing captain Byron Mason put the Boatmen into a well-deserved lead before his opposite skipper, Ian Seabrook levelled from the penalty spot.

Broughman was happy to concede he was delighted to come away with a point, but praised his side’s character after a poor showing in the opening 45 minutes.

“The first half, we were bombarded but we weathered the storm and funnily enough I was quite pleased to go in at 1-0 down”, the manager said, “I thought we were the better side in the second half and thoroughly deserved our draw.”

With the point for each side,

Newport still sit top of the Sydenhams Wessex League, but Broughman was under no illusions that the opposition will be the ones to beat this season.

He added: “I think Sholing will win the league this year. If we can do what we have done today, give them a go and be somewhere near it then I’ll be happy with that”.

It may have been a good result for the away side, but home manager Dave Diaper was not happy with his team’s wastefulness in front of goal.

“We’ve got to be disappointed with the amount of chances we created that we didn’t take, but that’s football at the end of the day”, he explained, “If you don’t take your chances when it’s 1-0 then there’s always a liability the other team can get back into it and that’s what’s happened today.”

However Diaper remained optimistic that his injury hit side can still remain title contenders with home form being the key factor to 13

nothing.

Poh continued to impress with her mazy dribbles, however she struggled to find the net and the home side looked to salvage a draw as they launched their final offensive.

Good team play led to Lexi Gutschow receive the ball in the box but her shot was parried out towards Tash Starns who fired a shot towards goal however it was stopped in its tracks as the final whistle went. 

Football promotion.

“We haven’t been beaten here for a year and it was important we kept the unbeaten run going,” the manager said. “We’ve got five players out injured so it was important not to lose today and it’s deprived them of two points as well so it’s as we were really.”

Sholing remain two points behind league leaders Newport but the Boatmen still sit in pole position as they have two games in hand over their title chasing rivals.

Diaper’s men now visit another title contender Winchester City in the FA Vase Cup on Saturday. Sholing will be in confident mood as they aim to continue their unbeaten run away from home but the home side, like Newport, will provide a stern test.

Winchester are in good form, having picked up four wins in five games and sit third in the league, two points behind their opponents.

However their sole defeat came at the hands of Sholing, with the Boatmen comfortably dispatching them 3-0 away from home.

It should be a lively encounter as both sides are capable of entertaining football, but for Sholing it is another game to prove that they really are the team to beat this season. 

// EATING TURF

FEATURES

Solent search for badminton girls The Solent Badminton Team

T

he interest was high with 80 men and women signing up and around 30 attending trials, but there was still not enough women to form a team.

Captain Phil Turrell feels this could be a result of lack of interest or just a consequence of not being well -known.

He said: “The reason we don’t have a badminton team for women could be because the better badminton players go to other universities or the sports sciences courses don’t have as much girl intake as boy intake.”

Two girls trained with the men’s badminton team last season but the sport requires six players for a team.

They need at least eight players for a rotational squad.

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“Four years ago there was a women’s squad and they did well, but due to lack of freshers coming through we didn’t have enough players to put a team out in other years, so we had to lose the squad.”

New badminton coach Steve Smith feels there has been a lack of female participation and wants to increase women’s interest in the sport.

He said: “I feel there has been a lack of badminton interest as a whole. In my experience it is generally males who participate in a sport first, which generates female interest.

“My aim is to build a women’s team into the university. I hope we’ll get girls coming through now they are aware there is a badminton 14

Solent badminton team will yet again not have a women’s section for the forthcoming season.

Leigh Tranter team present.

“I plan to give open opportunities and not have a policy on men or women only, but a policy on level and ability.”

Third year Turrell said: “we can’t decide when we start the new academic year if there is going to be a women’s team. We have to decide the year before.

“If there were eight girls interested this year then we could set a team up for next year.

“There is one girl who has played at a high level, who trains and coaches with us. But obviously we can’t just have one in a team.

“We don’t have the numbers right now. Hopefully we can get a women’s team but it wont be this season.” 

FEATURES

Moore of the same this year for Nathan After a successful first year on the Solent kickboxing team, new team Vice-captain Nathan Moore explains how he got involved in the sport and his aims for the coming season.

James Wilkinson So how you get into kickboxing?

I’ve always been interested in sports, I used to play for the Middlesbrough Football academy and I’ve done martial arts like Karate and Muay Thai before but it’s only since joining the kickboxing team at Solent that I’ve been taking it

seriously.

How was your first year of proper kickboxing then?

Brilliant actually! I didn’t actually win anything in competition, only inter-club fights and stuff, but I’ve developed a lot in my style. Being made vice-captain for this year which has been my main highlight though.

So what does your new role involve?

Well I get the team together; help build morale as well as organising transport and hotels for tournaments.

You mentioned you previously did other martial arts, so what differentiates kickboxing from them?

Well Karate’s very different in that it has a lot more rituals in because it’s very old fashioned and traditional. Like you have to do gradings and katas and it’s more about self-defence. I did Muay Thai for a few years and I suppose that’s pretty similar, but there’s a lot of stuff you can do in that which cannot get away with in kickboxing!

Kickboxing is more about punches and kicks with no clinch fighting.

Clinch fighting?

Oh well that’s 15

basically where the two fighters try to grapple each other. Muay Thai fighters use elbow and knee strikes a lot more, as well as all sorts of throws and leg grabs which we can’t.

I’ve watched Muay Thai fights on youtube and the fighters were doing ceremonial dances and praying to each other before the fight, which we definitely don’t do!

How would you compare your style to any other fighter?

Well it’s a bit cheesy because he’s more known for being an actor, but probably Jean Claude Van Damme… people forget he used to be a pretty good kickboxer! Like me he’s a bit short and he also did both karate and kick boxing. We’re short so we both like to get up close and fight in close quarters to our opponent.

Ambitions for this year?

It’s looking a bit far into the future but I’d definitely like to get a medal in the WAKO (World Association of Kickboxing Organizations) British kickboxing championships in February. I had to miss it last year after I dislocated my thumb the week before which was gutting, so I’m really looking forward to making up for that. Charlie (Charalambides, the team captain) got a silver medal last year which he’s been giving me some stick about so if I could match that it would be good.  // EATING TURF

FEATURES

Solent Scrapping Second Teams Scott Mills

A

s darkness begins to loom over the St Mary’s sports complex, on a late October evening, Solent University student Matthew Tilbury would usually be preparing himself for badminton practice, but not this year; this year it’s different.

Like hundreds of other students, Matt is just one of many, that have been affected by the sharp change of events regarding the new “Performance Initiative” to help focus on the level of excellence of our University’s 1st teams.

The new “Performance Initiative” means that only the match day squad is eligible to take part in training sessions and with Sport Solent scrapping all second teams, it looks as though many of the students who were not successful will have to look elsewhere this year if they wish to play the sport they so dearly enjoy.

Tilbury explained: “Last year even if you weren’t in the first team you were allowed to train. I got to play in a few matches and there were some players there who just wanted to train to improve, but with this new initiative, only the 11 members who made the squad can train – and I didn’t make it.”

You could say, that by focusing on the small group of players selected for the first teams, it will improve the quality of not only the players but also the overall results.

However, with the Olympics still fresh in the memory, surely Solent are already forgetting the intended legacy by ditching the “sport for all” mentality for a more cut-throat one of “winning is everything”.

On this year’s Team Solent mens football trials Facebook page there were over 300 people

EATING TURF //

16

who were interested in signing up to play for the University’s football team. Only 16 of those were selected to be in the squad whilst the others would have to find another way to play competitive football.

Whilst the University has established other ways for students to take part in sports like local 5 a-side leagues or sports taster sessions, this still excludes those who enjoy sport for the socialas well as the competitive side.

Solent Fresher Josh Scully-Rodgers could clearly not come to terms with the new strategy saying: “I was injured so couldn’t take part in the (football) trials. But I went down and there were some great players that didn’t get in, some of whom played for teams such as Sholing FC . It’s stupid really.”

So it is clear that although the main focal point of this new procedure is to focus on the elite, the system is still letting talented sportsman slip through the University’s grasp instead of trying to raise the standard of the University’s other teams.

To have sportsmen that play at a semiprofessional level or higher not representing the University is mind-blowing, especially when they can help to create very strong second, third or maybe even fourth teams in their sports.

Now the reasoning to drop the second teams could be financial, but with say a squad of 16 for football and only 11 players able to start, what happens to the reserve players in terms of paying their expensive membership fees?

Certainly the subscriptions paid over the course of the season would be able to take care of the sporting teams’ financial issues.

FEATURES

“Personally I think if you want to progress as a University you need a second team, it breeds competition, develops players and if you look at all the good Universities they have around five or six teams” And whilst I still wait on a reply from Sports Solent, there is still a question as to why this has happened this season.

Whilst looking at other Universities that may be in a similar situation financially, they all had teams representing their Universities competitively in a variety of sports including six of their teams playing BUCS fixtures in certain sports like rugby and football.

Our local rivals Southampton for example have: three Badminton teams, three Basketball teams, five Cricket teams, three Indoor Cricket teams, two Fencing Teams, six Football teams, one Golf team, eight Hockey teams, three Lacrosse teams, four Netball teams, five Rugby Union teams, three Squash teams, two Table Tennis teams, three Tennis teams, two Volleyball teams, two Water Polo teams, two Swimming teams and one American Football team.

Compared to our University only focusing on one team per sport, surely the positive to having more than one is that the players not in the first team, can improve and act as reserves for the other teams, giving them motivation to improve and develop so they can get a chance at a higher level.

Ex-Solent Student and current 1st team mens Hockey coach James Sordillo believes that to progress as a University a second team is crucial in helping Sport Solent to move forward.

“Personally I think if you want to progress as a University you need a second team, it breeds competition, develops players and if you look at all the good Universities they have around five or six teams. That doesn’t happen overnight, but if you build a second team and work hard at it then a 3rd team and so on, you keep moving forward and as long as you only have a 1st team you’ll be competing in leagues 3 and 4A.” The new initiative could also have an adverse effect on students that were lucky enough to make the cut. With no second team players pushing for their spot in the 1st team it could cause them to slack, knowing they are safe in the squad so in fact that level of excellence could drop leading to poor results.

Current captain of the Solent Tennis team, Yiannis Fleming wasn’t sure as to why the second teams were dropped and although it didn’t have an effect on tennis, it could be worrying for other teams.

“Well we didn’t have a second team last year and I am not sure as to why its happened, but I think it’s happened to all the sports teams across the University. Personally I think it’s happened because the Sport Solent needed to make cuts so that is why they probably did it.”

So while it still remains unclear as to why Sports Solent had made cuts to the University’s second teams, sports enthusiasts such as Matt Tilbury will in the mean time have to find other ways to competitively play the sport they love.  17

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FEATURES

Hard day’s night for American invaders

At both amateur and professional level, America’s number one sport is making gains in popularity across Britain. Can it ‘invade’ our shores?

Solent Redhawks coach Martin Hume has his say.

Joshua Doherty

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ifty years after the British invasion of the American pop music charts by the likes of the Beatles, the Yanks are launching a revenge mission in sport.

But instead of raiding our music charts, the Americans are attempting to get American Football to take off this side of the pond, and arguably with some success already.

Ten years ago, it would have been hard to find 50 amateur clubs playing regularly over here. Now there are close to 200.

University leagues are beginning to form up and down the country, and the amount of teams

international chief Chris Parsons, there is a need to move abroad to boost its profile.

The UK is clearly a target for growth and as a result since 2007, the NFL has been playing competitive games here in the UK. This season there will be three games held at Wembley.

The expansion programme is something that Solent Redhawks coach Martin Hume agrees with.

“If the same teams are brought to the UK each year that could create a decent following, which would in turn bring more people to play, which is a positive thing” To the majority of the U.K, American Football

“The NFL can only help the amateur game. Three games a season is a lot to be taken abroad, so this will definitely raise interest” participating has more than doubled in the past eight years. There are now 77 teams.

At professional level, viewing figures are also on the rise. From the 2006 Superbowl to the 2012 event, there was a 156 per cent rise in audience viewing figures.

This includes a 4.3million combined TV and radio following in Britain..

So can American Football really invade the sporting scene here as the Beatles or the Kinks did to the American music scene in the mid- 60s?

A sport once brushed off as ‘rugby with pads’ now has plans to break into the top five most popular sports in Britain.

With the NFL competing in a somewhat ‘saturated market’ in the USA, according to NFL EATING TURF //

18

will be an alien concept, probably a stop-start version of rugby, with excessive padding, which is another downside for British audiences. “ A major difference is the excessive padding, I understand that. There are more and more professional rugby players using padding as the tackles get harder and the awareness of the dangers grow” So with an ever -growing fan base here in the U.K, and the NFL not exactly short of excitement or funding, it seems that the sky is the limit.

Can they replicate the Beatles and other successful British bands? Or will they be more like Oasis in their constant, somewhat tedious attempts to find success across the Atlantic? Only time will tell. 

FEATURES

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ROUND-UP

rugby Preview mens preview Oli Shapley Solent men's rugby team will be looking for their first league win of the season when they host Winchester at Test Park on Wednesday afternoon.

A 15-15 draw against the Royal Agricultural University and a 17-7 defeat to Bristol means that Solent currently sit sixth in the table.

Winchester have had a mixed start to the season. A disappointing 32-3

for Preview Aiming Top Tier John Winchester Sylvain Donneaud has ordered Seven Up for his men’s basketball team.

Solent have been stuck in BUCS Western 1A for the past six seasons and the team coach says it is time to move up a level.

Solent finished third after an indifferent season last year, behind Bournemouth and Exeter, but a fresh intake of talent has put a new impetus in the team.

Donneaud said: “We are aiming for the premier [division], it’s really difficult, it’s the top tier, we’ve been fighting for it for years.

“We’re getting close to it, seconds, thirds, but it’s a good level to aim for.”

The eventual champions will be EATING TURF //

put into a play-off with the winners of the Northern league, as there is only one place up for grabs in the premier division.

Bournemouth failed in their bid to make it to the top, meaning Solent will have to beat them if they want a chance in a higher tier and team captain Tunji Alli is relishing the challenge.

“It’s definitely key,” Alli said. “We fell short last season, they were two tough games for us.

“Bournemouth are looking strong this year, it’s vital for us to beat them. It’s the difference between going up or staying down here.”

Whilst team is the buzzword, coach Donneaud is pleased with the new recruits drafted in for this 20

rugby loss at the University of St Mark and St Johns was followed by a 20-0 win over Bournemouth, making this match an interesting encounter.

Solent finished the season last year with three wins from their last four games. A fourth placed finish with six wins from 12 matches gives them something to build on this time around.

Winchester came sixth in 201213, meaning that the hosts should go in to the game as favourites. 

basketball season.

“We have a guy from America, who is here for three years. We have a local guy who is big and strong.

“Another player we have is from France but he is currently injured with a bad knee but he is still a very good prospect though.

“There is competition within the squad, quality is high, they push each other up, we have more players then places in the team.”

“We are still lacking big bodies.

We have players who are big that we can work around but we have lots of guards.

“If they don’t turn up [for training], they won’t play. We can afford that this year.”

Solent start the season with two away matches at Swansea and the university of South Wales.

Asked about a home advantage, Donneaud said: “Yes there is, big time. You have control of the variables like the court or referees.

“Sometimes it’s difficult. At home we have the crowd as well, being at home is a big factor.” 

ROUND-UP Solent lost twice to Bournemouth last year, including a thrilling 72-74 end of season battle, which could have easily swung the other way.

Lukas Aleksandravicius wants to get promoted for a more personal

reason.

He said: “Premier division is the target. I’m in second year as are some others in the team; it’s my last opportunity to get into the top league.

aspires Preview Anas for Mour Grant Elliott Solent Men’s basketball player Anas Mourgelas is determined to make it third time lucky this season.

The south coast side have finished third in BUCS Western 1A for the past two campaigns but have set their sights firmly on topping the table this time round.

Mourgelas vowed: “We have to win the league this year. Last season was hard after coming third, but we have good new players and I think we are more solid this year, as long as we get the basics right we can go on and win the league.

“This is a good team and it’s a good sports university, we’ve got to go for the title. It is our top goal, I’m very positive about this year, but we have to see how we start and take it from there.”

The south coast side are feeling optimistic about their chances, but team captain Tunji Alli revealed that

they are cautious when it comes to playing against Exeter and rivals Bournemouth who topped the division last year.

“We came up short to Exeter and Bournemouth last season they were two tough games and Bournemouth have a strong team this year, it will be interesting to see what happens,” said Alli.

“Beating the top teams like Bournemouth and Exeter is vital, as it’s the difference between us going up or staying in the same league.”

From listening to the players talk and seeing them interact, it is clear there is a strong team chemistry.

Mourgelas believes they don’t just have one star player but a number of players who can clinch vital points throughout the campaign.

“I always believe in a team, we need to have a star player and lead the way, but with this team we have seven or eight guys who are on the

21

“Bournemouth and Exeter are the teams to beat after last season, but we are a match for them now.

Promotion. That’s our goal." 

basketball same page. Antonio Moffitt and Richard Mann are two new guys from the US and are really good players, plus we have Lukas Aleksandravicius still with us, who is from Lithuania.

“So it doesn’t seem we have one star player, as we have a lot of guys who can contribute, it’s a team sport after all and we have to play as a team if we want to win.”

Although coach Sylvain Donneaud shares his players’ confidence, he knows how difficult it is to gain promotion to the Premier Division and has admitted that they have lost some influential players including ex-captain Mark Blackwood ahead of the new campaign.

“We are missing our former skipper who is still here at Solent and is in his third year, but because of work commitments he can’t play anymore and that’s a big loss.

A couple of players of course left because they have graduated and we have to make sure we replace them, but I think I have got some good new intakes.”

Solent have already started the season strongly after beating Swansea away 77-69 on Wednesday afternoon and will face another long away trip next week as they take on the University of South Wales. 

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ROUND-UP

american football

to Preview redhawks fly high Solomon Thomas Solent Redhawks are aiming to fly high this season thanks to their fledgling stars.

More than 70 trialists turned up to Test Park to compete for a place in the squad, the biggest turn-out for three years.

Quarterback Alex Pacheco believes this could be down to the recent success of the University’s American football team.

After finishing a respectable sixth last season in the BUCS south division they feel they could have

Preview Andrew Lawson and Luke Weston Star point guard Antonio Moffit has described Team Solent’s basketball clash with bitter rivals the Solent Kestrels as a ‘must win’.

Team Solent have failed to get off the mark this season after suffering defeats in their opening four games.

But Moffit, who arrived in Southampton this summer after receiving a scholarship for his talents EATING TURF //

done better. Pacheco explained: “We started off great, got three wins in a row and then it went kind of downhill from there, players started losing interest and weren’t motivated.

“We lost one key player, Tom Borsay, a third year who was the one player that was our go-to man.

“You could shove him in pretty any much position and he would do the job.

“We lost another key player, Nick Parker one of my key receivers is not coming back because he just got too

much work at Uni.” This won’t stop Pacheco and his team as he brought a few new rookies to fill the boots of lost players and once they get the training and understanding of, the game he feels they will do some damage.

The secret to a good team is strong chemistry Pacheco was impressed by the Redhawks’ first team bonding session.

He said: “We had our first social last week that went well the first years seemed to enjoy themselves and everyone got along really well, everyone got along really well and started to bond really well.”

Solent Redhawks are now preparing for the opening fixture of the season away to University of Sussex on November 10th. 

basketball

Moffit wants to ground the Kestrels on the court, has said this weekend’s game could be just the catalyst to kick-start the campaign.

“I think this could be the most important game we play all season.

It’s a big rivalry so if we can win this one it could get us going for the rest of the season.”

With opponents scoring with relative ease on the inside, the lack of height among the team has been 22

cause for concern in the opening fixtures, Moffit says that Solent won’t let a lack of height destroy their chances of success this season.

“We have to fight harder in the paint, it can’t just be the big men doing all the work, the whole team has to help out, and work together as one unit.”

Despite their poor start to the season the North Carolina native remains confident he can lead his new team to a playoff spot by the end of the season.

“I’ll always think the post-season is within reach, because I know our team, we haven’t played up to the best of our capabilities, but once we figure out how to play up to our potential I’m confident we’ll

ROUND-UP find ourselves near the top of the division.”

The 23 year old comes in to the game as Team Solent’s leading scorer, but is coming off a performance in which he scored a season- low ten points in a ‘blowout’ 89-64 loss to Canary Wharf London Lituancia.

He said “I’ve been playing alright, but it’s been difficult to adjust, it’s a completely different game to the USA. I know I didn’t play well last time out but I will bounce back.”

It won’t be easy for Team Solent to get their season back on track as they

face a Kestrels team that has flown out of the gates.

The recently promoted Kestrels have won both of their opening games and now sit top of the southern conference in division three.

However despite the stark contrast in fortunes for the two teams Moffit believes Team Solent can still get the result they need.

“They may be at the top right now but I’m 100% confident we can knock them of their perch.”

Despite only having played a few games for Solent the magnitude

of the contest was not lost on the American.

“It’s a really big deal, some of the guys on our team grew up playing with Kestrels so it means even more to them. ‘’They only play about 10 minutes away from us so there should be a few of their fans and supporters at the game, it could get pretty intense, but I’m really excited about it.”

The game tips-off at 6:00pm on Saturday at St Mary’s leisure centre.

basketball

basketball ready Preview Men’s to conquer Wales Freya Penny Encouraged by this week’s win over Swansea in their opening game, the Solent Men’s Basketball team are ready to face another Welsh side, University of South Wales, on Wednesday.

Coach Sylvain Donneaud was delighted with the victory, acknowledging: “Swansea are a good team and it is difficult to win away.

University of South Wales only came up last year so it’s going to be a discovery.”

Despite winning their opening game away, he admits that there are still concerns: “Being away is more difficult, with the crowd and sometimes the ref. Also, you are not used to the gym and the hoop.”

He claims it is definitely an advantage to be at home but adds: “The win in Swansea was very good, if we can win in Glamorgan, it will be

a great one, and a great start to the season.”

Donneaud confirms he has two injury concerns ahead of the match, however he remains unfazed explaining: “I have a group of 16 players, which is good as I can rotate and switch around so we will still have 10 people to take to Glamorgan.”

Despite the injuries and away fixture, he remains confident, especially regarding his team’s offence and defence. He explains: “We try to work on both but at the moment we are more focused on the defence as it’s something you pick up quicker. We then add up some offences over time but we are going to win games with our defence.”

The coach is confident for the campaign explaining that he is pleased with the new team as during try-outs they got a lot of interest 23

from a lot of freshers. He added: “We have guys that will be here for three years, which is good for the future.

“Everybody is working very well as team but it is early days yet; it is only the second week so we have to be good together.”

When asked about any potential Michael Jordan superstars in the team, Donneaud says: “I don’t want to use that word otherwise they will think they are superstars. But yes, I have a couple of really good freshers.” 

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ROUND-UP

Preview Philip Johnson Solent Rugby has not had very much to cheer about in recent seasons, can this year see it change for the better?

Solent head rugby coach Sheridan Easton is full of confidence ahead of the new campaign.

Easton believes both the Wednesday and Saturday sides can win promotion from their respective leagues this season.

The Men’s Hampshire First Division side got off to a flying start going top of the table with a 49-17 win against Overton in their opening fixture.

But can this year’s squad keep up the successful start?

Easton admits the increasing participation levels and interest into university sport have intensified performance, promoting a healthy

rugby

Easton Sets Sights on Solent Rugby Success competition level to challenge this year’s squad.

“There’s a much more professional approach to the squad in terms of attitude and fitness,” Easton said.

“We’re looking at attitude to training. If players’ attitudes don’t fit, then we’ll drop them; we want players who are keen and enthusiastic” The emphasis on creating a structured team for Solent Rugby is a high priority on the coach’s agenda.

“Everyone wants to be apart of a winning team, success breeds success,” Easton explained.

The university Rugby team has had a spike in participation levels during Easton’s time at the helm.

Since he took charge almost five years ago, numbers have virtually

doubled.

The ‘healthy rotation of players’ will surely add the much needed depth of this year’s squad and improve the chances of a successful seasonal campaign.

Easton spoke of the importance of giving this season’s first years responsibilities making them a much needed part of the team by boldly featuring 5-6 university first years in their Wednesday’s sides opening fixture.

“It’s all about working for the cause, you have to perform and deliver,” said Easton.

“There’s a much bigger emphasis on mentoring the players on a one-toone basis.

“There’s unwritten values the players know, everyone is a brick in the organisation” With the additional help of backs coach Tom Morton and the coaching responsibilities taken on by students this year, it promotes a healthier team dynamic and a stronger team work ethic. 

women’s football

lays down the Preview Chelsea law for footballing girls Harry Kentish Team captain Chelsea Law believes Solent women’s footballers are destined for a good season and some silverware.

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They began their new campaign against Winchester University at Test Park.

Last season was a successful one for the girls as they came third 24

in the BUCS league and third in their Hampshire league to clinch promotion.

There are also some new faces in the team as the freshers are just

ROUND-UP starting their university footballing campaign for Solent.

Unfortunately trophies were not to be had in the 2012 season, even though they managed to reach two quarter-finals and a semi-final.

The girls are a hard-working and committed side, who are very close both on and off the field.

They get stronger year by year and they are hopeful that this will be the season that they win some silverware for the first time.

It was the best possible start to the season for Chris Wheeler’s squad as they thrashed Winchester girls 4-1.

Captain Law said she was pleased by the team’s performance but knows that there is still a lot to work

to do for the coming season.

“It’s the first time we have properly played together as a squad and come out today and get the result was good. ‘’I think the key things in beating Winchester were keeping the ball on the floor and simple passing.

“There was not as much communication on the pitch as we would have liked but that will obviously come with time. ‘’We need to carry on and take our chances when we can and we just need to keep working together as a unit.

“With the football girls, everyone is so friendly and everyone welcomes each other into the team and

everyone comes out on social nights and it’s a good laugh. ‘’The members of the team are also your closest friends at Uni as you work with them and then play football with them too.”

When asked about the prospects of the new freshers as additions to the team, she was looking forward to them joining and hopes they can carry this season as they finished the old.

“Last season we didn’t have any natural goal scorers so hopefully there will be a couple among the new players that have joined. ‘’But we want them to fill in positions that we lost last season and for them to just show their true talent.”

netball

confident of Preview Hinson netball improvement Dan Jones There is an air of confidence about the Solent netball team this season with new players, a new captain in Emma Nash and a fresh hunger for victory. Coach Valda Hinson has a feeling this could be an exciting year for the netballers.

Despite the trials finishing just a week before the beginning of the season, and the team only managing to organise one proper training session, Hinson is optimistic they have what it takes.

“The training session has gone well, and we’ve got some nice freshers this year, so hopefully it bodes well.

“We’ve got six new first years; a few of them are looking really strong,

they’ve obviously played at a high level at home.

“It’s nice to have the freshers and integrate them. It’s hard in the first few games because they don’t know what they’re up against, but it’s looking good for the season with the squad we’ve got” Solent finished fifth out of six in the Western 2A division last season, a position which disappointed Hinson: “I’d like to think we can finish higher than fifth this season. I think the trouble is,we’re so passionate, and we have the best intentions, it’s sometimes just putting in the conviction on the day.

“We win some good games, and lose some silly games. Consistency 25

is what we need. If we can build consistency in those games then hopefully we can turn it around and end up higher than fifth”.

Hinson’s side will face local rivals Southampton University and they relish the rivalry.

She said:’’ It’s always like a derby when we play Southampton, like when Southampton play Portsmouth in football” “It’s always a bit of a grudge match, so it’s always one we want to win, especially at home when everyone’s rooting for us. ‘’ As with every year and every university sports team, Solent Netball are plagued by the small matter of players having university work and other commitments // EATING TURF

ROUND-UP juggled with their devotion to the team, which Hinson says can be a struggle: “Our biggest problem is players who do not take sports courses, and so don’t get Wednesday afternoons off” “I’ve got two girls in my squad who can’t play any away matches

due to having lectures, and one girl who will hardly be able to play any home games. Some players also have to go out on placements, so it’s not always easy” However, Hinson feels the squad has enough depth to cope: “It’s good having a large squad, and I feel we have the strength for it to be like-for-

like in quality when I move players around” Hinson’s girls get their new season underway against Bath at St Marys Sports Hall on Wednesday afternoon, where they will be looking to go a few better than last season’s placing. 

badminton

season Preview badminton preview Dan Chruch Phil Turrell admits this year’s British University and College Badminton campaign will still be as tough as ever despite dropping a division.

But the captain retains huge ambitions for Team Solent who went the entire academic year without a win last term.

Turrell’s men suffered the heartbreak of relegation from the Western 2A Division but despite that disappointment, Turrell is upbeat about the team’s chances for an instant return after being condemned to the third tier.

The 21 year-old said: “We have big, big ambitions. Obviously we came down unfortunately last year, but with a strengthened squad this year we’re looking to go back up.

“We’ve got some tough away games, some long trips and a nice little home game against Winchester as well.

“It is quite a tough league, but we’re looking to do quite well. And from a personal view we’re looking to win most weeks so we have quite high expectations.”

EATING TURF //

Solent opened up their campaign nicely with a nail-biting 5-3 victory over Cardiff Metropolitan Men’s first, taking hold of the second promotion spot in the Western 3A league after one game.

The third tier provides new surroundings for Team Solent, with the daunting task of long away trips to Welsh Universities such as Cardiff, Swansea, Newport and Aberystwyth. The University of West England (Bristol) and Winchester complete the line-up for this year’s BUC’s competition.

Alongside brand new opponents comes an injection of fresh faces into the badminton squad, with a handful of new members selected amongst the team’s playing ranks.

With former squad member Martin Fox being Solent’s only casualty this term after graduation, Captain Turrell was impressed with a first look at the freshers’ talent.

New additions Craig Chalmers, Josh Tunstall, Liam Bellingham and Cameron Perrier were selected to represent Solent in the BUCS league this season; something Turrell 26

didn’t expect to change during preseason.

“I wasn’t expecting worldclass players, but we’ve got some good strong players. Especially in the squad, and we’re looking to strengthen the double pairs.

“So I am quite pleased with the way things have gone so far. It is looking better than I expected,” Turrell added.

With a host of new talent, Team Solent will certainly look to build upon their opening day success against Cardiff, with the team set to endure a 172-mile round trip to table-topping Swansea University Men’s second next Wednesday.

Solent will be hoping to keep hold of their 100% start to the season away at the Welsh outfit, who crushed Aberystwyth University Men’s second 6-2 to prevail above Solent on points difference on matchday one.

ROUND-UP

Preview Triple Threat Matt Tilbury & Calum Hill The Solent University volleyball teams hope to achieve the treble in the upcoming campaign.

Coached by Romanian Robert Pasescu the squad won the men’s and women’s titles last year round, but had to settle for second place in the mixed division.

They hope to complete a clean sweep this time round with a mixture of fresh and familiar faces to pick up the gauntlet.

After the recent trials Pasescu is evaluating the potential of the squad and has some tough decisions to make after the appearance of 50 trialists, coupled with the old guard from previous terms.

Second year student Marica Scevlikova has already expressed her confidence in achieving the triple top saying: “We are going to win, no doubt.”

There are a vast number of different nationalities in the squad.

The Slovakian said: “We have people from all around the world, they play very well and I’m so excited about this season.”

The coach brings much experience, having played at a professional level in his native Romania.

With this knowledge he notices the difference in structure between the professional and the amateur divisions, and the Romanian believes

27

vollyball

standards can vary each year.

Pasescu said: “Until the league starts, we have to see what other teams have as well.

“In England, this is an amateur level, the players shift from one team to the other quite easily.”

The Southampton and District Volleyball Association league gets under way with the men facing Roke Manor B and Solent Men on Friday 25th October, and the women beginning their campaign on 8th November with matches against Roke Manor Ladies and Solent Ladies. All fixtures will take place at St. Mary’s Leisure Centre. 

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FEATURES

Make the most of our cheap offer to watch Saints Southampton Solent University are offering students discounted Premier League tickets to see Southampton in selected top-flight matches starting this month.

Dan Church

Selected Southampton Home Games Southampton v Fulham, Saturday 26th October 2013 (17:30pm kick-off) Southampton v Hull City, Saturday 9th November 2013 (15:00pm kick-off) Southampton v Aston Villa, Wednesday 4th December 2013 (19:45pm kick-off) EATING TURF //

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ith Solent as Southampton Football Club’s official university partner, our very own on-campus box office are offering you the chance to see the Saints play for just £28 at any of the three selected home Premier League matches on offer before Christmas.

Tickets are available to purchase from Sport Solent reception at East Park Terrace sports hall, or can be reserved ready for collection at Test Park, St Mary’s Leisure Centre or the Warsash Maritime Academy gym.

This offer includes admission to Southampton’s St Mary’s Stadium and a free stadium meal deal; which includes a hot or cold drink, hot food snack plus a chocolate bar or crisps.

The offer is also open to members of staff at Southampton Solent at £32, but all customers who wish to purchase tickets for a selected home game must present their campus card.

Tickets are available approximately two weeks in advance of the selected Premier League fixture, with student and staff members able to buy tickets for guests as long as they present their own campus card at the box office or at the stadium.

Solent are offering discounted tickets to three selected home fixtures, with Martin Jol’s Fulham the first to visit St Mary’s next Saturday.

There is also the opportunity to see Southampton take on Premier League new boys Hull City next month, before the Saints host Aston Villa just before the Christmas break early in December.

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It is a fantastic chance to see Saints in action after enjoying a very encouraging start to the new Barclays Premier League season.

Mauricio Pochettino’s men sealed a third consecutive victory at home to Swansea City earlier this month and return fresh from the international break to face the top-flight’s reigning champions Manchester United at Old Trafford on Saturday.

Saints have stunned the big guns this term with their electric start to the new league campaign, losing just three out of their last 19 fixtures, and bragging the tightest defence in the Premier League in having conceded only two goals.

Southampton sit elegantly in fourth place in the league table, looking down on some of England’s big-guns such as Manchester United, Manchester City and Tottenham.

Saints’ stunning run of form has sparked frantic title race speculation with the Premier League season impossible to predict after Pochettino men’s rise to fame.

With Saints claiming an impressive five clean sheets in their last seven league outings, Southampton are gate-crashing the league to stake an unlikely claim for a place in European football.

Head down to Sport Solent’s reception to pick up your Premier League ticket. For further details or terms and conditions, visit www. solent.ac.uk/sport or simply visit Sport Solent’s reception at East Park Terrace’s sports hall. 

FEATURES

TEAM SOLENT STANDING TALL TOGETHER As the Men’s Basketball season is about to get started, Team Solent reveal their secret weapon; Unity as a team.

Ryan Hodge

“We’ve got a lot of talent in the team, we have to let it gel.”

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hen watching a team sport, it often becomes clear who the star player on the team is.

They are always asking for the ball, or barking orders around the pitch or court.

If that is not the case, then perhaps it is noticeable if a member of the team is not working as hard as the others.

He may be looking uninterested, thinking about what he’s having for tea, or just not focusing as much as his team-mates.

That does not apply with Team Solent’s Men’s Basketball squad.

After spending one training session with the team and coach Sylvain Donneaud, it becomes clear that every player is committed to the cause.

From speaking to Donneaud and a couple of members of the team, it is apparent that they feel like the side has fully bonded.

Anas Mourgelas, in his second year playing for Team Solent, agrees that Team Solent is one strong unit.

He explained: “I always believe

that in a team we need to have a star player to lead the way.

“But we are seven or eight guys that are all on the same page.”

The student from Greece believes that rather than one individual taking over, a number of players step up to the plate to encourage the team.

“We have Antonio [Moffitt] and Richard [Mann] who came over from the US, they are really good players,” said Mourgelas.

“We also have Lukas [Aleskandravicius] from last year from Lithuania. Big time contributors, not just one star player, we all can contribute. It’s a team sport, it’s got to be a team effort.”

What makes the idea of Team Solent being one big family so intriguing is the fact that there are players from all across the globe in the side.

Greek, Lithuanian, American and British students all play for the team, which is coached by a Frenchman.

Captain Tunji Alli also agrees that teamwork is vital. He said “We’ve got a lot of talent in the team, we have to 29

let it gel.

“We are more team orientated, there’s no ‘go to’ guy. Everyone can play and chip in to the game.”

Despite the close knit nature of the team though, coach Donneaud believes having a large roster is more of a positive than negative when it comes to team selection because everybody is fighting for a place.

“When we have got competition within the squad, it’s pushing everybody up,” explained Donneaud.

“We have got 14 or 15 guys, but only 10 or 12 spots [in the match-day team].

“If you don’t make training, you don’t go to the matches.”

Whilst university students are unlikely to have egos as big as some professional sportsmen, they would still want to make the team for every match.

Team Solent will hope that their relationship and efficiency as a team will help them push up the BUCS Western Division 1A table as they get their new university season underway.  // EATING TURF

FEATURES

Equipment scuppers Snowsport South’s chances of Tri Region ski glory

Jimmy Greenwood had a binding malfunction in the start gate meaning that Snowsport South’s A team were surprisingly knocked out in the quarterfinals of the Tri region ski team championships.

Peter Davies

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he team were strong favourites before the start of racing and were in the lead against Eastern B, but the last man out the gate Greenwood fell out of his bindings at the top of hill giving Eastern the win.

The Tri region is a parallel slalom; each team has five skiers who race in a relay that is activated by a buzzer at the top of the slope. Eastern, London and Southern ski regions entered eight teams each.

Top two teams from each league get entered into the knockout for

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the main event. The rest get ranked into a second and third tier trophy.

In what was a hectic group stage for some, Snowsport South A looked solid by winning all 10 races, lapping some teams in the process. Having qualified with ease to the knockout stages it meant that they had an easier route to the final, giving them confidence that they could go all the way.

Meanwhile Snowsport South B had a tougher group, which included eventual winners Eastern A. After

FEATURES a few crashes in a couple of the races, the battered B team still soldiered on to qualify second taking them to the quarterfinals.

Snowsport South C got the luck of the draw by having a relatively easy group in the morning. Solid skiing by the whole team with no rash mistakes meant they topped the group, giving them a good chance in the knockout stages.

Having three teams in the main event showed the strength in depth of the Southern Region.

First up in the knockouts were Snowsport South A, who were completely in control of the race, before their last man Greenwood snapped out of his bindings, making his team lose all their advantage. Greenwood reflected: “It’s frustrating because it’s not anybody’s fault.

We raced well all day, so to end it empty handed is really annoying.”

The pressure was on for the other teams to perform after the A team were dramatically knocked out early. The B team were drawn against London A who had GB skier X team member Laurence Willows in their ranks.

After the first racers down both teams were level, but the pressure got to David Ross who straddled the final gate, giving London the win by disqualification.

Pride was restored for the Southern region as the C team defied the rankings by beating London B to reach the semi finals. A close race against eventual winners Eastern A nearly saw them reach the final, but were beaten narrowly by half a gate.

Despite the early upset, Snowsport South still managed to produce, the C team defied all odds by finishing third on the podium in the main event getting revenge on Eastern B, whilst the H team were champions of the third tier competition.  31

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FEATURES

JUDO An Idiot’s Guide to:

“much more than two people wrestling in their pyjamas”

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emma Gibbons was one of the outstanding competitors at London 2012.

Gibbons, 25, a Judoka (a participant) from Charlton, South London was Great Britain’s first Judo medallist when she won a silver, since Sydney 2000.

Gibbons’s success has seen a sudden surge in popularity for the sport, which has been a recognized Olympic discipline since the Tokyo games of 1964.

Here at Solent, we are home to our very own Judo squad, which regularly competes in the BUCS championships.

So, with the Commonwealth Games fast approaching here is a breakdown of the rules from fivetime national champion Brett Caswell.

Brett was keen to explain that Judo is much more than two people wrestling in their pyjamas.

What does Judo mean?

Judo translates as ‘’the gentle way’’. However, it is one of the most physically demanding sports at an Olympic games.

The GI The Gi is the required uniform that all Judo competitors must wear. All competitors must also wear a belt.

Different coloured belts are awarded when a Judoka reaches a particular level of ability.

Aim of the Game Two competitors of the same weight face each other on a matted area. They will attempt to throw their opponent onto their back or keep them pinned on the mat for a specific amount of time in order to score points or win the contest.

Weight Categories Judo has seven different weight categories for each gender. These ensure that matches are fair and one Judoka isn’t seriously outweighed by the other. These are the categories: 60kg (Men) 48kg (Women) 66kg (Men) 52kg (Women) 73kg (Men) 57kg (Women) 81kg (Men) 63kg (Women) 90kg (Men) 70kg (Women) 100kg (Men) 78kg (Women) 100kg + (Men) 78kg + (Women)

Scoring Judo traditionally has three different methods of scoring points.

Ippon: This is one point but is declared as a match-winning point to end the contest. This can be achieved by a competitor cleanly throwing their opponent onto their back or by holding down an opponent for twenty five seconds.

Waza-ari: This is very much a watered down version of an Ippon. A point is awarded when a successful throw is achieved but it is not as clean as an Ippon.

Yuko: A Yuko is very much like football’s golden goal; it can only be achieved in a tie-breaker situation. A Yuko is awarded for holding down an opponent for fifteen seconds.

Submission: You can force your opponent to surrender either verbally or by tapping through a number of submissions. Arm and neck locks are allowed and it is also legal to choke your opponent with the GI. So with this simple guide, you’ll hopefully understand and enjoy the ‘’gentle art’’, which is not so gentle. 

Words: Terry Mayer EATING TURF //

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Alex Barnes

walkford 3 - Bournemouth staff 1 Walkford beat Bournemouth University Staff 3-1 to pick up their first win of the season in Division One of the Bournemouth Hayward League.

Ollie Nicholls opened the scoring after 21 minutes with a powerful first time 12-yard shot that flew through the large number of players in the penalty area and into the bottom corner. It was Nicholls’ second goal of the season.

When Matt Nicholls picked up a head injury he had to come off for treatment and this left Walkford with 10 men. Bournemouth made the most of this and scored a scrappy equaliser on 35 minutes. The ball deflected off two players and the post before it bounced in.

Eight minutes after the break Matt Nicholls made the most of a defensive error and slotted the ball to the opposing ‘keeper’s right to

give Walkford the lead.

Two fine saves from Walkford stopper Alec Dimmock preserved Walkford’s lead before Joe Liddicoat pounced on a headed cross to seal the match with a simple slotted finish 17 minutes from time.

The win means that Walkford move off the bottom of the table and up into 10th and will give them renewed hope for the remainder of the season. 

Success for Lymington Rowing Club Lymington Rowing Club came away with three second places in the higher difficulty categories at the Itchen Junior Sprint Regatta.

Ryan Chalk picked up two J16 victories in the main season at Itchen and Poole. The 14-yearold competed against much older opponents from Itchen and Christchurch in the final of the “A” category.

The A category is intended for the more experienced of the young competitors and Chalk held his own despite being more accustomed to competing in the longer Novice races this year.

The Lymington sculler came home second to Christchurch over the short sprint but was well ahead of

third place Itchen.

Chalk later teamed with Keaton Leyland Jones who was competing in his debut event. They raced in the A final of the boys J14 double scull and picked up another second place.

The final Lymington competitors on the day were Izzy de Wattripont and Megan Skellon in their first race as a girls J15 double scull.

De Wattripont and Skellon managed a second behind Ryde despite having the disadvantage of only having a number of outings together after the main season.

Lymington will start preparing for the BTC Autumn Head on October 27th and the remainder of the winter season. 

Ryan Chalk

www.southcoastjournalism.co.uk 33

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