SERL Regional League Roundup
SERL A
SERL A was made up from 2 Cambridge Teams, City and Tigers and 3 Kent Teams, KV2, Kingfisher 2 and Bearsted 2.
Games were always going to be tough, as most of the matches were local derbies, and nobody was expecting things to be easy, with every game a tough hard fought match.
Tigers had an outstanding season, but fell foul to a Kingfisher side that played some excellent korfball in the second part of the season and went right to the last game of the season, with a chance to be Champions, losing out to KV 20-19 to take 2nd place.
Bearsted 2 had a good season, injuries to key 1st team players, slightly disrupting their squad and narrow defeats to KV and Kingfisher ensured they would miss out.
Cambridge City rebuilding after back to back Championships were still a threat to all the teams, highlighting their undoubted depth and although finishing 5th in the top 5 pool, defeats were by only 1 or 2 as they proved to be a very resilient and competitive team.
Final standings:
- Cambridge Tigers 13pts
- Kingfisher 2 11pts
- KV 10pts
- Bearsted 2 3pts
- Cambridge City 3pts
SERL B
After the divisional split in the New Year, the South East Regional League B saw Norwich Knights 2, Norwich Ice, Ely Vikings, Cambridge Phoenix and Milton Keynes Bucks clash in an effort to take the title.
Both Bucks and Phoenix had a difficult season against the other 3 teams in the league, but persevered with strong determination to make their opponents work hard to the final whistle to take the points. With Phoenix winning their first encounter 16-13, and Bucks being victorious in the second, 26-11, it was all tied. Although Bucks were unable to take any points from their double-header in Norwich on the final day of the league, 4th place was already theirs. A walkover late in the season handed Bucks 2 extra points, leaving Phoenix in 5th.
The other 3 teams, Knights, Ice and Ely, were undoubtedly unlucky to not make it in to SERL A. With all three teams having lost by only 1, or even drawing with teams finishing on top, they were all out to prove their korfballing prowess.
Using their SERL squad as a developmental opportunity to mix new talent with experienced players, Norwich Ice performed to a consistently high standard. Having started the league well with a 13-6 win over Phoenix, Knights put an early spanner in the works with a close fought 12-11 win to deny Ice the points. Bouncing back from such a close defeat, Ice played clinical korfball to edge Vikings 14-13 at home. Having lost a second time to Knights and conceding an away match to Bucks, Ice denied Bucks any points in Norwich to cement their 3rd place finish.
Having been the only 2 teams to occupy 1st and 2nd position throughout the entirety of SERL B. The race to champion the league was firmly between Norwich Knights 2 and Ely Vikings. As a club with such a strong defensive record, Knights’ matches against the athletically talented, sharp-shooting Vikings were always going to be a thrilling affair. A jittery performance from Knights at home saw their usually solid defence fail to the unyieldingly accurate attacks of Vikings, allowing them a comfortable 9-14 win. Knights were determined not to repeat such a performance, and turned up in Ely determined to win. For the most part, it seemed this would not be the case, with Knights down 12-5 and less then half left to play. A dramatic momentum swing and tight defence saw Knights score 11 with a solitary reply from Ely, and Knights took the points, 13-16. Vikings undeniably have an exciting future ahead of them. With a lot of young talent, they will continue to play great korfball and be challenging opponents.
In the very last match of the season, Knights’ took another 2 points against Bucks, (16-5) crowning them champions of SERL B, with Ely Vikings in 2nd. In the end, it was Knights’ signature defensive record that enabled the Norwich team to take the league. Only conceding an average of 10 a match enabled the Norwich team to spread carefully crafted and knowledgeable goals amongst the whole squad and finish top of SERL B 2013/14.
SERL B Final Standings:
- Norwich Knights 2 – (14pts)
- Ely Vikings (12pts)
- Norwich Ice (8pts)
- MK Bucks (4pts)
- Cambridge Phoenix (2pts)
Top Scorers (combined leagues)
Female: Shahn Woodyatt 39 (Cambridge City), Helen West 37 (Cambridge Tigers), Lianne Anscombe 34 (Bearsted), Francisca Wollerton 34 (Cambridge Tigers), Helen Johnson 33 (Ely Vikings)
Male: Oliver Watts 63 (Ely Vikings), Laurie Fabian 54 (Cambridge Tigers), Anthony Brolia 52 (Ely Vikings), Simon Mcgregor 51 (Cambridge City), Andy Rutter 51 (Cambridge City)
Overall the league proved to be extremely tough in both SERL A and B with every team turning in strong performances and being really competitive.
Thanks to all the referees who often travelled to help support this very close season.