Davesh Patel: You can’t buy experience

Davesh Patel still gets a buzz from pulling on the Bec shirt, and he hopes their excellent preparation will spur them on to win the Grand Finals on 6th-7th May.

“In terms of the preparations it’s the best that we’ve had going into the playoffs. We’ve also got the experience of playing in the final three times, add to that the European success – where we’ve played in hard games and held our nerve. You can’t buy that experience.”

You can’t buy that experience

“It is a great pleasure to play for Bec. The club has given me so many opportunities throughout my korfball career. It has helped develop me to represent England and compete at the highest level.”

This season saw Bec triumph once again in the Europa Shield, a competition which will always bring fond memories for Davesh.

“The Europa Shield is a great tournament to play in and we go into it knowing we have a decent shout of that gold medal. To go out there and to not only show what Bec are about but England Korfball too shows the development we have been making over a number of years. To come away and win against top European teams is a feeling like no other.”

The journey with Bec started because the club had a link with Davesh’s secondary school – Graveney. After attending a taster session he has been part of the “Bec Family” ever since.

“For the 20 years I’ve been at the club it’s been a Bec family. It’s all about having the right people within the club, the people who do give up that extra bit of time to ensure that the club continues to be successful and is feeding into the juniors”, said Davesh.

The Whole Package

“We also keep the appeal for the young professionals in terms of the social aspect. It’s more than just about turning up, training and playing games – it’s the whole package.”

Looking to the Grand Finals weekend, Bec play Norwich Knights hoping for a fourth successive final. But Davesh is keen to not make it a fourth year without victory.

“We’ve got good depth in our squad, and we are continually spurring each other on and pushing each other hard in training. We don’t want it to be the fourth time in a row we come up short. The fact that it has been so close it gives you that extra incentive; we believe we can do it.”

Watch Davesh and Bec in action at the LFF Grand Finals on 6th-7th May at K2 Crawley.