18/01/2014 12:00
England’s Sheaf and Gregory happy with international debut in Anapa
2014 CEV Beach Volleyball Satellite - Anapa
Anapa, Russia, January 18, 2014. England’s Jake Sheaf and Chris Gregory had to leave the CEV Satellite tournament in Anapa after the first day of Main Draw action. However, the players who had received a wild-card to compete in Anapa fought until the very end and did also stand a chance in a close game with Germany’s Philipp Arne Bergmann and Malte Stiel which they eventually lost 23-25, 12-21. They nevertheless were quite satisfied with their international debut.
“That was the first international tournament we played together. We had participated in an international exhibition tournament last year but officially we debuted here. That was really good; the facilities here are really amazing” Chris Gregory says. “That is something that we strive to have in England. The tournament was good though we had ups and downs. All in all that was a good competition to build on for the rest of the season.” Sheaf and Gregory had to leave the competition after losing two matches in a row, including their opening game with Russia’s top seed Konstantin Semenov and Viacheslav Krasilnikov (12-21, 15-21).
Did you ever play indoors? Is there a big difference with “real” Beach Volleyball”?
Gregory: “Yeah, the ball actually moves a little bit different indoors. We have an indoor Beach Volleyball center in Southern England but there is no heating so it’s freezing there now. Here it is really warm and that makes a big difference.”
Why did you choose Russia for your first tournament?
Gregory: “Well, it was the first tournament of the year. And as a team with zero points at the moment we want to get as many ranking points as possible before the start of the CEV and FIVB summer season. So it was a kind of no-brainer to come here. And we’ve been very grateful for the wild card that we got and enjoyed every moment since we’ve been here.”
What are your plans for the nearest future?
Sheaf: “That was just the beginning for us. We are a young team and got a lot of years ahead. We are striving for top 64 this year. We need ranking points to enter CEV tournaments and FIVB Opens, and the Anapa Satellite was the first step to achieve this goal.”
What is it like to be a Beach Volleyball player in your country?
Gregory: “Well this is not as good as to be a football player. We don’t get any funding from our national federation. So everything that we do – our coach, our travelling, accommodation – is all paid for by the sponsors that we have. We got some pretty good sponsors, namely Balfour Beatty and Nurishment Active, behind us. Those guys really believe in us and want us to kind of strive to reach the goals that we think we can go. But still you are not famous in England for being a Beach Volleyball player. It’s not a huge sport there. However it’s on the rise and we are trying to do our part to develop the sport as well. It’s quite difficult to do that in a cold country. But you, guys, have done it here!”
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