26/05/2019 15:00
Final day wows crowds at Leyton’s Feel Good Too centre
2018-2020 CEV Beach Volleyball Continental Cup
Leyton, England, May 26, 2019. The concluding day of the CEV Continental Cup at Feel Good Too in Leyton, London saw spectators enjoying another day of international Beach Volleyball, featuring some of the top athletes in Europe in competition as they set off on the road to Tokyo. The enthusiasm was high and not even a few drops of rain could dent the audience’s spirits! Switzerland and England secured their spot in the next round of the men’s competition, with France and Belarus achieving the same feat in the women’s event.
The first tie of the day saw the Northern Irish women taking on the England team to decide who would face Belarus to claim second place. The pair of Rachel Montgomery/Lucy Kavanagh-Dick faced Jessica Grimson/Victoria Palmer of England in the first game, and the English duo put in a commanding performance to take the match two sets to nil. The deciding match to see who would progress followed next - the England pair of Ellie Austin/Anaya Evans overcame a spirited resistance from Emma Patterson/Victoria Hardy (NIR) two sets to nil to advance.
The men’s teams then took to the court for the first-place showdown between England and Switzerland. The Swiss pairing of Adrian Heidrich/Mirco Gerson saw off a determined effort from Javier Bello/Phil Smith by two sets to nil, setting up a vital clash between Chris Gregory/Issa Batrane (ENG) and Nico Beeler/Marco Krattiger (SUI). The Swiss team took the first set 22-20 before a nail-biting second set where the Swiss duo prevailed on their third match point, sealing their Pool B victory for the weekend.
The final issue to decide over the weekend was who would come second in the women’s tournament between England and Belarus. Jessica Grimson/Victoria Palmer edged out the Belarussian pairing of Darya Borys/Hanna Karabinovich two sets to nil with an impressive display of skill and steel in the first match, meaning England would claim second place if Anaya Evans/Ellie Austin overcame the Belarussian top seeds, Viktoryia Siakretava/Lizaveta Chabai. The Belarussian pairing pushed the England team to their limit and took the victory two sets to nil (23-21, 21-19), levelling the tie one – one and setting up a climactic ‘golden match’ to round off the weekend!
Therefore, the final match saw Jessica Grimson/Victoria Palmer face Viktoryia Siakretava/Lizaveta Chabai and the crowd were on tenterhooks even as the sky darkened and became overcast - a fittingly dramatic backdrop to clash that saw the Belarussian duo take the first set before claiming a tense second set 24-22 to take the match and the second place finish.
It was a fitting finale to an amazing weekend of Beach Volleyball action that kept fans on the edge of their seats. Local schoolchildren enjoyed the taster courts and - who knows? - perhaps one of the Beach Volleyball stars of tomorrow will get their inspiration from the CEV Continental Cup tournament at Feel Good Too, Leyton, London.
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