Frisbee progress in Sutton

A 6.30am start proved no hindrance to Imperial College Ultimate at Indoor Regionals 2010 as dD once again secured their place at Nationals in Wolverhampton. Three teams were sent to compete in Sutton, south London; the first team competed against the best in the South East, whilst two further teams of new players held their own to learn the game in a competitive environment.

The first game of the day saw dD play Brunel. The transition from the outdoor game, having only five players and competing on a hardwood pitch roughly the size of a basketball court, played in Brunel’s favour as they played a zone defence through which dD struggled to break. Despite better communication and flow, and a late resurgence, Brunel took the game by one point.

Sublime, from the University of Portsmouth, were dD’s next opponents. Last year’s national champions both outdoors and indoors, Imperial were proud to make them work hard for their points during the game and managed to break through the Portsmouth defence on several occasions. Eventually Portsmouth’s inherent quality shone through, leaving the south coast team as deserved winners.

The match against HU?, from Royal Holloway, became a must-win game if dD wanted to qualify for Nationals 2010. Starting with the intensity that was lacking in the first two games, Imperial put enough points on the board to guarantee victory despite a late HU? comeback. This momentum carried through into the following game against Chichester, who had no reply to the improving Imperial team which beat them comfortably.

Playing with confidence and flair, dD faced up to local rivals UCL. Normally challengers for a place at Nationals, the Under Cover Lovers were destroyed by an Imperial team which shut down their offensive plays, had runs of up to sixty completed passes and tactically deconstructed their zone defence. Recording a 9-1 victory, Imperial took their biggest win of the season so far. Despite this rout, dD finished third in their pool, losing on a head-to-head tiebreaker with Brunel. The final game of the day saw dD play a crossover against the University of Kent third team who, despite at one point being 2-1 up, proved little challenge for Imperial, who duly took the victory.

Sunday was a very important day, with each team that Imperial played knowing that a loss could see them miss out on a Nationals spot. The University of Reading provided Imperial’s first opponents of the day and, with both teams evenly matched, the game was gritty and tight. Despite a tough performance dD came out on top, grinding out a win on a sudden-death point. Roehampton University, fresh from their defeat of King’s College London, gave Imperial their next headache, giving nothing away cheaply and forcing dD to play hard and smart. Another close game saw Imperial win by a single point.

The mysteries of scheduling meant that dD knew their opponents for their next match very well, having played Brunel less than thirty-six hours ago. Imperial were a very different team from the one that played the day before and competed with the confidence that developed over the tournament. Winning by a solid margin, Imperial earned a rematch against Portsmouth. With the winner of the game qualifying for Division 1, and the losers Division 2, dD knew it was all to play for. In front of a capacity crowd, Imperial played coolly and had the vast majority of possession, but mistakes were forced and Sublime’s transition from defence to offence was fast and effective. Portsmouth took the spot for Division 1, but in qualifying for Division 2 Imperial have the opportunity to defend the trophy they won last year.

Imperial’s other teams gave good performances and, despite having only a handful of experienced players, matched up to several quality sides. The second team, dD2, started the tournament with a resounding win over the University of Surrey’s Mohawks 3, followed by a tough game against Thrown 2, from King’s College London. Even playing teams ranked up to thirteen places above them, dD2 showed cool heads to score well-worked points but, owing to the lack of tournament experience, could manage only conciliatory scores in their final match against Kent 3. With an average of less than a month’s experience across the team, dD3 suffered a steep learning curve but no loss of enthusiasm. Overcoming the first-tournament nerves quickly, dD3 kept calm and played smart. Their team spirit shone through as they maintained the dream of qualifying for Nationals until, and even after, it was impossible.

Once again Imperial College Ultimate qualified for Nationals, to take place later this month. Gelling as a team and playing with confidence and style, dD displayed the qualities necessary to perform at the highest level and go to Wolverhampton to defend their Division 2 title. With both of the other Imperial teams holding their own at such a competitive tournament, the future bodes well for this year’s influx of new players who, this time next year, could be looking forward to a place at Indoor Nationals 2011.