9th/10th August 2003
Riga regained the Mixed Division 1 title at Gloucester over the weekend. Andy Elliott made a very impressive debut, joining Irishman Marc Booth who played in the victorious Jersey side, together with the old hands, Liz, Tom (aka Quasi), Julie Bromell and Dawn Woolmer. The team notched up 4 out of 5 wins on the Saturday under blistering heat but weren't firing on all cylinders especially as Tom was suffering with a severely cricked neck ( or was that an excuse to get umpteen massages from various females?).
Thankfully Sunday was a lot cooler and playing conditions were much more comfortable, apart from the odd downpour and fork lightening that is. Riga dispensed with the Welsh contingent and then faced Richie Meade's lot, Peterboro', who had just had a surprise win over Mavericks, the pool winners from the Saturday. Peterboro' ran out of steam a bit and Riga moved up a gear and they were no match for Andy who was almost jumping over the net at times!!! The result, a resounding win leaving Riga in pole position needing only one set from the last game. Mavericks then conceded, not relishing the slippery conditions and knowing the odds were stacked against them (plus their main hitter, Donald Deans, was on his way back to London)
Little Tom was a star as well, playing for Leicester also in Div 1 and ended up playing against his mum and dad! At one point though' he got a bit frustrated with his team losing a string of points and slammed the ball down in disgust. Don't know who he gets it from??
Next up, its Ertvelde and Riga have got a very strong men's team this year and a mixed team in Division one. Fingers crossed for some more trophies!
Liz Young