(20/11/2000)
The Riga club completed a successful weekend of volleyball with a played two, won two record. The men secured a second successive victory on the road when they defeated Liverpool by three sets to two in National League Division One. In Division Two, the ladies' side defeated local rivals Cleobury by an impressive three-nil margin at the St. Nicholas Park Leisure Centre, Warwick. Both wins lift each team in its respective table.
After a stunning three-nil win over Aquila the week before, the question was whether the Warwick men could repeat the performance at Liverpool. With the squad strengthened by the addition of Dutchman Tom Spijkers, the omens looked good. However the first set started with Riga on the back foot. Superb back court defence from the home team denied Warwick early scoring opportunities and was reflected in the 2 - 6 score line. With John Gilling in sparkling mood, Riga soon redressed the balance. When Vincent Joubert joined in, Liverpool were lucky to hold a slender 23 - 22 lead but that was sufficient to see them home 25 - 22, courtesy of their man of the match, Andy Fuller.
Stung by the reverse, Warwick set about the next set with a purpose. Again it was Joubert and Gilling who lead the way and their side into a 7 - 3 lead. Once established that lead was never surrendered and with captain Tom Young and Dan Showler making their presence felt, Riga tied the sets with a 25 - 22 close-out.
The 6 - 0 opening to the third set by Liverpool showed both how close the match was and how much the visitors had lost the plot from set two. Young then inspired Warwick back into the set, no thanks to yet more dubious refereeing decisions. Nip followed tuck as another Liverpool advance was hauled back by Gilling and debutant Spijkers. A Young block gave Riga a 23 - 22 advantage but first Fuller denied a set point and then Paul Fagan finished the job for Liverpool at 25 - 23.
Warwick seemed set to hit the self destruct button at the start of the crucial fourth set when Liverpool went into a 5 - 0 lead. At 4 - 10 to the Scousers, it was time for a tough team talk. That delivered, Riga rarely looked back. Points flowed from around the court as Young, Gilling, Spijkers, Joubert and David Nason all made Liverpool pay. At 24 - 17, the set was over but as Warwick looked over their shoulders at the sudden death fifth set, Liverpool launched their counter-attack. However it was left a fraction too late as Spijkers ended the home team's hopes at 25 - 23.
Sets equal, points equal, only the fifth set would separate the teams now. Riga turned round 8 - 4 up as Spijkers and Joubert exploited Liverpool frailties. However the change of ends revived Liverpool's fortunes and they closed the margin to just one point, thanks again to the thorny Fuller. Spijkers and Joubert re-established breathing space before Gilling and Liverpool hero-turned-villain, Fagan, gave the set to Warwick 15 - 12.
"We didn't hit the heights of last week," said skipper Tom Young after the match, "but we showed our character to get the result we deserved. I think that was a better match than when we beat them in the Shield Final and they'll fancy their chances in the return game. I think we're getting better. The next couple of games will prove if I'm right or not."
Riga Ladies made it an even happier weekend for the club when they posted their second win of the season over much fancied Cleobury at the St. Nicholas Park Leisure Centre, Warwick on Sunday. Despite being without captain Rachel McCarthy, they produced a stunning performance to outclass a side near the top of Division Two. Emma Wood and captain-for-the-day, Justine Sutton were the inspiration behind the victory. "This proves we can be a very good side. Hopefully this will give us the confidence to show more teams what we're capable of," enthused Justine.