Chargers’ men and Deacons’ women looked the best teams on show uniform-wise and playing-wise when the second series of the Cooperators General Insurance senior volleyball knockouts were staged at the Garfield Sobers Sports Complex on Monday night.
All of the Division 1 teams have turned out this season in some impressive looking and well colour-coordinated outfits, begging the question whether the play would be equally attractive.
Chargers answered postitively with a straight sets (25-20, 25-18, 25-18) victory over Sunpower Foundation United.
Setter Dale Addison gave Chargers the edge as he unleashed the high-jumping Damien Danzell and the consistent Gregory Burke to silence the more vocal support crew for Foundation in Group B.
Setter Alain London, along with Nate Williams and Romell Agard, provided some opportuities for Foundation but those chances were not grasped by the inconsistent support cast.
Baffling spiker Mark Padmore was brought off of the bench to score some points for Foundation but he was strangely returned to the bench – to the bewilderment of all of the spectators.
Foundation will need to up their game this evening, as they will oppose Cawmere at eight o’clock in a must win situation.
Cawmere captured their opening match on Monday when they played the newly promoted O-Aces, who sported a bright green uniform which reflected their newness to senior volleyball.
Cawmere, with Rory Goddard running their offence, took the match in four sets, 25-21, 21-25, 25-17, 25-23.
The deceptively effective scorer Wendell Beckles started well for Cawmere before an injury saw him leaving the court. None of the other Cawmere players seemed in top gear although Shawn Simpson seemed to intimidate many of his opponents who were making their Division 1 debut past their prime.
O-Aces should have carried the game to four sets but a serving error at 23-23 gave the initiave back to Cawmere.
An attack from O-Aces, at game and match point, 24-23, was saved by Cawmere who over-passed the ball up to the net for the experienced Curtis Gaskin who stood transfixed as the ball dropped into the court.
The Deacons men advanced to a 2-0 record in the preliminaries by handing BNB Juniors their second defeat, 25-22, 25-10, 25-14. Sentry Insurance Deacons – Deacons’ women’s team – had earlier dismissed Powerade The Club 25-16, 25-19, 25-22.
Deacons’ roster was so full that by the time six-footers Annette Chapman and Julia Lewis reached the gym there was no room for them on the bench. At least that duo got the chance to model their new gear.
However, coach Andrew Culpepper was hardly bemused as he felt that Deacons gave too many points to the unfancied The Club.
The women will be in action in Group D today at the Wildey Gym with Chargers meeting British American Insurance Jackson, at 5:30 p.m., while Rockets will play 8000 Inc. Carlton at 8 p.m.
The men’s Group B will pit O-Aces against Chargers at 5:30 p.m., followed by a clash of two old scholars’ teams – Foundation United and Cawmere – at eight.
