Open Tour 3
12.Jul.2014 - 13.Jul.2014 - Cardiff
Last weekend saw CUlt make their way to Cardiff as 7th seed in A Tour, a position we aren't too accustomed to. This would put us into the top peer pools, where we would be competing against 2nd seeds EMO, 4th seeds Fire, and 5th seeds Ranelagh. I can't really remember the scores but here we go.
CUlt 11- 14 Fire
The first point lasted about 5 minutes, after the first few points we were just in the lead, creating turn after turn with our intense D. Unfortunately, we couldn't punish them by converting the turns, and as the match progressed, our O couldn't keep up their consistent high performance and we were pipped at the post.
CUlt 8-15 EMO
This was perhaps our Jekyll and Hyde nature at its finest. The start we got off to was unbelievable, and at 6-4 up against the 2nd seeds, we had one foot in the door of a potential semi final against Clapham. Unfortunately, their D line then decided to rain on our parade. They changed to zone, and 7 points later, the 6 points we had were still on the board. It was pretty gutting. The D line came on and broke the trend, but we were never going to be able to get back into it. We had shown though what we were capable of.
CUlt 15- 7 Ranelagh?
They had a very simple game plan; when someone got the disc, they looked up field, and if there was no continuation, they would swing immediately. It was tight until we made the necessary adjustments and stopped their long game. From there we really pushed on with a great performance.
With that victory we finished the day in 5th, and would be contesting the 5 v 12 against NEO on the Sunday morning.
CUlt 14-15 NEO
Quite possibly the most gutting loss of my ultimate career. We knew they were going to come out hard, and were a strong team who had bonded well over the course of the season having, much like us, moved up from B Tour. We took half 8-6, and knew it was a prime opportunity to push on, however they found another gear and broke back. At 11-11 it was going with serve, and we were going to triumph, but they managed a crucial break. At 14-14, sudden death, we generated a turn, but a miscommunication meant we gave it straight back to them and they punched in the victory, and the guaranteed top 8 spot was theirs.
CUlt 6-15 Brighton
Brighton seem to be our bogey team. It was a poor performance from us, and we made far more uncharacteristic errors than normal... so many drops in this game! I think we were 3-2 up at one stage, but they were far too clinical for us. Hopefully we get to play them on a Saturday next time!
CUlt 14-12 Ranelagh
Despite what had been a very disappointing Sunday, we were in high spirits as the crowds descended to watch the classic battle which was the 11 v 12. We stormed to a 3-0 lead, but Ranelagh stopped playing like chumps and we soon had a game on our hands. It was great to see both teams want it so much, and although we triumphed in the end, it was a great way to finish the weekend for both teams in terms of intensity of playing.
We finished Tour 3 11th, and as such claimed 9th spot overall in terms of the tour season. Considering 5th place was Zimmer, a team we beat, and that 3 year plan has us simply cementing our A tour place, I think we can all agree it has been a fantastic season. I have learnt a lot as Captain, and already have begun gathering my thoughts on the matter of next season. What I know for certain though is this: if we manage to retain most of the squad, and prepare accordingly, there is absolutely no reason why we can't achieve top 4. And that, my friends, would be spectacular.
Tull
CUlt 11- 14 Fire
The first point lasted about 5 minutes, after the first few points we were just in the lead, creating turn after turn with our intense D. Unfortunately, we couldn't punish them by converting the turns, and as the match progressed, our O couldn't keep up their consistent high performance and we were pipped at the post.
CUlt 8-15 EMO
This was perhaps our Jekyll and Hyde nature at its finest. The start we got off to was unbelievable, and at 6-4 up against the 2nd seeds, we had one foot in the door of a potential semi final against Clapham. Unfortunately, their D line then decided to rain on our parade. They changed to zone, and 7 points later, the 6 points we had were still on the board. It was pretty gutting. The D line came on and broke the trend, but we were never going to be able to get back into it. We had shown though what we were capable of.
CUlt 15- 7 Ranelagh?
They had a very simple game plan; when someone got the disc, they looked up field, and if there was no continuation, they would swing immediately. It was tight until we made the necessary adjustments and stopped their long game. From there we really pushed on with a great performance.
With that victory we finished the day in 5th, and would be contesting the 5 v 12 against NEO on the Sunday morning.
CUlt 14-15 NEO
Quite possibly the most gutting loss of my ultimate career. We knew they were going to come out hard, and were a strong team who had bonded well over the course of the season having, much like us, moved up from B Tour. We took half 8-6, and knew it was a prime opportunity to push on, however they found another gear and broke back. At 11-11 it was going with serve, and we were going to triumph, but they managed a crucial break. At 14-14, sudden death, we generated a turn, but a miscommunication meant we gave it straight back to them and they punched in the victory, and the guaranteed top 8 spot was theirs.
CUlt 6-15 Brighton
Brighton seem to be our bogey team. It was a poor performance from us, and we made far more uncharacteristic errors than normal... so many drops in this game! I think we were 3-2 up at one stage, but they were far too clinical for us. Hopefully we get to play them on a Saturday next time!
CUlt 14-12 Ranelagh
Despite what had been a very disappointing Sunday, we were in high spirits as the crowds descended to watch the classic battle which was the 11 v 12. We stormed to a 3-0 lead, but Ranelagh stopped playing like chumps and we soon had a game on our hands. It was great to see both teams want it so much, and although we triumphed in the end, it was a great way to finish the weekend for both teams in terms of intensity of playing.
We finished Tour 3 11th, and as such claimed 9th spot overall in terms of the tour season. Considering 5th place was Zimmer, a team we beat, and that 3 year plan has us simply cementing our A tour place, I think we can all agree it has been a fantastic season. I have learnt a lot as Captain, and already have begun gathering my thoughts on the matter of next season. What I know for certain though is this: if we manage to retain most of the squad, and prepare accordingly, there is absolutely no reason why we can't achieve top 4. And that, my friends, would be spectacular.
Tull
