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After a great Victory over Civil Service, the Craigavon men now travel to Bangor to play the League Winners last year North Down who where on track for an unbeaten season if Aztecs did not take it away from them in the last game of the league season. This was set to be a good match even with Aztecs losing 4 of its players from last year’s victory. North Down won the toss and opted to serve first, this immediately paid off as the went 4 points ahead from power jump serves that caught Aztecs napping and unable to deal with the speed of the ball. It was a very tight set with both teams winning points on runs of 3 or 4 each, although in the middle of the set again Aztecs missed 3 service allowing North Down to build a lead of 6 points with the score 20-14, this was a hard hit to come back from and the motivation had dropped, but thanks to some precision hitting from #16 Alan Dowey got Aztecs back to within touching distance but too little too late with the final set score 25-21. The 2nd set saw a fire light within the Craigavon men, they came out and served, passed and blocked with much more competitiveness and aggression, which some of the older members on the North Down team could not handle with the speed and intensity of the game now, this allowed Aztecs to run away with the set on the back of their great service game. This tempo of play kept North Down at an arms length and finishing the same way at 25-20 Aztecs. With 1 set a piece things where heating up both times wanting to take the next blood to go 2-1 up and swing momentum in their favour, with Aztecs still serving strong and with a new found intensity and fight in their passing and hitting they took the lead and kept the lead right up onto the 20 point mark. The score set at 20-16 with Aztecs looking the likely to take the set and 2nd blood, but the referee seemed to deem multiple faults on the net and in moving across the line of rotation too soon and with 3 faults, it was almost as if the referee was looking for things to call the Aztec men on with the score 20-19, North Downs power serve came round rotation and hit hard and took them into the lead at 23-20. The set was tight but not over as great power hitting from Aztecs own #1 Peter Lundy saw the points gathered back in quickly seeing the score at 24-23 Aztecs and set point. With two clear points needed one mistake from Aztecs and kill from North Down give them the 3rd set, if Aztecs where going to win, it was going to be a long night of 5 sets. With being nerved by the referee in the last set the Aztecs men felt deprived of a set and huge psychological advantage over their opponents. Coach Graham Bell calmed the team and explained. “If you lose a set by 1 or 2 points then you have to look back on points you lost and errors earlier in the set, we got to conserve them points so when it comes to the end of the set. We have a cushion their, if we have that it won’t matter if the referee calls 2 or 3 faults against us.” The men came out fighting like in the 2nd set, now especially with them starting service rotation, probably the best set of the night for the Aztecs when the fought hard, conserved their points and generally played their opponents off the court with the score finishing 25-18. A great set of huge importance to keep the momentum and game alive for the Craigavon Men. The 5th and final set, Aztecs won the deciding toss and opted to serve as they had won every service set so far. They started fast and took an early lead and with this mentality now of conserving points at 6-4 up Aztecs started to show signs of tiredness from pushing so hard for 4 sets, North Down played 3 clever technical shots to bring the score to 7-7 and with an Ace from Aztecs 8-7 and the change around. It boiled down to Aztecs required 7 points to win and continued to hit well until the scores went 12-9 to Aztecs where the screw turned and North Down surged a late comeback and took the score 14-12 and match point. Aztecs dug deep and with a never say die attitude they threw body and limb to the ground to stop the ball touching the court at all cost, which where then sided out and the score 14 a piece with 2 clear points to take it. With 1 kill from the North Down team 15-14 and match point and unlucky for Aztecs an attack error seen the ball go out of the court and the game ended 3-2 to North Down. It was a great game to push Aztecs to full distance but with Aztecs winning 110 points over 5 sets compared to 106 from North Down it is seen that defensive work needs to be done. Team Line Up On The Night: - # 1 Peter Lundy (Power Hitter) # 2 Ryan Caddell (Opposite) # 3 Jonny Orr (Opposite) # 5 Christopher Cousens (Swing Hitter) # 6 Colin Kirkland (Middle Blocker) # 7 David Irwin (Middle Blocker) # 9 Graham Bell (Captain, Setter) # 10 Andrew Priestly (Opposite, Setter) # 16 Alan Dowey (Swing Hitter) # 17 Ashley Tsang (Libero) Man Of The Match: - Goes to # 7 David Irwin, for a great consistency of service that kept Aztecs a live in the 3rd and 5th set service at least 5 or more every time he stepped back to the baseline, and even with a Libero for the middles David when back court threw himself about picking up some great digs to keep Aztecs siding out. |
