Mixed Tour review and what next?

David Pryce gives us his final review of Mixed Tour 2013 and looks forward to Nationals and further.
Mixed tour has ended and with it we have seen some great battles, World Games dominating as expected, over 50 different teams attended and who will go to xEUCF and Worlds?

The results are in and so overall tour standings can be calculated (unofficial algorithm used, for official UKU results await update), the info graphic below shows how teams have moved over the season. To read find the team of interest on the left (ordered by MT1 seedings) and then follow their line.

All mixed up? Apologies, find your team and follow their progress.

Looking at how teams have done over the course of the tour: RGS, Cambridge and Black Eagles clearly having great seasons with Bears falling from their top spot. Ten from the top 16 beat their initial seeding but the worst drop was Peeps who fell 9 positions (Golden Ants also fell 7 positions and out of this bracket).

Further down there was a lot of big movers namely:

• Mustard +19
• Flyght Club +18
• Steal +14
• BAM! +12 [apologies for missing this one out!]
• Reading +12
• Some Team +10
• JR +10

Overall a great season and hopefully a lot of good preparation for our National teams going to World Games and u23 World Championships this summer.

Matthew Hodgson gets horizontal for Thundering Herd 1 vs DED. Photo Courtesy of Graham Bailey.

What does this seasons results mean for the upcoming national and international competitions. With teams like RGS, Magic Toast, Bristol, Black Eagles and DED; I imagine that most players will be choosing Open or Womens over Mixed. Hence leaving UKU Nationals 2013 to be played out by Cambridge, Bears, Brighton and company. From the teams that do play Nationals there are 3 slots for xEUCF 2013 in Bordeaux. At a wild guess I would say Cambridge, Bears and Herd would take those with Brighton Open/Womens vying for an Open spot. Another spot for Euros will be decided dependent on teams entered so we may see a 4th team go, wait and see.

That would be this season over, BUT this season also gives the qualification for World Ultimate Club Championships 2014 in Italy. Again the UK has 3 slots and is 4th on the waiting list for another. As set out by the UKU mixed qualification for Worlds is through a combination of:

1. The winner of UKU Nationals 2013 in each division wins a spot at WUCC 2014
2. The highest placed UK team at XEUCF in each division (excluding winner of Nationals) also wins a spot at WUCC 2014
3. Any remaining spots are allocated based on the UKU Tour rankings 2013

N.B. that if the winner of UKU Nationals is the highest placed team at xEUCF, the next ranked team at xEUCF will be awarded the 2nd WUCC bid.

There are many combinations of what could happen here, mostly dependent on which teams go to which tournaments. Although if RGS don't go to Nationals or Euros they would be guaranteed the third spot if they decided to go to Worlds. Tentative prediction: Cambridge, Bears for definite, the last spot is too hard to call.

Who will get to go to Worlds?

Well that is it, Mixed Tour is done for 2013 watch out for Nationals in August. Next weekend gives us the start of the Open and Women's season with some European teams coming to London's Calling in St Albans!

Open and Women's Tour previews should be up next week so keep an eye out for those and more! Thanks for reading, remember to like and share.