Western Uni Womens Indoor Regionals

Kathryn Elsby from Southampton Skunks has provided us with the preview of Western Women's regionals.

With twelve teams descending on Cardiff this Saturday for WUWIR, here’s a preview of the teams fighting it out for one of the three elusive spots at Nationals. The West consistently proves to be an unpredictable region with seven first teams, three second teams and two third teams battling it out, all with many committed, talented women who are all passionate about Ultimate. With a developmental year last year for many teams, this led to the highest Western team finishing 13th at UWIN 2012. This means that many teams will feel they have a lot to prove this weekend, and with returning players from years abroad and many players reaching their final years of study, it looks set to be an exciting one... 

First up is Cardiff No Frills. With three teams entered in regionals this year, it is clear that Cardiff Women’s Ultimate is going from strength to strength, and looking to go for at least one of those places at Nationals. The teams have different aims, with firsts aiming for nationals with a wealth of experienced and fresher players alike, and seconds looking forward to a competitive weekend. Many players in the third team will be experiencing their first tournament, building bonds and focussing on individual strengths. Cardiff are looking forward to facing up against Uriel and Bristol, with plenty of friendly rivalry and close games in store. Ones to watch on the first team include Heather Scullion and Dina Dent with big grabs and lots of experience – although the team as a whole is looking pretty formidable.

Next up are Exeter Ultimate. Uriel have also entered three teams into the tournament, which shows their success as a club and their drive to get as many players involved as possible! A strong performance by their first team at last year’s regionals means they will be hungry for a repeat performance this year, with eyes on that Nationals spot. With experienced players in all three teams, things might not be as clear-cut however with some potential surprises on the way. Exeter are looking forward to playing most teams but especially Cardiff and Bristol, with high intensity and challenging matches in store. Players to watch include Katie Hall of GBU20, Eyan Sham with 5 years experience, and international player Molly Norrbom. 

Defending regional champions Bath are up next. Seeing this year as more of a development year, Bath are looking for the chance to build their women’s team and give their freshers plenty of experience. Look out for some strong and athletic freshers showing some solid performances. With their traditionally very strong zone defence and ISO offense, it will be exciting to see what Bath have got in store for us this year.

The return of Bristol shows a team of returning players and new faces alike, with Mythagirls aiming to better their fifth place finish last year. They are looking forward to playing new teams such as the likes of Swansea, and familiar faces such as Cardiff with whom they played with at Outdoor Nationals, and Skunks (although this may just be for the amazing call of Bunny Bunny). Captain Rachel Naden and GBU20 Amy Samson bring a lot of experience to the team, making a fantastic handling pair. A solid group of freshers will also be looking for plenty of run through Ds. 

Finally, we move on to Southampton. Skunks are using regionals as a chance for freshers to build on what they’ve learnt at Skunks Beginners tournament/SICKO, but with an incredibly strong fresher intake and a core of experienced players who have played together for a few years, they will be looking to grab a place at nationals. They are looking forward to playing Bath as a re-match of last year’s final, and also Cardiff for a competitive, well spirited game. Keep an eye out for the super speedy Hannah Gilchrist, GBU20 player Kathryn Elsby and Brighton tour player/4th year Megan Baxter for some big throws and breaks. 

So, it looks like the tournament is wide open with plenty of chances for teams to excel and clinch those places at Nationals. On the back of this all, I've based predictions on the surveys we had returned:

1st Uriel 
2nd Skunks 
3rd No Frills

More to come from WIR! DP & JCK @ tSG.