Relegation battle for Volleyball Club
Sports round-up: Swimmers collect 25 medals in second week of county finals
NEWBURY Volleyball Club face a testing climax to the season in their bid to avoid the drop from Division Two South of the National Volleyball League after losing to, and being overtaken by Bristol Speedwell.
It has certainly been an up-and-down season for Newbury, who can trouble the top sides one week and miss out to bottom sides the next and without main playmaker Lewis Huntingdon at Bristol, they lost 3-1 to find themselves second bottom of the table and facing a crucial trip to third-placed Sussex Dolphins on Saturday.
Speedwell had clearly done their homework as they concentrated on dropping the ball in behind Newbury's towering block, only risking an all-out attack when they had quick ball.
Jaro Michna and Davide Petraccini reached a lot of dinks and dumps, but could do little to release their big hitters and the Bristol side took the opening two sets 25-13, 25-19.
Newbury turned things around in the next two sets however, produvcing better ball and chances for Thomas Swierczek and Karol Kowalski as the visitors edged the third set 26-24.
It was more of the same in the fourth set but Speedwell claimed a decisive point at the crucial stage to take the set 25-23 and the match.
NEWBURY Swimming Club are celebrating after a string of top performances netetd a 25-medal haul on the second weekend of this year's Berkshire and South Bucks Championships at Maidenhead.
Twelve-year old Zara Ryan continued her winning streak with another seven gold medals, winning the 50m, 100m and 200m butterfly, the 100m breaststroke, 200m freestyle and the 200m and 400m individual medleys.
She also won silver medals in the 100m and 200m backstroke and a bronze in the 100m freestyle, breaking three age group records in the 200m freestyle with a time of 2 mins .13.96 secs, the 50m butterfly in 31.58 and the 400m individual medley in 5 mins 17.63 secs.
Ten-year old rising star Millie Pope put in a string of superb performances to claim golds in the 50m and 100m butterfly along with silvers in the (200m butterfly, 200m individual medley and 200m freestyle, and a bronze in the 100m freestyle.
