Nationals disappointment for Men’s Ultimate Frisbee after impressive qualification

At the end of the spring term, the Warwick Bears Ultimate Frisbee team continued their excellent form by qualifying for Division 1 Outdoor Nationals the hard way. Only the top three teams in the Midlands region qualify for the BUCS points-earning tournament at the start of this term, and the Bears overcame all the odds to make the last spot.

Saturday’s pool games saw Bears come through easier games against Cranfield, Bedford and Birmingham 1 unscathed – posting 11-1, 11-0 and 11-0 victories against inexperienced opposition. The team, which has limited experience of competitive matches, subsequently faced tougher opposition in the form of East Anglia (UEA) and Leicester. Offensive uncertainty led to a disappointing 7-4 loss against UEA (who roster the imposing GB player, Ryan Tarascas), while defensive holes gave Leicester the opportunity to level in the time-capped, final point to hold Bears to a 9-9 draw.

The Bears began Sunday in 7th seed with two outcomes ahead; win all five games to sneak into Division 1, or fail to make the nationals tournament for the first time since Ultimate received BUCS status. With two squad members falling to illness and injury, the best of the Midlands lay ahead…

First up were Aberystwyth – promptly swept aside 13-9 as the team began to gel offensively. This set the Bears against bitter rivals Birmingham, who knocked Warwick out of a Division 1 spot at Indoor Regionals in November – many members of the team felt that this would be the hardest game of all. The billing did not disappoint; the fiery game was full of athletic plays and plenty of contact. However, Birmingham’s self-destructive nature showed as Warwick kept calm to collect a 12-10 win.

The next match was plagued with unlucky drops in the end-zone, allowing Nottingham to establish a solid foothold, forcing the game to sudden death. Warwick won the match in dramatic fashion; bearded Californian, Pat Bennett, making a fantastic, full-length, diving catch for the score. Captain Joe Thompson later admitted that, while it was “a good option”, his huge, arcing forehand that overshot intended receiver, 6’6″ Tom Barkley, was “a terrible throw”; he was certainly lucky that the American was more alert than anyone else on the pitch.

Match four was a repeat of the 2011 Regionals final against Cambridge – but the result was the opposite; Warwick eased to victory, beating the tall, speedy team with a mixture of flowing offense and tight defense.

The final match of the day, the “game to go”, was against pool-play rivals, UEA. The winner would head to nationals while the loser would lick their wounds. Arguably, vengeful Warwick had the advantage – coming straight off a win – whereas UEA had been resting for three hours, which often results in teams going off the boil. The Bears proved their mettle with the squad playing the game of the weekend. Thompson took it upon himself to draw Tarascas out of the passing lanes with dangerous movement, leaving Mortiz Reithmayr and Bennett to control the offense to great effect. Huge blocks from Evan Chomer, and Jack “Frigate” Skipper contributed to an excellent defence, and Bears closed the game out 12-9 to head to the big-time.

“It was an awesome weekend, with a lot of games, and an awesome result”, Thompson said. The departing Captain deserves credit for his consistent and dominating play – leading his inexperienced team to a surprise qualification against all the odds.

Unfortunately, at Nationals (21st-22nd April) the Bears had a disappointing and lacklustre weekend. While the team played excellent defence, the offence was plagued with turnovers, and Warwick posted only one win against the best teams in the country. They finished 15th out of 16 with a sudden death victory over Aberdeen – reversing an earlier pool-play loss once more. The team also pushed hard against the eventual champions, Sussex, finishing on the wrong end of a respectable 10-8 loss.

The National’s collapse will be quickly forgotten, but the grit and determination shown to reach the tournament will live on within the Warwick Bears, even as the University season comes to a close.