Warwick Dodgeball Complete Nationals Hat-Trick

Warwick Men’s 1sts made dodgeball history last Sunday at Cranfield, becoming the first team to win three consecutive National Championship titles. They did so by convincingly defeating arch-rivals Jammy Dodgers 4-1 in a repeat of the previous two Nationals finals. The 2012 National title was the culmination of another excellent season for the 1sts, which has also seen them retain the University Championship and University Cup.

Sunday’s victory serves as a fitting farewell to the record-breaking men’s 1sts, the majority of whom graduate at the end of this year. The team’s personnel have remained largely constant over the past three years, and this season’s success was a testament to both the skill and esprit de corps fostered in the side. These attributes needed to be mobilised fully on Sunday to take home the most hotly-contested National Championship to date; the progress of dodgeball as a sport in the past year has been remarkable, and Warwick 1sts had to be at their very best from the outset to triumph.

Typically for Warwick, Sunday’s Nationals was a strong club showing. The men’s 2nds placed 11th, scoring satisfying wins over former nemeses Manchester and Southampton. The 2nds’ performances were all the more impressive given that they were the only 2nd team to qualify for this year’s Nationals.

Warwick Women, competing in the Women’s National Championship, gave a valiant performance before falling in the quarter finals to eventual champions Leicester Ligresses.