Scottish Preliminaries will be a day of firsts. It’s the first of November for one thing. The first bout of Preliminaries in the first year of the new Nationals structure. It will be the first tournament for many new players and, hopefully, the beginning of a road to a future first place in the BUCS championship.
The University of Edinburgh will join the University of East Anglia in being the first clubs to field 3 teams in BUCS Korfball, on 1st November 2014.
But first of all, the details. Between the hours of 9 and 4 in the revered arena of Westwoods, five teams from two clubs will come together to fight it out for progression to regionals early next year. And while the four successful teams celebrate, should those that don’t make the cut feel disheartened? Unloved? Not at all, for mother BUCS cares for all her children, giving them a special place in Tier 3 of Nationals – the third stage of the championship.
With every team in with a chance of progression you can imagine the anticipative thrill that will run through the spectators’ bodies on that fateful morning as players exhausted, bloodied and pale take to the courts. But once the referee tells them to take off the previous night’s costumes things should calm down a bit.
Carefully selected from the rich pool of Scottish korfball talent, they have been given specialist training to deal with any and all issues that may be actioned by an overzealous scot – accidental caber toss of the post being one such eventuality (a free pass as I’m sure we’re all aware). Focus must be kept on the game, we’re all here to win after all.
That said, this tournament is one that is good natured at its core. As opposing teams take to their divisions the atmosphere is less ‘intimidation by haka’ and more ‘take your partner for the Boston Two Step’. Again, referees have received appropriate training in ceilidh intervention.
And when all’s said and done, games are over and ranking’s finalised, we will return to our usual selves. Hatchets will be buried and ‘Thine Olde Enemi’ shall become the old friend, just in time for a slightly behind schedule Halloween social.
Best of luck to all teams, let the games begin.