The Australian Masters Beach Volleyball Championships were held for 2009 at Geelong in the last week of February. It is held every second year, as part of the Australian Masters Games.
MASTERS BEACH VOLLEYBALLERS RETURN TO TOWNSVILLE
-MEDALS BUT NO GOLD
Three Townsville players returned from the 12th Australian Masters Games in Geelong, proud of their performances, but keen to do even better. Simon Campbell (40) and Jeremy Ward (35) joined forces to play in the Over 35 Men’s pairs. This is the first time that either of them has competed at such a level and they were stunned by the standard of competition. “There were players there in our grade still good enough to compete in AAA events on the Victorian and National circuit,” was Simon Campbell’s summation of the opposition. “But we learnt a lot and know we can improve.” Jeremy Ward commented too that the sportsmanship of the participants and their willingness to give advice and help were beyond his expectations.
Whilst their team in Men’s pairs didn’t feature in the semi-finals, they did better in the less competitive 4-a-side competitions where they teamed up with players from Melbourne. In the Over 35 Men’s 4 division they came away with a bronze medal and in the Over 35 Mixed 4 division they did even better, claiming the silver medal, with a loss 15-10, 15-10 in the Grand Final.
Dick Moody teamed with George Mraz from Melbourne to compete in the Over 45 Men’s pairs. Mraz was setter and captain of the Australian indoor team in the 1970s, so has a wealth of experience and technical skill. “I have never played with a partner like George, as far as awareness of the opposition’s position on court and where the gaps are”, says Moody. “We met while working together at the Sydney Olympics, and are planning to play in the Over 60 division at the World Masters in Sydney in October. This was our initial training run, and although we only won bronze we were very competitive with the younger teams, which gives us a lot of confidence going forward. We lost a semi-final 31-29, when we led and should really have won. We then won our bronze medal match convincingly, 31-15, against a team that only lost the other semi-final, 31-29, to the eventual gold medallists, Warren Hart and Peter Kemp from Melbourne.
Any Masters players who are keen to play at the World Masters in October in Sydney should contact Dick Moody, at CitiBeach Volleyball. A Masters training program will also commence on Sundays, and even if players have no ambition to take part in the World Masters, they are welcome to participate. Male and female players over 30 are encouraged to contact Dick Moody for more information.