Mental Health Champions

Sunday evening saw the final round of Recreational League fixtures in the Perth & Kinross District Volleyball League with Glenrothes based Brian Hutton’s PLUS Perth Mental Health team coming out on top ahead of Carole Hardy’s Dunfermline Phoenix.

With Strathallan School on mid-term break, fixtures were re-arranged slightly to accommodate this.

Katie Hughes’ Perth High B opened against Ian McGrath’s Motley Crew with Crew’s experience being enough to see them win 25-17; 25-12. On court two Stuart Anderson’s Giggling Bricks saw off the Perth High A team by two sets to love. Jamie Booth’s Kinross Mongrels’ side then met Perth High B with the High School youngsters keeping a tight leash on the Mongrels in the first set to win 25-13. Mongrels were more into the game in the second set to lead 21-20 at the final whistle. League leaders PLUS Perth Mental Health took steps to winning the championship race by a storming first set performance against Giggling Bricks to win 25-15. The second set was a much more closely contested affair with Bricks taking the early lead only for PLUS Perth to rally in the last few minutes to edge ahead 13-12.

PLUS Perth Mental Health hitting a winning shot against Giggling Bricks

Colin McGinley’s young Team Fife squad played their penultimate league match against Bruce Benning’s Aberfeldy with the Fifers comfortable in the first set to win 25-13. The Breadalbane bunch rallied in the second set but just lost out 17-20 to their Fife opponents. Niamh McPherson led her young Kinross Juniors’ side against Motley Crew with Crew coming out on top 25-18; 23-18. Barbara Moffat’s Tay Pearls started cold against Giggling Bricks, losing the first set 25-12, but led 15-13 in the second set with one minute remaining. Bricks managed to scrape out two points to level the set at full time. The Kinross Juniors’ match against Aberfeldy was close all the way through with the Kinross youngsters edging the first set 25-21. Aberfeldy took a 6-2 early lead in the second set but the youngsters fought back to level the set 13 each at the final whistle. The Motley Crew match against Team Fife saw fortunes change on a regular basis with the Fifers winning the first set 25-18 and Crew leading the second set 19-16 at the final whistle.

The closest match of the evening then took place between Tay Pearls and Perth High B. The High School youngsters took the first set 25-19 but Pearls upped their performance to level the match by taking the second set 25-13. With four minutes remaining the third set decider commenced and it was the High School side who sealed victory taking two points in the final minute to lead 4-2.

Team Fife attacking Motley Crew

PLUS Perth now faced Team Fife knowing that the league title was theirs but they wanted to finish on a high and they did just that by winning 25-18; 16-6. It was local derby time on court one with  Calum Jack’s Kinross BB taking on Kinross Mongrels. Mongrels won the first set 25-14 but the BB side were ahead in the second set 22-17 at the final whistle. The BB side then lost out to Carole Hardy’s Dunfermline 8-25; 15-25.

With the league title in the bag, PLUS Perth then dumped Mongrels 25-3; 25-13 to round off their season on a high.