Premier League volleyball returned to Bell’s Sports Centre on Sunday evening and it certainly started with fireworks with some amazing volleyball and some startling results.
It was two new teams which started on court one with Iain Cook’s conglomerate mixture of members from last season’s Mental Blocks and Eagles’ teams combining to form Mental Eagles. They took on the other new team, Steve Martin’s SoVoBo which also featured father and son combination Doug and Lewis Crockhart. Mental Eagles started the game scoring freely with SoVoBo failing to get to grips as a team unit. Mental Eagles rocketed to victory 25-10, 25-13. On court two Colin McGinley’s Team Fife took on Gregor Walker’s Dodgy Spikers and this turned out to be a stormer. The Fifers started with more rapid rocket fire to lead seven nil but Spikers eventually lit their touchpaper and the set see-sawed back and forth until the score reached 22 points each, Spikers coming from 16-21 down. It was Spikers who held the sparklers now as they banged in the next three points to win 25-22. The second set was also on a knife edge, Spikers keeping their powder dry until the last moment to blast back from an 18-22 defecit to win 26-24.
Team Fife attacking Dodgy Spikers
Mental Eagles then entertained Stuart Anderson’s Hitting Bricks to another fireworks display this time winning 25-13; 25-22. Meanwhile on court two cup finalists Scotrange and Team Fife met for their first league fixture of the season. Scotrange were without a couple of regulars but that didn’t hold them back, taking a 12-4 lead. McGinley then masterminded his own display of power as Fifers fired in thirteen points without reply before finishing off Scotrange 25-19. The second set spun round and round in a giant catherine wheel with sparks flying everywhere and Craig Donaldon’s Scotrange moved on to set point at 24-23 but Fifers weren’t finished and scraped ahead 25-24 before the final whistle brought proceedings to a halt.
Stuart Anderson’s Hitting Bricks got their display back in order against SoVoBo firing in a fine first set score of 25-14. SoVoBo failed to light up their display potential and eventually fizzled out, losing the second set 21-25.
Kat Thomson led out her Kintronics’ team next against the high flying Fifers with veteran Willie Donaldson making his debut after coming out of retirement and young Jack Watson making his Premier debut after coming through the ranks of Kinross BB. The Kinross side surprised the Fifers by leading 14-9 which progressed to 19-17 but Fifers finally lit their touch paper to finish the stronger 25-20; 25-18. Kintronics then face Mental Eagles and this turned out to be a real close fought game, Eagles coming from 21-24 down to eventually pip the Kinross side 28-26. The second set was just as close with Eagles again just edging it 25-23. The final game of the evening saw Scotrange entertain Dodgy Spikers with the evening finishing just as lively as it started. The first set saw points fly like rockets back and forth, finely poised at 22 points each. A leg injury to Roy Munro didn’t help the Scotrange cause and it was Spikers who won through in the end 25-22; 25-21.
So after an evening of fireworks’ fun, two sides have a one hundred per cent record with Iain Cook’s Mental Eagles holding sway by virtue of playing one more game than Gregor Walker’s Dodgy Spikers. It is also a surprise to see Craig Donaldson’s league and cup winners unusually languishing near the foot of the table with two defeats to their name. It is early days yet but things certainly got off to a bang with plenty fireworks on display – let’s hope the rest of the season is as exciting.
How they stand.
| Pld | Won | Drwn | Lost | Sets Won | Sets Lost | Pts For | Pts Agst | League Points | |
| Mental Eagles | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 153 | 107 | 30 |
| Dodgy Spikers | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 101 | 89 | 20 |
| Team Fife | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 4 | 2 | 146 | 132 | 19 |
| Hitting Bricks | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 85 | 85 | 11 |
| Scotrange | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 4 | 86 | 100 | 2 |
| Kintronics | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 4 | 87 | 103 | 2 |
| SoVoBo | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 4 | 58 | 100 | 2 |
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This Sunday evening sees the Recreational League teams back in action at Bell’s Sports Centre with the following fixtures (officiating team in brackets):
6:00 pm Perth High A v Mongrels (Dunfermline)
Hitting Bricks v Perth High B (Tay Pearls)
6:40 pm Hitting Bricks v Perth High A (Mongrels)
Dunfermline v Perth High B (Motley Crew)
7:20 pm Motley Crew v Mongrels (Hitting Bricks)
Tay Pearls v Kinross Juniors (Plus Perth)
8:00 pm Motley Crew v Dunfermline (Aberfeldy)
Tay Pearls v Perth High C (Kinross B)
8:40 pm Kinross BB v Aberfeldy (Perth High A)
Kinross Juniors v Plus Perth (Perth High C)
9:20 pm Plus Perth v Aberfeldy (Perth High B)
Kinross BB v Perth High C (Kinross Juniors)