This weekend’s exceptional Premier British League action concluded with Ormesby’s colours riding high on home turf as they clinched the British League’s most prestigious title.
It was a special end to an unbelievable year for the club as a whole, with their capture of another title the third British League crown of the season having already won the Women’s and Junior Boy’s titles, and another glorious chapter in the club’s illustrious history completed as a result.
The first title was the easiest. Their women’s title winning side were one of the most dominant in the league’s history as they dropped just two sets throughout the entirety of the season. The quartet of Karina Le Fevre, Maria Tsaptsinos, Sarah Berge and Chloe Whyte rampaged through the division, twice asserting their superiority with two 5-1 victories over Draycott. The victory was sweetened by the fact that Le Fevre and Whyte both learnt their trade at Ormesby from a young age and were part of the Ormesby team that started at the bottom of the British League and earned their way up through the leagues. Meanwhile, the acquisition of young star Maria Tsaptsinos has bared its fruit as the upward trajectory of her career has coincided with her allegiance with Ormesby, her record since joining the club currently standing at 45 wins from 48 matches.
A homegrown player was also prominent in Ormesby’s second winning side, with Joshua Harland a part of the Junior Boy’s side that claimed the league in one of the most dramatic ends to a season in British League history. Ormesby’s youngsters engaged in a highly energised rivalry with London Academy, with the two facing off in the final match of the season to determine the superior. It went down to the final set of the match, with Ormesby’s Scottish star Chris Wheeler and William Apelqvist deciding which team would take the title. It was Wheeler who took the match 3-1, and so Ormesby had their second title.
Then came the Premier Division side, who eventually prevailed in their season long title battle with Sycamore, with the 4-4 draw between the sides enough to clinch them the title. Ironically, the team’s title credentials were questioned at the end of last season when Ryan Jenkins left the fold, but the astute acquisitions of Darius Knight and Enio Mendes along with England’s brightest stars Tom Jarvis and Helshan Weerasinghe proved more than capable of competing, eventually going the full distance.
With the season at an end it will now be intriguing to see what’s next for the three teams. Inevitably their dominance shall be envied by many clubs who may pull out all the stops to nudge the club off their perch. Clubs such as Sycamore, Drumchapel Glasgow, London Academy, Draycott and Burton Uxbridge amongst others have ambitions to fight for trophies. At the same time, with Alan Ransome at the helm there is also the chance of Ormesby strengthening further as they seek further titles in the future.
Is it possible for Ormesby to get stronger? How will the rest of their rivals across all competitions respond? Will we see some of Britain’s and Europe’s leading stars enter the fold next season? These are the questions that make the British League as it stands one of the most anticipated competitions on the calendar, and with ambitions amongst the people in control of British League and the quality and professionalism on and off the table ever improving, the league as a whole has a very exciting period ahead.
Whilst there remains so many unanswered questions at this stage, one thing is for sure; it’s going to be a very interesting summer.
Matt Shaw
March 19, 2015