Der Goldene Volf 2015

Report by Rob Marland (West Wirral Snakehips – @WWSnakehips)

Der Goldene Volf 2015

The greatest sport of the 21st century arrived in the north as four new teams clashed in the inaugural Northern Volfsball Tournament. The Bebington Flaming Fircones, the West Kirby Marine Lakers, the Tranmere Lions, and the Hoylake Red Rocks tussled in the mud for a chance to win the third greatest prize in volfsball: Der Goldene Volf (a plastic wolf superglued to a plinth).

The four teams competed in a round-robin, playing each other once. If no team was able to secure outright victory by winning all three of their matches, the winner would be decided on points difference.

Full reports and stats here
*Single  games stats to be added shortly. Tournament stats at end of report

GAME 1 – FLAMING FIRCONES VS MARINE LAKERS

GAME 2 – RED ROCKS VS LIONS

GAME 3 – LIONS VS FLAMING FIRCONES

GAME 4 – RED ROCKS VS MARINE LAKERS

GAME 5 – LIONS VS MARINE LAKERS

GAME 6 – FLAMING FIRCONES VS RED ROCKS

The honour of playing the first ever competitive volfsball match outside of North London went to the Fircones, captained by West Wirral Snakehips star Hannah Wareing, and the Marine Lakers, led by Wareing’s former teammate, Andrew Utley. The Fircones opened with a volfsball, in a taste of what was to come in this opening stunner. The Marine Lakers from West Kirby were rejecting shots for the fun of it, but couldn’t halt the march of the on-form Fircones.

In the second match, Rob Marland’s Hoylake Red Rocks faced off against a team from Tranmere who joined the volfsball fold after hearing German Volfsball Ambassador Henning Wehn spouting off about the greatest sport of the 21st century on Five Live. Both teams put on a mediocre performance for the first three quarters, but the Red Rocks finished strong to claim their first win of the day.

Hannah Wareing, Bebington Flaming Fircones

The Flaming Fircones looked to secure their second victory in a clash against the Tranmere Lions, but they were denied by Paul Devlin who whapped in two volfsballs for the team in violet. Andy Marland, younger brother to All-Comers’ swashbuckler Rob Marland, scored the point of the tournament with a behind-the-back shot between two Lions, and this nailbiter went right to the wire with a buzzer shot that could have flipped the final score on its head. At this stage of the tournament, Der Goldene Volf was open to anyone who dared claim her.

Game 4, and the Red Rocks grappled with their local rivals, the Marine Lakers. Captain Andy Utley, who only two months previously had dislocated his knee while teaching a gaggle of actors how to walk, failed to recapture the halcyon days of midsummer when he led the Snakehips on their 4-0 rampage in the All Comers’ League. Two volfsballs from the Red Rocks’ Phil Marland punted the Marine Lakers clean out of the tournament.

The Marine Lakers salvaged a modicum of self-respect in their final match against the Lions. Pete Doyle totted up an astonishing 10 blocks/intercepts and a game-high 9 points, outclassing the Tranmere team and crushing the East Wirral side’s plans for a new trophy cabinet.

And so it came down to the final match. The Fircones needed to score big to deny the Red Rocks, but the point difference was insurmountable and Bebington resorted to low percentage doppelvolfsball attempts. The Red Rocks settled into a comfortable lead and never looked to be in danger as they cruised towards an unbeaten record and the third greatest prize in volfsball: Der Goldene Volf.