First Welsh Futnet Tournament
Saturday 17th December saw the first ever Welsh futnet tournament. It only ran with one discipline, singles, but we were fortunate enough to have a range of teams entering. The tournament ran with a group stage comprised of 2 groups, each containing 4 teams, with the 1st and 2nd placed teams going through to the knockout rounds. Each team sent two representatives, so these were put into separate groups.
In Group A:
1) Cardiff Dragons (Paul)
2) The Knights (Joe)
3) FGW (Richard)
4) Uckle Boost (Sam)
In Group B:
1) Cardiff Dragons B (Chris)
2) The Knights B (Ell)
3) FGW B (Luca)
4) Uckle Boost B (David)
The final group standings saw Cardiff Dragons top group A to set up a semi final against their counterparts Cardiff Dragons B, whilst The Knights B progressed as group B winners to face FGW in the other semi final.
The two group winners both won their semi final matches, leaving The Knights B to face Cardiff Dragons in the final. The winner was Cardiff Dragons, who are now proud holders of the first ever Wales futnet trophy.
The day itself was a success, with the tournament matches being separated by exhibition doubles matches played by the tournament’s competitors, creating a friendly atmosphere. The players who recently represented England at the European Championships in Corsica were there to talk to the players new to futnet about technique and tactics, and their eagerness to learn was clear to see by the improvement in the quality of futnet played over the course of the day.
To conclude, the tournament succeeded in making the first step towards increasing awareness of futnet in Wales, which will hopefully lead to the formation of a national team in the near future.