2006 News Archive 26th September 2006 Thundering Herd beat Lucky 7's 15-12 to take the London Summer League title In a thrilling climax to the Summer League, Thundering Herd repeated their win over Lucky 7's to win the Moet division, and claim the overall title. Congratulation to the team, and good luck for Worlds! Here's the match report from Cap'n Kenee: The Thundering Herd faced up against Lucky 7's for the final of the Moet division. On paper the Herd looked stronger as they were top of the league and had also beaten Lucky 7's the last time the two teams had met. However this is summer league and anything can happen. Plus there was a feeling that Lucky 7's were significantly understaffed last time they played the Herd so as the two team lined up it really was anyone's game. Both sides were suitably pumped up and ready to go. There was a crowd watching and you could taste the tension in the air. Lucky 7's won the pull and wisely choose to start on defence. The game started with both sides looking strong on offence, both sides happy to put it deep and both sides moving the disc well. It was point for point until 6’s at which point Lucky 7's scored twice to take the half 8-6. The last time the Herd played Lucky 7's they were also 8 - 6 down at half time and both times Lucky 7's started the second half on offence. However the last time they met the Herd managed to come out very strong and Lucky's didn't score again resulting in the Herd winning 15 - 8. Therefore despite the deficit the Herd still looked confident of a win. This time however Lucky's weren't prepared to give the game to them and took the next 2 points to put them at a strong lead of 10-6. At this point you could tell the crowd were losing interest and it was starting to look over for the Herd. So much so that their heads could have gone down but to their credit they kept up the fighting spirit and kept pushing hard. So hard in fact that they managed to take the next point, and the next and the next and the next - not exactly sure how the score line went from there but soon the Herd were in the lead and looking unstoppable and before long it was 14-11 Herd. Lucky's then scored another sweet point to make it more interesting at 14-12 however the Herd had built up so much momentum by this point that it didn't take long for them to score again and take the game, the final and the championship title. Well done to both teams for making it to the final and for giving such a good show - watch this space for the edited video of the game which will be winging its way to you soon. Team 3 won the hat tournament. In spite of a blatant attempt to rig the teams, my team (Team 1) finished last. Still, we nicked some of Team 3's beer - so not a total loss ;). Thanks to everyone for a great day - I enjoyed it, and everyone else I spoke to did. Can't wait for Winter League! 14th September 2006 Summer League final and Hat tournament details The Summer League final day will be held at Balham from 12-5pm on Sat 16th September. To open we'll have a Hat tournament, then the showcase event, the Moet final, will start at 3pm - complete with hat-winning beer-fuelled heckling from the sidelines. If you want to take part in the hat tournament please contact maaafy_bird[at]yahoo[dot]co[dot]uk to register. 18th August 2006 Final week's scores now on results page! And the finals will be: Moet: Thundering Herd vs Lucky 7s Cava: Whey vs ABH North Asti: Lurve vs Flump So for most of us that spells the end to Summer League. Congratulations to the teams above for extending their Summer League run to the finals. Commiserations to Floater and Kennington for losing out on points difference on that final place. Thanks for all the games, for bearing with us when the lines weren't marked, when there was a generator on the pitch or the website was updated a bit late, but most of all for making another Summer League a success. So good luck to the finalists, and hopefully see as many of you as possible on the 16th! 15th August 2006 Tenth week's results now on results page and four out of the six teams confirmed for the finals. Wow - what a difference a week can make. Congratulations to Thundering Herd, ABH North, Lurve and Flump for securing their places. Bye and Whey are set to meet this week and decide which team will take the remaining place in the Cava Division while up in the Moet, there could be a four way tie for second, with any one of Floater, Kennington or Lucky 7s potential finalists. Jam, while on the same number of wins can't quite make it. In the Asti division, Fugazees continued their run of good form to take their fourth win from six. Sadly it's too late for them to squeeze into the final, but a fine showing in their second year of Summer League. Expect more in 2007 - and maybe Winter League? Flump took their revenge on the Clissold posse, by pounding Lurve's sister team, Curve, 15-3. PAF rounded off their season with a win against Jarheads to finish on 4 wins from 7. Cava-wise we Nerd finally gain a league win with a tight (and somewhat surprising) victory over ABH North. They'll be playing ABH South next week, for the chance of the double - something that only Stacks have managed to do, completing the feat this week with a 15-10 win over the South. Galahs ended UCL's outside chance of a final place with a win down in Balham. In the Moet division, Herd kept up their 100% record with a strong win over Brighton. Only Floater stand in their way of a perfect record in the league - a fitting way to finish off the games on Thursday. In other games, Floater lost to Lucky 7s, throwing open that second spot, while Jam finished their campaign with a win over Teeth. 7th August 2006 Ninth week's results now on results page. The good weather may be starting to disappear, but it's really hotting up in Summer League. With most teams only having a couple of games left to play, it's still surprisingly wide open. In the Moet division, Floater took an important win against Brighton, 15-12. You've got to feel for the Southerners who've been on the wrong side of a lot of tight games. Herd kept up their winning ways with a convincing win over Jam. The big game of the week though was Kennington vs 7s - with both teams looking for a place in the final, a lot rode on it. Kennington came out victors 15-10. The only result from the Cava brigade this week was the battle of the Geeks with Stacks and Switches, vs the Blundering Nerd. Stacks took the victory, leaving the Nerd with games against the two ABH teams to open up their Summer League account. In the Asti division, the Fugazees continue their recent run of good form to notch up a third victory in Summer League - this time against Curve while Flump drew level with Lurve on wins, after a thumping victory over OvaThrow. Last but not least - we've got a date for Summer League finals. Saturday 16th September - put it in your diaries before your forget. 3rd August 2006 Seventh and Eighth week's results now on results page. Sorry for the delay. Firstly, massive apologies to those of you who've been waiting around for these scores. I know it's frustrating not to have them for two weeks, and even now there are some missing. All I can say is, get them to Nicole as early as possible and I'll do my best to get them on here as soon as she gives them to me. On to the stuff you really care about.... the results. 24 teams started the competition back in June, and only one remains unbeaten - plate winners from 03 and 04, and 5th placed last year, here's a great example of what Summer League can do. Starting off as a predominantly corporate team, Herd have slowly worked their way up through the tables, till now they're the cream of London's Ultimate talent... With FLoater and Jam still on their to-play list, they're certainly not guaranteed a place in the Moet final yet, but if they do make it, their opponents will probably be one of 7s, Floater or Kennington, with Jam as a good outside bet. Expect the 7s vs Kennington and Floater vs Herd matches in the last two weeks to finally decide who fights for the lava lamp. In the middle division, UCL and ABH North both lost their unbeaten status. UCL being taken down 12-10 by the might Whey, while ABH North lost to Stacks by the same margin. Look out for the North playing UCL this week, for what could be a key game in determining who'll play in the Cava final. In the Asti division, Lurve look almost certain to be finalists, after beating second placed Flump and going two wins clear at the top. Looks like Flump and OvaThrow will have to battle it out on Thursday evening for the honour of playing them. Of course, this is Summer League, and upsets will happen, so don't trust anything I say! 19th July 2006 Sixth week's results now on results page and the divisions have been named. Yep - you heard it right, we've got names for the three divisions - Moet, Cava and Asti. Don't worry if you're in the Asti - that doesn't mean you'll get a bottle of cheap plonk! In the Moet division, Brighton and Lucky 7s decided to try their luck and squeeze a fourth pitch on to Tooting Bec Common. To quote Wrecker: "I wouldn't recommend this course of action". Still - it seemed to work well for his team who came away victors, and with it moved clear at the top. However with Herd and Floater having a couple of games in hand, it's going to be tough for them to stay there. In the fight to get off the mark, Jam took the honours against Missing A Disc. UCL and Whey both recorded comfortable victories in the Cava division to keep their chances of a final place alive. In the other match Bye sneaked home against the Nerd - down 10-5 at one point, they fought back to win in sudden death, 15-14. Yet another close game for the middle division. It's been a while in coming, but we finally got ourselves a right-to-the-wire-hard-cap-sudden-death-in-the-dark game. Lurve hosted Fugazees up in Hackney, and feeling right at home took the half 8-7. Fugazees then won 5 straight points, Lurve did the same before trading to 16s. The Hackney side stole the glory with the final point. Just to show you the kind of team the Fugazees are, what did they say about the long game? "You ain't got much time for beer". Glad to see they've got their priorities right. PAF got off the mark against Curve, while OvaThrow kept their perfect record with a victory over Biznatch. So 7s, Whey and Lurve lead the tables, but all three still have plenty of work to do to make sure of a final place. Picks for next week? In the Asti division, expect a hard fought Derby between Lurve and Curve - my money's on the pinks, while over in the Cava expect Nerd to give UCL a tough fight. For the Moet division if you're looking for an upset, then Brighton's your team - Kennington should win it, but you never know with Summer League... 10th July 2006 Fifth week's results now on results page. Three weeks into the league proper and we're starting to see how the divisions will pan out. Down at the bottom, Curve, Flump, Lurve and OvaThrow all kept their 100% record alive - it's definitely looking to be a division of two halves. In the middle ABH North won the battle for the top, but only after Whey took them all the way to 17-15, the first hard cap of the season. In the battle for the middle spoon, an ironman Stacks and Switches narrowly won the grudge match against Flaming Galahs. In the other match of the division ABH South beat Bye to put themselves in a good position for the final should Whey slip up. Up at the top, Lucky 7s beat Missing a Disc soundly. That's 0 for 3 from MAD, so expect them to be all fired up for their clash against Strawberry Jam - the only other top flight team yet to record a victory. 3rd July 2006 Fourth week's results now on results page. The second week brought no major surprises. In the top division Kennington stayed top with a win over Dr Teeth while the other winners from last week's games had a rest week. Lucky 7s and Brighton bounced back from last week's defeats to win against Jam and MAD respectively In the middle division Whey became the only team to have played two won two, although the three teams behind them still have 100% records. Watch out next week for the ABH vs Whey game - risky to predict it at this early stage, but it could easily be the final for this division. In the bottom division, Flump and Lurve seem to be putting in an early bid for final places - both have won two from two - but with Curve still unbeaten and OvaThrow and the Fugazees yet to play, it's still not clear who the front runners will be. 24th June 2006 Third week's results are now online, pubs/pitches and team pages updated. Having got the crossovers out the way, and seen Blundering Nerd and Missing a Disc make their way up a division, the Summer League proper is now underway. Three divisions, three chances for glory. In the top flight, Dr Teeth beat last year's finalists Brighton while Thundering Herd showed their improved form by beating Lucky 7s - a semifinalist last year - with a strong second half showing. Floater and Kennington also got off to a good start with victories over MAD and Strawberry Jam respectively. Over in the middle, ABH North gained a strong win over Galahs, while their southern counterparts, ABH South, lost to Whey. Meanwhile, newcomers to the League, Bye took a tight victory over Stacks and Switches. In the bottom division, Flump got off to a winning start against Team Biznatch while Jarheads forfeited their game against Lurve. So - upsets at the top of the League, but further down everything going according to seed. 19th June 2006 Full schedule now online. The full schedule is now up - see the results page for details. 9th June 2006 Schedule and results updated. Second week's schedule and first week's results are now online. 6th June 2006 Schedule and map pages updated. First week's schedule is available and directions to Balham common are on the map pages. League starts next week! if you've been paying attention to the mailing list and the forum, you'll know everything's under way. If you haven't, I'm afraid you've missed out on entering the 2006 league. Oops. I tried to warn you all it would happen very suddenly. We still do not have confirmed pitches in South London, and have been forced to start playing "old skool" (i.e. without lines, scrounging pitch space wherever we can). For now, South London games are happening in a semi-secret location near Balham... The schedule for this week's games was published on the mailing list and is repeated on the forum. Schedule and results should start appearing on the results page soon. We also have an exciting (or controversial, depending on your point of view) new format for the league this year. It should mean that everyone gets more games against teams of a similar standard. It also gives the newest teams a couple of weeks of "friendly" games against the top teams in the league, before we start counting score. Everyone else in those first two weeks has playoff games, which are going to be hard-fought battles for seeding. No gentle starts this year. Damn, I wish I was there to see it. But... I'm taking an enforced break :-( But you're in good hands :-) After eight or nine years of organising summer league, I find myself in a situation where I'm forced to take a bit of a break. There's a great team of people looking after things in my absence. Say hello to Nicole Roberts, who'll be overseeing the league, ably assisted by Wayne Retter and Ken Ferguson. Wow, I really dumped them in the deep end! Thanks you guys. I'll be lurking in the background here and there, but until further notice Nicole is the person to speak to about summer league. Her email is maaafy_bird@yahoo.co.uk. Thanks a million Nicole. Hope to see the rest of you very soon. Ta-ra. Paul. 18th May 2006 Hackney say yes. Half-way there... A quick update to let you know that Hackney have agreed to let us run the north London games at Clissold Park again this year. We are unfortunately still working on the south London situation. Things have been up and down, and are now looking slightly more "up" than they were 24 hours ago. I will keep you all posted. In the meantime, if you want to play, you need to do three things: 1) Get your team together. See last year's info pack for guidelines on how many players you'll need 2) Read the mail I sent out a week ago (see the Forum if you missed it) 3) Email me to let me know you're planning on entering a team As soon as we have the pitches, the entry forms will go out and there will be a giant rush to get entered and start playing. You'll probably only have a week or so to get those entry forms back to me, so don't get caught napping. If you're an individual looking for a team to play for, or a team looking for extra players, please log on to the London Ultimate Forum and check out the "Players available/Players wanted" sections. 13th May 2006 Situation update Things are progressing, slowly. The problem at the moment is that we still don't have the okay from Hackney and Wandsworth councils regarding pitches. This puts us in a difficult position - without the pitches we can't do summer league (see "pitch markings" below). However, if we wait any longer to get things going, there won't be time to play all our games before it starts getting dark in late August. We have to start by the first week in June at the latest. So I sent a long message to the mailing list last week, to explain plans for this year, and urging everyone to get their teams together... because you might find the league starts very suddenly! If you missed this email, and you're thinking of entering summer league, you must read it. You'll find it on the new London Ultimate Forum. Here's a link to the message itself. I'm sorry that we can't publish an entry form or info pack just yet. This is because we're still waiting to get various details sorted out. We'll get there. New - London Ultimate Forum I've set up a new web-based discussion forum for London Ultimate players. It's better than the mailing list in a lot of respects, so please register and start using it. The more we make use of it, the more useful it'll become. If you have general questions about summer league, ask me there and then everyone can see the reply... which might save me answering the same questions over and over! (Not that I mind... too much.) It's also the best way to tell people that you're looking for a team to play for. Or that your team is looking for players. Please post to the forum with these kind of notices rather than putting a message on the LondonLeague list. From now on, it makes more sense that the mailing list is used primarily for urgent announcements and such-like. I know the forum is quiet at the moment, but it's only been around for a few days. Get on there and busy it up. Pitch markings. Why. People often ask me, why all this insistence on marked pitches? The first year we ran summer league (back in 1999, with just six teams!) we played without marked pitches, and we'd always waste the first three quarters of an hour each evening roaming around like lost nomadic tribesmen, trying to find somewhere to play. Clapham Common, Regents Park, Hyde Park, all these places are jammed on summer evenings with people playing footie, softball, having picnics, a few thoughtless types throwing frisbees around... to the point that it's virtually impossible to find an empty, flat 40-yd by 110-yd area. The advantage with having marked pitches is that it's suddenly possible to stake a claim to your bit of grass in the summer and throw people off it (in the nicest possible way, of course). It's booked, paid-for, and the lines on the ground are proof. Plus it's nice to know whether you're in-bounds or not. home | results | info | teams | maps | stuff | archives