Broccoli Ultimate

29 January 2007

UK Ladder League

Broccoli has made a steady stride up the UK Ladder League following 4 wins in the Winter League. We are currently in 2nd place behind UCD (by virtue of the amount of games they've played) and after this weekend's games in Cark that could change again. For all the standings, permutations and excitement go to http://www.regionalultimate.co.uk/

Once Winter League ends we will be arranging more friendlies whenever we can to further bolster our standing!Good work everyone. See you all at the weekend.

26 January 2007

Winter League 2

Last Sunday saw 7 Broccoli players make the trek to Shankill for more wind and rain dominated Ultimate. The weather was nearly as bad as the previous day but the rain abated somewhat so it wasn't quite as cold. Broccoli continued the Iron man tradition with a few absentess being replaced by the WL debutants, Stokesy and Colm both of whom had an excellent day.

Up first were the yellow-shirted DIT students lead by Podge, Cormac and Tall Paul. Zone was the order of the day with a strong wind limiting any easy passes. They used all the players with them, a mixture of strong beginners and experience and made the Brocs run hard for every point. We started strongly and DIT took a while to come out of their shells. It was quickly 7-0 despite their best efforts. The second half was much better fom them with all their players growing in confidence. Cormac appeared o be getting open with ease and Ste, Podge and Paul handled well. They pulled 2 points back but calm O and some solid Zone work saw Broccoli ease home to a 13-2 victory. A couple of fun calls added to the great Spirit throughout.

The second match was against Trinity who at the start of the Winter League we had identified as one of the strongest teams going. As always they were well drilled and each player knew exactly what was asked of him/her. All players got lots of game time and despite having learnt the zone only a week earlier their Defence was as strong a D as Broccoli has faced yet this season. Unfortunately for them their Captain and talisman was sitting pretty on the sidelines having suffered another bizarre injury - 'I got up to get a cup of Earl Grey to have with my English muffin and all of a sudden my knee...' On they battled nonetheless with Cian's throws, Rickards running and the cup proving formidable despite the winds. We played very well, with our handling and Zone O answering the questions asked of it. Despite the pressure being put on us we slowly ground out a lead before beginning to score consistently until half at 7-1. We came our strong and scored the next 3 before a cap of 2 was added. another point made it 11-1. Trinity weren't finished though and began to claw their way back. From our point of view a stronger wind and some tired throws and catches weren't helping but credit is due to them as thy pushed us right to the finish. 12-4 was the final score and despite the lp-sided scoreline this was the toughest match, by far, that we have played. Trinity will only get better this season, especialy with the large numbers and team spirit engendered in the squad. Intervarsity hopefuls take note!

Next up is a trip to Cork where the League will be decided. With UCD on 4 wins from 4 and Cork with 3 (and home advantage & Tigger returning), the weekend is set to be a a great climax to a fun competition. See you all in te second capital!!

MVP - Mark 'o' Earley
MSP - Rob 'Mahatma' Kiely

Team: Marko, Rob, BB, Fishbox, Langer, Stokesy, Colm.

08 January 2007

Winter League 1

Yesterday saw Broccoli take to the windswept and wet fields of Shankill for the first time in 2007. 6 players managed to make it there on time with the Rathmines crew of the Kielys, BB and Langer arriving just before the blatantly still drunk McKenna and my good self. Doctor Coakley was called in by the hospital to perform an emergency heart transplant but arrived midway through the first game without boots but eager to play.

Game 1 saw us play against Gonzaga who were playing their first outdoor game ever. Naturally enough they turned over the disc a fair bit in tough conditions but it was clear they'd been very well coached at the basics. Good catching and some fine throws were further evidence of excellent instruction. Despite this, our experience won through with Fiona particularily impressive, cutting long and short and repeatedly taking to her knees to catch discs coming to her at chest height! Everyone played well with the funniest mistake perhaps being Langers dump behind Brian on our goal line. It led to Gonzaga duly converting their sole score of the game. The were a fun, spirited bunch with good athletes on board and the experience they are gaining will stand to them in the future. 13-1 to the Greens. BB even managed to get a score!

Game 2 was always going to be a tougher affair against the DCU team with players like Blonde Rob, Petie and the 3 MaC girls - Yiv, Sandy and Shoulders all out to play hard. The conditions did them no favours though as the wind picked up and we were able to set up our first zone of the New Year. A good, fun first half saw us score 7 points unanswered on an increasingly cold and wet day. Our handlers were holding onto the disc well with the upfield players breaking at pace each time they got the disc. The second half followed the same pattern with DCU becoming increasingly unlucky at the front of our endzone. The final score of 13-0 didnt reflect how repeatedly close they were to scoring and I'd expect much more from them as a team as the League progresses. For us though, a great start!

Winter League 2 will be on Sunday the 21st, in 2 weeks time with a start time of 1.30pm. At the moment the schedule (as outlined below) sees us play DIT then Trinity but with UCD now also in the League (and how! - they beat Trin 9-5 yesterday!!) we may have to play 3 games. I'll keep you all posted. Well done and here's to the next one!

MVP - Fishbox McDonald
MSP - Luan McKenna

Team:
Marko, Rob, BB, Fishbox, Luan, Langer, JD.

05 January 2007

Winter League 2007

And so begins, the defence of the trophy.


It seems like only a few short months since "Winter League" ended last March and now its that time of the year again. The greens will be out in force, with an interesting scheduled on the first day of play. First up are the young but fearless Gonzaga College. Second are the gritty Northsiders from DCU. Needless to say, all valuables will be safely tucked away before the 2nd game begins!

Here's hoping its another Green Season.

Winter League Schedule:

Week 1 - 06/01/2007 - 1.30pm vs Gonzaga, 2.45pm vs DCU

Week 2 - 21/01/2007 - 1.3opm vs DIT, 2.45pm vs TCD

Week 3 - 04/02/2007 - 12.00pm vs UCC, 1.00pm vs UCD (tbc) - (in Cork) - we'll travel down on the Sat afternoon and go out Sat night so get the sessionheads ready!