A new addition to the VC Cup this year was dodgeball! Teams of five played in a fierce round-robin tournament over 2 days ducking, dodging and lobbing dodgeballs. This game of strength and agility saw 17 teams compete in five minute games. Once the game was started, players had to rush the middle of the court to retrieve as many dodgeballs as possible before hurling them at their opponents. There was a ‘safe zone’ at the border of the two sides playing areas where players could retrieve balls, plan their next attack or just take a quick break. Anyone hit while in this area was not out and any hits made from this area were not counted. No headshots were allowed and if a ball was caught, a member who was already out from that team could come back into play. If all players were out before the five minutes were up, the game was reset and the opposing team won that set. If the next game was still ongoing and the buzzer went, then the score was the number of remaining players per team, with the team with the most players still standing ‘winning’ that set.
The first hour of day 1 consisted of 8 teams (Living La Vida Mocha, Regulatory Rebels, DoNATS, Ins and Outs, Flu Fighters, Marlowe’s Marauders, Campus Sporting Exploits and Chipperfield Circus) competing against each other across two courts. First up was Living La Vida Mocha vs. Regulatory Rebels where 3 sets were played with Mocha winning 2, making them the winners of this match. On the other court, Flu Fighters battled Marlowe’s Marauders in an intense 5 minute game with Flu Fighters winning the set. DoNATS then played Ins and Outs, winning two sets, and Campus Sporting Exploits competed against Chipperfield Circus where Chipperfield Circus won the only set played. Each team played 3 games, and DoNATS finished in first place for the first hour on the first day with 2 wins and 1 draw. Second was Living La Vida Mocha and tied for third were Marlowe’s Marauders, Ins and Outs and Flu Fighters.
The other eight teams (SPPecials, Keepers of the Keys, U Bunch O’ Kents, RISistence is Futile, Liquorice All Sports, Comms not Bombs, Infomaniacs, and Return of the MAC) competed in the same format in the second hour to secure their standing for the second and final day. U Bunch O’ Kents dominated the hour, winning all 3 of their games, which put them at the top of the leaderboard for the first day. Just behind were the SPPecials, Liquorice All Sports and Comms not Bombs, with 2 wins and 1 loss each. The Infomaniacs, Return of the MAC and Keepers of the Keys were tied near the bottom of the table, gaining 3 points each, followed by RISistence is Futile.
The second day was another action packed event with the top and bottom teams being split into groups to determine the overall dodgeball champion. The bottom group had many close games, with lots of draws. However, in the end, the Infomaniacs and Ins and Outs came out at the top of their group both with 2 wins and 1 draw. Just behind were Return of the MAC, winning 1 game and drawing 2, and then Chipperfield Circus and RISistence is Futile, both with 1 win, 1 draw and 1 loss. In the higher ranked group, each team was hungry to win and the battles were intense. Living La Vida Mocha displayed a strong performance, having 3 wins and only 1 loss to the SPPecials. The SPPecials also had many powerful players, managing to beat the top team, but falling just behind in second place in their group due to another loss to Marlowe’s Marauders who finished in third in their group. In the other top group, the DoNATS and Bunch O’ Kents were the tip contenders for the top of the overall table, both with 2 wins and a draw when they faced each other. Liquorice All Sports had an enthusiastic display but fell just short, winning one game and losing 2, followed by Flu Fighters losing all 3.
After 2 eventful dodgeball round robin style tournaments, the DoNATS came out victorious, accumulating 20 event points. U Bunch O’ Kents gained 19 event points finishing in second, but received a bonus point due to their fantastic showing of a full team for both days, also giving them 20 points. In third was Liquorice All Sports with 18 points and then Flu Fighters and Living La Vida Mocha. Everyone brought their competitive spirit and passion to VC Cup dodgeball and we can’t wait for the next event: The Cube!