The dust, or should we say sand, has finally settled, and this past weekend certainly did not disappoint. Athletes from all over Europe took to the orange sand of Portobello to gain direct qualification to next year’s Commonwealth Games in Birmingham and two teams from Cyprus made that goal a reality.
Teams from Cyprus celebrate their qualification for next year’s Commonwealth Games in Birmingham
Pool play was first up, with the first four matches taking place late afternoon on Friday. The wind certainly made things difficult for teams, but partners worked well to overcome the changes in play. The Scotland pair of Graham Riddle and Jamie McHardy were up first, taking on the Welsh duo of Conor Robins and Billy Ewings. Matches were streamed live directly on the Scottish Volleyball Facebook and YouTube pages, as well as on BBC Sport Scotland, and spectators both in person and online were treated to a thrilling three-set battle, with Scotland eventually taking the win. Cyprus and Gibraltar took to the court next, countries perhaps unused to the changeable (and according to them, chilly) weather of late summer in Scotland. Nonetheless, the Cypriot team of Charalampos Zorbis and Antonios Liotatis defied the weather to gain their first win of the tournament.
The women finished off the last two matches of the day. Scotland again were the first team up, Lynne Beattie and Melissa Coutts taking on the Welsh team of Clare Skidmore and Elisa Ionascu that they have battled numerous times over the past months. Scotland took the win this time in two sets. The last match of day was Northern Ireland’s team of Rachel Montgomery and Becky Rankin taking on Cyprus’ Zoi Konstantopoulou and Erika Nyström. The Cypriot team showed their experience, taking their first win of the tournament in two sets.
The home heroes from Scotland performed well in the pool stage of the competition
Day 2 would see more pool play, with matches dictating the semi-final matchups of the subsequent day. Jonathan Workman and Jeff Scott of Northern Ireland made their Commonwealth Games Qualifiers debut against the Cypriots in the morning, with the Cyprus team narrowly taking the win. Spectators thoroughly enjoyed the performances put on by athletes, with the grandstand being full to the brim during the day. By the end of Saturday, the women’s semi-finals had been decided, with two more men’s matches still to go.
Before the organisers and fans knew it, it was Sunday and that meant one thing – finals day, but with men’s pool play to complete first. The results from these matches would determine the men’s semi-finals. Northern Ireland cinched their third win of the tournament over Gibraltar’s Mark Gomez and Martin Gomez, and Wales gave their best against Cyprus but could not give it enough, losing the match 2-1.
The stands at Portobello Beach were full as many fans followed the final day of the European Qualifiers for the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games
Now to the exciting part – semi-finals! In the women’s side, Cyprus beat Northern Ireland 2-0 to set up a Scotland v Cyprus final after Wales lost to Scotland in the other half. Wales would go on to beat Northern Ireland 2-0 to win 3rd place. In the men’s side, things looked very similar; Scotland beat Northern Ireland and Cyprus beat Wales, again setting up a Scotland v Cyprus final. Wales would also go on the win the 3rd place trophy, rounding off a successful haul for the Welsh.
The women’s final certainly did not disappoint – Cyprus and Scotland battled hard, much to the delight of the fans avidly watching from the promenade. Having previously lost to Cyprus in the pool play, the pressure was on Scotland. Despite their best efforts, Cyprus performed superbly and won the match 2-0, ensuring qualification for their country.
A similar sight followed, with Cyprus and Scotland taking to the beach once again, this time in the men’s final. Scotland took the first set convincingly with a six-point lead. Cyprus however were not ones to go out without a fight – they came back swinging (quite literally) in the second, winning a close set by 21-18. It was all to play for in the third set, and neither team looked like they were giving up. However, one team always wins, and in this case, it was Cyprus that took the win, making it a double qualification for their country.
A massive thank you goes to all the volunteers, staff, players and spectators who made this event one to remember. The organisers would also like to thank Edinburgh Beach Volleyball Club, the City of Edinburgh Council, SportScotland and Team Scotland, QTV, Woosh and Graeme and Keith Easton, BBC Sport Scotland, Jake Sheaf and UK Beach Tour, as well as Zeon Teamwear for all the hard work they put in before, during and after the event. Without a dedicated team like this, the event would have never been as successful as it was!
