 Guildford Thunder started the season off in the same style it ended last season: with a trophy!
With 2 teams heading to Reading for the Chris Carter Cup last weekend, Guildford hopes were high for success. Not everything went to plan, however, with the second team - Storm - losing all the games in the morning. The morning was also difficult for the first team, which also failed to progress to the elite group in the afternoon. With pride at stake, the afternoon saw the 2 Guildford teams battle out a dramatic 5-all draw, with the second team ahead for the early part of the game. The tight fixture spurred the firsts on to winning ways, with them qualifying for the Shield final, which they went on to win on penalties.
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Guildford Thunder Korfball Club's first team has clinched promotion to the Western Regional League for the 2023/24 season.
Thunder succeeded in winning 2 out of 3 playoff games in the playoffs at City Academy Bristol last weekend putting them up at the expense of relegated Gloucester Lions. Great results First up, Thunder beat Cardiff Raptors 2 by 11 to 7, followed up by a 13 to 10 win against Lions. The final game saw a 12 to 10 loss to Exeter City 1 meaning Thunder, City and Raptors were all promoted. The 2 victories and the closeness of the defeat suggest some optimism for the coming WRL season for the league's easternmost club. Western Regional League Despite the potential long journeys and the added pressure of playing against the shot-clock, Guildford is cementing its position as a force to be reckoned with in the growing sport of korfball. The WRL consists of teams from Exeter, Cardiff, Bristol, Oxford and neighbouring Farnborough. It is the third tier of national korfball and is a stepping stone to the promotional division and, ultimately, the premier division. Thunder reached the playoffs after winning division 1 of the Oxfordshire Korfball League with 51: 7 points more than closest rivals Oxford City 2.  Guildford Thunder Korfball Club sealed the league championship on Sunday (12 March), with two hard-fought wins against Southampton City.
The fast-paced games saw Guildford win 17-9 against Southampton’s first team and 21-9 against the second Southampton squad. After 14 games, Thunder racked up league 51 points - losing only a single game all season. The team scored a total of 244 goals in the 2022-23 season. The victory is a huge turnaround for the team which only avoided relegation last season by a single win. Promotion play-offs now beckon!  Guildford's new third korfball team had an impressive start to its league season.
Lightning faced an early trip to Southampton Oasis for a double-headed Sunday fixture against Hampshire opposition. A 14 - 8 victory against mid-table Southampton Spartans 3 set a stormy day alight, with goals from across the team - new and veteran players alike. Against top-of-the-league Basingstoke Bulls 2, the team scored 10 goals, but ultimately lost out to 18 opposing goals (see all results). These two games of the team's introductory half-season put Lightning on 4 points, bouncing them to ninth in the league above both Southampton Uni teams and Basingstoke's third team, which is yet to play. To cap off a fine day, batteries were recharged with a fine roast at the Walnut Tree Farm carvery because we are both a competitive AND social club. Recent relevant stories:
 Guildford Thunder is pleased to announce it has entered a sponsorship deal with local company Pure Plastering as the club looks to fulfill ambitious plans for 2023 and beyond. The team’s new kit sponsor, Pure Plastering, is a decorating specialist based in Marlow. With a team of professional, friendly decorators with more than 30 years of experience, Pure Plastering offers everything including repairs, plastering, decorating, tiling and flooring services. The generous sponsorship deal will see all current regular members of the club get kitted out in full team-branded Kukri training wear. The new kit will help Surrey’s finest korfball teams to look like a professional, cohesive unit as particularly when they turn up to away games.
"We're really lucky. Only a few English korfball teams have sponsorship, and this may even be the first for a club in our league", he said.
Fun, fast and friendly: if you’ve overindulged at Christmas, or have simply made a New Year’s resolution to get fit in 2023, then here are 10 reasons you should give korfball a try.  Picture by Deltaworks on Pixabay. 1. It’s fun
Korfball is all about having fun. Whether we’re playing matches or training, we believe that sport should be enjoyable and rewarding. Even if you get knackered, we want you to have a smile on your face! And don’t just take our word for it: the BBC thinks korfball is fun too! 2. It’s fast The first time you watch korfball you might spot players standing about seemingly doing very little except shouting out strange instructions to other players. Don’t be fooled! Korfball is all about sudden, rapid movement designed to put your opponent off-balance. It can be incredibly fast, but fortunately you’ll always get a chance for a bit of a breather when your side loses the ball! 3. It’s friendly At Guildford Thunder, we love to hang out together on and off the court. So if you have overindulged during the holiday season, you could always look forward to one of our social gatherings. We’re regularly seen in local pubs or the board game cafe and, as you’ll see, we love a bit of dressing up and being silly at Christmas, halloween, or even just because it’s Thursday. 4. It's inclusive Korfball is the only mixed-sex team sport in that each team has to be made up of equal numbers of male and female players. And the sport’s defensive rules and style of play mean that height or strength are not always the most important factors in beating your opponent. 5. It’s for all ages You can really start playing korfball at any age. We currently have several active youth players and even feature a former England Korfball international youth team player. We have a development team that accommodates players of all ages and abilities, including veteran players or people looking to return to korfball after a long absence. 6. You can play korfball competitively Because korfball is still an emerging sport in England, there’s huge potential to be involved in competitive matches. Guildford Thunder now has 3 teams playing in the local korfball league with hopes of getting the first team promoted to the top tiers of competitive korfball in England. 7. You can get fitter in a flash Experts at the NHS say adults should get 75 minutes of vigorous activity like korfball each week. We train for 2 hours (120 minutes) each week so if you train regularly you’ll be absolutely smashing that target. And with the opportunity to play in league (hour-long games), cup (20-minute games) and friendly competitions all year round you could find your stamina and health improve very quickly. 8. Korfball can make you stronger The NHS also recommends doing at least 2 sessions of muscle-strengthening exercises a week. Shooting in korfball - particularly from distance - is easier if you build up your strength. We find that younger players in particular can get stronger with shooting practice - sometimes with a little help from a medicine ball. 9. You can tell your friends about it Given how 99% of people you speak to won’t know what korfball is, you can impress friends and family alike with tales from your newfound love of the sport. Of course, you may end up having a lot of korfball friends, so then you’ll need something else to discuss! 10. You can try korfball for free And if all the previous 9 reasons aren’t enough, you can pop down to one of our training sessions and try korfball for free. We’d love to hear from you and see you on the court soon. Guildford Thunder is looking to up its game after appointing new coaches for its second team and third team.
In addition to first team coach, Zu Munshi, we now have Simon Pavey coaching the seconds and Helen Munshi coaching the brand new thirds. All seasoned korfball players, the coaches will be able to focus on the skills and experience of each of their teams and help players on each meet their expectations. With three coaches, Zu will now be able to help the first team compete for the top spot in Division 1. Simon will help give the second team a competitive edge and help players to progress up to the top team. Helen will be supporting the development of less experienced players and enabling teamworking across the board. With 3 teams now in the league and new requirements for clubs in the next season, the news provides a vital foundation for the future of the club, which will also need to call on volunteers to referee games in 2023/4.  Guilford Thunder has entered a third team in the Oxfordshire Korfball League following a successful player recruitment drive.
The third team, which will play in OKL Division 2 (south), means more competitive playing time for all club members. It will also help the second team, Storm, focus on winning matches (and the league!) while the third team concentrates on learning and player development. The team (rumoured to be known as Lightning) will play the second half of the korfball season, starting with an away game against Southampton City Spartans 2 early in the new year. The announcement of a third team is exciting news for the club as it bounces back after covid - it follows a whole sweep of recruitment activity, including a PR campaign and a new TikTok account. It also comes as GTKC forges links with the University of Surrey's Team Surrey sports societies to support the development of a student korfball society. We hope these developments provide a solid foundation for the future of the sport in Guildford and the wider county.  Image from IKF website. The new korfball season has kicked off well for Guildford Thunder (Surrey's best korfball club!), as we set out in this month's club update.
We also have some exciting news about the future of the club and, as always, some tips from the coach. You can always find these updates on the club Whatsapp group, or download the November 2022 Guildford Korfball Update (PDF, 4MB).  The 2022/23 season of the Oxfordshire Korfball League Division 2 (south) gets going in earnest this weekend, with Guildford's second team hosting Basingstoke Bulls 2. With home advantage, Storm are looking to replicate the first team's fine opening performances of 2 wins away against Oxford City 2 and 3 in Division 1. Second in the table after 2 wins out of 3, the Bulls 2 have made an early-season charge. Surrey's korfballing finest will look to put a stop to the Hampshire club. Both first teams will be in action too, with Bulls 1 taking 6 points from their first 2 games in Division 1. Thunder's firsts' tremendous wins over Oxford City 2 (7 - 12) and Oxford City 3 (7 - 21) put the team top of Division 1, with a great chance of promotion to the regional league if this fine form continues. The clashes at RGS will see several players make their league debuts after the summer's friendly tournaments and some tremendous displays in the Chris Carter Memorial Cup at Guildford Spectrum. See all our club results.  Oxfordshire Korfball League Division 1 |
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