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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.
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 Guildford's White House pub saw yet another fun-packed Thunder awards ceremony and annual meeting this Thursday (4 May 2023). With nearly all members in attendance, and a 50% increase in membership since last year, it was a night full of cameraderie and team-spirit. With an eye-on next season, members voted in a new club constitution, elected new committee members and heard from the coaches on individual and team amazing progress and challenging ambitions. But most of all, we had some grub, a few drinks, a fun quiz and handed out a bunch of well-deserved medals. A big thank you to everyone for being part of this amazingly successful, growing and inclusive club this year. Those award winners in full
Best all-rounders Simon (1st team), Michael (2nd team), Ben (3rd team) Best supporting players Alec (1st team), Rob D (2nd team), Rob F (3rd team)
Best dancers
Hayleigh and Tilly Worst shoe tying Will And of course ... the quiz winners The Outsiders! For all the pictures see the night's image gallery.
The stand-out achievement is - of course - our first team's performance in winning Division 1 and reaching the promotion play-offs. This is all the sweeter, given that at the end of the 2021-22 season, Guildford Thunder were a whisker away from relegation. It's all the more incredible given the season-opening Chris Carter Cup saw the team finish only third. And this success for the first team has not affected the second team performance with a creditable fourth place in a highly competitive Division 2.
Of course, the success of our teams is due in no small part to our coaches, and it's been a real strength to be able to have expanded in such a well-supported way.
But what's next?
As the playoffs beckon, we plan for what happens if the first team is promoted, and how we support the second team to promotion and bringing the third team up to a truly competitive level. All fun problems to have for a successful and expanding club. Roll on the summer friendly tournaments, the cup and the new season! Party!   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!  This Sunday (12 March 2023) sees Guildford Thunder's first team play it's final crucial games of a hard-fought and successful season.
A win and a draw against Southampton City Spartans first and second teams would see Thunder top the OKL division 1 and seal a place in the promotional play-offs to the regional league. Spartans teams have struggled this season, occupying the bottom two league positions, with Spartans 2 yet to record a win this season. Between them, they've racked up 206 goals - which is identical to Thunder's season goal-tally. Three Guildford teams, four matches There'll be an early start for the second-team, Storm, as they face Southampton University's first team. Last time out, Storm nabbed a narrow 8-5 win at home. A win would all-but guarantee Storm finishing in the top 4 spots in division 2 south. Third team, Lightning, will also face SU1 and hope to put in another convincing performance to further prove the development squad are already formidable in their first half-season. Celebration or commiseration Whatever the results, all are welcome for drinks at the nearby Balmoral Beefeater, as a reward for an early start and a long day!  Who are you?
Rob Finch What's your committee role? Vice-Chair. Where are you from? Originally Worcester. How long have you been playing? A whole year! What are your korfball highlights?
Fun fact? I spent a long weekend at a military base in the desert of Helmand Province, Afghanistan (but I'm not a soldier).  Who are you?
Simon Pavey What's your committee role? Kit Secretary. Where are you from? Addlestone. How long have you been playing? Since 2000! What are your korfball highlights? Getting an England trial and playing for my county. Fun fact? I like to get plastered at work (plastering).  A hundred-and-three years ago - 1920 - war raged in eastern Europe, a pandemic had killed millions and a small island in north-west Europe demanded independence. A turbulent time. But also a time of increasing liberty and social improvement with women recently being able to vote in elections in many countries. Into this maelstrom came hope. Hope in the form of sport: the sixth modern summer Olympics. Peace, hope, sport ... and tug-of-warAntwerp, Belgium’s largest city, had avoided the devastation of the First World War so it was the ideal location for the first post-war Olympics: a Games that exemplified peace with the release of doves at the opening ceremony and the first flying of the iconic, white, multi-ringed flag.
Alongside, this frankly weird inclusion came - as a demonstration sport - the magnificent sport of korfball. A controversially inclusive sport
And at the time, men and women playing together on the same team was seen as…not progressive, but controversial or even offensive. Korfball players had been subject to accusations of immorality. Female players showing bare ankles and knees were more than frowned upon, and their for-the-time risqué outfits drew sharp words. Yet due to the war, fit young male athletes were in short supply and that loosened the strictures that bound society’s values and morals. That meant it was time for progress, but it was an uphill struggle! Getting korfball on the Olympic bill
This did the trick. That wasn’t the end of the shenanigans and wrangling, but basically it was now game on for the korf! One summer Sunday afternoon in AntwerpAt 1pm on Sunday 22 August 1920 with the first Olympic korfball game due to start at 2pm, the players set off from their boarding house for the stadium a few kilometres south of the city centre. Unfortunately, their drivers got confused and headed north towards a fairground that had the copyright-infringing name 'the Olympic Games'. In the end, the korfballers arrived at the Olympic Stadium with just 10 minutes to spare before the game start time!
It finished 2-0 for South Holland which seems like a spectacularly low-scoring game - perhaps everyone was distracted by the marathon.
International korfball since then
Korfball has been a part of every World Games since the 1985 London Games, which included squash, rugby and, inevitably, tug-of-war
 Who are you?
Alastair Coulton What's your committee role? Fixtures Secretary. Where are you from? Horsham. How long have you been playing? 4 years. What are your korfball highlights? Eating the most dessert during korfcrawl. Fun fact? I've competed in the Peter Pan Race.  Who are you?
John Goodhall What's your committee role? Secretary. Where are you from? Originally Kent. How long have you been playing? 34 years! But with gaps here and there. What are your korfball highlights? Scoring 10 goals in one game for Supernova. Fun fact? I'm a retired lawyer and enjoy playing lawn bowls, walking football, swimming, cooking and gardening. |
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Photo from Tree Leaf Clover