Worlds apart but well matched

By arjones

THEY travelled almost 7,000 miles to be here, exchanging 38-degree heat for sub-zero temperatures.

And they came from a country a world apart in its reputation for volleyball.

Argentina: top-eight finishers in five of the last seven Olympic Games men's tournaments and 1988 bronze medallists. Great Britain: never good enough even to qualify to take part in the Olympics, other than one ninth-place effort in beach volleyball.

And the latest world rankings: Argentina's men ninth, England 62nd; Argentina's women 21st, England 70th; Argentina's junior boys first, England 83rd; Argentina's junior girls 21st, England unranked.

So, when Ruth Lovell, Petroc's volleyball academy manager, volunteered her college to play the number one private school for volleyball in Buenos Aires, some skilful negotiating was required.

"How," she wondered, "do we ensure the teams are well matched?" After all, neither had seen the other play.

But so successful was Lovell in her mission that, come the day of competition, the Argentines were as nervous as their hosts.

Sylvia Thomas, head of studies for the visiting Belgrano Day School, said: "Both teams were quite frightened about what they were going to encounter.

"Our teams were frightened and Ruth told me it was the same for hers." Lovell's solution had been to suggest to Belgrano that she combine the Petroc squad with that of the Academy of Beach Sports

Belgrano agreed and remarkably, given the inexact science of the arrangement, honours ended even. The Petroc/Academy of Beach Sports teams won two matches, Belgrano two. And three of the four matches went to a deciding set.

It had all begun when Belgrano contacted Volleyball England and the proposal was returned for a South West team to play them. But Belgrano felt regional opposition might be too strong.

Lovell, though, did not want to expose an inexperienced Petroc squad, even one that has come on leaps and bounds in the three years since the college formed a volleyball academy.

In an e-mail to Belgrano, Lovell said Petroc may not be as good as they imagined English school teams to be.

"I also let them know that we had only one girls' team and one boys' team at the college and that I would be able to make up four teams only if I made a joint effort with our Academy of Beach Sports," said Lovell.

"They were happy with that.I said I would combine players from the college and the Academy and, if I'm too strong, I can make the team weaker by bringing on subs.

"We don't want to demoralise anyone and if you get beaten 25-0, 25-0, 25-0 that's not helpful to development."

But in three hours of play at the North Devon Leisure Centre on Friday, there was not the slightest hint of a 25-0.

At under-16 level, Belgrano's girls won 25-23, 25-16 but their boys were beaten 25-21, 17-25, 25-23. At under-18s, the host girls won 25-11, 22-25, 25-17 but the boys went down 18-25, 25-14, 15-9, the deciding set shortened because court time was up. Belgrano fought back after their hosts fielded an under-17 team for the second set.

The experience was another forward step for Petroc's volleyball academy.

In only its second year, its girls won the regional qualifier in the British Colleges Sport competition, finishing fourth at the nationals and third in the BCS National Cup. Its boys finished runners-up in the regional qualifier.

In its third year — this year — the boys' and girls' teams have qualified for the BCS Nationals in April, both having won their regional qualifier.

Volleyball is reckoned to be the third most popular participation sport in the world, with more than 500 million players. Its profile here may get a boost in 2012 when, as host nation, Britain automatically qualifies for its Olympic debut in the traditional version of the game.

In Argentina, the stars of major sports — Carlos Tevez (football), Juan Martin Del Petro (tennis) and Angel Cabrera (golf) — are known to everybody. But many also know Marcos Milinkovic and Martin Conde

In volleyball, Milinkovic was named Most Valuable Player at the 2000 Olympic Games and 2002 World Championships.

In beach volleyball, Conde was 2001 world champion and has appeared in the last four Olympics.

In Britain, the top players are unknown outside the sport and, even inside, to very few.

None of the players the Journal spoke to could name a GB player until Ryan Dunn, the college captain, came up with just one — Ben Pipes.

In perception and performance, Britain is far behind the South American nation. But for one day at least in Barnstaple, Petroc and the Academy of Beach Sports closed the gap.