TENDRING Volleyball Club’s men’s team have made history by sealing a place in their first-ever national cup final.
Their National Shield semi-final showdown against London Docklands ended at the Tendring Technology College Frinton campus with the hosts taking a thrilling 3-2 victory.
It means they will now contest the Shield final against Boathouse on April 28 at the National Volleyball Centre in Kettering and no-one is under-estimating what a big achievement it is for a small club.
Tendring will have a chance to shine in the national finals after semi-final disappointments in the last two years.
They reached the last four in the National Cup last year and were Shield semi-finalists in 2010, so it is pleasing for them to have gone all the way this time.
Coach and former England international Neil Masters said: “It’s the first time that the club has got to a national final and that’s so exciting.
“We got to the semi-finals of the cup last year and that was a huge achievement because we were only in the third tier of the national leagues then and we beat two top-flight Super Eight teams on the way to the last four.
“But to actually make it to national finals day is a really important step for us.
“Our profile is rising and this can only help.
“However, the job isn’t finished yet and we know Boathouse will be a tough proposition in the final.
“They are from near Leeds and have two or three ex-England international players and former Super Eight winners in their ranks.
“We did beat them two weeks ago and they beat us earlier in the season so it’s one-all at the moment and we know the final is going to be a juicy tie.
“But we will fancy our chances.”
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