RAIN DOESN’T PREVENT PLAY AT 2017 CLASSIC

The 34th RAF Careers Beach Volleyball Classic was yet another success for the town despite the dreadful weather on Saturday.

The teams played on regardless despite the down pour through Saturday and went into the final day only one round behind where the schedule suggested they should be and the final was only 15 minutes late.

For the first time this year the mens final was played first and it was an all British affair with Issa Batrane and Ryan Poole taking on Sam Walrond and Sam Dunbavin. Dunbavin and Walrond took a tight opening set 21-18 before Batrane and Poole fought back to square up the match 1-1 with a 21-10 win. The third set saw Batrane and Poole just maintain a steady lead and they ran out 15-12 winners. Batrane and Poole now return to European tour action with their first Weymouth title under their belt.

In the womens final veteran and nine time winner Denise Austin team up with a new partner Aga Aganek and were just strong enough to hold off the challenge of last year’s winners Eva Holt and Katija Gless winning 18-21, 21-19, 15-12.

Large crowds watched the centre court matches on Sunday and in an interview afteR the tournament Denise Austin described the Classic as the ‘Wimbledon ‘ of British Beach Volleyball and the event that all British players strive to win.

Th best performances from local players saw Craig Bishop playing with Rob Krakow finishing in a very impressive 11th place. While in the womens event Lucy and Chloe Oldrid playing in their first ever major tournament qualified for the main draw on Saturday by being Runners Up in the qualifying event on Friday afternoon and then finished in 19th place in the main event. They young sisters gained lots of praise from their opponents and they should have a bright future in the game.

Before the Mens Final there was a poignant moment when the Centre Court crowd paid their respects to former event director Lyle Harmon Beglan who died suddenly in January with a minutes applause. Lyle waS also inducted posthumously into the Classic Hall of Fame.

Earlier in the day Lucy Boulton and Gabia Madreka-Konotopolous had also been inducted into the Hall Of Fame which now has 21 members who have been inducted over the events 34 years.

The current Event Directors said after the event that they were delighted with how the event had gone particularly considering the heavy rain and wind on Saturday which had made playing conditions very difficult. Pete Bennett and Graeme Sawyer said ‘we have great respect for all the players for having to go out into that weather repeatedly and playing to such a high standard but thankfully the sun returned for us on Sunday. We would like to thanks our main sponsor RAF Careers and all out partners who supported the event and without whom the Classic could not go ahead. We hope they will continue to support us into 2018 and beyond’