AFTER AN unbeaten run coming into today's Western Union Division 'B' final, Torrington Park will have a gargantuan task in trying to out do Skibo 'A' in their bid for a first title.The two made their way to the final, scheduled for four o'clock at the Leila Robinson Courts after exciting semi-final clashes on Tuesday and both have put the euphoria of those victories aside with knowledge of the daunting task that lay ahead.
"Championships are something that are always difficult. The teams in the semi-finals are all good teams, so no matter who we face in the final we will have to go back to the drawing board and work as hard as we did in the semi-finals," said Skibo 'A's coach, Wayne Stewart, after his team's close 32-28 victory over Waulgrovians 'B' in the semis.
Torrington Park's coach, Phillip St. Marie, said Skibo can expect something different from his team.
"My team made some mistakes today (Tuesday) but don't expect that in the final. You could chalk it up to a bit of nervousness on their part, they are a young team, but they are very talented and you will see that in the final," said St. Marie after his semi-final on Tuesday.
Before the final tips off there will be a third-place play-off between beaten semi-finalists Waulgrovians 'B' and Speg 'A' which is set to start at 3:00 p.m.
The teams in the final are very different in terms of playing styles. Skibo are slow to build and are very good at keeping possession and having their opponents tire themselves chasing them.
However, they also have the tendency to crowd their opponents when they are defending and can cause numerous errors, as was the case when they beat Waulgrovians 'A'.
Torrington Park are lightening fast, they move up the court with such speed and precision that their place in the final is no mystery. However, they some-times play a little too quickly and make mistakes that they don't need to.
As was evident in Torrington's semi-final game against Speg 'B', they don't seem to be able to slow the ball down when they have leads to make it difficult for the opposition to get back into the game. To their credit though, they have the ability to score quick points that deflate the opponents and takes the game away from them, especially if that opponent is a team that tends to attack slowly.
In the Supreme Ventures Division A League semi-final played on Thursday, Molynes United 'A' beat Alexander Strikers 35-29 to make their way to the final. The second semi-final between Hampshire 'A' and Ravens 'A' will be played tomorrow.
In the Supreme Ventures Division C semi-final that was also played on Thursday, Molynes United 'B' defeated Police 24-23 in extra time after the teams had played to a 19-all draw at the end of regulation time. In the other semi-final, the game between Speg 'B' and Friendship also went to extra-time with Speg winning 23-21 after the teams had drawn 17-all.
- Paul-Andre Walker
