Tendring’s season opened with a trip up the A14 to play Coventry & Warwick Riga. Following an excellent pre season the new look Tendring team were keen to see if their hard work had paid off. Tendring looked focused from the start and a combination of service pressure and clever hitting saw Tendring take an early lead in the first set. Setter Davies continued to find the impressive Girmound through the middle which created space for the wing hitters to exploit. A strong service run from Yiannakkos stretched the lead and Tendring took the first set 25-17.
The second set began much like first with solid passing from from Bruce and Chilcoat which allowed Tendring to establish an early lead in the set. However Riga started to regroup and applied some pressure of their own via some clever serving. Tendring went into the first technical timeout with a narrow lead. Following the timeout Tendring regained focus and went on a devastating run of points with some excellent blocking from Dove and impressive backcourt hitting from Yiannakkos and Chilcoat. Tendring and Riga continued to trade points but the damage had already been done and Tendring took the second set 25-17.
Tendring went into the third set full of confidence and were looking to establish an early lead but strong Riga service pressure put Tendring on the back foot. Tendring regained composure and some clever shot selections by Lawrence pulled Tendring back in it before the first technical timeout. Guimond continued to dominate though the middle and Riga had no answer to his power. Tendring then went up a gear and setter Davies was finding his hitters with ease. Some excellent hitting from Yiannakkos and Chilcoat ensured a comfortable end to the game for Tendring who took the third set 25-18. After the game captain Dove said “There were plenty of positives to take from today's game, at times we were unstoppable. The new guys have settled in exceptionally well both on and off the court and it's shaping up to be a very exciting season.”
MVP Davies