2008

So after months of planning MacBeach 2008 took place on 9th and 10th August at South Beach in Troon. The weather forecast for Saturday did not look good with a band of heavy rain expected to set in for most of the day. As the pitches were set up the rain poured down and there was some concern that everyone would stay in their tents… Everyone except new team Carlisle, who were keenly throwing at the campsite despite the rain.

The scene was somewhat reminiscent of Sunday at Paganello this year as the first games got underway, however by the second round of games the rain had stopped though the wind had picked up. This eventually gave way to sunshine for all teams final games of the day. In Pool A The Brown were looking strong with Rampant Pickup getting better with each game after their defeat to The Brown in the first round. Ro-Sand-Bo only lost by a point to Pickup so would have a tough quarter-final on Sunday against Pheonix Knights who came 2nd in the other pool to a dominant team - mainly made up of current and former Dark Horses - going by the name of GO Get A Wig Jeff. Life's A Beach finished 3rd with Hulltimate close behind.

After an excellent day of Beach Ultimate on fabulous pitches (Thanks to the council for having the beach cleaned early on Satuday morning) it was time for relaxing and partying. The theme of the party was Charity Shop Chic and it didn't disappoint with some fabulous efforts being made. Check out the photos!!

Sunday started at a rather civilised 10am with a fairly strong crosswind but bright skies and quite a bit of sunshine for the day. The Brown and GO cruised into the semi-finals beating Hulltimate and Carlisle respectively. The other quarter-finals were much closer with Phoenix Knights edging out Ro-Sand-Bo and Rampant Pickup coming back to beat Life's A Beach in the cap. The semi-finals saw possibly the game of the tournament as GO Get A Wig took on Rampant Pickup boosted by a couple of Austrian National Team players who had taken a 36 hour train ride from Barcelona to be there! It looked like it was going to be a one sided affair as the speed and quick passing of GO seemed too much combined with a few errors from the pickups. They took the half 7-1. However, one incredible halftime talk later and Rampant Pickup were on a comeback, a serious comeback. They levelled the game 7-7 in a game to 9. GO were shaken but stepped it up and eventually won 9-7 to set up a final against The Brown.

The final started a bit scrappy with a number of turnovers. The Brown got the better of it taking the initiative 5-2 with some exceptional long throws in the wind. GO dug deep and with several layout grabs closed the gap to 7-6 at the start of the cap. However it wasn't to be Scotland's day and The Brown took the title 9-7.

Final standings were:

1. The Brown (Trophy & Spirit)
2. GO get a wig Jeff
3. Rampant Pickup
4. Phoenix Knights
5. Life's A Beach (Plate)
6. Ro-Sand-Bo (Party)
7. Hulltimate
8. Carlisle Ultimate (Spoon)

MVP Final: Claire (Brown) & Jeff (GO)
Best Dressed: Alice (Ro-Sand) & Ben (Brown)

Thanks to everyone who helped out over the weekend, especially Katie my Assistant TD, couldn't have done it without you!

I think we've proved that Troon is an excellent venue for a beach tournament and am looking forward to MacBeach 2009…

Jeff
MacBeach TD