Stroud clinch fine double (From Stroud News and Journal)

Stroud clinch fine double

STROUD'S first team took a major step towards their aim of achieving National League status with a superb double success when they hosted Plymouth side Marjons and Malmesbury Mavericks last week.

Stroud played league leaders Marjons first, buoyed by their encounter earlier in the season when they were only narrowly defeated in a five-set thriller, but they began slowly allowing the visitors to capitalise and build a four-point lead.

The teams then traded points until a good bout of serving by Dave Hoile saw the home side take the lead 12-8 before Marjons hit back. finding the gaps in Stroud's defending to pull away again. Once again the home side had to dig deep, but despite their efforts they lost the first set narrowly 28-26.

The second set saw Stroud play superb volleyball with simple three touch combinations that tore through Marjons block and with Matt Mollen and Darek Romowicz combining with awesome results on front court Stroud took the lead and never looked back, hitting their visitors with a 25-12 scoreline.

Stroud continued this form into set three and with Neville Mills, as ever, controlling the game as setter, and veteran Paul Gaze using the ball to good effect they built an early lead that they were to hold throughout, winning the set 25-20.

Set four saw the visitors step up a gear early on, but Stroud rode the storm and with Mollen finding attacking easy thanks to the accurate setting of Jon Chomicz, they dominated the exchanges and took the match 3-1 with a 25-20 set win.

Stroud's next game against a young Mavericks side who put up spirited resistance, saw experience prove the telling factor, the home side romping away with the first two sets 25-11, 25-10 and although the final set was closer, Stroud cruised to a convincing 3-0 win by taking the third set 25-20.

This was a spirited display by Stroud, who have their sights on promotion to the National League.

Speaking of the Marjons game, team manager Jon Chomicz said: "This was a really important win for us, we have games in hand to come runners up, which will be an immense achievement at our first time of asking. We are hoping to strengthen our squad in the closed season in preparation for National League status."

Stroud next play Cardiff and Bristol's Whitfield in Cardiff on Sunday March 23.