Baldock Town 6th best club in europe !In July 2019 after winning the Eurocup in England for the 5th year running, Baldock town were again heading off to Europe to compete against the best clubs they have to offer.
There first port of call was the Pachy Club in Waterloo, Belgium. The format was a league of 7 with the top four going through to the finals later in the year. Belgium were the strong favourites with Russia and Wales less fancied. It would be a battle between Sweden, Finland, Austria and England for the three other spots. After some gruelling matches in intense heat, Baldock town succeeded finishing 2nd over all, this meant they had qualified for the Eurocup Finals in Angoulême, France. Their success in Belgium seeded them second behind Italy, with Czech Republic and Hungary completing the group. The format was barrage, with them playing the Czechs first. Their target was to get into the Top 8—something no English team has achieved. Each round would be played in the same order: six singles (2 points each); three doubles (3 points each); two triples (5 points each) - first to 16 points wins. A win against the Czech team meant England faced Italy. Italy’s team are very strong, having players who have won major championships. After long and intense matches Italy win. But it is not over for Baldock they get another chance to progress, playing the losing team in the other round, which happens to be a rematch against the Czechs. Baldock town wins putting them in the top 8 something they dreamed of achieving. The next round saw them play Luxemburg after some closely fought games Luxemberg prevail, ending Baldock towns journey. “We played 16 matches, won 13 and lost 3. Of those 3 matches, two teams were semi finalists and one won the nations cup. We won every "must win" match but just came up short against those we aspire to beat. Over the campaign 12 players have played - 9 men and 3 women. Everyone has played boules that they can be proud of and contributed to our achievements (and everyone has played the odd boule they would prefer to forget). Nobody is perfect and we are all human. We have played as a team and supported each other throughout. We are a relatively tight knit group with friendships going back over decades. I think this helps when we need to dig in deep or in adversity. The focus we bring to games is clear - but I think we are respectful to the opposition and make friends wherever we go. Importantly we also laugh a lot, sometimes at each other sometimes at ourselves. The Town went marching in.” (Jon Sewell) Chiltern regional would like to congratulate Baldock town on their amazing achievement and can’t wait to see what they can achieve abroad in the future. |
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