Scottish Super League 2024 | Match Day 1

The Scottish Super League is back for a second season! Another round of high level ultimate in the off-season, another opportunity to scout new talent, and of course, another opportunity to make big plays and get a new profile picture!

This year sees a shift in the player base, with some experienced players stepping back and younger players stepping up to make a name for themselves. Nearly half of all SSL players this year are SSL rookies, so we expect a lot of eagerness to make some noise on the pitch and impress anyone who might be watching ahead of next season’s trials.

Each team’s captains represent different clubs across Scotland, with Heck, Alba and GUX making up the bulk of the teams. After adding a sprinkle of some new-to-club-ultimate university players, there’s a lot of work to be done to find chemistry between players.

Skye (15) vs Nevis (14)

In this first week, Team Skye, led by GUX’s Hannah Millard and Heck’s Conor Gaffney, face Team Nevis, led by Becca Hardman-Carter of GUX and Alba’s Adam Sweeney. Skye has drafted some incredibly experienced players to take control on the pitch, whilst Nevis looked at the younger Alba ranks for some pre-existing synergy. Both teams look very well rounded with a lot of experience both upfield and downfield, however both teams are lacking some height.

As expected, the teams were matched stylistically well. Both teams ran the show well through their FMPs, moving the disc early and gaining yards, then relying on the speed of their MMPs to attack the front cones in the endzone. The game saw both teams starting slow with some execution errors and miscommunications. The teams were, however, really intense on defence and would earn the disc back after giving it away. The game was incredibly tight with teams trading until half time, and we saw highlight plays from both sides. Nevis’ Aina Zaid and Adam Sweeney utilised breaks to the endzone, both finding Matthew Miller to rack up the points. Skye on the other hand had Tilly Mason and Ru Cullen strike to the open side for an easy score, keeping it an even game.

In the second half, Nevis came out firing, with the Alba recruits finding some great deep connections, resulting in a 2-break lead. Although Skye wasn’t ready to give up quite yet; their defence kicked into another gear and they were able to capitalise on a Nevis turnover after applying high pressure. The game was sitting at 14-13 to Nevis, with Nevis on the disc to bring it home. Unfortunately for them, Skye had other plans.

Another strong defensive point grinded, featuring a great connection between Phil Webb and Antoine Richard, brought the game to sudden death. Nevis had yet another chance to take it away, working up the disc well until half way, when a misthrow straight into Antoine Richard gave Skye a golden opportunity. John Stainsby, together with Antoine, quickly capitalised on it, making it bookends for Antoine and a big win for Skye. A fantastically intense game with a single break splitting the teams in the end.

MVPs:
Nevis – Becca Hardman-Carter, Ali McNeill;
Skye – Tilly Mason, Antoine Richard.

Clyde (15) vs Lomond (14)

The other match this weekend was Team Clyde, led by Heck’s Andreea Gradinaru and Alba’s Cameron Mackie, against Team Lomond, led by Heck’s Lucy Brown and GUX’s Johnny Tofalis. The taller players seem to have mostly gone to these teams, with height present across both genders. Team Clyde managed to snag last year’s MVP Ben Cornelius and Heck captain Alex Hiley, putting them in a strong position. Talent isn’t rare on Lomond either though, with their roster including last year’s top scorer, Alice Bates, and highly sought after player, Joel Terry.

And oh, did both teams come out to play! Clyde started the game looking for deep shots to Ben Cornelius and Andreea Gradinaru, scoring quickly on offence. Lomond on the other hand, made use of the breakside, with Joel Terry and Iain Lindsay moving the disc well to create big opportunities. Clyde’s defensive pressure was outstanding, rarely allowing Lomond to score cleanly. The times they got the disc, they were efficient with it, scoring several breaks in the first half. It looked like the game was slipping away from Lomond, with the score being 11-8 in Clyde’s favour. A timeout allowed Lomond to mentally reset and hop on a break-train, bringing the game to 12s.

The next few points were a dog fight, with both teams scrapping on both defence and offence. A connection between Greg Stewart and Jo Murnane for a break took the game to 14-12 for Clyde. What followed were some incredibly tense points featuring more great defensive pressure and breaks from Lomond. With the game at sudden death, Clyde were determined to emerge victorious, and that’s exactly what they did. Another nail biting game with both teams showing heart and the ability to persevere.

MVPs:
Lomond – Joel Terry, Beth Dimitrova;
Clyde – Iain Campbell, Andreea Gradinaru.

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We (the organising committee) are thrilled to be bringing the Scottish Super League back this year, perhaps even more than some of the players. The games were a superb show of what the very best in Scotland have to offer and were an absolute treat to watch.

The next fixture brings us a game between the winning teams, Skye v Clyde, and the losing teams, Lomond v Nevis. Let’s see how the teams adapt!

The next Scottish Super League games are on 1st December at 2pm and 14th December at 3pm, both at Ravenscraig Sports Facility. Follow our Instagram and/or Facebook accounts to keep updated on all things SSL. Even if you’re not playing, you’re more than welcome to come along to Ravenscraig to support the teams – plus we’ll always accept more help on the day if you’re willing!

All photos by Ellis Stabler @unstable.shots.