Tag: UK Ultimate

We’re looking to recognise great throwers here. Most of the time these players are the ones entrusted to pick up a dead disc, the hardest spot in the game to throw from, but there’s a few people who are also fantastic first cutters who can cause damage to defences when they get the disc slightly higher up the field.

MIXED

Third place: Sam Vile, Deep Space

Sam is one of the best handlers in any division in the country. A wide array of throws isn’t his only strength – he’s also got a lightning quick release and his give-go movement is probably the most difficult to stop in mixed. He’s played for and run Great Britain teams in the past, and with WUCC and the World Games both coming up in 2022 it’ll be a pretty big one for him.

Second place: Helen Thompson, SMOG

Helen was a brilliant addition to SMOG in 2021, bringing disc skills and smarts to their backfield. She was excellent throughout the season but was particularly good at Nationals and helped bring the title back to the north. She’ll be captaining the champs during their WUCC campaign, looking to build on finishing 21st in 2018.

WINNER: Tom Bennett, SMOG

The main field-flipper for SMOG is the winner here. TB has a huge arm on both sides and can hit the endzone from pretty much anywhere on the field. His return from Chevron gave SMOG’s deep game a huge boost with his ability to hit one of their many extremely talented cutters in stride once they had roasted their mark. The national final showed very clearly how much of a weapon that is, and how useful it will be heading into 2022.

WOMEN’S

Third place: Jenna Thompson, London Masters

Jenna is one of the best of any kind of skill, really, but her throwing is really the skill that sets her apart. She can do whatever she wants with the frisbee, and remains one of the most dangerous throwers in the country.

Second place: Hannah Brew, Iceni

Hannah has been one of the best handlers in whatever division she’s played in for several years. Moving from Brighton mixed to Iceni and the women’s division has been a huge gain for the Londoners for the past few seasons, as she brings her composure, ability to break marks and throw long with equal aplomb and leadership skills to the table.

WINNER: Becky Thompson, Iceni

Going one better than her sister, Becky has been a huge addition for Iceni this season as well. She can play on both sides of the disc, she can push the disc downfield in a hurry and is also able to carve up marks in the shorter game (as well as pull pretty well too). She and Brew are two of an outstanding handler set for Iceni, a brilliant building block as they seek to get back to the top of UK ultimate in 2022.

OPEN

Third place: Josh Kyme, Chevron Action Flash

Josh has been a central part of Chevron’s handling corps for years, with the relationship between him and Dom Dathan forming an important part of the offence. This season other players took on handling duties as well so his role shifted slightly but he remains one of the best mark breakers in the country and has added some big throws to his repertoire to round out the ways he can attack defences.

Second place: Andrew Boxall, Alba

Andy has a full range of throws, able to attack defences at every level with equal ability. His composure and ability to control points is huge for the Scots and has been a key part of their improvement. He’s shown that he’s one of the best handlers around and will get to show that against competition from Europe and wider afield next year.

WINNER: Josh Briggs, Clapham Ultimate

Josh’s backhand is an excellent throw, but it’s his flick that’s really the defining part of his game. He can throw it to any spot on the field with a rapid release that’s incredibly difficult to stop. It means that almost every team in Europe now forces the 10-time European champs backhand just to avoid being burned deep by Briggs’s bombs. Chevron tried more poachy looks in the Nationals final and Briggs duly obliged with three big assists on the flick side. Once they took it away, he obliged with a backhand one too, because that’s what great throwers can do.

This award is to recognise those who don’t make the final of Nationals. Team success is often wrapped up in the awarding of individual awards, when there are fantastic players up and down the rankings in all three divisions. This is our way of trying to recognise those players.

MIXED

Third place: Kim Marsh, SMOG

Kim played for SMOG 2 this season and seemed to improve with every passing month. After playing well for the SMOG women’s team in the National League, she took that form into Nationals and was a key player as SMOG 2 returned to the semi-finals. With two SMOG teams going to Cincinnati in 2022, she’s sure to have an opportunity to test herself against the rest of the world.

Second place: Sam Wilson, Reading Ultimate

Sam has been around for several years, playing with JR in the mixed division and EMO in open before. This season was something of a breakout with Reading, though, as he had a huge effect on both sides of the disc with his speed. One of the fastest players in the division, he had dominant games downfield where he left defenders in his wake and emerged as a key player for Reading as they won the National League but lost in the Nationals semi-final to Deep Space. He’ll be looking to help Reading improve on that going into WUCC next season.

WINNER: Bex Palmer, Reading Ultimate

Bex has been a stalwart for Reading for years. Playing on the D line this season she showed that she’s just as adept winning back possession as controlling it, and took on some of the toughest match-ups in mixed with aplomb. She’s long been crucial to everything that Reading do on the field, and has been recognised with inclusion on Great Britain teams to boot. She’s one of the best players in the country, and a very worthy winner here.

WOMEN’S

Third place: Emily Potter, Spice

Emily was a dominant force at times for Spice, not only getting blocks but also being a fulcrum of the offence. Next season Spice will be heading to Cincinnati to compete against the best teams in the world and Emily will be one of the players they’ll be leaning on to make things happen on both sides of the disc.

Second place: Jenna Thomson, London Masters

Jenna was the best female player in the UK in the 2010s, and it appears the only thing that can slow her down is not playing as much. She was dominant when she needed to be at Nationals; running points with the disc, roasting people downfield and skying them when they caught up. She’s always been an all-around player, and is absolutely still one of the very best around.

WINNER: Rupal Ghelani, SYC

Talking of an all-around player, Rupal has been building her reputation as one of the best players in Europe for years. She’s a solid handler, she’s a great cutter and she’s a smothering defender. Pairing dedication and work ethic with technical talent and a sky-high frisbee IQ, she has very few chinks in her armour and yet is only getting better.

OPEN

Third place: Ross Nugent, Alba

Alba had an excellent season, only losing to Chevron and Clapham all year but making those games very tight and competitive, so it’s not surprising to see one of their players here (and stay tuned on that). Ross is another that has been developing his reputation over the last few years, earning a bronze medal with Great Britain playing mixed on the beach and solidifying his position as a defensive handler with Alba after starting with Fire. Another name to watch over the next few years heading into WUCC and the next Great Britain cycle.

Second place: Cameron Agnew, Alba

Cammy has been one of the best players in Scotland for years, starring for Black Eagles before Alba. He made the Great Britain Mixed team that was going to play in 2020 before the pandemic and is one of the best downfield weapons in the division. He’s led Alba to third place after finishing fourth in 2019 and will be looking to crack that top two in 2022.

WINNER: Andrew Boxall, Alba

Completing the Scottish sweep of this award, Andy has been one of the fastest risers in the last few years. He made the Great Britain Mixed squad that won gold in Gyor in 2019 and has been a crucial part of Alba’s rise. A brilliant handler who can play on both sides of the disc, he’s another who’ll be looking to continue improving heading into a huge 2022 season.

This award is easier to define. The best young player is the best player in the division that’s eligible for the under-24 teams. This is the best player this season, so where there were some players who we thought were all fantastic, the tie-breaker was how we thought they performed in 2021.

MIXED

Third place: Josh Hanham, SMOG

Josh was an important part of SMOG 2 this season, and is another player who seems to be developing rapidly on SMOG’s roster. They have a knack of taking talented university players and helping them become effective operators in the club scene, and Josh’s performances this season indicate that he could be one to watch for next season as SMOG send both teams to WUCC.

Second place: Ollie Tanner-Smith, SMOG

Ollie, another young SMOG player, was a handler on team that won Nationals this season so seems to be doing pretty well in his young club career. Another who could make an impact during SMOG’s Worlds campaign despite having a lower profile than some of their established stars, his ability with the disc and versatility stand him in good stead as he keeps developing his skills.

WINNER: Amelia Edwards, Leamington Lemmings

Amelia picks up her second award of the year here, and this is one she might have a chance at for a few years yet. Still only 19, she’s just started university and so has plenty of time to play under-24s and to play even better than she did in her outstanding 2021 season. Given her impact so far it feels as though it wouldn’t be a huge surprise to see her in the running for other awards before long.

WOMEN’S

Third place: Katie Trim, SCRAM

Katie was an important part of the SCRAM D line despite being early on in her career. Still a student at St. Andrews, she uses her height to affect throws both on the force and downfield and is an effective target for deep throws. She’s also able to make tough catches when needed, as her layout grab against LMU at Nationals showed. Still very early in her career, she’s yet another very promising player with a bright future to come out of the productive Scottish ultimate pipeline, already making the GB Women’s indoors team.

Second place: Chee Ling Wu, Iceni

Iceni have had several valuable imports in their storied history and Chee is the latest in that line. Another on these lists from Hong Kong, Chee was a valuable part of Iceni’s D line all season, getting blocks and also moving the offence after the turn as one of the handlers. She had a great 2021 season and is set to be a central part as Iceni try to wrestle back the national title in 2022.

WINNER: Nat Oldfield, Bristol Women

As we talked about in the Best Newcomer write up, Nat has been a vital part of the Bristol D line this season. Not only is she in a great position to continue developing with defending champions Bristol, she’s captaining her university team this season and so will be taking on even more responsibility there. An exciting 2022 lies ahead for her and for all on this list.

OPEN

Third place: Seamus Turvill, Smash’D

Seamus is one of the better defensive players for Smash’D, bringing athleticism and physicality to the field as he helps shut down opposition players. He’s also an asset with the disc after the turn, being one of the handlers for that unit and helping to progress the disc after winning it back, and was a real miss for the team in Bruges. He will have benefitted hugely from playing a prominent role with Smash’D rather than perhaps going to a different team and playing fewer points and is in a great position to continue getting better.

Second place: Ethan Morrell, Chevron Action Flash

Ethan has been a fixture for Chevron since 2018 when he attended WUCC and marked Kurt Gibson on a must-score point. Since then he’s become a more rounded offensive player and was a crucial cog for Chev in their campaign to the final of Nationals. Offensively mature and intelligent with great throwing ability, he has the potential to be one of the defining players for Great Britain for the coming years.

WINNER: Joshua East, Chevron Action Flash

Josh has been playing for Mighty Hucks and Chevron for a while despite his age. He’s more focused on the defensive side than Ethan and has made a name for himself with flying layout blocks and stifling downfield defence. His layout catch in the final of Nationals gave Chevron a glimmer of hope, but the potential of Josh, Ethan and several of their teammates is much more than a glimmer for the future of both Chevron and Great Britain.

The Best Newcomer award is designed to award the best player who arrived on the elite scene in the last year. Some of these players will be brand new to Nationals, others will have played at Nationals for a lower-ranked team in a very different role before and others might have moved here recently. Anyone who played at an elite level in places like the USA, Canada or Australia before moving here is ineligible, as is anyone who has played a prominent role on a team that’s reached the Nationals semi-finals before. While this award is probably the hardest to nail down, what we’re most looking to recognise is people who played a role that they weren’t necessarily expected to play and who improved throughout the season.

MIXED

Third place: Grisel Jayapurna, Oxford Ultimate

Grisel was a total beginner when the season started, but became a solid role player for the Oxford team that finished sixth at Nationals by its end. Despite having only four months of experience, she packed in as much work at extra sessions as possible and progressed impressively in such a short amount of time.

Second place: Megan Daly, Leamington Lemmings

Megan, one of the Lemmings captains this season, is one of the players who was able to continue developing during 2020 and that work paid dividends in 2021. She previously played on the Bristol Women’s development squad before making the Great Britain under-24 women’s team that went to Heidelberg in 2019, but this was her first full season playing club ultimate and she was a vital part of the team as Leamington Lemmings made a statement on a national stage.

WINNER: Amelia Edwards, Leamington Lemmings

Amelia has been playing for Great Britain since making the under-17s team in 2016. This season she played a central role for Lemmings after previously playing with Mighty Hucks, and was named female MVP of the season for Lemmings at only 18 years old. She also made the Great Britain mixed team that was heading to Denmark for the European Indoors Championships, so 2021 was an excellent season for a player that looks to have the ability to join the very highest level in the UK sooner rather than later.

WOMEN’S

Third place: Nat Oldfield, Bristol Women

Still a student at Bristol University, Nat was a crucial part of the D line for Bristol as they won the national title this season. She took on tough matchups downfield and was an important deep cutter after the turn, using her height effectively on both sides of the disc.

Second place: Emily Potter, Spice

Emily played with Great Britain under-24s in Heidelberg and has become one of the best defenders in the women’s division. Her performance in the National Cup final against LMU was particularly notable as she got block after block against players with bags of experience at the highest levels in Europe, she’s one to watch in the next few years starting with Beach Worlds in LA where she’s playing with GB Women.

WINNER: Lynden Chiang, Bristol Women

Lynden took on many of the most difficult match ups in Bristol’s title-winning season, match marking some of the best cutters in the country as well as playing in the middle position in some of Bristol’s zone looks. She has played for Hong Kong mixed before but didn’t make Bristol’s team for the postseason in 2019, and from there made a huge impact on the division in 2021 by becoming one of Bristol’s go-to players.

OPEN

Third place: Rhodri Williams, Devon

The next in a long line of Airbadgers to make an impact on the club scene, Rhodri’s game is best defined by one word: athlete. He played on the D line for Devon as they made the semi-finals of Nationals this season and will be on the training squad for the GB Mixed team ahead of Beach Worlds next season. Now at university in Sheffield, his ability to get blocks will only get better as he continues getting experience at the highest level.

Second place: Eddie Mason, Chevron Action Flash

Eddie played a significant role on Chevron’s D line this season, his first with the team, as one of the handlers controlling points after the turn and one of the two main pullers alongside Canadian import Sam Cameron. His defence on handlers was another asset as Chevron reached the final at Nationals, and it looks like the feeder path from Birmingham University is still a fruitful one for Chev.

WINNER: Chun Lee, Smash’D

Chun, a national champion at Sussex University, has played for Brighton before but his emergence this season as a steady, reliable leader for upstarts Smash’D has shown a different side to his game. He was one of the main O line handlers for the youngest team in the division that also finished fifth at Nationals and performed well in some big games at Euros; the future is bright for both player and team.

The award that recognises the player who performed at the very highest level in each division. These players all had fantastic seasons and were all very worthy of recognition, but there can only be one winner. Well, four winners…

MIXED (MALE-MATCHING)

Third place: Sam Vile, Deep Space

Sam’s ability to not only keep the disc moving but to take decisive shots downfield and gain yards in chunks was a huge reason that Deep Space were able to reach the Nationals final. He’s surrounded by great talent on the O line – Leila Denniston, Conor Hogan, Nina Finley and Gus Morse to name only four – but he’s the conductor of the show, keeping everyone else on the same page and dictating the tempo.

Second place: Eddy Codd, SMOG

Eddy stood out this year precisely because he didn’t always stand out. He was always in the right spot, always able to offer a good option and almost never the reason a point turned south for the SMOG O line. He was reliable in the deep space, he was reliable with the frisbee and he was reliable when the disc turned and he needed to play D. None of this is to diminish his ability, he’s a fantastic cutter and very difficult to stop when the disc is in the air, but he’s the kind of player that every great team needs; a player who excels in his role and fills in every gap that the team needs them to.

WINNER: Nick Williams, SMOG

The addition of Nick from Chevron was a huge boost SMOG, adding a Great Britain player with longstanding ties to the team going all the way back to his university days in Durham. His speed, defensive ability and cutting threat added a dynamic dimension to the D line that was crucial to their title win. His block deep on Gus Morse in the final was an example – Gus is one of the best deep cutters in the division and, despite giving up several inches in that matchup, Nick went up early and came down with the disc. He can match up against any cutter in Europe and feel good about his chances, something that is going to be important for SMOG as they head back to Cincinnati next year.

MIXED (FEMALE-MATCHING)

Third place: Helen Thompson, SMOG

SMOG’s new captain was another excellent addition in 2021. She kept the disc moving around the field and used her throwing ability to drive the offence forward. Her ability to break marks and beat her defenders into power positions added another player capable of running a point at any given time, giving the already strong handler group for SMOG a shot of adrenaline. She’s also a very solid defender on the turn, and an all-around player that makes a difference for whatever team she’s playing on.

Second place: Leila Denniston, Deep Space

One of the toughest marks in the mixed division, Leila had another excellent year for Deep Space. She’s tall and quick, a lethal combination for deep defenders trying to stop her attacking the endzone. She’s also a good thrower and an excellent defender, giving her the ability to attack the opposition in whatever way is needed. Her ability to take the top off defences was a driving force for Deep Space, and she’ll be one of the leaders driving the team as they build towards Cincinnati next season.

WINNER: Tessa Hunt, SMOG

Maybe the most difficult player to defend in the division, what Tessa did to very good defenders at Nationals was almost rude at times. She’s developed into a good thrower, particularly when going deep, and her outstanding athleticism means she can defend anyone she needs to. It’s her cutting prowess that really stands out, though, as she just runs past people to get score after score, and if they actually can keep up with them she just goes over the top to sky them. A tour-de-force performance in the Nationals final put the cherry on top of an excellent season.

WOMEN’S

Third place: Rupal Ghelani, SYC

It takes a special player to be considered for the Player of the Season despite not making the final at Nationals – it’s a conversation that has been had many times in many sports, but team and individual success are so difficult to disentangle in a sporting context. Rupal, though, is one such player. She seemingly has fewer and fewer weaknesses every year, a testament to her dedication and work ethic to continue improving. She had another brilliant season for SYC in 2021 and there’s no reason to expect her to stop improving at this stage.

Second place: Molly Wedge, Bristol Women

A spectacular addition to an already excellent team, Molly added exactly what Bristol needed to win back the title they won in 2018. She’s a very good thrower but it’s her ability downfield on both sides of the disc that sets her apart. Her ability to get open and generate yards and positive plays in high-pressure situations was absolutely crucial, particularly in the final, and her defence was unbelievable all season. With her in the fold, Bristol will have a chance in any game.

WINNER: Carla Link, Bristol Women

Carla has been one of the best players in the division for the last few years, and been one of the players people have known about as an up-and-comer for even longer than that. In the last few seasons her dedication to consistent improvement has elevated her game to another level. She’s a good defender and can cause problems downfield, but there’s no better player in the division at running a game, breaking marks and driving the disc downfield. Another player with a spectacular performance in the Nationals final for a Bristol team missing her longtime teammates and favourite targets Alice Beeching and Bailey Melvin Teng, her partnership with Molly was crucial. They’re deservedly our top two.

OPEN

Third place: Ollie Gordon, Clapham Ultimate

Ollie has played with Clapham since 2014, and this season diversified to go onto the O line as a downfield threat. His height and athleticism made him a perfect fit in the role. He was open whenever Clapham needed him to be, he was able to make big plays but perhaps most importantly he was able to make run-of-the-mill plays, the basic stuff that looks easy when an offence is flowing well and is vital to teams winning. When you’re playing the kind of opposition that Clapham plays, getting everyone’s best shot, that stuff definitely isn’t easy. That it looked easy was testament to how well Ollie played.

Second place: Justin Foord, Clapham Ultimate

Justin is maybe the best player to come out of the UK. He’s won all 13 national title since he joined Clapham in 2008, and has also won eight European titles. Despite that longevity, he doesn’t show any signs of slowing down. If you’re reading this I don’t really need to explain what Justin is good at, but just in case you do here’s a hint: it’s everything. He’s developed into an excellent thrower and he’s still able to go over the top of almost anyone if he needs to. That he’s second here is something of an upset and probably a result of one other person having a brilliant season rather than any slip from Justin.

WINNER: Connor McHale, Clapham Ultimate

Connor joined Clapham in 2016 as a fairly raw athlete. He’s always been fast and able to jump, and he has always been able to throw a long way, but his throwing was still a work in progress as was his field awareness. In the last five years he’s worked on every aspect of his game, responding to missing out on the 2018 WUCC roster by making himself better and better until he’s now central to the success of the team. He’s now the main threat with the disc on Clapham’s D line, throwing a number of assists in the national final and scoring the final point both there and at Euros in Bruges to snatch the title back from CUSB. He’s still athletic, he still gets huge layout blocks and he still pulls better than maybe anyone else in the division, but the addition of his ability to control the offence after the turn means he is the Player of the Year this season.

Over the next few days, we’ll be announcing the winners of the inaugural ShowGame Awards. These awards will try to reflect the best of what we’ve seen this year, as well as recognising the people who have worked hard to make the sport what it is.

This is obviously the first time we’ve done these awards, so the process is brand new. That means we might have missed people you think were obvious picks, or maybe we picked the wrong people or even the wrong order. That’s fine! We’re after discussion here after all, but rest assured that any omissions were not for the want of trying and that we don’t hate your team or anyone in it. We’ll see how this year goes and try to improve the process for next year whatever happens, so if there’s anything that you’d like to see changed or needs to be done differently, let us know!

As a reminder, here are the categories we’ll be awarding:

• Player of the Year
• Best Newcomer
• Best Thrower
• Best Cutter
• Best Defender
• Best Young Player
• Best of the Rest

• Coach of the Year
• Play of the Year
• Community Spirit Award

We’ll be doing separate awards for all three divisions in the first list with two POTYs for mixed. Otherwise, those awards will cover both male- and female-matching players in mixed. The final three awards will combine all three divisions into one category.

The final thing to note: if a player wins POTY, they are automatically ineligible for any other award. That’s why we’ll be doing that one first, since the detectives amongst you probably would have been able to work out who won POTYs after not seeing people mentioned in the slightest ahead of the announcement.

Here’s a timeline for when we’ll be announcing everything:

December 19: Community Spirit Award

December 20: Coach of the Year, Player of the Year

December 21: Best Young Player, Best Newcomer, Best of the Rest

December 22: Best Thrower, Best Cutter, Best Defender

The voting for the Play of the Year award will start on New Year’s Day!