The final day of the FIVB Under 21 World Championships was dry, though cool and cloudy.
In the women's event two Dutch teams made it through to the final, and the winners were Danielle Remmers and Marleen Van Iersel. A Dutch team also made it into the men's final, but they were defeated by the title holders, Italians, Paolo Nicholai and Franceso Giontella.
And so an historic event in the history of beach volleyball came to an end. Yellowave is the UK's first permanent beach sports venue, and in 2008, the 25th anniversary of beach volleyball in the UK, it hosted the first FIVB World Championships to be played in this country. A 2,000 seater temporary stadium was erected, tons of sand was brought in to build additional temporary courts, the event was well funded and organised by both public and private sponsors.
Such a pity that the weather was so appalling. It was cool, if not cold, and windy - sometimes very. Play was frequently interrupted by heavy rain showers and very heavy rain showers. (Some say this is why the Dutch teams did so well!). Fortunately, the sandy volleyball court can handle rain very easily.
You can find out much more at the championships' own website: brightonbeachvolleyball.com
Note: VEBT = Volleyball England Beach Tour, FIVB = Federation Internationale de Volleyball
