New Forest have been crowned champions of Men's Division 3 South! An undefeated run of 8 matches in 2013 saw Forest charge to the title and make a swift return to division 2 for the 2013/14 NVL season.

In their final match of the season, Forest claimed a 3-1 victory over Norfolk Men at Applemore Health & Leisure in front of a vocal home crowd. It wasn't a game for the purists but nevertheless all players got court time with the MVP going to returning player Festus Nfor.

The question of who will be joining Forest in division 2 will be going down to the wire as Mavericks and Dolphins play a promotion deciding match on Sunday - winner takes all!

As for Forest, planning for next seasons NVL is already well under-way as the outdoor beach/grass season

The first match started with a very strong first set from Forest, taking a convincing lead and controlling play from the start. This was largely down to the tip game from multiple players, catching Mavericks with their weight on heels and not in any position to play the ball. The set ended as it started seeing Forest through to a convincing set victory of 25-14. The second set was to be a different story with a much stronger performance from the Mavericks, who turned on a bit of style and started hitting more and more winners. This was a real

Norfolk 1-3 Forest

Brentwood 0-3 Forest

Full report to follow...

As the game got under-way, New Forest bolted out the gates superbly well with some great swings from Becky Gymer and Chloe Brixton-Lee. Forest always looked comfortable throughout and were playing with a swagger on court, much to the delight of their supporters! The set was over swiftly as Forest wrapped it up 25-16.

After the turn

New Forest Ladies certainly had an early Christmas present this year as Great Britain Captain Ben Pipes came down to the home of New Forest VC to deliver a special coaching session! The ladies enjoyed a master class in both attack and defence in preparation for the squads final National League match of 2012. The whole squad, which ranges from 14 years old and up, took valuable lessons and tips from the Olympic Volleyball player. With such a young, eager and talented squad this season...Forest Ladies certainly have a bright future. With the help and experience of such a great player like Ben, everyone at Forest hopes to see some of those skills learnt appear in matches throughout the remainder of the ladies season.

Everyone at New Forest would like to congratulate U16 Academy Junior Sam James on his recent selection for England South trials! This rounds off a superb year for Sam who has also broken into the NVL men's team, plus represented the South East of England at the Inter-Regional Championships. Sam's rapid improvement has come as no surprise to his coaches as all agree he has massive potential within the sport and a promising future at all levels/competitions. Sam will head to the National Volleyball Centre (Kettering) on January 5th/6th for a weekend camp. If selected, Sam will spend the spring/summer months preparing for the 2013 UK School Games in Sheffield (September). Well done Sam and all the best - we're all proud of you!

Back Row L-R: Sam Johnstone, Joe Nash, Sam James Front Row L-R Josh Mulroy, Ben Courcha, Jono Carter