Dubai, United Arab Emirates

March 8-13, 2015

Here is the second instalment of Asian Ultimate Life’s coverage of the World Championships of Beach Ultimate, recently completed in Dubai, United Arab Emirates.

Here are scores, videos and some of my observations from the performances of South, East, and Southeast Asian teams in Dubai.

At the end I feature the overall spirit results for Asian teams as well.

Results

Mixed Division

Japan Mixed

5 – 11 Russia Pool Play Full Game Details

8 – 9 Switzerland Pool Play Full Game Details

9 – 6 United Arab Emirates Pool Play Full Game Details

4 – 13 Ireland Pool Play Full Game Details

6 – 8 Portugal Pool Play Full Game Details

10 – 9 Slovakia Pool Play Full Game Details

2 – 13 United States Pool Play Full Game Details

4 – 13 Australia Pool Play Full Game Details

9 – 5 Uganda Pool Play (13th-18th) Full Game Details

7 – 9 India Pool Play (13th-18th) Full Game Details

4 – 7 Great Britain Pool Play (13th-18th) Full Game Details

Japan finishes in 15th place

India Mixed

7 – 11 Canada Pool Play Full Game Details

This was a game that showed me a lot of what worlds was about. Here we had a matchup in which there was a heavy favorite and a team that not many outside of Asia knew much of. If you looked at the stats, it seemed like your standard 11-7 solid victory. Canada broke India half the times they pulled and their offense team only lost one point.

Watching the game told you a different story though. The Indians actually executed quite well and their energy level was very high. They were not afraid to put the disc up against a very athletic Canadian team and did find some success. How each team felt about the game was pretty clear during and after handshakes. If you didn’t know the result you would have guessed that India had come out victorious, their heads were held high, smiles all around. The Canadians, on the other hand, were clearly not happy about how the game went, even though they came out with the win.

This was a great start for the India campaign.

2 – 12 Philippines Pool Play Full Game Details

I had to come check out this all-Asia matchup. Because that’s how I roll.

This game was a lot tougher for India than their first. Not necessarily because the Dragons were better than the Canadians, but the matchups were a lot tougher.

India was still executing well, but much of their game is about big throws to streaking cutters. The Philippines mixed team featured one of the fastest teams beach ultimate has seen especially in their women. The closing speed of the Dragons took away a lot of the Indian attack. When the Dragons had the disc, the Indians had trouble with the fast female cutters, and when the Philippines were receiving the pull, India had to deal with three of them every time.

The Philippines faced a gutsy Indian side but just had too much speed.

4 – 13 Great Britain Pool Play Full Game Details

8 – 7 Uganda Pool Play Full Game Details

This is why you go to Worlds. I’m not sure how often in international sporting events India and Uganda find themselves on the same field, but it’s rare (and yes, I checked cricket). And how often will you find two of the most energetic teams in a competition matched up against each other and come down to one point for the victory? And how often will those two teams end up on the dance floor together two nights later rocking out at a party hosted by an imaginary island?

Beach worlds. Huh.

Universe point. India looks deep, turn. Uganda turn. India drop. Uganda goes two a two person game. India locks down and gets the turn. At this point I think it was India’s fitness and the hard work they put in off the field that kicked in. Starting with that defensive stand, they started to outrun Uganda. They worked it down and finished the game woman-to-woman (Sneha to Megna [each of their first stats for the game]) for the score and the win.

Wow.

4 – 13 Sweden Pool Play Full Game Details

2 – 13 Germany Pool Play Full Game Details

5 – 12 Netherlands Pool Play Full Game Details

8 – 10 Czech Republic Pool Play Full Game Details

The Czech Republic came out fast taking half at 7-2. India worked themselves back into the game, taking advantage of some Czech errors. The Czechs were able to get it together enough to hold off the Indian charge and hold onto a slight victory.

10 – 7 Slovakia Pool Play (13th-18th) Full Game Details

9 – 7 Japan Pool Play (13th-18th) Full Game Details

13 – 3 United Arab Emirates (13th-18th) Full Game Details

India finishes in 14th place

Philippines Mixed

13 – 8 Czech Republic Pool Play Full Game Details

12 – 2 India Pool Play Full Game Details

7 – 9 Canada Pool Play Full Game Details

12 – 10 Great Britain Pool Play Full Game Details

The Brits had a definitive size advantage and played quite physically, but the Dragons came into the weekend expecting this. There were mistakes both ways, but it was clear that the Dragons had spent a lot of time training together and were able to pull out the tight victory.

12 – 5 Uganda Pool Play Full Game Details

10 – 8 Sweden Pool Play Full Game Details

This was a game I was really looking forward to. I was especially excited to see the the female matchups. The fast Filipinas and the tall and fast Swedes. This was all the battle you could have wanted. The Swedes, like the Dragons other opponents, used their height with hucks, some of which were just out of reach of the flying Maimai.

The Dragons were precise, though made some mistakes, but overcame them with quickness.

The finish of this one was pretty interesting. The Swedes, if you take a look at the mixed division spirit scores, were at the bottom. This was a common place for Swedish teams at WCBU. At the end of the game, Nelson made a sweet layout grab for the win, right against the line. In? Out? the teams shook hands, the Swedes not contesting or interested in discussing the grab.

A Swedish grandmasters player whom my team had just lost to was filming the game. The tape shows pretty clearly that Nelson’s first point of contact was on the line. As it should have been, the call was kept on the field and the game was over.

6 – 9 Germany Pool Play Full Game Details

11 – 8 Netherlands Pool Play Full Game Details

6 – 9 Portugal Quarterfinals Full Game Details

13 – 5 Russia Semifinals (5th-8th) Full Game Details

11 – 10 Sweden Finals (5th-8th) Full Game Details

Philippines finish in 5th place

Open Division

Philippines Open

13 – 8 Germany Pool Play Full Game Details

13 – 2 Ireland Pool Play Full Game Details

12 – 8 Japan Pool Play Full Game Details

13 – 6 India Pool Play Full Game Details

10 – 12 Great Britain Pool Play Full Game Details

When the disc was near the ground, the Dragons showed a solid speed advantage. Great Britain was tall and used their height well, along with having very solid skills. The Dragons went down a couple early. They fought hard down the stretch but were never able to make up the early deficit.

13 – 5 Denmark Pool Play Full Game Details

When I arrived the score was 7-0. Denmark couldn’t hang defensively with the speedy Filipinos.

13 – 4 Singapore Pool Play Full Game Details

13 – 4 Kenya Pre-quarters Full Game Details

11 – 10 Australia Quarterfinals Full Game Details

7 – 8 United States Semifinals Full Game Details

12 – 11 Canada Bronze Medal Game Full Game Details

This game was awesome and it was a bummer it wasn’t covered by the film crew.

Philippines finishes in 3rd place

Singapore Open

13 – 7 Ireland Pool Play Full Game Details

7 – 11 India Pool Play Full Game Details

5 – 13 Denmark Pool Play Full Game Details

Denmark was tall. It looked like the Singaporeans were standing in sand.

The Danes used this a lot and were not afraid to put the disc in the air. They also seemed to have a decent experience advantage over a Singaporean team that didn’t seem to have spent as much time in the sand together.

Like the other Southeast Asian teams, I think the Singaporeans could have used some hotter weather. 8am in Dubai was chilly…

6 – 13 Germany Pool Play Full Game Details

8 – 11 Japan Pool Play Full Game Details

1 – 13 Great Britain Pool Play Full Game Details

4 – 13 Philippines Pool Play Full Game Details

4 – 13 Canada Pre-quarters Full Game Details

5 – 6 United Arab Emirates Quarterfinals (9th-16th) Full Game Details

10 – 7 Qatar Semifinals (13th-16th) Full Game Details

13 – 11 Ireland 13th-14th Place Game Full Game Details

Singapore finishes in 13th Place

Japan Open

11 – 10 Denmark Pool Play Full Game Details

10 – 13 Germany Pool Play Full Game Details

8 – 12 Philippines Pool Play Full Game Details

9 – 13 Great Britain Pool Play Full Game Details

11 – 8 Singapore Pool Play Full Game Details

12 – 7 Ireland Pool Play Full Game Details

6 – 7 India Pool Play Full Game Details

5 – 8 Australia Pre-quarters Full Game Details

10 – 6 Kenya Quarterfinals (9th-16th) Full Game Details

9 – 7 India Semifinals (9th-16th) Full Game Details

9 – 10 France 9th-10th Place Game Full Game Details

Japan finishes in 10th place

India Open

4 – 13 Great Britain Pool Play Full Game Details

11 – 7 Singapore Pool Play Full Game Details

11 – 7 Ireland Pool Play Full Game Details

6 – 13 Philippines Pool Play Full Game Details

8 – 12 Denmark Pool Play Full Game Details

11 – 9 Germany Pool Play Full Game Details

7 – 6 Japan Pool Play Full Game Details

5 – 10 Russia Pre-quarters Full Game Details

9 – 8 Ireland Quarterfinals (9th-16th) Full Game Details

7 – 9 Japan Semifinals (9th-16th) Full Game Details

12 – 9 United Arab Emirates 11th-12th Place Game Full Game Details

India finishes in 11th place

Open Masters Division

India Open Masters

13 – 7 Currier Island Round Robin Full Game Details

4 – 13 United States Round Robin Full Game Details

10 – 13 Philippines Round Robin Full Game Details

9 – 13 Germany Round Robin Full Game Details

6 – 13 Canada Round Robin Full Game Details

8 – 12 France Round Robin Full Game Details

1 – 13 Great Britain Round Robin Full Game Details

5 – 13 Great Britain Quarterfinals Full Game Details

8 – 11 France Semifinals (5th-8th) Full Game Details

10 – 9 Currier Island 7th-8th Place Game Full Game Details

India finishes in 7th Place

Philippines Open Masters

7 – 13 Great Britain Round Robin Full Game Details

13 – 7 Currier Island Round Robin Full Game Details

13 – 10 India Round Robin Full Game Details

7 – 13 United States Round Robin Full Game Details

7 – 12 Germany Round Robin Full Game Details

10 – 9 Canada Round Robin Full Game Details

4 – 10 France Round Robin Full Game Details

11 – 9 Germany Quarterfinals Full Game Details

5 – 12 United States Semifinals Full Game Details

8 – 5 Great Britain Bronze Medal Game Full Game Details

Philippines finish in 3rd place

Women’s Masters Division

Philippines Women’s Masters

1 – 13 Currier Island Round Robin Full Game Details

2 – 13 Great Britain Round Robin Full Game Details

1 – 13 Germany Round Robin Full Game Details

0 – 13 Canada Round Robin Full Game Details

0 – 13 United States Round Robin Full Game Details

4 – 8 Finland Round Robin Full Game Details

0 – 13 Canada Pre-Semis Full Game Details

1 – 13 Germany Pool Play (5th-7th) Full Game Details

8 – 7 Currier Island Pool Play (5th-7th) Full Game Details

Philippines finish in 6th place

Spirit Scores

(by country)

These are the combined spirit scores awarded Asian teams by their opponents (Out of 20).

Open Mixed Women’s Masters Open Masters Average Singapore 12.36 (5th/16 teams) 12.36 India 11 (12th/16) 12.36 (1st/18) 11.9 (2nd/8) 11.75 Japan 11.45 (9th/16) 11.27 (8th/18) 11.36 Philippines 9.55 (16th/16) 10 (16th/18) 11.78 (3rd/7) 9.3 (8th/8) 10.10

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