During the first lockdown, whilst at a bit of a loose end, I started to compile a list of matches in KCVA with the highest aggregate points totals over 4 and 5 sets, going back as far as 2012-13.
Over the past month or so I’ve been updating the list, raising my benchmark criteria to higher than 200 points for a 5-set match and higher than 180 for 4 sets. Here is a brief summary of some of the stats up to today (3rd February 2023):
5-set matches over 200 points:
109 matches on the list:
21 of them had the winning team scoring fewer aggregate points than the losing team.
The highest winning deficit was 10 points, when Medway-1 pipped Maidstone-1 by 3-2 in the KCVA Men’s Cup Final back in 2015-16.
There were 4 winning deficits in the Women’s division across the period. The highest of those was Maidstone Diamonds’ victory over Invicta women this season, where Diamonds’ victory by 17-15 in the 5th set clipped the aggregate points deficit to 6.
There were 5 matches where the teams were tied on aggregate points after 5 sets, including when Maidstone-1 edged Strood-1 by 3-2 just 3 weeks prior to the first Covid lockdown.
That match was also the 4th highest aggregate points total for a 5-set match over the period since 2012-13.
And it’s the highest aggregate points total for a match tied on points after 5 sets.
The highest 5-set aggregate total over the period was when Tonbridge-1 lost to Medway-2 back in 2012-13 by 18-16 in the final set.
231 points in total.
4 of the sets ended with only 2 points between the teams; the other set was 25-22.
The Rainham-1 v Bexley-1 fixture in 2015-16 was the 2nd highest aggregate total, at 230 points, with Rainham winning out 15-10 in the final set.
4-set matches over 180 points:
There are 67 x 4-set matches on the list
18 of those matches were over 190 points (a higher aggregate total than many 5-set matches)
The highest total was 199, with 2 matches reaching that mark:
Maidstone-Cobalt v Dartford-2 this season (3-1 to Cobalt)
Strood-1 v Bexley-1 in January 2020 (3-1 to Strood)
2 further matches had a total of 198, both in the 2014-15 season:
Rainham-1 v CCCU-1 (3-1 to Rainham)
Tonbridge-2 v Strood-2 (3-1 to Strood)
This season (Maidstone are becoming the high-scoring and 5-set kings and queens):
We have had 8 matches this season across our 5 divisions with an aggregate points total of 199 or more.
That includes Maidstone-Cobalt’s 4-set win (3-1) over Dartford-2, where the 4th set went to 32-30.
The other 7 matches went to 5 sets, including Cobalt once and Diamonds twice.
There have also been 8 high-scoring 4-set matches already this season (over 180 points) including:
Cobalt vs Dartford-2 (mentioned above) is the joint highest 4-set aggregate (199) over the period from 2012 to date.
The 4th set in the match (32-30) is the joint 4th highest single set aggregate over the same period.
Maidstone Diamonds’ defeat at the hands of Dartford-W1 was the 4th highest 4-set aggregate total this season.
Perhaps one of the key take-aways seems to be that if you are refereeing a Maidstone match this season, best to stick an extra hour on the parking meter!!
Highest single-set aggregate scores:
I identified 25 matches over the period 2012 to date where a single set had an aggregate points total of 54 points or more i.e. 28-26 or higher.
The highest was the 70 points total (36-34) in the first set of Rainham’s 4-set win over CCCU men in 2014-15
Rainham women featured in the 2nd highest score (35-33): a 3-1 away defeat to Strood women in 2018-19.
The highest 5th set scores I can identify over the period were both 20-18:
Strood-1 vs Dartford-Oasis in 2018-19
Tonbridge-1 vs Dartford Oasis in 2019-20
Oasis were the losing team on both occasions, rubbing salt into their wounds of losing 18-16 in the 5th set to Strood-1 in the Stan Hastie Cup Final in 2018.
Can Oasis finally pull off a 20-18 5th set win at the 4th time of asking, perhaps....?
I think that's about it from Stato's corner for the time being. Hope you found it interesting.