Richmond Retain the Club Championships Title!

The 2026 Club Championships returned to Sandbanks Beach over the weekend, bringing together clubs from across the country to compete in one of the biggest events of the year for UK beach volleyball.

While the weather made conditions challenging throughout much of the weekend, the action on court more than made up for it, with many standout performances across the Championship, Trophy and U18 divisions.

Saturday's competition was dominated by heavy rain and strong winds as teams battled through pool play in the Championship Division, featuring 18 men's teams and 17 women's teams, alongside 12 junior teams competing in the U18 Championships, and a total of 31 teams in the Trophy.

In the Women's Trophy, an all-SideOut Worthing final saw Jaime Bainbridge and Claudia Lambert face clubmates Melanie Arora and Grace Hawksley, with Arora and Hawksley emerging victorious to claim gold. 

The Men's Trophy final featured Fireball/Hybrid London's Jon Butler and Mark Garcia-Kidd against Everton's Rafae De Oliveira and Damian Gega, with Butler and Garcia-Kidd securing the title for Fireball/Hybrid London.

Sunday brought a welcome improvement in conditions, with the rain easing and glimpses of sunshine appearing over Sandbanks as the Championship Division entered the knockout round of the tournament.

In the first men's Semi-Final, Edinburgh took on Richmond in a fiercely contested game. Richmond struck first through Soczewka and Jones, defeating McKelvie and McHardy, before Edinburgh responded through Souter and Fenech against Maggio and Muller. With the match tied, the teams headed into a golden set, where Edinburgh held their nerve to win 15-12, securing a place in the final.

On the other side of the draw, Fireball/Hybrid London produced a dominant display against SideOut Leyton. Bunton and van den Bogert, alongside Plaza and Perry, both recorded straight-set victories to complete a 2-0 sweep and send Fireball through to the gold medal match.

University of Nottingham booked the first spot in the women's final with victories from both pairs against Cardiff. Darling and Hamlett won 21-17, 21-13, while Sotgiu and Godwin followed with a 21-15, 21-17 victory to complete the sweep.

The second semi-final between Fireball/Hybrid London and Deep Dish Crystal Palace delivered one of the matches of the weekend. Both pairings went the distance, with Martinez and Bempedeli taking the opening match 23-21, 13-21, 15-12 before Billato and Hadjianastasi secured Deep Dish's place in the final with a 14-21, 21-19, 15-12 win.

The Mixed Trophy title went to Deep Dish Crystal Palace's Abi Ackroyd and Joe Monteiro, who claimed gold ahead of Everton's Kasia Correia and Damian Gega.

In the Championship Division bronze medal matches, Fireball/Hybrid London secured the women's bronze against Cardiff in straight sets, while Richmond defeated SideOut Leyton to claim bronze in the men's competition.

Richmond's strength in depth was on full display throughout the U18 Championships, with the club occupying the entirety of both podiums.

The U18 Women's saw Richmond #1, represented by Clifford/Hutton and Bryant/Filiali, defeating Richmond #2 to secure the title. Richmond also claimed bronze through their third team after defeating Cardiff in a golden set.

The U18 Men's final also featured two Richmond teams. Richmond #1, represented by Jarmon/Ruddick and Easton/McBirnie, overcame Richmond #3 in two hard-fought three-set matches. The Deep Dish Bournemouth team finished fourth after falling to Richmond #2 in the bronze medal match.

The Men's Championship Final between Edinburgh and Fireball/Hybrid London provided a fitting conclusion to the weekend.

With travel arrangements requiring an adjusted order of play, the second pairs took to the court first. Fireball's Plaza and Perry delivered a composed performance to defeat Edinburgh's Souter and Fenech 21-17, 21-18 and give their club the early advantage.

Edinburgh responded through McKelvie and McHardy, who defeated Bunton and van den Bogert to level the tie and force a golden set. With the title hanging in the balance, Fireball/Hybrid London prevailed in the decider, securing both the Club Championship title and qualification for the CEV European Cup.

The Women's Championship Final saw University of Nottingham take on Deep Dish Crystal Palace. Darling and Hamlett gave Nottingham the perfect start, defeating Martinez and Bempedeli 21-8, 21-14. Nottingham's second pair, Sotgiu and Godwin, then recovered from losing the opening set against Billato and Hadjianastasi to claim a 18-21, 21-9, 15-11 victory and take the championship. 

While Fireball/Hybrid London and University of Nottingham claimed the Championship Division titles, it was Richmond who once again lifted the Overall Club Championship trophy.

A dominant performance across the U18 divisions, combined with strong results in both the Championship and Trophy competitions, saw Richmond finish comfortably clear at the top of the overall standings and retain their position as the UK's leading beach volleyball club.

All final club standings can be seen here:

Congratulations to all clubs, players, officials and volunteers who made the weekend possible, and we'll see everyone back on the sand for the 2027 Club Championships.