Varsity first team regulars James Finn and Raymond Williams togged out for the open team. An eventual 12th place finish wasn‘t what they had hoped for, such is the rising standard of Irish ultimate. However the week wasn’t without its highlights as the men fell short in a number of closely contested games. James unsurprisingly emerged as a key component for the Irish, handling with the familiar degree of reliability and creativity which have made him such a feared player in possession of the disc throughout the country. Unfortunately for Ray the week took something of an unfortunate turn as a bout of illness meant he enjoyed a limited amount of game time. He is however looking forward to rediscovering the from which he showed for UCC last season, which saw him selected, not only for the Irish squad but also as UCC vice captain for the coming season. The highlight of the weekend came in a win against the host nation, while an unfortunate defeat in their final game against Russia meant the week ended on something of a disappointing note for the Irishmen. However winning the Spirit of the game award showed that they conducted themselves admirably throughout, continuing a great Irish ultimate tradition of sportsmanship.

Deirdre Corbett played for the women’s team, having appearing at World Club Championships in Prague with her club team only two weeks previously. The UCC ladies captain once again demonstrated her rising stature in Irish ultimate, cutting tirelessly throughout the week as well as dropping back to handle when required. She eventually finished as second highest scorer on the team with an impressive 10 goals as well as 6 assists. UCC alumnus Aine Ni Bhreasail also donned the green of Ireland in Florence, reacquainting herself with Irish ultimate after a season of playing in London where she is completing her Phd. Just as she did during her time in Cork, Aine handled with authority, proving to be a vital component in what was a very successful women’s outfit. The Irish ladies claimed commendable victories against European ultimate heavyweights Germany and Finland, beating the latter on two occasions. However their most impressive performances arguably came in defeat, the first of which came against eventual runners up Japan to whom they lost 17-7, and Canada (17-6). Seldom has an Irish squad been so competitive in such illustrious company.

However it was the Mixed team which saw UCC's greatest degree of international representation. The squad was captained by UCC student Richard Hobson, while a remarkable two thirds of the female contingent was also UCC based. Newcomers to the sport last September, Mairead Rice, Mary McKee and Nicola and Hayley Moore have wasted no time in impressing with their natural ability for the game, so much so that they received a remarkably swift call up to the international set up. A fact which is not alone testament to they themselves but also to the UCC coaching set up. Despite their lack of experience the girls were the undoubted heroines of the tournament. They struggled through testing conditions and small squad numbers to perform superbly throughout the week.