The second round of qualifying for the European Championships 2011 has started here in Heraklion, Crete. It is a pleasure to return to Greece for me. I played and lived in Athens for a season two years ago and really enjoyed this fascinating society. 

 

They are very proud of their heritage and culture and, as you may have read recently, are not afraid to voice their concerns with protests and marches. If the Greek people don’t like something, they let their Government know about it. All too often we British merely tut at something and carry on. 

 

I can only imagine what the Greeks would have done in response to the expenses scandal in the UK for example. 

 

However, at the moment there doesn’t appear to be much visible difference here in Crete. I'm assuming its due to the tourist trade, which judging by the amount of Brits flying in on various budget airlines, is still booming here.

 

Arriving here again, reminds me vividly of the series of violent clashes during my season  when a boy of 13 was shot and killed by the police under dubious circumstances. Then the clashes and protests lasted the better part of two weeks, and the streets of Athens were like a ghost town for a few days. The young boy’s funeral took places just minutes away from where I and my British team mate Mark "Samba" Plotyczer lived. We used to train amid the sound of police helicopters circling overhead and young men and women marching through the streets. 

 

There was also the very real and impending threat of violence at all sporting contests in Greece especially when the teams are associated with large football clubs. The club where Samba and I played didn't have a football team so we were lucky not to experience too much trouble during the season. However, the Greek police turned up en masse for every sporting contest just to be on the safe side, which led to a few matches where we had nearly as many riot police as fans present! 

 

Joking aside, the hatred between rival sporting clubs sadly does often cross the line with dire consequences. A few seasons ago a fan was stabbed and killed on the way to a women’s volleyball match between Panathanaikos and Olympiakos resulting in the suspension of all sports in Greece for a few weeks. 

 

 

In fact, just a month ago the Greek volleyball playoffs were put on hold due while the police diverted their resources to dealing with the economic strikes. They simply couldn't ensure the safety of the players. When the players got wind of this during the warm-up, one of the visiting teams ran off the court to the safety of the changing rooms. I should explain that at volleyball matches generally there are no away fans allowed, so a stadium full of rival fans who hate you and your team and your colours more than life itself isn't the safest place to be when there is no security. Say what you will about football in the UK, but it’s like going to a library compared to Greek volleyball, basketball or football.

 

Back to our matches against Finland, Greece and Latvia in Crete. As the underdogs, we lost them all but, believe me, it was so, so close. We played Greece in this round of qualifying just two years ago in which we lost three sets to nil, and each set was in the region of 25-10. We weren’t just outclassed, we didn’t inhabit the same planet. This time around, we lost to Greece - in Greece! - 3-2, and to a strong Latvian team by a grand total of three points over four sets. 

 

On the official statistics we were better in attacking, serving, blocking, and just about every other statistical tool used in volleyball.  I think we are all still trying to figure out how we didn't win the those two matches. When you add in our close defeat at the hands of eventual group winners Finland, we have lost a total of nine sets this weekend, and six of those sets were decided by a mere two to three points. In volleyball this is barely a quantifiable statistic. It could be as simple as one attack that grazed an opponent that wasn't seen, or one extra service error or what have you. We managed to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory so many times this weekend it really is incredible.

 

In the end, we have not qualified for next summer's European Championships and we also didn't achieve our goal of sneaking into the second position of our group which would have given us a second chance to qualify via a play-off system. We have, however, won ourselves many many plaudits over the six matches, and we know now that no matter who play against in future we have a full squad of players capable of causing opponents problems.

 

We should be winning these matches without question. We are all painfully aware that the final step in sports is the hardest one to make. It takes the most effort.  It requires the most sweat, the most blood, and sometimes, yes, the most tears. We are the British volleyball team. We represent 60 million people.  If there is one thing that people the world over know about British people, it is that when called upon we are lions. We are sick and tired of losing. We are sick and tired of being sick and tired. You had better believe we will fight for that last step. 

 

We now head back to Sheffield to begin phase two of our summer programme, the European League. We play Slovakia in Sheffield this weekend as we start our group phase of this annual competition. Watch this space. 

 

Andy Pink, who plays for Bassano in Italy, is Britain's vice-captain.