WEYMOUTH has been short-listed to host the National Volleyball Cup finals.

The resort will be vying with Bath University for the privilege of hosting this prestigious event.

Tenders have to be submitted by next week when Weymouth Sports Club at Redlands will hope to be chosen.

Wessex Ladies' team coach Ian Loke said: "This is brilliant news for the area. This is one of the biggest events in the volleyball calendar and there would be up to 1,000 spectators expected to watch the finals.

"The top-ranking clubs in the country will play for the senior men's title, the senior women's under-18 and the under-16 cups.

"Sky Sports normally cover the event so the spotlight would really be on Weymouth and its facilities because the National Cup is the prime knock-out competition in the English campaign."

All clubs affiliated to Volleyball England are eligible to enter a team.

This season saw nearly 90 teams enter the senior cup competition with a further 79 junior teams competing nationwide for a place at the prestigious finals weekend.

This year's event was held at the English Institute of Sport Sheffield.

Meanwhile Wessex will host the fifth Weymouth Invitational Tournament at Redlands next weekend.

Sixteen of the country's top teams will compete in the two- day event, and for the first time there will be representatives from all three divisions of the National League.

Entrants have been received from as far afield as Middles-brough, Plymouth and Brent-wood, but the event favourites are the three NVL Division One squads of Portsmouth, Warwick Riga and Wessex themselves.