Lincoln City 2 were without Goal Attack Vicky Bayes for this week’s game in the East Midlands Netball Regional League Division 2 (21/10/12). Bayes had had an excellent game last time out but this week was replaced by her sister, Charlotte, who made her first start for the team as Goal Shooter alongside Laura Forsey.
The combination began well as Lincoln City 2 took a four-goal lead. However, the game soon became very tight and tactical as both teams vied for possession of the ball. Charnwood Sapphires moved their more-experienced player from Goal Shooter (GS) to Goal Keeper (GK), which alongside their Goal Defence’s great leap, ensured a solid and tight Sapphires’ defence. This limited Lincoln City 2’s opportunities during the first half. At half time, Lincoln City 2 moved Jade Houlton from Goal Defence (GD) to Goal Shooter (GS), which gave the team more height in the attack. Houlton scored two-from-two in what appeared a confident start for the defender. Meanwhile Forsey’s shooting was excellent, converting all of her chances. Lincoln City 2’s defence of Lizzie Saywell and Victoria Adams were also excellent at making tips, interceptions and rebounds throughout the whole of the second half. However the team could not capitalise on these chances and convert the openings they’d created into goals. The final score ended with a five goal deficit: Charnwood Sapphires 31-26 Lincoln City 2. It was tough call to choose this week’s ‘Player of the Match’ as the defence had been consistent in reading the game and in making the necessary interceptions. However, Vic Adams, who slotted into the Goal Defence (GD) position well and produced some great one-on-one marking, took the vote. Adams also made some great rebounds and supported the centre court throughout the game and was therefore a deserving winner this week. After a week of rest, Lincoln City 1 (the Imps) went into this week’s round of the East Midlands Netball Regional League Division 1 with two wins out of four (21/10/12). However, the Imps were without two key players in Angie White and Laura Bartle for this week’s game. The absences meant that Amy Womersley started at Goal Attack (GA) alongside Anna Gilbert, whilst Lucy Heathershaw moved out to Goal Defence (GD) with Jade Houlton at Goal Keeper (GK).
Bluetits started the game strongly and took an early two-goal lead and although Lincoln City 1 made several turnovers during the quarter, they were unable to capitalise on them. However, the excellent defending of Katherine Sturton and Gemma Carter, who pressed the opposition in the hope of making timely interceptions, resulted in the quarter finishing with Lincoln City 1 just 16-10 down. The second quarter saw both teams evenly matched, as goals were exchanged at either ends of the court. However, during the quarter, Bluetits managed to turn over Lincoln City 1’s centre and this gave the opposition the momentum to storm into an eight-goal lead. The Imps came back though and on several occasions, converted goals from Bluetits’ centres with some excellent shooting. At half-time, the match had turned into a four-goal game, with the score finely poised at 23-27 in Bluetits’ favour. In the third quarter, Lincoln City 1 worked hard to pass the ball into their attack. Beth Richardson intercepted in the centre third and Anna Gilbert converted to move the Imps to within three goals. Katherine Sturton then made another great interception on the top of the D but unfortunately the shot was missed and Lincoln City 1 were stretched, allowing Bluetits to open up a five-goal advantage. The quarter ended with the Imps 34-45 down. Needing eleven goals in the final quarter, Lincoln City 1 made some changes. Richardson moved to Womersley’s position at Goal Attack (GA), who herself had given way to be replaced by some fresh legs in Laura Forsey. The changes worked well as the teams were level at one-goal apiece for the first few minutes. However, Bluetits then made a couple of turnovers, which, combined with their incredibly accurate shooting, resulted in them storming to a fifteen-goal lead. Lincoln City 1 continued to fight though and managed to turn over a number of balls, which were subsequently converted by their attack. A flying rebound by Anna Gilbert and a turnover at the centre pass put Lincoln City 1 within 12 goals but the damage had already been done and Bluetits even managed to increase their lead once again. In the end, Lincoln City 1 finished the game fourteen goals adrift. The final score was 42-56 in Bluetits’ favour. Player of the Match went to Lucy Heathershaw, who showed good ability to read the game. She made a number of interceptions and rebounds and supported the centre court when attacking. The pressure was on Loughborough’s TFC again this week in their East Midlands Netball Regional League Division 1 game against Leapoole (21/10/12). TFC were hoping to continue their winning streak and maintain their goal of reaching the National League play-offs for the fourth time.
TFC had an incredibly strong squad available for the game against Leapoole. Coach Kate Bond, who was unable to make the game, provided Captain Mel with the starting line-up. The game began with Vicky Crosby at Goal Keeper (GK), Mel Croxley at Goal Defence (GD), Jess Hartland at Wing Defence (WD), Georgie Kate at Centre (C), Kirsten Gibson at Wing Attack (WA), Abi Wilcockson at Goal Attack (GA) and Leah Connolly at Goal Shooter (GS). TFC made a very positive start, with some inspiring shooting from Connolly and some solid defence from Crosby and Croxley. This enabled the team to pull ahead by 20 goals to 5 after the first 15 minutes. The second quarter saw Leapoole respond. The opposition put pressure on TFC all the way down the court, however, TFC remained calm and collected and worked tirelessly to counter-attack. Hartland and Kate made some flying interceptions across centre court, whilst Gibson, Wilcockson and Connolly made some textbook attacking moves. TFC maintained their lead and won the second quarter by 14 goals to 5, opening up a fantastic 34-10 lead at half time. The third quarter saw a number of changes in the TFC line up with some of the more experienced players making way for TFC's youngsters to thrive and gain experience playing netball at this high level. Georgia Swan replaced Mel Croxley at Goal Defence (GD) and Sara Bostock came on for Abi Wilcockson at Goal Attack (GA). Rachel Richardson also came on at Wing Defence (WD), meaning Jess Hartland switched to Centre (C) and Georgie Kate to Wing Attack (WA), replacing Kirsten Gibson, who had picked up an injury. TFC worked hard to stamp their authority on the game during the third quarter and managed to increase their lead, winning the quarter 13-7 and taking a 47-17 advantage into the final quarter. Leapoole applied an increasing amount of pressure in the fourth quarter and managed to win it by one goal. However, it was not enough to claw back the lead TFC had opened up during the match, meaning TFC made it five wins from five in this season’s Division 1. The final score was TFC 58-28 Leapoole. The whole TFC squad played an incredible game and therefore the ‘Player of the Match’ was hard to choose. In the end it was awarded to both Vicky Crosby for her domination in the defending circle and Leah Connelly for her incredibly accurate shooting. Well done ladies. TFC would like to thank Barry for standing in at the last minute to run the table, John for time-keeping and all of our relentless supporters – the team could not have done it without you!! Thank you so much!! TFC’s next game is on Sunday 28th October at 1.00pm in the Sir David Wallace Sports Centre, Loughborough University against local rivals, Bluetits. Grasshopper Netball Club had a shaky start to the first quarter of this week’s East Midlands Netball Regional League Division 2 game against Lincolnshire’s Brigg and District (23/10/12). Three of Grasshopper’s centres were turned over, whilst Brigg & District showed some very solid shooting to lead 7-20 at the end of the quarter.
Grasshopper’s coach, Anne Melling then made some changes for the second quarter. She moved Steph Hiom to Goal Defence (GC), Fran Barney to Goal Keeper (GK) and brought on Becs Smith as Wing Defence (WD). This ensured that the second quarter was much more tightly contested. Grasshopper Netball Club put on a superb display at either end of the court and only lost this quarter by one goal (8-9), meaning that the half time score was 15-29. The third quarter saw Grasshopper’s Laura Harbour taken off and Karmen Askew moved to Centre, with Claire Fielding come on as Wing Attack (WA). The match continued to be fiercely contested, with Grasshopper matching Brigg & District's scoring. Once again Grasshopper lost the quarter by a single goal though (11-12), resulting in a 26-41 score line. However, the final quarter saw Brigg and District's shooters convert goal after goal, whilst Grasshopper's final passes started to go astray. Grasshopper lost the fourth quarter, 7-16, with the final score being 33-57 in Brigg & District’s favour. Despite the loss, the whole team competed well and gave 100% effort. In particular, Grasshopper’s Fran Barney had a very good game in defence and was awarded Grasshopper’s Player of the Match. This week’s games in the East Midlands Netball Regional League Division 2 saw Iceni play Sleaford Barge at Loughborough University’s Sir David Wallace Sports Centre. Iceni had a rocky start but soon woke up in the final few minutes of the first quarter to lead 14-11 at the break. Iceni then streaked away from Sleaford Barge in the subsequent quarters, as their all-round game became more consistent.
The final score was Iceni 68 - 33 Sleaford Barge. Iceni's Player of the Match went to Jayne Harrison. Despite not having all of their players available, Bluetits were triumphant in their latest match in the East Midlands Netball Regional League Division 1 game against Lincoln City 1 (21/10/12).
From the first centre, Bluetits’ attack and defence gelled superbly together. Their movement and passing between every player meant that they took the lead straight away and this interplay continued throughout the game. Bluetits’ defenders continuously intercepted Lincoln City 1’s balls and subsequently transformed defence into attack by quickly passing the ball to Bluetits’ shooters. This was most noticeable in the third quarter where Bluetits really managed to pull ahead. Even Bluetits’ attack were getting in on the act, making numerous, valuable interceptions, which helped the team maintain their strong lead. The final score was: Bluetits 56-42 Lincoln City 1. Special mention should be given to Bluetits’ Hannah Sambrook. Even though the team’s usual duo were missing in the attacking circle, Hannah, who usually plays at Wing Defence (WD) or Wing Attack (WA), stood up to the plate. Hannah had a fantastic game, including brilliant movement in the circle and having some outstanding shots. Her overall excellent play meant that she was awarded Bluetit’s Player of the Match. Falcons Yellow were up against a very solid Nottingham Knights team in this week’s East Midlands Netball Regional League Division 2 game (21/10/12). Right from the first whistle, Knights set their stall out by turning over Falcons Yellow’s centre pass and the opposition continued to play at a high level for the first five minutes, resulting in an early lead. Although Falcons Yellow defended up and down the court and worked hard to claw back the deficit, they were unable to take advantage of the turnovers they produced. This was because Knights were solid in defence as well, making a number of important interceptions of their own and Falcons Yellow found themselves trailing by seven goals to two at one point. However, Falcons Yellow kept their composure and continued to apply pressure on Knights’ attack. In particular, the defensive trio of Beth Jackson (Goal Keeper), Samantha Brown (Goal Defence) and Tamsin Mason (Wing Defence) set the foundations for Falcons Yellow to claw back the deficit. This meant that after the first quarter, the score was level at nine goals each. Falcons Yellow got off to a shaky start again in the second quarter but quickly settled down and started to play as only they know how – by pushing the opposition hard all the way. This quarter was a high tempo quarter with some excellent shooting from both sets of shooters and sterling defence from both teams. It was anyone’s guess who would come out on top as the teams went in to the half-time break tied at 19-19. Both teams made changes at the half-time break. Falcons Yellow’s Rebecca Simms replaced Jo Holt who, although still recovering from illness, had given a strong performance for her team. Falcons Yellow adapted well to the changes made by Knights too, with patient play throughout the court and a strong defence once again making some crucial and timely interceptions. Falcons Yellow’s hard work and determined defending paid off as it created the necessary openings for Falcons to attack. Laura Owen and Rebecca Simms combined well with the shooters and all four players produced some timely runs and accurate passing to work the ball into the circle. This allowed both Nina Warren and Sarah Bottomley to convert their shooting opportunities with deadly accuracy. This quarter was Falcons Yellow’s best and gave the team some breathing space. Falcons Yellow took the quarter by 16 goals to 9, meaning a three quarter time score of 35 -28. The fourth quarter saw both teams evenly matched again. Although Falcons Yellow had a seven goal cushion they could not afford to relax or switch off. Unfortunately a few of Falcons Yellow’s passes went astray and this allowed Knights to come back. Knights pegged Falcons Yellow back to within five goals during the quarter. However, the centre court duo of Owen and Simms helped Falcons Yellow keep their pressure on and the team started to pull away again. Knights did not respond and Falcons Yellow won the quarter 10-9. Final score was Falcons Yellow 45-37 Nottingham Knights. Falcons Yellow go into their next game against Lincoln City 2, sitting at the top of the table. The question is can they retain their unbeaten record thus far and make it six wins out of six. The Players of the Match went to the defensive trio of Mason, Brown and Jackson. Team - Sarah Bottomley (GS), Nina Warren (GA), Jo Holt (WA), Rebecca Sims (WA (sub), Laura Owen (C), Tamsin Mason (WD), Samantha Brown (GD), Beth Jackson (GK) Last Wednesday saw Iceni take on Nottingham Knights in the East Midlands Netball Regional League Division 2 (17/10/12). The re-arranged fixture at Loughborough University’s Netball Centre saw Iceni begin strongly, taking a 15-6 lead at the end of the first quarter. Nottingham Knights came back though and even won the third quarter by a goal. However, with consistent shooting, smooth-play through the mid-court and strong defence from Iceni, Nottingham Knights struggled to close in on Iceni’s first quarter lead.
The final score was Iceni 43 – 32 Nottingham Knights. Player of the match for Iceni went to Katie Austin. Falcons Black’s third match on the season saw them host Kent County Netball Club (07/10/12).
With a squad of only nine, the ladies knew it was going to be a tough match that would require support from everyone on and off the court. During the opening minutes of the game, Falcons Black allowed Kent County to take an early lead. However, once the players had settled into the game, they started to find their feet and produce a more solid display. The team began intercepting many of Kent County’s balls and by the end of the first quarter, they were only losing by two goals – the score being 10-12 in Kent County’s favour. With no changes made to either side at the break the game remained extremely close during the second quarter. Falcons Black demonstrated some fantastic through-court play and impressive accurate shooting during this period. However, Kent County’s great defence, coupled with some untimely unforced errors on centre passes by Falcons Black meant that the away team extended their lead to four, with the half time score being 22-26. The half time break allowed Falcons Black to reflect on where they were losing possession and what to focus on in order to close in on Kent County’s lead. Changes were made to the line-up and Eleanor Durcan came on at Centre for Hannah Joseph. With fresh legs on court, the team got off to a flying start in the second half. Falcons Black’s defence remained tight on Kent County’s attack throughout the court but especially so in the defensive circle, putting huge amounts of pressure on the Kent shooters. The Falcons Black shooters also managed to retain high shooting stats during this quarter. Together, the home team not only won this 15-minute contest but also led going into a quarter for the first time in the match. Falcons Black 36-33 Kent County. To retain their lead Falcons Black knew they needed to focus on playing their own game for the remaining fifteen minutes. The Falcons Black defence continued to turn over numerous balls and their shooters continued with the accuracy, which had allowed them to take the lead in the previous quarter. In the end, Falcons Black extended their lead for their first win of the season. The final score was Falcons Black 51-41 Kent County. Overall, it was fantastic team effort by Falcons Black, where every team player supported each other throughout the whole game. Most importantly though, it showed that Falcons Black can fight hard and win even when needing to come from behind, which gives them great encouragement for the remainder of the season. Starting line-up: Helen Hancock (Goal Shooter, GS); Christie Simpson (Goal Attack, GA); Katie Flaherty (Wing Attack, WA); Hannah Joseph (Centre, C); Anna Mulderrig (Wing Defence, WD); Issy Beighton (Goal Defence, GD); Jade Forbes-Wattley (Goal Keeper, GK) Subs: Charlotte Roye, Eleanor Durcan This week’s East Midlands Netball Regional League, Division 2 game (07/10/12) saw Falcons Yellow retain the circle defence of Samantha Brown and Tamsin Mason, with Melanie Brennan stepping in at Wing Defence. Upfront saw a new attacking line up of Keri Moorhouse (Goal Shooter), Nina Warren (Goal Attack), Jo Holt (Wing Attack) and Laura Owen (Centre), with Liz Stevenson starting on the bench.
It was easy to see from the first whistle that this would be a tough match for Falcons Yellow. Grasshopper Netball Club did not give an inch during the first quarter and so Falcons Yellow had to work hard and keep their nerve to stay in touching distance of a well-drilled and organised Grasshopper team. By the end of the first quarter, Falcons Yellow trailed by just eight goals to eleven (8-11). Falcons Yellow brought on a new Goal Keeper in Liz Stevenson and moved Tamsin Mason out to Wing Defence. The team pressed Grasshopper more during the second quarter, determined to turnaround the deficit. Falcons Yellow’s shooting duo of Moorhouse and Warren also shot more consistently, meaning Falcons Yellow went into the half time break with their noses in front 23-20, having won the quarter 15 – 8. The game was by no means over though. Falcons Yellow had to maintain their concentration and discipline throughout the third quarter, as Grasshopper continued to snap at their heels. However, Falcons Yellow’s great attacking play and the fantastic shooting of Moorhouse and Warren meant that they increased their lead by five goals. The score at the end of the third quarter was 34-29. Falcons Yellow made one change for the final quarter. Melanie Brennan replaced Laura Owen who once again had had a fine game and demonstrated her flair and tenacity as a netball player. Most pleasing for the Falcons Yellow team in the final quarter was how strongly the team finished the game. Fresh legs in the middle of the court alongside some superb defending, accurate shooting and general attacking play meant Falcons Yellow ended the game as they had started. Falcons Yellow increased their lead in this quarter and Grasshopper could not close the gap. Falcons Yellow eventually won the game 49-36 but this was by no means an easy win. Even after an absence of two years for both players, Stevenson’s and Moorhouse’s performances meant that they were in contention for ‘Player of the Match.’ However, in the end this accolade went to Moorhouse for her all-round play and shooting accuracy under immense pressure from a strong Grasshopper defence. Kerri Moorhouse (GS), Nina Warren (GA), Jo Holt (WA), Laura Owen (C), Melanie Brennan (WD/C), Samantha Brown (GD), Tamsin Mason (GK/WD), Liz Stevenson (GK) |
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