Lincoln City were hoping to continue their winning ways as they prepared to face Derbyshire, Iceni on Sunday 6th August. Iceni have been tough opponents in the past and with three Lincoln players unavailable, it could have gone either way.
There were two changes to the side that thrashed TFC Too last week, with Anna Gilbert and Becky Baker making up the GS and GA partnership and Jade Houlton starting alongside Lucy Heathershaw in defence. Although Iceni started well, Lincoln were able to capitalise on the away team’s errors. This, coupled with a strong shooting combination and excellent support from Beth Richardson, allowed Lincoln to end the first quarter with an eight goal lead (17-9).
Having secured regional netball once more at the July qualifying tournament, Grasshopper Netball Club played their first regional match against Northants JMs. JMs took an early lead after Grasshoppers failed to convert their centre passes but some accurate shooting by Andy Flewitt and Donna Osborn allowed Grasshoppers to catch up. Inspired defensive and communication work by Kate Garner and Tracy Glover also allowed Grasshoppers to lead 9-13 at the end of the first quarter.
Lincoln City have reformed this season and now have just one team in the Regional League Division 2.
Alongside a mix of both last year’s first and second team players, Lincoln welcomed back Abby Johnson and introduced newbie Becky Baker, who had a great debut, being named by the opposition as the ‘Player of the Match’. Southgate began their East Midlands Netball Regional League Division 2 campaign with a 23-50 win, securing 5 points and producing a solid foundation on which to build on (29/09/13).
Although all Regional League games are played at Loughborough University’s Netball Centre, Southgate’s match was still seen as a bit of a local derby because the team was taking on fellow Derbyshire-based club Iceni. The first quarter saw a closely competed 15 minutes with some evidently frantic periods of netball. However, sharp shooting from both clubs meant the quarter finished 7-9 in Southgate’s favour. |