TFC’s match in this week’s East Midlands Netball Regional League Division 1 was always going to be a battle against local rivals, Bluetits (28/10/12). TFC had a number of players unavailable for the game and were only able to field seven first team players, meaning that two of their second team players, Rachel Hoskisson and Laura Barnett, were called up.
Coach Kate’s starting line-up had Vicky Crosby at Goal Keeper (GK), Mel Croxall at Goal Defence (GD), Georgia Swan at Wing Defence (WD), Amy Brennan at Centre (C), Abi Wilcockson at Wing Attack (WA), Sara Bostock at Goal Attack (GA) and Leah Connolly at Goal Shooter (GS). Leicestershire’s Bluetits dominated the first ten minutes of the game and stormed into the lead. TFC struggled to respond and it looked as though their unbeaten start to season was in jeopardy. However, as they began to settle, they were able to raise their game and claw back a few goals through some tireless play and shooting from attacking players, Wilcockson, Brennan, Bostock and Connolly. TFC finished the first quarter trailing but they had demonstrated enough positive play towards the end of this period to take confidence going into the next quarter. The second quarter was hard-fought with both teams showing determination to win the game. TFC’s Crosby, Croxall and Swan applied increasing pressure on Bluetits’ attack, which forced the opposition to work incredibly hard to get the ball into the circle for their shooting opportunities. The quarter went practically goal-for-goal but by half time the scores were almost even. During the half-time interval, Coach Kate gave clear instructions about what was needed to win this game for both the defence and attack and an unchanged TFC team duly responded in the third quarter. Some exceptional shooting and attacking play saw Connolly finding the net from all over the circle, allowing TFC to finish this period seven goals ahead. The final quarter was a battle of wills and determination and came down to who wanted the win the most. TFC began on top but were unable to maintain this level throughout the game and Bluetits came back to force a draw. The final score was TFC 48 – 48 Bluetits. TFC remain undefeated and at the top of the East Midlands Netball Regional League Division 1 on points and goal average. Importantly, they are still on track for their quest to reach the National Play Offs again this year, which, if they won, would take them into England Netball’s Premier League Divisions. Although slightly disappointed to have only drawn this week, TFC will be looking to be victorious again in next week’s game against Lincoln City 1, where they will have their full squad back. Coach Kate decided that Leah Connolly and Abi Wilcockson deserved the ‘Player of the Match’ title for their tireless and clever play as well as for their outstanding shooting. Well done both of you! TFC would like to thank Coach Kate, Rose for scoring, Rob for time-keeping and all their supporters, as well as thanks to Rachel and Laura for coming down to play if needed. Sunday 28th October saw Iceni take on Brigg and District in their East Midlands Netball Regional League Division 2 fixture at Loughborough University. This was a much-awaited match as both teams were on the same points going into the game.
Iceni got off to a good start and took the first quarter, 11-4. The team continued to pull away in the second quarter and were 20-8 up at half time. The third quarter saw Brigg and District fight back hard though. They won the quarter to close the gap to within six points with the match finely poised at 29-23 in Iceni’s favour. However, Iceni once again upped their game for the final quarter and played some strong and consistent netball throughout the court. Iceni’s control of the game during the last fifteen minutes was reflected in the final score: Iceni 43 – 30 Brigg. Iceni’s Player of the Match went to Chantelle Smithen who played a strong defence role.
The first quarter saw Nina Warren in scintillating form, with her shooting stats recorded at 100%. Her efforts were backed up by some dazzling play by all four of Falcon Yellow’s attacking players. Lincoln City 2’s defence was strong but Sims and Owen in particular, made some quick interchanges and produced some excellent feeds into both shooters throughout the quarter.
It was ‘business as usual’ for the defensive trio of Mason, Brown and Jackson, who continued to work well together and make life difficult for Lincoln City 2’s attack. Falcons Yellow’s defence was strong enough for the team to take a hold of the first quarter but the opposition’s Goal Attack (GA) and Goal Shooter (GS) played extremely well and managed to score enough goals to keep them in the game. At the end of the first quarter, Falcons Yellow had a well-deserved seven goal lead at 19-12. Falcons Yellow were forced to make some untimely changes before the start of second quarter. Howard came on at Wing Attack (WA) and a reshuffle at the back saw Sims move to Wing Defence (WD) and Mason to Goal Keeper (GK). With the team adjusting to their new positions, Lincoln City 2 took advantage of the situation and capitalised on any of Falcons Yellow’s mistakes, to take control of the second quarter. Falcons Yellow’s spectators and bench looked on nervously but the team still felt they had enough to come back at the opposition. Falcons Yellow kept working hard and eventually settled down to retain their lead, if only by two goals. Lincoln City 2 took the quarter 13-8, with the half-time score being Falcons Yellow 27 – 25 Lincoln City 2. Falcons Yellows had time to regroup during the break and decided to make one further change with Melanie Brennan coming on for Owen at Centre (C). Falcons Yellow played steady, patient and intelligent netball during the third quarter. Howard and Brennan worked the ball into the shooters, who duly obliged by converting the chances that were presented to them. The defence remained solid at the back and Brown and Sims backed up the attack with some great support up the court. At the three-quarter time whistle, Falcons Yellow had increased their lead by four goals to go into the break leading by 41 goals to 37. Falcons Yellow made further changes for the final quarter by moving Sims back to Wing Attack (WA) and Mason back to Wing Defence (WD). Jackson came on at Goal Keeper (GK). Falcons Yellow began the final period strongly and opened up an eleven-goal lead. However, Lincoln City 2 fought their way back and closed the deficit to within three goals. Falcon Yellow’s bench and supporters were again showing signs of nerves but the Falcons Yellow team produced some fine netball in the closing stages to eventually win by seven goals. The final score was Falcons Yellow 55 – 48 Lincoln City 2. It was a great match but not for the faint hearted. Rebecca Sims won Falcon Yellow’s own ‘Player of the Match’ award for her versatility and superb play in both the attacking and defensive thirds. However, it was close. Lincoln City 2 voted Falcons Yellow’s Nina Warren as their player of the match. Warren, who, although ill, had shot superbly well. Well played one and all. Grasshopper Netball Club played Lincolnshire’s Sleaford Barge in the East Midlands Netball Regional League Division 2 game this week (28/10/12).
Grasshoppers took an early lead but Sleaford came back and by the end of the first quarter it was honours even at 15-15. Grasshoppers’ coach, Anne Melling, made one defensive change for the second quarter – Fran Barney moved from Goal Defence (GD) to Goal Keeper (GK) with Stephanie Hiom taking up Barney’s old position and Tracey Glover giving way. Another very closely contested fifteen minutes ensued during the second quarter. Once again Grasshoppers took the lead during the quarter but some loose passing up the court allowed Sleaford back into the game. At half time, the score was still tied at 27 goals each. The Grasshoppers team remained unchanged for the third quarter, which was again very closely contested. Both sides played some stunning, explosive netball but Sleaford Barge just edged ahead, ending up leading by two goals going into the final fifteen minutes, with the score finely poised at 37-39. During the final quarter, Grasshopper Netball Club feared that they were going to lose their player of the match, Donna Osborn, to injury because she ended up prone on court. Luckily, after taking the full two minutes allowed, Osborn recovered to continue her assault on the Sleaford defence. Unfortunately for Grasshoppers, the game started to run away from the team and Sleaford proved just too strong in the end. The opposition romped to victory 56 goals to 47 at the final whistle. All-in-all, it was very well-contested game but still Grasshoppers chase their first, elusive victory. Sleaford Barge made a very good start in this week’s East Midlands Netball Regional League Division 2 game against Leicestershire’s Grasshopper Netball Club (28/10/12). However, Grasshoppers came back with some good feeds over Sleaford’s defence, into their shooter. The first quarter ended 15-15.
The two teams were evenly matched in the second quarter too and both teams ended the first half all square at 27-27. After some changes and a very positive team talk from Sleaford’s coach, the team came out “all guns blazing” during the third quarter and took the lead by a single goal. Sleaford then made another change in the defensive end, which helped to break down Grasshoppers’ attacks even more and therefore pull away from their opponents. The final score was Sleaford Barge 56-48 Grasshopper Netball Club Lincoln City 2 welcomed back Vicky Bayes into the side as the Imps went ‘back to basics’ in their match against East Midlands Netball Regional League Division 2 leaders, Falcons Yellow (28/10/12).
Although the Imps’ attack worked well together, the team turned over centres on just two occasions and ended up losing the first quarter by seven goals. The score at the end of the first quarter was 12-19 in Falcons Yellow’s favour. The second quarter started well for the Imps though as Lincoln City 2 quickly converted a turnover from Falcon Yellow’s centre. The Imps’ attack continued to work tirelessly throughout this period and moved the ball into great shooting opportunities on many occasions. After an excellent 15 minutes for the team, Lincoln City 2 had won the quarter 15 goals to 8. This reduced the deficit to just 2 goals, with the half time score poised at 27-25. The Imps looked to overturn the score during the third quarter and Vicky Bayes’ brilliant interception in the centre court was a fine example of her team’s efforts to keep their second-quarter momentum going. However, Falcons Yellow scored several goals in succession and opened up their lead to four goals (37-41). The fitness levels of the Imps’ players were still high going into the final quarter and so the team remained unchanged from the one that had started the match. The team also fought hard to keep possession of the ball and limit Falcons Yellow’s shooting, which had been excellent throughout the game. Despite a valiant effort, Falcons Yellow’s damage had already been done in the first quarter and Lincoln City 2 ended up losing the game 48 goals to 55. Lincoln City 2’s Player of the Match went to Vicky Bayes for her excellent shooting, movement in attack and continuous effort for an hour at Goal Attack (GA). For more information on Lincoln City Netball, please visit: www.lincolncitynetball.co.uk Lincoln City 1 were once again without key players for their East Midlands Netball Regional League Division 1 encounter against Leapoole on Sunday (28/10/12). Amy Womersley, Vic Adams and Lizzie Saywell started for the Imps in the absence of Angie White, Laura Bartle and Beth Richardson.
Lincoln City 1 found Leapoole’s tall Goal Shooter (GS) to be in good form and so it was not surprising that the Imps were soon trailing 10-3. However, Amy Womersley’s and Anna Gilbert’s excellent shooting brought the team back into contention and by the end of the first quarter, the score was a close 13-15 in Leapoole’s favour. The opposition continued to be a handful during the second quarter, providing excellent feeds into their Goal Shooter (GS). However, Lizzie Saywell and Lucy Heathershaw also overturned possession on a number of occasions, in what turned out to be a tense and tight period of netball for Lincoln City 1’s defence. In the attacking third, Anna Gilbert made great drives out of the ‘D’ to move the ball down the court, which allowed Amy Womersley to sprint towards goal. In the end, the Imps edged the second quarter to move a goal ahead of Leapoole at 30 goals to 29. Katherine Sturton and Gemma Carter switched positions in centre court after the break as Lincoln City 1 strived to maintain their lead. In what was another tense fifteen minutes of play, the ball continued to move up and down the court and Leapoole levelled the score on several occasions with some fantastic shooting. The opposition’s defence were also playing well and marked Amy Womersley even tighter in the third quarter as they began to double-up on her, forcing Anna Gilbert to take the majority of the shots. However, the Imps were also shooting fantastically well and by the end of the third quarter were up, 43-41. With just two goals in it the Imps’ Gemma Carter and Katherine Sturton switched back to their original positions. Carter was pleased to be taking the first centre of the final quarter but Leapoole were soon level. It was a nail-biting final fifteen minutes for Lincoln City 1 and the whole team worked hard to defend their advantage. The fantastic shooting of Amy Womersley and Anna Gilbert brought the team home in the end though. Lincoln City 1 stole back their two goal lead to win the match 58-56 in what was possibly the League’s most exciting game of the day. Lincoln City 1’s Player of the Match went to Katherine Sturton, who continued on from her previous week’s efforts. Katherine made several interceptions and worked hard at Wing Attack (WA) and Centre (C). For more information on Lincoln City Netball, please visit: www.lincolncitynetball.co.uk With the first team’s squad at full strength this week, Pennine secured a 47-38 win over Leicestershire’s Hinckley Hurricanes in today’s East Midlands Netball Regional League Division 1 match (28/10/12).
Although Pennine’s substitutions flowed throughout the game, the team continued to work brilliantly as a unit, regardless of which seven players took to the court. The shooters in particular were a constant threat to the Hurricane defence, especially the attacking prowess of Amy Smith, who was deservedly awarded Pennine’s Player of the Match. Pennine’s centre court players also controlled the ball and picked off lots of interceptions whilst the circle defence applied constant pressure and were very dominant at the rebound. Overall, it was a great win for Pennine and a really good team performance! Falcons Black had an early start for their Premier League, Division 2 game on Sunday as they were playing away against the Middlesbrough side, Grangetown (23/10/12). Despite recently being promoted, Grangetown were known to be a very experienced and physical opposition. However, with a full squad available, Falcons Black were excited and eager to get on court to implement some of the things they had been successfully working on during training earlier on in the week.
Falcons Black had a promising warm-up but as soon as the game started, they struggled to settle during the first quarter. Falcons Black’s circle defence, which consisted of Lauren Steadman (who also plays for Loughborough Lightning and Derbyshire’s Pennine) at Goal Defence (GD) and Issy Beighton (who also plays for Pennine) at Goal Keeper (GK), worked tirelessly to turn over balls. However, Falcons Black were finding it difficult to move the ball down court effectively and score from these opportunities. Grangetown took the first quarter 16-7 but Falcons Black did not let their heads go down and were still hungry for the win. In fact, at the end of the first quarter, Falcons Black had found some fluidity in their game and therefore no changes were made at quarter time. More composed in their play and deliberately slowing the pace of the game down, Falcons Black managed to pull a few goals back during the second quarter. Their patient play with the ball made it easier for shooters, Christie Simpson (Goal Attack) and Charlotte Roye (Goal Shooter) to convert Falcons Black’s chances. Unfortunately, a momentary lapse in concentration from the team towards the end of the quarter allowed Grangetown to further their lead though. The score after the second quarter was 28-18. Changes were made to the Falcons Black team at half time. Sofija Djukic came on at Centre (C) and Anna Mulderrig came on at Wing Attack (WA). These changes enhanced Falcons Black’s game by providing a good link between their defence and attack. Together, the team scored five unanswered goals and closed the gap on Grangetown’s lead. In defence, Lauren Steadman continued to make some key interceptions, which helped to keep the quarter close. However, by the end of this fifteen minute period, Grangetown’s lead had been restored to its original advantage and they were 38-28 ahead. The third quarter score was 10-10 though and this gave Falcons Black an extra boost going into the final quarter. Kaylea McQuade was brought on at Wing Defence (WD) for the fourth quarter. However, despite Falcons Black upping the tempo and playing at a higher intensity to close the deficit, Grangetown’s experience shone through and the home team pulled away again. The final score was Grangetown 49-35 Falcons Black. Although the game resulted in a loss, Falcons Black had a lot of positive things they could take home from the game, which will stand them in good stead for their next game. Falcons Black’s ‘Player of the Match’ went to Lauren Steadman who made some key interceptions, and helped keep each quarter on a knife-edge for so long. Starting line-up: GS- Charlotte Roye. GA- Christie Simpson. WA- Hannah Joseph. C- Kaylea McQuade. WD- Dominique McKee. GD- Lauren Steadman. GK- Issy Beighton. Pennine started well in the first quarter of today’s East Midlands Netball Regional League Division 1 match against Northants JMs (21/10/12). They took a 4-1 lead but allowed JMs back into the game and the quarter finished with both teams level. Pennine managed to take greater control of the game in the second quarter though. Their defence was tighter and with some excellent attacking moves, created many shooting opportunities to take a 17-12 lead at half time.
Pennine really ‘upped their game’ in the third quarter. Some fantastic shooting by Amy Smith at one end of the court was accompanied by some brilliant defending by Elisha Cooper at the other end, allowing Pennine to extend their lead to 14 goals. Pennine continued to out-score Northants JMs in the fourth quarter and the match ended Pennine 38-22 Northants JMs. The result was a testament to the teamwork and drive of the Pennine squad. Cooper’s performance at Goal Keeper (GK) particularly stood out and she was awarded the accolade of Pennines’ Player of the Match. |
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