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! 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. 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. 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. Grasshopper Netball Club played Falcons Yellow last Sunday in their East Midlands Netball Regional League Division 2 game at Loughborough University’s netball Centre (07/08/12). Falcons Yellow were Grasshopper’s fiercest competition of the season yet, which was not surprising considering the team had played Regional League Division 1 netball last season.
However, it was Grasshoppers who flew into the lead with some superb, accurate passing from the defence, through centre court and into the attack. The slick moves were rounded off with accurate shooting from Donna Osborn and Beth Smith, meaning Grasshoppers led 12-8 after the first quarter. Falcons Yellow appeared stunned to be losing to the ‘new kids on the block’ and started to pile on the pressure in the next quarter, particularly in their defensive circle. It meant Grasshopper Netball Club’s shooters lost some of their rhythm. In fact, it was a very physical quarter across the whole of the court, with both teams being highly competitive in the hope of gaining any advantage. However, it was Falcons Yellow who ended up winning the quarter 15-8 to leave the score at half time 20-23 to Falcons Yellow. The third quarter continued in the same way as the second, with some very physical defending. Grasshopper Netball Club’s shooting rhythm had still not been returned to its first quarter level but the whole team continued to give 100% effort to keep the score line close. Goals were scored at either end but fortune favoured Falcons Yellow, who again just edged the quarter 9-11 to give them an overall lead of 29-34 after the third quarter. The final quarter saw coach, Anne Melling, bring on Rebecca Smith at Wing Defence, replacing Laura Harbour. Unfortunately for Grasshoppers, Falcons Yellow started to pull away, as they converted goal after goal, in spite of some sterling work by defenders Stephanie Hiom and Tracy Glover. At the end of a physically contested match Falcons Yellow finished overall winners with a score of 36-49. Grasshopper Netball Club’s Player of the match went to Donna Osborn (Goal Attack). For details about Grasshopper Netball Club contact the website: www.grasshoppernetballclub.co.uk Northants JMs had high hopes in this week’s East Midlands Netball Regional League Division 1 game against Leicestershire’s Bluetits (07/10/12), especially as JMs’ Fiona Pritchett, Honor de Winton and Annie Bolle-Jones were all making their first appearances for the club this season.
JMs' first quarter started rather slowly, with a number of passes and shots lacking their usual accuracy. This gave Bluetits all of the ammunition they needed to stride into a seven-goal lead at quarter time, with a score line of 14-21. Substitutions were made by Northants JMs with Poole coming on at Wing Defence and Bolle-Jones at Goal Defence. Excellent work by Chantee Lewis and Bolle-Jones meant JMs’ interception and turnover rates were much higher in the second quarter. In fact, JMs’ overall play resulted in a very respectable second quarter score line of 12-14, meaning a half time score 26-35 in Bluetits’ favour. JMs decided to make more changes for the third quarter, with Elisa Hayden coming on at Wing Defence and Fay Anderson (previously Centre) swapping positions with Pritchett (previously Wing Attack). A much-improved JMs team was witnessed during these 15 minutes and the team got within a six-goal margin during this quarter. However, some of JMs’ turnovers were not always converted into goals and Bluetits fought back to end the quarter 35-45 ahead. The last quarter brought final changes to JMs’ line-up with Lou Tunnicliff coming on at Wing Defence, Hayden moving to Goal Defence and Bolle-Jones moving to Goal Keeper. At times JMs showed some delightful play in attack during this period, although the team knew that stealing a 10-goal lead from Bluetits was always going to be a tough ask. However with guts and determination, JMs pulled a win out of this quarter at 10-9, meaning a final score of 44-53. Northants JMs’ Player of the Match went to Annie Bolle-Jones. Megan Samways came back into the side at Centre, with Laura Forsey moving to Wing Attack, allowing Amy Womersley to go into the Goal Shooter position. Lincoln City 2 started the game well, with a good defence throughout the court, which made it difficult for Sleaford Barge to pass. The defensive duo of Lizzie Saywell and Jade Houlton were tight and made some great rebounds and interceptions, which limited the feeds into Sleaford Barge’s Goal Shooter. Lincoln City 2 won the quarter 13-10. In the second quarter, Barge were tight on centre passes but Laura and Vicky Bayes excelled at getting free. Vic Adams made a good interception and Lizzie and Jade were able to force the shooters away from the post in an attempt to gain possession from the rebounds. The relatively new pairing of Amy and Vicky in attack also worked well, as they showed great communication. The team effort helped Lincoln City 2 increase their lead at the end of this quarter, putting them 30-17 ahead. After half time, Laura Forsey came on at centre, allowing a dizzy Megan to rest after working hard. It also allowed Charlotte Bayes to make another good appearance at Wing Attack, where she produced some excellent feeds into attack. Sleaford Barge’s defence was good in this quarter but Lincoln City 2 still managed to increase their possession and with it, their advantage by a further six goals. Going in the final quarter, Lincoln City 2 led 44-25 overall.
Hinckley Hurricanes continued their winning streak of three matches with a convincing win over Leapoole Netball Club in the East Midlands Netball Regional League Division 1 (07/10/12).
Hurricanes sprung out of the starting blocks and led all the way during the first period, moving into a 18 - 9 first-quarter lead. Great movement up the court, coupled with great service to shooters, Stephanie Dunn and Laura Matkin, saw the Hurricanes stretch their lead during the second quarter too, resulting in a half-time lead of 40 - 17. The third quarter period is proving to be a particularly important 15 minutes for Hurricanes this season as it is the quarter where they have managed assert their biggest influence on games. It proved to be the case again during this match as Hurricanes did not look back, stretching their lead to 57 - 26. Continued discipline from the Hinckley Hurricanes team, along with a passion and drive to continue their performance carried the girls into the final quarter. A different line up in the centre court saw Charlotte Taylor take over the Centre bib and continue the drive down court. The movement of the ball from defence to attack was strong throughout and the ladies once again increased their winning margin. The final score finished Hinckley Hurricanes 74 – 35 Leapoole. All in all, a fantastic team performance, which resulted in the ‘Player of the Match’ votes given to all members of the team. However, the final votes saw Stephanie Dunn, Karen Williams and Debbie Skene all deservedly tied for the Player of the Match position. Stephanie's work rate in the circle at Goal Attack created space for the Goal Shooter, whilst also netting many shots herself; Karen Williams at Centre and Wing Attack set the pace and momentum of the game; Debbie Skene rallied the troops at Goal Defence and did not give her player an inch throughout the whole match. Well done to the whole team who now look to continue their winning ways in their next match on Sunday 21 October at 1pm at the Sir David Wallace Courts at Loughborough University. Lincoln City 1 took a 7-1 lead in the first quarter of today’s East Midlands Regional League Division 1 match (7/10/12) against Pennine but with some hard work in defence, Pennine managed to recover to go into the first quarter interval one goal up.
Pennine’s good form continued into the next quarter but in spite of some solid circle defending from Rebecca Grundy and Emma Warren, this time it was Lincoln City 1’s turn to fight back and at half time the match was level at 20 – 20. After half time, Pennine could not maintain the sharp attacking play that had served them so well in the first half though, meaning their shooting opportunities were restricted. The final score was Pennine 36 – 47 Lincoln City 1. Pennine’s Player of the Match for this week went to Emma Warren. |
Filter
All
Select the competitions above to filter the match reports
Archives
April 2013
|