Despite a strong start, Lincoln City 2 (The Imps) struggled to maintain their consistency during their clash with Derbyshire's Iceni in this week’s round of East Midlands Netball Regional League Division 2 games (18/11/12). Iceni looked like a well-rounded and assured team and they managed to capitalise on many of Imps' mistakes to emerge with a convincing win.
Lincoln City 2’s team, which was once again depleted, due to illness and injury, began the game with some vigour, managing to convert their own centres and capitalise on many of Iceni's early mistakes. The Imps briefly got their noses in front thanks to some accurate shooting from Vicky Bayes and Laura Forsey. The shooters were fuelled by Zoe Cooper and Megan Samways, who both kept their composure under some difficult Iceni defensive pressure around the circle, to provide excellent feeds. Lincoln City 2’s defensive unit was also in fine form, applying the necessary pressure to force several weak feeds into the circle and secure many turnovers. The quarter finished 11-10, and the Imps left the court feeling hopeful that their high performance would continue. The second quarter saw Lincoln City 2's defence struggle to pick off the accurate feeds deployed by Ex-England Captain and Loughborough Lightning Coach, Olivia Murphy, resulting in goal after goal being converted by a meticulous Iceni attack. The Imps' shooters were also under increasing pressure from their opponent's long reach and to confound matters, an injury to Megan Samways forced the Imps into some changes. Jade Houlton dropped back to Goal Keeper (GK), Zoe Cooper claimed the Centre (C) bib and Charlotte Bayes took to the court in the Goal Shooter (GS) position, to play alongside her sister. At half-time the score stood at 25-16 in Iceni’s favour and the Imps left the court disheartened but certainly not defeated. The third quarter progressed much the same way as the second. The Bayes sisters continued to move well in attack but opportunities to net the ball were rare and Iceni continued to apply immense pressure and capitalised on every Lincoln City 2 error, no matter how small it was. The Imps did manage to convert a couple of turnovers though, including one from a particularly impressive Laura Forsey interception, which helped the team score three on the bounce. The Imps made another slight reshuffle before the start of the fourth quarter, which saw Lizzie Saywell take the Wing Defence (WD) bib and Megan return to Centre (C). Jade Houlton, voted ‘Player of the Game’ by Iceni, managed to turn the ball several times in what proved to be a low scoring fifteen minutes as both defences were on top (9-4). The Imps continued to battle hard and walked away with what could prove to be a vital point at the end of the season. The final score was Iceni 47-29 Lincoln City 2. Next up for the Lincoln City 2 ladies is local rivals, Briggs and District, in what is sure to be a heavily-contested and potentially crucial game. Sunday 18th November saw Nottingham Knights take on Grasshopper Netball Club in their East Midlands Netball Regional League Division 2 campaign:
The first quarter saw the game progress goal-for-goal, with Knights narrowly taking the lead by a solitary goal after the first quarter (13-12). However, the second quarter saw Knights find another gear and the team began turning balls over in the mid and defensive thirds, ensuring they took a 28-19 lead into half-time. Nottingham Knights made shooting changes during the interval by bringing on youngster, Gaby Titley-Wilson. The Nottingham team continued with their fast-paced game during the third quarter, to win it, 17-7, and take a 45-26 lead into the final quarter. Leicestershire’s Grasshoppers made some defensive changes for the final fifteen minutes, which hampered Knights’ efforts in getting the ball into their shooters. However, Knights maintained their lead to finish the game 59-42. Grasshopper Netball Club rightly chose Nottingham Knights’ Iman Thomas as their Player of the Match. The fifteen year old made numerous interceptions and consistently fought for the ball at Goal Defence (GD). Knights will be looking to continue their winning streak in a couple of weeks when they take on Lincolnshire’s Sleaford Barge, where they hope to avenge a one-goal loss from their previous encounter. The return match of this season started very closely, with Nottingham Knights and Grasshoppers scoring neck and neck at either end (18/11/12). Grasshoppers were leading for the majority of the quarter and Beth Smith looked particularly confident at Goal Shooter (GS), making life difficult for the Nottingham Knights’ defence. However, the Leicestershire team were pipped at the post in the final minute, to trail 12-13, after the first quarter.
However, due to some superb athleticism and link-up play by Nottingham Knights’ Centre (C), Danni Gatt, alongside some faultless shooting in their attacking end, Nottingham Knights romped away with the second and third quarters to lead 27-45 going into the final quarter. Grasshoppers rallied for the last fifteen minutes and won the quarter, 15-14. However, it was too little too late and Nottingham Knights ran out final winners 42-59. It was a great, well-contested and well-umpired game. The Grasshopper “Player of the Match” went to Beth Smith at Goal Shooter (GS). For more information about Leicestershire’s Grasshoppers, please check out their website: www.grasshoppernetballclub.co.uk Sunday 18th November saw East Midlands Netball Regional League Division 2 team, Iceni, take on Lincoln City 2 at Loughborough University’s Sir David Wallace Sports Centre. The first quarter was fairly evenly fought with both sides having a few wobbles early on in the game. However, by the end of the first quarter, Iceni led by one goal (Iceni 11-10 Lincoln City 2). Iceni then upped their game and increased their lead to 25-16 at the end of the second quarter. The Derby-based team continued to streak ahead in the third quarter, winning it by 15 goals to 7 to take a 40-23 advantage into the last fifteen minutes. Iceni then finished the game off with an impressive winning score of 49 goals to 27.
Iceni played well as a team with strong defensive plays and equally strong attacking moves. Iceni’s Player of the Match went to Jayne Harrison. After a week off, Falcons Yellow returned to Loughborough University to do battle against a very strong Brigg and District team, who were lying third in the standings before this weekend’s East Midlands Netball Regional League Division 2 games.
The Derby-based team got off to a slow start against Lincolnshire’s Brigg and District, who had set their stall out from the first whistle. However, Falcons Yellow were determined not to let their opposition open up a significant lead and kept their nerve to trail by just two goals at the quarter time break (10-12). The second quarter was a different story. Falcons Yellow’s defensive trio of Tamsin Mason (Wing Defence, WD), Samantha Brown (Goal Defence, GD) and Beth Jackson (Goal Keeper, GK) all made a number of interceptions and tips as they applied increasing pressure on the excellent Brigg and District attack. At the other end of the court, Falcons Yellow’s attack came into their own with interchanges of passing between Laura Owen, Jo Holt, Nina Warren and Sarah Bottomley, which led to some superb attacking play. Laura Owen was on fire with some instinctive and at times exquisite feeds into the shooters who duly obliged by putting their shooting opportunities away. This was Falcons Yellow’s best quarter of the game and they went in at the half time interval, four goals up after a quarter score of 16-10. At half time it was: Falcons Yellow 26-22 Brigg and District. Half time changes were made by Falcons Yellow with Liz Stevenson replacing Jackson at Goal Keeper (GK) and Rebecca Simms coming on in place of Jo Holt at Wing Attack (WA). With the changes made, Falcons Yellow took a little time to settle but were still brimming with confidence that they were now on the road to victory. However, Brigg and District came out in the second half, determined to spoil the party. The Lincolnshire’s attack was strong but Falcons Yellow’s defence showed their grit and determination and with a little help from Laura Own, continued to close down the opposition. Tips and interceptions were made all over the court as Falcons Yellow focused on ensuring they reached eight games without a loss. The Derby team opened up a five-goal lead but as the quarter went on, lapses in concentration and unforced errors allowed Brigg and District to bite back and reduce the deficit to just three goals. The quarter ended with Falcons Yellow 39-36 to the good. Falcons Yellow made one more planned substitution before the final quarter with Beth Jackson returning to the court at Goal Keeper (GK) and Liz Stevenson moving out to Goal Defence (GD), allowing Samantha Brown to have a well-deserved break. Falcons Yellow had plenty of work to do to seal victory in the final quarter. Brigg and District continued to press and their shooters converted nearly every opportunity available to them, even when under pressure from the Falcons Yellow defence. To make matters worse for the Derby team, Falcons Yellow were then forced into a substitution. Jackson came off and was replaced by Brown, who came on at Goal Defence (GD), with Stevenson dropping back to Goal Keeper (GK) to accommodate the switch. Brown helped to turn defence into attack by providing some excellent support down the court. She produced two outstanding and pinpoint accurate feeds from mid centre court into the circle, which were converted with consummate ease by Bottomley and Warren. But even with this type of play, Falcons Yellow could not increase their lead and were continually pegged back by Brigg and District. In such an evenly matched game it was anyone’s guess who would come out victorious. However, as the final whistle blew, the quarter ended with twelve goals scored apiece, ensuring Falcons Yellow had kept their unbeaten record intact. The final score was: Falcons Yellow 51 – Brigg 48. It was a close call for this week’s Player of the Match but in the end it was awarded to Laura Owen, with Tamsin Mason and Beth Jackson very close behind. All in all, it was a good team performance, with all players contributing towards another win for Falcons Yellow. Sarah Bottomley (Goal Shooter, GS), Nina Warren (Goal Attack, GA), Jo Holt (Wing Attack, WA), Rebecca Simms (Wing Attack, WA), Laura Owen (Centre, C), Tamsin Mason (Wing Defence, WD), Samantha Brown (Goal Defence, GD), Beth Jackson (Goal Keeper, GK) and Liz Stevenson (Goal Keeper/Goal Defence, GK/GD). Next seek is another week off for Falcons Yellow but they return on 2nd December to do battle with second-place Iceni. This week’s round of East Midlands Netball Regional League matches saw Grasshopper NC come up against one of Division 2’s top teams, Iceni, in a well-contested and hard fought game (04/11/12).
True to form, Grasshoppers took an early lead in the first quarter, with some excellent shooting by Goal Attack (GA) Donna Osborn and headed into the break 11-9 up. Grasshoppers’ hard work continued to pay off during the second quarter as they consolidated their lead and headed into the half time interval, 21-16 up. Coach Anne Melling made some changes for the second half. Selina Jones came off, Karmen Askew moved to Centre (C) and Claire Fielding came on at Wing Attack (WA). The third quarter saw Iceni fight back, despite some strong defending by Goal Keeper (GK) Tracy Glover, Goal Defence (GD) Stephanie Hiom and Wing Defence (WD) Laura Harbour. By the end of the third quarter the scores had narrowed to just 30-27. Coach Melling made some final changes in the last quarter, bringing back Jones at Centre (C), moving Askew back to Wing Attack (WA), moving Harbour to Goal Defence (GD) and taking off Hiom. There ensued an extremely fraught and nail-biting final quarter for both sides with goals going in at both ends of the court. In the end, time was against Iceni though and Beth Smith and Donna Osborn did enough for Grasshoppers to clinch their first win of the season by just one goal. The final score was Grasshopper NC 36-35 Iceni. The Player of the Match was awarded to Laura Harbour for some fantastic defensive work. Sunday 4th November saw Iceni play Grasshoppers in the East Midlands Netball Regional League Division 2 fixture at Loughborough University’s Sir David Wallace Sports Centre.
Iceni got off to another slow start but picked up towards the end of the first quarter and only trailed Grasshoppers 9-11 after the first fifteen minutes. The game followed a similar pattern in the second quarter but the opposition managed to increase their advantage slightly, going in at half-time, 16-21 up. In the second half, Iceni fought back and won the third quarter by two goals. However, the team still trailed 27-30 going into the final fifteen minutes. The fourth and final quarter saw Iceni continue to claw back Grasshoppers’ lead and with just a minute to go, the scores were level at 35 goals each. A lot of attacking and counter-attacking play ensued but the opposition managed to score just before the final whistle. The final score was: Iceni 35-36 Grasshoppers. Iceni’s Player of the Match went to Kay Marshall who played a strong roll throughout the mid-court. Lincoln City 2 (the Imps) faced neighbouring rivals, Nottingham Knights, in this week’s East Midlands Netball Regional League Division 2 game (04/11/12). With Vic Adams injured, Megan Samways moved to Wing Defence (WD), Zoe Cooper to Centre (C) and Bethan Sullivan started at Wing Attack (WA).
It was a close first quarter as the Imps strove for all five points. The defensive duo of Lizzie Saywell and Jade Houlton fought hard to claim the majority of the rebounds, with Saywell also producing a fine interception during the first fifteen minutes. The first quarter ended with Knights just edging it, 11-13. Charlotte Bayes came on at Wing Attack (WA) after the break and created some great movement and feeds into Lincoln City 2’s attack. She dodged her player several times to receive the ball in the attacking third and provide the attack with an option on the edge. Unfortunately, the Imps lost two centre passes in a row during this quarter though, which resulted in the team going behind by five goals. The gap opened up further to a six-goal deficit at one point but Lincoln City 2 managed to claw their way back into the game and ended the quarter just two goals shy. Nottingham Knights led 22-24. The third quarter saw Bethan Sullivan move to Centre (C) as the Imps experimented with their centre court options, whilst Nottingham Knights changed their attack as they tried to open up their lead once more. Lincoln City 2’s defenders stood firm though and their marking was excellent, rarely being pulled up for contact infringements. Lincoln City 2 continued to work hard and keep the opposition at bay but as the third quarter drew to a close, Nottingham Knights had managed to open up a slight lead. The quarter ended 29-35. Charlotte Bayes moved to Goal Shooter (GS) and Laura Forsey came on at Centre (C), as the Imps changed their system for the final fifteen minutes. Defenders Lizzie Saywell and Jade Houlton battled hard to control Knights’ Goal Shooter (GS), whilst also keeping their Goal Attack (GA) out of the ‘D.’ However, it was little avail. Nottingham Knight’s shooting was excellent and what had been a close game thus far turned into a cruel defeat as the Imps simply ran out of steam. The final score was Lincoln City 2 (Imps) 34-52 Nottingham Knights. Lincoln City 2’s Player of the Match went to Jade Houlton, who was voted the best player by Nottingham Knights’ Captain. She defended well throughout the game, made many successful rebounds and regularly kept Nottingham Knight’s Goal Attack (GA) out of the circle. For more information on Lincoln City, please visit: www.lincolncitynetball.co.uk. 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. |
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