Exciting draw for Lincoln City 1 and Nottingham City Aces

Lincoln City 1 were missing super shooter Becky Baker as they took on last season’s number 1 team in the East Midlands Netball Regional League Division 1. Jade Houlton moved to GS with Katherine Sturton filling the GA position and Jenny Leach took the C bib in her last game for the club. The first quarter didn’t go to plan for Lincoln though as Aces’ strong defence turned over numerous balls, which resulted in them taking the first quarter 12-9.

The second quarter was Lincoln's strongest quarter. Once again the defence of Lizzie Saywell, Lucy Heathershaw and Vic Adams were excellent at bringing the ball down the court, whilst Abby Johnson and Leach worked hard to feed into attack, allowing the Imps to take an overall lead of 19-18 into half time.

Lincoln’s Leach moved to WA for the second half whilst Beth Richardson came off the bench (the others players retained their positions from the first half). Richardson’s appearance was impactful – she applied great pressure on the passes and turned over the ball numerous times, allowing Lincoln to win the quarter by three and be 31-27 up overall.

Johnson returned to the court for the final quarter and the Imps continued with their impressive game so far. They were leading by six goals with five minutes to go but unfortunately the inexperienced partnership of Houlton and Sturton led to some miscommunication, which allowed the Aces to take control of the match. Aces’ defence was also excellent and they overturned numerous balls to end the match with a draw: 37-37.

Lincoln City’s impressive start to the season sees them presently sitting second in a league that could easily go down to the wire. Lizzie Saywell was deservedly awarded best player by both teams for her numerous interceptions and rebounds throughout the match. Her solid performance helped Lincoln to achieve a draw against a top side.