This was a fantastic first outing for the second team, as there has been limited time to practice and we always know in advance the competition at Foremarke will be tough. Furthermore most teams were predominately Under 13s, where as our team comprised mainly of Under 12s.
It is then heartening that we finished in 5th place out of the eight teams. Our scores were as follows:
SA v Hilton
Won 7-6
Our first match was a win, but not perhaps a comfortable as it could have been. It was the first game of the seasons and nerves were running high. However we worked hard on court and held the victory. The shooters played particularly well; Annie GP and Lucy R got used to each others play and started to work well together. Ella N also had a good game, feeding the ball accurately to GA and GS.
SA v Foremarke A
Lost 10-3
Despite what looks a poor score the girls really picked up their game and played to their best against this tough side. The defensive combination of Fran FH and Alice S worked together very strongly and were able to stop many goals. Unfortunately we struggled to get the ball back up the court and we must improve upon our back line passes.
SA v Bromsgrove
Lost 12-3
Bromsgrove, who were the eventual winner of the tournament, have already played netball for one term and was a difficult opposition for us. However the team managed to pull out all the stops and played some very good netball. Again the circle defence was spot on (Hannah S and Fran FH) but the ball did not flow up the court. Also in this game Arabella A played soundly, coming forward for the ball. In this game centre passes did not work out and we must address this by the next game.
After three games we finished in 3rd place in our group and then had to play for 5th or 6th position.
Play off for 5th or 6th
SA versus Foremarke B
Won 4-3
In our final match the girls pulled out all the stops and played really well to win this really close match 4-3. Jess RS in particular had an outstanding game and she was able to make tidier centre passes and she really helped with the back line passes too.
Overall, it was a pleasing first performance, but one the squad must work on. The next match for this team is against Foremarke next Saturday. Now we know their game we will work on centre passes and our back line pass. It is also important, given the height of our team, that the girls drive forward to receive passes rather than trying to dodge backwards as high balls will be quickly intercepted by taller opposition.
Thank you to all the spectators: it was a cold afternoon to be either playing or watching!
AJW
Posted on
Sat, January 8, 2011
by MAC