Player of the match: Lexi BD
Today we faced a tough opposition away, but getting there early we were able to warm up thoroughly. Laura D (captain) and Mimi C (vice-captain) won the toss and this meant we started each quarter with an S.A centre pass which is always a distinct advantage in netball.
The girls played various positions:
Position 1st Quarter 2nd Quarter 3rd Quarter 4th Quarter
Centre Lily H Lily H Lily H Immy N
Wing Attack Mimi C Immy N Laura D Mimi C
Goal Attack Evie D Evie D Evie D Evie D
Goal Shooter Emily H Emily H Emily H Emily H
Wing Defence Laura D Mimi C Sophie J Laura D
Goal Defence Sophie J Livi BD Livi BD Sophie J
Goal Keeper Lexi BD Lexi BD Lexi BD Lexi BD
In attack Evie D and Emily H worked fantastically together and they have certainly upped their game and they play as an excellent combination. Out of the 15 goals scored Emily H scored 9 and Evie D scored 6 including a great long shot in the first quarter. Over the game the goals were achieved by 5 in the first quarter, 4 in the second quarter, 4 in the third quarter and 2 in the last quarter.
Feeding the ball into the D was a combination of Immy N, Mimi C and Laura D. Changing player allowed us to try out combinations for the tournament on Saturday. The feed needs to be a high ball which falls to the right player. At this higher level straight passes are often intercepted.
At centre Lily H and then Immy N ran their socks off. Their opposing centre was very tall and so both girls did a marvellous job of jumping for the ball and both managed tips and some interceptions. They controlled the game well and all centre passes were on target.
In defence Laura D and Sophie J played as Wing Defence. They managed to keep the Westbourne Wing out of the game. Goal defence was shared between Sophie J and Livi BD, both girls played hard either keeping the Westbourne Goal attack out of the game or sticking so closely to them that they were not allowed many shots on goal. As goal keeper, Lexi BD had her best game to date. She was on her toes, marking sideways and she moved with her player and these simple but effective tactics allowed her to take many interceptions which she caught and threw back into play. In this part of the court we must remember about back line passes: Centre and Wing Defence should be positioned right on the circle edge and Goal Defence should move out of play. These positions cannot be marked and if they are standing in the right place. Any defence who tries to mark them will often contact and this means it brings our possession further up the court. We must put this strategy into the games on Saturday.
Overall I was very impressed by the Under 11 performance. There are still lots of position changes and players are put on and off but despite these changes the team remained focussed, positive and wanting to win. The score line of 15-4 does not reflect how hard we had to work. It was a real team effort and a high calibre of netball is shining through.
Saturday’s tournament will be tough. We must sort out these back line passes. The other aspect we will focus on in Friday’s training is not throwing the ball away once we have made all these interceptions. We need to stop and think before we pass and I will continue to ask the players to sprint forward for the ball, which feels slightly an unnatural move but it works wonders on court.
Thanks to all who came to support. Hope you were as pleased with the girl’s performance as I was.
Posted on
Thu, January 26, 2012
by Admin