U12A v Foremarke Hall score 7-7

U12A V Foremarke Hall 2nd VII 
Played at S.Anselm's on Saturday 12th January 2009 

SCORE 7 - 7

P.O.M. Charlotte P

The first match of the season saw all the U12s competing for every place on the team. After numerous player combinations were tried out in the last week we went into fixture secure in the knowledge that we had the strongest team possible.

The Foremarke girls were a well drilled team with a similar height pattern to ours so the pressure was on the shooters and defenders to work around tall opposition with good reaches. Foremarke took an early lead but SA girls fought them (and each other!) for possession of the ball and after injury time and a severe depletion of the plaster supplies the score was 3-1 to Foremarke after the 1st quarter.

The girls settled quickly but were shooting with a strong wind behind them so all long shots were being whipped away. Milly was outstanding as C and moved well about the court. Nancy fed the ball well into the shooters but despite Poppy holding her space under the post for the easy shot, play was often so rushed and panicked that the ball was only delivered to the edge of the D. Lydia became a calming influence and slowed play down and forced the centre court players to make space for each other. Emily was always available for the square pass and made some fantastic interceptions. After another dip into the 1st Aid Bag the score was 5-3 to Foremarke at half time.

For the 2nd part of the match the girls played some superb netball and some very scrappy netball. The wind was picking up so the long loopy passes weren't working. The Foremarke GK seemed to be getting taller and Poppy and Georgina had problems getting the ball past her. Phoebe positioned herself well for the back line passes and moved the ball well up the court with Emily. Nancy was always ready for the ball in attack and Georgina was quick to dart about and receive long balls. Charlotte was as cool and contained as a top class GK. She marked the GS very well and made some fabulous interceptions at key points in the game. Her height and her well held lean really put pressure on the shooters. We had many near misses at our goal but went in the quarter leading 6-5.

Both teams really fought hard for the ball and as a result the play became very fast. The final score was 7-7 which is indicative of the quality of competition between the teams. The game has highlighted weaknesses but also demonstrated what a fabulous mental attitude and spirit the girls have and how much potential there is to harness and develop that.