Blues Match Report
The Blues made the journey to Cambridge to take part in the first of 3 matches against the Tabs this year, with the starting seven being
GK – Phoebe Dix
GD- Felicity Elvidge
WD – Jess Dunmore
C- Phoebe Makin
WA – Holly Hayward
GA – Eleanor Butt
GS – Aurnia Barlow
The first quarter began with the Tabs centre pass, from which they got a run of goals leaving the blues to fall slightly behind. Grit and determination at both ends, with some brilliant zoning in through court defence, saw Oxford take a number of turnovers, converting them clinically to goal. The linkage between defence and attack was clear to see, allowing Butt and Barlow to bring the score to 14-12 to the home team.
After a motivating team talk from the captain, the second quarter saw Eve Tranter come on to WA, with the rest of the court staying the same. The Blues’ hunger for the win was apparent, fighting for every ball and taking some tough contact from the opposition. Consistency was carried throughout the quarter, with the girls remembering their attacking principles and maintaining composure – specifically in the shooting circle, where the work was tiresome and relentless – meant drawing the quarter, ending with a score of 29-27.
Following half time, Holly Hayward came back to WA, with Katinka Mitchell-Thompson moving to C, as Phoebe Makin dropped to WD. Immediately, it was clear the substitutions were making a positive impact, with some great passages of fast and fluid play from centre pass to goal, which allowed the Blues to come within level of the home team. Tiredness up and down the court meant errors began to creep in, though the score was maintained and the quarter finished 42-38.
The final quarter saw Dunmore back to WD, and Makin back to C. The resilience and fight for every ball throughout court was simply not enough to compensate for minor errors in moments of significance. Despite once again climbing to within level, thanks to interceptions all over the court, the tabs were able to maintain the lead, resulting in a final score of 56-50 to the home side.
No doubt such score will push the Oxford Blues to regroup and improve before they host the tabs at Iffley Road, as it is clear that the score could have been much improved with the elimination of errors for Oxford.
Roos Match Report
The Roos took on Coventry 1s for their first match of the season, with their fixture against Aston last week being unfortunately cancelled by the opposition. The starting 7 was:
GS – Ellie Vohra
GA – Becca Nolan
WA – Daisy Edwards
C – Josie Kucera
WD – Rachel Macnaghten
GD – Mimi Rose-Fyne
GK – Amynta Rimmer
You certainly wouldn’t know that it was their first game, with the smooth and very successful centre passes and through-court transitions. Despite the Coventry GS rarely missing a shot, Minta was able to get some great interceptions and rebounds in the defence, with Rachel helping to bring the ball up court, always offering a lateral. It was a draw (13-13) at the end of the first quarter thanks to Ellie who shot in the last second, which was met with great uproar from both the team and the Emus who were watching.
Partly due to nerves, there were some unforced errors and dropped balls in the second quarter which allowed Coventry to pull ahead, bringing the score to 27-24 to them at half time. In the third quarter, Helena Cox came on to WA, Ruby Turner on to shooter moving Ellie to GA, Daisy moved to Centre and Ibs Laughton came on to GD. With a rousing talk from the Captain, and fresh legs in both the attack and defence, the team fought hard, chasing and picking up all loose balls and turning tips into interceptions. The work of Ruby and Ellie in the attacking circle was fundamental to Oxford coming from 3 behind and finishing the third quarter 2 up (38-36).
In the fourth quarter, Josie came back to Centre and Abi Moss on to Wing Attack, who in her first game for Oxford showed no sign of nerves and fitted smoothly into the attack. In a nail biting finish, Oxford managed to hold on to their lead and finish the match 49-47. A very impressive first match for the Roos!
Emus Match Report
The Emus played a well fought match against a strong Anglia Ruskin team, winning 34-30! The team kept composed despite the close score line, and Maddy was awarded player of the match for her amazing shooting!