Blues Match Report
The Blues hosted Loughborough 3s at home this week and, following a devastating loss in Cambridge last week, were determined to get a win under their belts. Even from the warm up the team were connected, confident and calm – thanks to an encouraging talk from captain El – which was taken through into the first quarter by starting 7:
GK – Phoebe Dix
GD- Felicity Elvidge
WD – Jess Dunmore
C – Phoebe Makin
WA – Holly Hayward
GA – El Butt
GS – Aurnia Barlow
A very composed team started off the first quarter with some great physical strength, accurate passes and lots of communication, trusting in one another to commit to fighting for every ball. Turnovers from the defensive end were taken carefully through court thanks to some long, impressive cross court draws from Dunmore at WD, making play in the attacking third slick and easy, with precision and a consistent, high shooting percentage from Barlow and Butt. The Blues led into the second quarter.
Changes were made in defence as Dunmore dropped to GD and Makin to WD, whilst Katinka Mitchell-Thompson came in at C, and Eve Tranter to WA. Once more, impressive communication in the defensive end brought endless interceptions, which only built the confidence of the dynamic, agile defenders – allowing some great flies out the circle from Dix at GK. The impact substitutions both making strong and clear drives allowed fluidity in the transition from defence to attack, again using triangles on the circle edge to give some perfect feeds to the shooters. The balance around the circle edge was apparent at Mitchell-Thompson and Tranter worked cleanly to give ball side, top and pocket, circle edge offers. The Blues retained their lead into half time.
The substitutions came once again as Charlie Leach came on at WD, whilst Makin moved back to C, as Mitchell- Thompson moved into GA and Hayward back on at WA. The third quarter started strong, with the shooters making movement in the circle look easy – a very slick and impressive connection after only 4 weeks of training! An injury 5 minutes in meant Leach was helped off court, whilst Elvidge came back to GD and Dunmore moving forward to WD. Another strong quarter for the Blues, working patiently to make each new combination effective against a fast opposition. Blues led into the final 15 minutes with a 14 goal lead.
The final Blues debut came with Sophia Martin coming on at GS and Tranter back to C. A steady mid-court was vital in retaining the lead, to slow down the fast transition out of defence, and gradually work in the new shooting combination. The familiar Hayward and Tranter were a composed and confident pair when feeding the shooters, who were up against some powerful and aggressive defenders. A final change came with 7 minutes remaining, with Makin back on at C to bring the game to a close. Some brilliant determination and grit, running hard alongside a speedy Loughborough team, meant the Blues were able to end the game with a 42-37 win, their first of the season!
POM Aurnia Barlow
Well done Blues!
Roos Match Report
This week the Roos took on the Warwick University 2s at home. The match started calmly despite a different starting 7 of:
GS Ellie Vohra
GA Becca Nolan (VC)
WA Abi Moss
C Daisy Edwards (C)
WD Rachel Macnaghten
GD Ibs Laughton
GK Minta Rimmer
Some nerves from the Roos allowed Warwick a run of 4 at the very beginning, but with encouragement from the captain and those on the side, the team quickly brought it back with some neat centre passes and accurate shooting. After this boost of confidence, the rest of the quarter was dominated by Oxford, as all interceptions and rebounds in the defence were transferred effectively to goal. The quarter ended 15-11 to Oxford.
In the second quarter Josie Kucera came onto Centre, bringing fresh legs as well as a steady control of the play throughout court. The attack continued to successfully take all centres to goal, and despite the strong defensive work from Warwick, the attack took their time working it in to the shooters with great feeds, which were rewarded with brilliant shooting from Ellie and Becca. The successful work all throughout court allowed Oxford to end the quarter 27/18 up.
After the incredibly successful first half, the third quarter saw some changes to the team, which were matched by a change in tactic by Warwick, who to combat the brilliant work of the Oxford shooting duo brought their shooter to GK. Unfortunately, their new GK’s successful rebounds exploited all mistakes in the attack and allowed Warwick to bring it back to only a 3 point Oxford lead. In the fourth quarter, this increased and disrupted the beautiful flow that Oxford had maintained in the first half, allowing Warwick to win the match by 2, with the final score 38-40. A very disappointing loss for the Roos, but one from which there is much to be learnt, and, as they are heading to Warwick next week for a rematch, there is still a chance to beat this impressive side!
Emus Match Report
This week the Emus traveled to the tranquil Shropshire countryside, where they took on Harper Adams 1s in the first round of the Midlands Conference Cup. The starting 7 was:
GS – Kiara
GA – Zoe
WA – Yas
C – Ellen
WD – Elena
GD – Katie
GK – Chloe
The Emus had a strong start, scoring many consecutive goals. Zoe and Kiara were working the circle well, assisted by Yas and Ellen’s accurate feeds. Katie and Chloe were communicating effectively in defence, resulting in many turnovers. However, our error rate was high, and the first quarter ended 6-3 to us.
Going into the second quarter, our aim was to reduce unforced errors. Maddy came on at WA, with Yas dropping back to WD. We tidied up our game and converted many turnovers to goal. Maddy’s speed energised the attack, who began playing more creatively. Katie and Chloe’s teamwork strengthened, limiting the opposition to 3 goals again this quarter. Yas brought the ball down the court effectively, opening up space for the attack. The half time score was 18-6.
For the third quarter, Maddie came on at GS and Elena returned to WD. Ellen and Maddy were dynamic through the court, consistently driving to pocket. Maddie’s shooting was accurate and reliable. However, the opposition stepped up their game this quarter, with some impressive long-range shots. The team had to fight harder, and the score was 25-12 going into the final 15 minutes.
In the final quarter, we used the large difference in scores to try new combinations, and we’re glad we did! Kiara played GA and Yas returned to WD. Everything seemed to fall into place in what was our best quarter. The defence reliably turned over the ball, and the attack took full advantage of this. The feeding into the circle was excellent, producing some satisfying passages of play. Maddie and Kiara clicked as a shooting combination, working the ball around the circle well. Elena came on at WD mid-way through the quarter and made an impact with some great interceptions. The final score was 44-18 to the Emus, and Chloe was awarded player of the match!