I
t was always going to be difficult to
follow the success of last year's
unbeaten season, and although we
couldn't quite match that, the standard
of netball played and the commitment
and determination shown by the team
was excellent.
We went into our first match against Queen's
lacking in match fitness because of the bad
weather, but we battled hard, and the two
sides were never more than two goals apart in
any quarter. We defended well and Holly
Domellof was in excellent shooting form, but
we wasted too much possession, allowing
Queen's a narrow one-point win. Our next
match was against Richard Huish, which
we won
comfortably,
31-8. We
were always
too strong in
all areas of the
court, with
Emma ClydeSmith,
Hilary
Moorhead and
Becca
MacDonaldDoyle
making great
interceptions
throughout the
match.
The annual
three-way
tournament
against
Millfield and
West Buckland
ended in a disappointing loss to Millfield 9-14,
down to throwing away too much possession,
although Emma and Hilary had another fine
game. We woke up against West Buckland
with some fine passages of play and terrific
movement in and around the D by Holly and
Issy Germain. Hattie Cunningham was player
of the match for her fantastic interceptions in a
22-12 win.
Colyton were our next visitors, and this was our
most frustrating loss, again by just one goal. In
a fighting display, we could never get ahead in
the match, and lost 13-14, but this was to be
our final loss of the term.
Against our arch rivals Taunton School, both
teams started slowly, and at half-time King's
led by four goals. In what developed into a
very physical second half we stayed calm and
maintained a high standard of passing and
movement, controlling the game with excellent
mid-court defence by Alice Davies and Becca
MacDonald-Doyle, ensuring a 19-12 win.
The visit of Canford produced a close first
quarter, in a game played in good spirit by both
teams. We gradually got into our stride, and
with a great team performance won 24-19.
Our annual pilgrimage to Stoodley Knowle is
always entertaining, and this year we had to
cope with driving wind and rain followed by
sea mist, but this did not stop us playing
excellent netball, using the court well and
working together as a team. Holly was in great
shooting form and Hattie played with incredible
energy all game to ensure a 21-18 win.
We proved too strong for both Wellington and
Clifton, beating them 28-15 and 27-19, again
showing how well as a team we were now
performing. Our final and most memorable win
was against Blundell's. In a very close
competitive game, both teams matched each
other goal for goal, and at the end of the third
quarter we found ourselves with a narrow lead
17-16. The final quarter saw King's increase
the pressure on Blundell's, which led to them
throwing away possession. Holly and Issy shot
with great accuracy and Emma, Hilary and
Becca defended resolutely, to secure a 26-21
win.
The county cup was our final competition, and
we dominated the event with impressive wins
over Wells, Bruton, Queen's and Millfield, to
qualify for the finals, where we firstly
dispatched Taunton 9-5, followed by Millfield
10-6, to become deserved county champions.
I would like to thank Abbie Pepperall for once
again providing excellent coaching for the girls.
To Emma, Becca, Hattie and Holly, who have
represented King's with pride and passion, I
wish you all the success in the future, and to
Alice, Hilary, Issy and Hebe, good luck in
2011!
Aluredian
70
Netball
1st VII
by Jane Berry
Action from the 1st VII's
31-8 win against
Richard Huish