A
fter a bright start against
Queen's, we struggled to
maintain effective
partnerships within the
team, which would have
helped us keep pace with
the opposition. There was a lot of promise
shown though for the rest of the season.
Hannah Cartwright's leaping interceptions were
a highlight against Millfield. We had some
lovely flowing passing movements, so the final
result was disappointing after such a
determined performance. Player of the match
was Naomi Smale for her excellent movement
and awesome shooting.
We matched West Buckland goal for goal until
just before half-time, when we found ourselves
three goals behind. After the interval we
allowed the opposition to turn over too many
centre passes, but as the game wore on our
play became more composed and determined.
Stand-out players were Jodie Burrows and
Amelia Evans.
Against Colyton we found ourselves up against
a team that finished Under 16 runners-up in
last year's nationals, so it was always going to
be a tough ask. However we played with
commitment despite the pace and skill of the
opposition, and kept the final scoreline
respectable.
The Taunton School fixture produced a
nailbiting 18-18 draw. Players of the match
were Naomi Swale for her excellent use of
space in the goal circle, and Tory Clark who
read the game well, producing several wellplaced
passes into the circle.
We had a hard-fought
game against Canford.
Movement through the
middle third was good,
with Jodie Burrows,
Hattie Kean and Tory
Clark putting good pace
on the ball. Player of
the match was Lara
Clark for her
determined play as
goalkeeper.
At Clifton we started in
determined fashion to
take the first quarter by
one goal, only for
Clifton to fight back
and lead by two at
half-time. With the
scores tied 19-19 at
the end of the third
quarter, Naomi Smale
and Danielle Harvey
gave a masterful
display of shooting, and
although we just lost, it was undoubtedly our
best performance of the season so far.
Some excellent shooting again by Naomi Smale
saw us trail to Blundell's by only one goal going
into the last quarter. In a tense finish, we failed
to capitalise on possession, and Blundell's were
able to run away with the game. Aluredian
71
2nd VII
T
he 3rds had to wait till the
Taunton School fixture for
their first match, and were
disappointed to go down
narrowly, as they fought hard
against a tall defence,
especially when the scores were level at halftime.
Excellent commitment from all the
players made for a spirited game right to the
last minute.
We found ourselves behind at the start against
Canford, but never gave up, and through
determination and good teamwork created
many good scoring opportunities. Tireless
defence and good linking play were a credit to
the team. We went behind early on against
Clifton, but fought back with determination to
bring the score back to within one goal. Clifton
however came out aggressively in the final
quarter to finish with a four-goal lead.
It was a closely-fought end to the season at
Blundell's, with good linking and sharp passing
bringing the scores close by the third quarter.
The shooters worked hard to position
themselves well in the circle - player of the
match was Lucy Sharp. 3rd VII
The 4ths had three
matches. Good
teamwork and strong
captaincy by Hatti
Mason led to a fantastic
18-14 win at Taunton
School. Katie Turberville
stepped up to the role of
goalkeeper for her first
ever netball match
against Canford, and at
Blundell's the team
enjoyed a sensational
29-10 win, with Sophie
Pearson-Miles and Izzy
Arliss seizing their
opportunities - the team
was superbly led by
Hatti Mason.
Amelia Evans looks
for a gap in the
Millfield defence