A
new season and a very new
team. We had lost four of
last year's first team, so
there were many
adjustments needed at the
start of the season. The
new young players had their work cut out in
our first match against Wellington in which the
final score was a 14-25 defeat, however the
score does not reflect that there were some
highlights, such as the great defence from Jess
Kennedy and Hilary Moorhead.
After that initial realisation of the pace and
physical nature required by 1st team netball, it
was clear that some serious training was
required. There followed some tough training
sessions in which we really started to bond and
get used to each other on court. After a very
close loss to Queen's 14-15, the team was
starting to come together.
This was certainly evident in the match against
West Buckland which we won 17-13.
Particular praise needs to go to Issy Germain
and Charlotte Smyth for their accurate shooting
not just in the West Buckland game but
throughout the season. Millfield was always
going to be a tough match, but against a much
more established team than ours we managed
to play competitively against their fast pace all
the way to the end, final score 11-23.
Our next two games were against Canford and
Blundell's, and in both matches, we couldn't
find an answer to their unbeatable shooters.
Alice Davies really shone in these more
competitive games, with her high level of
precision, and ability to adapt her game, but it
was not enough to gain wins overall. In the
Blundell's match, even the massive vertical lift
of Hilary Moorhead was beaten for height by
their exceptionally tall and accurate shooter.
We won against Richard Huish and Stoodley
Knowle though, both keenly contested
matches. Against Stoodley Knowle, we were
just two goals up at 23-21, heading into the
final quarter. However, phenomenal shooting
from Issy Germain and Charlotte Smyth
produced 11 goals in ten minutes; the
defenders played well, keeping the opposition
out of the shooting area and turning over a
number of balls. Great centre-court play from
Flora Evans and Hattie Kean fed balls
beautifully in to the shooters - a terrific end to
an excellent game of netball, with the final
score 34-23.
Our next win was Clifton, who were a very
well-drilled and fit team, so we did well to pull
out a win. All the defence played exceptionally,
with Rosie Parr player of the match, helping
the GD and GK block out all the balls, as we
ran out 25-11 winners. Taunton School was
going to be a difficult match after we had
beaten them in an earlier tournament, but their
fitness on a full match beat ours, and we lost
16-25.
Our final match against Colyton was a great
win, 29-22. A fast game with lots of skill from
both teams, we started well and managed to
stay in the lead throughout the game.
Coach Imogen Hobday writes: This was Alice
Davies' last match for the 1st VII, having played
in each of the last three years. Her contribution
has been greatly appreciated, and she has been
a fantastic ambassador for the sport.
Aluredian
70
Netball
1st VII
by Alice
Davies
Jess Kennedy blocks
a Stoodley Knowle
shot on goal