Girls' Netball: 1st v Strathallan

Belhaven 16 – Strathallan 2

The girls, and I, were super excited for the first Belhaven netball match since March 2020 as we warmed up on the court after lunch.  Hester captained the side and having lost the toss, Strathallan began the match.  Within five passes the ball was soon in the goal and the girls took a very early lead.  Eliza and Davina worked well in the attacking circle creating space to have shots on goal, quickly getting ready for the rebound each time.  Our mid court play worked well and Poppy was a great link between the centre and the shooters.  By quarter time, Belhaven were 5 goals in the lead.

The second quarter began and Strathallan, now having warmed up, were keen to get the ball into their attacking circle.  Unfortunately for them, Alice was there defending the circle brilliantly and stopping the ball from reaching their GS.  Grace worked well to create space for Alice to pass the ball through, whilst Mary was able to get free from her marker to create further space.  Eliza and Carmen worked well in the attacking circle once more with goals from both girls took Belhaven 8 – 0 by half time.

The instructions for the third quarter were to slow the pace of the game and space out.  Trying not to run into the same space was proving difficult but the girls responded by making use of the width of the court.  Some great defending from Flora in this quarter stopped the Strathallan WA passing the ball to their shooters.  By the end of the quarter we had scored a further 4 goals to take us 12 – 0.

The girls continued to fight for the ball on court and play moved between both circles, allowing all players to make an impact on the game.  Carmen was ready in the circle and tried some long shots at goal, whilst Eliza was ready to back up and collect the rebound.  The team worked really hard together, making some great interceptions and giving the whole team encouragement.

Well done girls – what a fantastic start to the season.  Still lots to work on before our next match but I am sure that with your enthusiasm and passion to do well, we can improve upon all these aspects of game play.  I was impressed by all your efforts today, especially Carmen having never played netball before, adapting so well and making such an impact on the attack.

Player of the match – Grace for some excellent defending and supporting Alice when taking free passes.