Girls' Netball Match Reports: Wednesday, 27th January
There is a lot going on and so to create some space in the Latest News feed we have decided to put all the Girls' Netball match reports together for this week. Just choose the one you want to read ...
1st Team v St. Mary's
The girls knew this would be a tough match today and unfortunately the game just didn’t go their way from the start. Play was even for a bit, with both teams fighting hard for possession. Some careless errors on our part lost us possession at vital points on the court. Hester had her work cut out this game as she kept up with her marker whilst Eliza and Carmen tried to get free from their taller defenders. We had a few rushed shots at goal and playing the ball into our circle too quickly lost us some vital shots. Alice and Grace worked brilliantly in defence and it wasn’t long before St Mary’s found the net. Unfortunately, Grace took a fall and had to sit out the rest of the game after the first quarter.
Belhaven 1 - 5 St Mary’s
As St Mary’s started the second quarter, play became more even on the court. Flora leapt into action as WD and made some good interceptions, whilst Mary played out of position as GD. She worked brilliantly with Alice and the defence bought the ball forwards to our attacking circle. Alma created space on the court in attack and fed the ball nicely to Eliza for a few more shots on goal while Davina paired up to feed the ball ready to shoot. A more even quarter finished Belhaven 3 - 8 St Mary’s 8.
After a quick chat the team were back on court. Again they were forced into playing too fast and careless errors on court went against them – footwork and incorrect throw ins. Carmen was determined to score this quarter and took a few long shots at goal, finally scoring her first for the team. Poppy and Hester continued to work well bringing the ball into attack, but St Mary’s tall goalkeeper stopped many of their passes into the circle.
Belhaven 5 - 12 St Mary’s
For the final quarter, the girls were asked to use the width of the court, slow down the pace and think of their passes. Being more aware of their footwork, landing on two feet did the job nicely. Some great attacking play from Alma and Hester only saw the ball quickly intercepted by the St Mary’s defence. Despite some good attempts at goal, the ball just didn’t want to go through the net today.
It was a tough game girls – physically demanding and at speed which forced errors on your play. Spacing on court is key to possession; don’t be like ‘bees in a honey pot’ and run into the same space! Silly errors cost us play at key points in the game.
3 wishes and ...
Think of your positioning on court; make space
You need to try to get in front of your marker if they are tall
Watch out for basic footwork and defending errors
... a star
Great to see you trying to use the swing pass at times during the game
Player of the match : Mary for stepping in as GD and making great interceptions when needed.
2nd Team v St. Mary's
Off the back of last week’s impressive displays there was a number of players who were vying for places in the starting team. The spine of the Under 12 team from Strathallan deservedly kept their positions as Ottie, Alice and Sophie started the game. It was from this foundation that others around them, such as Ishbel, Victoire and Louisa, could move the ball fluidly forward in attack. Sophie shot with great accuracy in the first quarter and finished four really good moves.
In the second quarter the girls dropped their concentration ever so slightly which allowed a strong St. Mary’s attacking side to take full advantage scoring two quick goals. Fresh to the court, Willow linked well with Sophie to reply with one goal and Emilia supported Ottie to ensure the defence remained solid for the rest of the quarter. The girls went in at half time with a slender one goal advantage.
In the third quarter, the girls responded well to the team talk by attacking with greater patience and building their play with greater care and precision. Bee and Ottie kept things tight at the back and Louisa and Sophie linked well again to stretch the lead further but still the lead was only by two as Belhaven went into the final quarter with an 8-6 lead.
The strength and depth of the squad really showed in the final quarter as yet more changes were made both in personnel and in shape. This did not seem to disrupt the flow of the game as the girls stretched their lead even further as Sophie shot with fantastic accuracy and, as the team tired, Alice made sure everybody kept up their energy and enthusiasm. The score finished 11-7.
A fantastic result and performance girls, well done. Things to work on for next time are to make sure that we slow the pace of passing when entering the attacking quarter: to ensure that passes remain accurate: that we switch on at the start of every quarter.
Thank you to all the parents who came to support the girls.
U11 Team v St. Mary's
Today was the second match of the season and the girls travelled down to Melrose. It was a bit of a treacherous day in terms of the weather but the girls were excited to get started. The first game was against a very strong U11 team. The Belhaven team worked very hard to intercept the ball and gained a better understanding of how to space out. There was some brilliant shooting from St. Mary’s and they quickly managed to take the lead. A lot of progress was made by Belhaven throughout the match and it was a great experience to play against such a good team. The girls tried out new positions, which they enjoyed. Sadly, not a win on this occasion but there were lots of positives and a few things we can look to more on in the coming weeks.
We were a little more successful in the second match despite having a tiring first game. Wendy managed to score some incredible goals from all over the ‘D’. Our defence team of Iona and Daisy worked hard together managing to turn the ball around on numerous occasions. The centre court players showed incredible energy as they bombed around the court. It was clear the team were beginning to gel.
A great learning experience and we are already looking forward to our next game. Well done, girls!
U9 Team v St. Mary's
Today was the first netball match this term, and for most it was their first ever match. The girls have been working hard on their shooting, marking and defending and they are ready to start learning more about how to play a match.
We had two matches to play. One against their U9s and one against their U8s. This was great as the majority of the team or in the U8 category. We even have an U7!
Our first match against the U9s was very tough. They were taller and nippier and were more switched on than us. They have a little more experience in the bag, which made all the difference. The scored a lot of goals quite quickly, which took the girls a little by surprise. In the second quarter we picked up a bit and started to intercept some of their balls. Sadly we lost in the end but it was a learning experience for the girls.
The second match was much more evenly matched. Our passing was more accurate and we were managing to catch the ball. The girls were moving into spaces and started to work together as a team. Iris and Isobel worked well as shooters, helping each other out and moving around and passing in the ‘D’. Iris scored a beautiful goal taking Belhaven into the lead. St. Mary’s came back and scored a goal quite quickly after. The games was very close and both teams and a few attempts at shooting. Beatrix and Molly worked well together in defence and progressed brilliantly throughout the two matches. By the end of the match it was 4-2 to Belhaven, which was very exciting!
We had a good chat at the end and, moving forward, we are going to work on our passing and our centre passes so that we can work on using all the opportunities that we get.
Well done, girls. A super afternoon of netball.
