Netball: Under 19 Tournament- Winners!
After being county champions and making it through to Regionals last year at U16 level, the girls (& I!!) knew the pressure was on as we couldn’t afford to lose!! From the starting whistle against Northgate, the girls ensured their performance was slick – defending tightly and intercepting any loose balls. Lily Felton and Laura Marshall had a solid game shooting, only missing 1 or 2 goals at the most. Next was Ipswich School. This performance can only be described as fantastic! Esmee Scott, Freya Cooney, Ella Burdett and Imogen Bacon defended like there was no tomorrow and pressurised the attacking players. Imogen Bacon’s interception from their first centre changed the whole game! St Joseph’s followed and enabled us to change the whole team, allowing some players to rest for the other 3 games ahead. Olivia Woodmansee and Laura Marshall were faultless in their shooting (as the score reflects) and Verity Jackson and Imogen Craig fed the circle effectively. Tara King and Ellisse Morey’s defending was superb, preventing St Joseph’s from scoring any goals. The last 3 games were upon us. Copleston, Kesgrave and Ipswich High.
The final game – the decider was against Ipswich High, who had won all of their matches too, so the heat was on along with the pressure. Although we were a little sloppy with our passing down court, a stern word at half time ensured the girls were not going to lose this so they had to give everything. With the score being 7 – 5 going into the 2nd quarter and Ipswich High’s centre, we had to defend. Unfortunately, they broke away and outplayed us, therefore scoring to bring the score to 7 – 6. The pressure was then on. The ball went up and down the court, goals being missed but rebounds being made, until we managed to break away with Imogen Craig intercepting the ball and finding Bella Chater in the air, who fed the circle perfectly, passing to Lily Felton who scored. This changed the whole game and we looked like we wanted to win. The second half performance can only be described as fantastic – and nerve-racking (especially from me umpiring!!) and the girls should be extremely proud of how well they played as a team. With a squad of 12, definitely indicates the depth we have at a senior level. Well done girls!! We look forward to the County round on Saturday 15th November.
Player of the tournament – Imogen Craig. She played with 100% effort and determination. Intercepting everything in the air and playing flawlessly.
V Northgate w 15 – 0
V Ipswich School w 12 – 3
V St Joseph’s w 21 – 2
V Copleston w 12 – 5
V Kesgrave w 16 – 6
V Ipswich High w 10 – 6
