The ORA Winter League continued in its sixth week, with 24 teams across the 4 divisions keen to cement positions on the table in before the close of the first half of the season.
In Division 1, Accies B showed brilliant defence in the first few minutes of the game but then Accies A hit the ground running and took a strong lead when a player came off injured for a few minutes for Accies B. In the 2nd quarter, Accies A worked well as a unit with Molly Ryan (GD) and Player of the Match Kat Le Riche (GK) turning over the ball which their attack capitalised on. During the 3rd quarter, both teams battled hard. There was excellent defending by Accies B players, one of whom, Lucy Somay, made her debut for the first division. Accies B’s centre court players Poppy Hughes and Gabby Scott shared their teams Player of the Match honours, working the ball well to feed their shooters. Unfortunately, another injury for Accies B in the 3rd quarter left them with only 6 players and Accies A utilised this opportunity to win the game 53 -35.
Division 1’s St Saviour A were determined to turn their fortunes around and get their first win as they faced a seasoned and resilient St. Clement A side, also hungry for their first victory in the top division. What followed was a dynamic and high-tempo match that showcased the best of both teams’ talent and tenacity. St. Saviour A made an assertive start, immediately settling into their rhythm and taking control of the game. Their attacking circle proved clinical, with Goal Shooter Becky Gorin and Goal Attack Trinity Smith converting opportunities with impressive accuracy. In defence, Harriet Farber and Pam Dickson were equally influential, applying relentless pressure on the St. Clement’s attack and limiting their ability to respond. Their combined efforts saw St. Saviour’s A take a confident early lead. Carrying their strong start into the middle phases, St. Saviour’s continued to dominate the flow of the game. Their transitions through the court were smooth and purposeful, and their defensive unit continued to frustrate St. Clement attempts to close the gap. St. Clement A worked hard to generate scoring opportunities, with determined drives through the mid-court and moments of sharp attacking play, but St. Saviour’s consistency in both circles kept the margin in their favour. With momentum firmly on their side, St. Saviour’s A maintained their intensity right to the final whistle. Their shooting pair remained composed and accurate, and the defensive pressure never relented. St. Clement’s A showed admirable resilience and fought strongly throughout, with standout defensive work from their goal defence Cerys O’Connell, who earned her team’s Player of the Match award for her persistence and impact.
Sitting at the top of the Division 2 table, St Brelade A were keen to continue their unbeaten streak against St Lawrence C. A largely even match between the two saw the need for key changes in the line up in the 2nd quarter, which was a huge turning point for St Lawrence. Bringing on Rachel Baugh (GD) for her height, and Clem Turner-Powell (GA) for her precision shooting, meant St Lawrence were able to claw back an 8-goal deficit, and by the end of the 3rd quarter there was only 2 goals in it. Consistent pressure from St Brelade, namely Amanda Clarke, who was awarded Player of the Match for her efforts in the midcourt, prevented St Lawrence from pulling away. Their combined experience and the red- hot Rosie McManus (GS) allowed them to pull away in the 4th quarter to win 52-46.
After a tough start to the season, St Ouen A secured their first win in a competitive match against Accies D, ultimately triumphing 40-31. Accies D started strong, taking an early lead, but St Ouen A quickly settled into their rhythm and took control of the game. Led by excellent shooting from Jess Garner (GS) and Player of the Match Jasmine Le Lievre (GA), St Ouen A built a commanding six-goal lead by halftime, extending it to ten goals in the third quarter. Ellen Scott, Maisie Burt, Willow Carro and Taco Alker (Accies) worked well together with strong passes around and into the D – but the stifling defence of Lisa Neil (GK) and Paige Mason (GD) limited the attempts of the Accies shooters.
Accies D mounted a spirited comeback in the final quarter, with their defence creating great interceptions, earning Evie McDonald (GK) the Player of the Match award for her efforts. However, the deficit proved too large to overcome, allowing St Ouen A to seal the victory.
Ending the week for Division 2, a match between St Saviour B and Accies C started evenly with St Saviour’s B shooters, including St Saviour’s Player of the Match Katie Aves shooting well. Accies C began to pull away, with some great interceptions from wing attack and Player of the Match, Janine Evans, feeding skilfully into Julia Duszkiewicz (GS), who was impressively accurate under the post. Accies C continued the momentum to take the match 62-33.
In Division 3, St Ouen C played their final match of the first half of the season against St Brelade C, in a game that started evenly matched between the two teams. St Brelade started confidently, with defence from Charlotte Edis (GK) and Charlotte Butler (GD) forcing St Ouen to slow down and consider each pass going into the attacking circle. Emily Hopkins (GS) provided strength under the post for St Ouen, supported by Mel Noon (GA/GS) and Harriet St Pier (GA) to move into space around the circle. With only 5 goals in it at the end of the first half – St Ouen’s most successful half this season so far – it was all to play for, however it was during the third quarter where St Brelade found their flow and came alive. Impressive midcourt action from Libby Barnett, Sammy Kean and Alice Whitely gave St Brelade the edge over their opponents, who struggled to break through. Excellent distance shooting from Player of the Match, Lolly Walters (GA) enabled St Brelade to widen their lead. St Ouen Player of the Match Kerry Roche (Centre) worked brilliantly with Katie Le Herissier and Katherine Wilson, continuously applying pressure to their opponents to stem the flow of goals. Despite a valiant effort from St Ouen, St Brelade’s confidence and strength across the court saw them win 29-14, denying St Ouen a crucial point.
It was set to be an exciting and competitive match between St Brelade B and St Ouen B, with both teams sitting in a similar position in the table. It was end-to-end, with St Ouen’s Lucy Fox (Centre) and Lianne Laignel (WA) managing to find space around tight defence to move the ball into their shooters, Zoe Barrett-Banks (GS) and Sarah Attwood (GA). St Brelade continued to apply pressure, with impressive interceptions from Helen Tostevin (GD/GK) and Talia Morris (GD) keeping St Ouen on their toes, however it was equally challenging at the opposite end. Lauren Byrne (GK) and St Ouen Player of the Match Emma Le Main (WD/GD) were instrumental in preventing the impressive shooting of St Brelade’s Brody Morris (GS) and Skye Clifford (GA) forming too big of a gap after a flurry of goals gave them a marginal lead going into the final quarter. It was largely the efforts of St Brelade’s midcourt, including Player of the Match Poppy Roche (Centre), who allowed their team to maintain a lead and pull away from St Ouen, with consistent challenges and pressure on the ball forcing errors and making it difficult for St Ouen to break through to gain crucial points. A supreme team effort gave St Brelade the boost they needed, ending the game with a 39-32 win.
In Division 4, their encounter against Accies F was always going to be a challenge for Convent D who started the match with 6 players as opposed to Accies full squad. This however did not deter Convent from working hard to give Accies a good challenge, with Player of the Match Matilda Williams in fine form in the defending circle. Accies F worked brilliantly as a team with Libby Casey stepping in as shooter when Daisy Fisher had to come off injured. Frankie Chatterley as GA and Accies Player of the Match commanded her shooting circle and slotted in many fine shots. Accies defence stayed close to their opponents making it tough for the Convent shooters. Fatima Pardey was particularly sand made the oppositions GS/GA work hard to get free around the circle. Ball control around the court was impressive and everyone gave 100% giving the purples a convincing win of 50-24, putting them at the top of Division 4.
