A New Season Begins

The ORA Winter Netball League returned this week, as 28 teams across 4 divisions took to the courts at Oakfield to compete for the top spots.

St Brelade A made a welcome return to Division 1 netball after an absence of nearly a decade, making a strong start with tall GS Anneli Zietsman positioning herself well for passes from GA Harley Little and WA Tara Richardson. Accies, who were fielding a new line up for their A due to players departing to university, traveling overseas and pregnancy, took a while to settle. Accies’ Player of the Match, Molly Ryan (GD) commanded the circle with great support from Tally Bavington, returning after injury, and new-to-defence Isabella Lofthouse, who showed that her talent shines whatever position she plays. St Brelade played with control and stayed calm under pressure throughout the match, with the team working hard across the court through strong defending, confident shooting and some excellent passages of play. Accies’ attack took time to settle with a rotation of 3 new shooters, but with the calm supply of passes from experienced WA Harriet Edwards, the shooters began to kick into gear. despite tenacious defending from the Westerners’ Player of the Match Maddie Higton (GD), Accies continued on their strong trajectory taking the match comfortably at 48-20.

Reigning champions, Convent A, took on St Saviour A for their first game of the season, with both teams displaying a high level of tactical awareness. The game went goal for goal until the last five minutes of the quarter when Convent began to get to grips with the St Saviour set ups. During the second quarter, St Saviour continued to stick to their structure and kept Convent to task. It was a great contest. Convent began to use their speed of movement and ball to exercise their authority on the match and stretch their lead. Convent’s Player of the Match, Becca Forrest (GK) and Amelia Coutanche (GD) confused the space in the circle, allowing Becca to display her timing, speed and elevation onto the ball gaining several interceptions. Convent’s mid-court trio, Layla dos Santos, Jacy Brown and Mollie Luce worked well together from centre pass to high-quality finish with precision feeds to their shooters. Emily Green (GS) and Aimee Bourke (GA) mixed up tactics to keep the St Saviour defence on their toes. St Saviour’s defensive circle were quick to turn ball with excellent reading of the game. Jodie Blampied was solid in defence for Convent, closing down space and denying clear feeds to the St Saviour shooters. The final quarter saw everyone finish the game in style. Speed of ball, movement and tactical pressure was on display. Both teams kept going to the final whistle and the game was played in a great spirit, with Convent A taking the win 65-21.

Also in Division 1, it was a closely fought contest throughout the whole game for Convent B and St Clement A. The first 7 minutes went goal for goal as everyone began to suss each other out. Convent took a slight lead and managed to sustain it and gradually extend it over the quarters. Convent’s Lexi Edward, Millie Pratt and Bethannie Wood formed a great partnership in the circle mixing up the space and allowing each other the opportunity to come out with ball or force the ball off the goal line. At the other end of the court, Player of the Match, Paloma Farina Richings, and Isla Cronin battled hard to create the space for Alex Perry, Florence Kelly and Leah Cannard to deliver pin point feeds to enable Convent to take a lead. The St Clement defence were particularly strong and challenged every ball, with Cerys O’Connell (GD) taking the Player of the Match accolade for her efforts. Credit to the Convent shooters for converting their shots under such pressure. Isla Rafferty disrupted the St Clement attack working with Hope Jordan to link defence to attack. Hope’s insight to spot the pass to her shooters was on point. It was a great first game with lots of learnings and exciting start to the season, with Convent taking a 44-33 win.

In Division 2, Accies C were delighted to have so many new mums back on court after enforced breaks, with their first outing against St Ouen A who were also sporting a relatively new lineup. Fitness did play a part in the match, but it was enthusiastic squads for both Accies and St Ouen A that ensured a highly competitive, sportsman-like game. Accies took a narrow lead by the end of the first quarter until shooters Jasmin Schnle and Verity Le Feuvre settled into their new partnership with ever improving accuracy. Accies’ Player of the Match, Zoë Rolph (C) worked the centre court tirelessly, linking well with Janine Evans and Margaux Salmon. All the while, St Ouen’s persistent defending from Sarah Ramasawmy (GD/GK), Emma Le Main (GD/GK) and Lauren Byrne (GK/GS) worked well together to keep their opposition’s scoring opportunities at bay, with Lauren showing versatility during her first game in A Team by also linking up brilliantly with Katie De La Cour (GA) in attack. Accies’ new defensive combination of Hannah Welsh (GK) and Beccy Barnes-Barrington (GD) started to read the St Ouen shooters to deny goals, however attempts made were accurate and convincing to keep the score board ticking. St Ouen’s midcourt worked hard to battle pressure from Accies, with Julie Gould’s (C) efforts to provide accurate feeds and interceptions gave her a well-deserved Player of the Match for her team. Despite hard work from St Ouen, Accies maintained a lead and finished with a 62-44 win.

It was a game of two halves for St Ouen B’s first encounter with St Brelade B this season, as both teams look to cement their standing in Division 3 early on. St Brelade showed a strong, confident team with defensive efforts across the court forcing St Ouen to work hard to maintain possession. The first half was a real goal-for-goal battle, with both teams showing some brilliant netball and neither side willing to give an inch. The teams were incredibly evenly matched throughout the opening two quarters, although St Ouen managed to edge ahead and take a three-goal lead into half-time thanks to the efforts of Player of the Match Lisa Neil (GK) and Katie Le Herissier (GD) in defence. St Ouen appeared to find their stride in the second quarter, with combined efforts from newcomer, Nicole Power (C), Lianne Laignel (WA) and Mel Noon (GA) fighting against a formidable St Brelade defence in Player of the Match Fran Gillat (GD) and Ashleigh Taylor (GK). However, it was during the third quarter where St Brelade kicked into action. The team quickly pulled the score back level before taking control of the game. In the defensive circle, Talia Morris (GD/WD), Player of the Match Fran Gillat (WD/GD) and Ashleigh Taylor (GK) put St Ouen’s shooters under constant pressure, making it difficult for them to settle and creating some crucial turnovers. In the shooting circle, Skye Clifford (GA), Brody Morris (GS/GA) and Lolly Waters (GS/GA) displayed impressive shooting, brilliant movement and some lovely teamwork, allowing St Brelade began to build a strong lead. By the end of Q3, St Brelade had turned the game around completely and were seven goals ahead. St Ouen continued to fight back but struggled to find passages of play to counteract their counterparts. St Brelade continued to capitalise and ended with a 39-26 win.

St Brelade C opened their Division Three campaign against U14 Jets, with the team showing plenty of promise in their first competitive outing together. The defensive circle was a particular strength throughout the match, with Suzhanie Van Der Merve (GK), Player of the Match, Leigh Keens (GD), Helen Stansfield (WD) and Abbie Wright working hard to put pressure on the Jets attack and win valuable turnovers. The St Brelade defensive unit then did an excellent job of getting the ball through court and creating opportunities at the other end. Sarah Carolin (C) provided a steady link through centre, while Sophia O’Sullivan (WA) and Louise Crossley (GA) worked hard in the attacking end alongside Sammy Kean (GS/GA) and Isla Riley (GS) who stood strong under the post. There were some excellent feeds, movement and decision-making, with the attacking combinations something the team will continue to develop as they gain more time playing together. St Brelade continued to show great effort, teamwork and positivity throughout, with plenty of encouraging passages of play to build on. The team will take the confidence from their defensive performance into their next fixture, while continuing to develop their attacking combinations and communication with more game time. U14 Jets showed a strong performance in their first game of Division 3, taking a 32-12 win.

In Division 4, St Ouen C stepped on court for the first time this season against St Saviour C, with some players making their debut to the Winter League. St Saviour started strong from the first centre pass, benefitting from a team bolstered with experienced players to take a lead with a quick succession of goals. St Ouen were slightly slower to settle in, however some well-timed interceptions and tips from Megan Kearsey (GD) and Player of the Match, Hayley Gibaut (WD/C) allowing the team to change the tide and find passages into Emily Hopkins, who stood strong under the post at GS. As both teams settled into the game, the score line tightened and forced St Saviour to test out different combinations to maintain their marginal lead at half time. St Ouen’s Co-Captain, Harriet St Pier (GA), led from the front, working hard to create space and directing the flow of play into her attacking end. St Saviour continued to apply pressure and showed some fantastic connections on court, enabling them to hold on to their lead throughout the game, however it was a brilliant first game for St Ouen C who were able to maintain a close score and start the season on a positive note. St Saviour took the win 44 – 34.

St Ouen’s newly formed Under 18s team, Mavericks, took on a confident Accies E in their first outing. The game was close until half time, with both teams working tirelessly throughout to gain a lead. St Ouen’s Player of the Match, Jamiee-Lee Le Riche (GK) was an asset to the defensive circle, making interceptions and applying pressure to the talented Accies shooters, Player of the Match Daisy Fisher (GA) and Claudia Rumens (GS). The combined efforts of the Accies’ attack, with great movement and shooting, as well as the whole-team defence across the court, allowed them to move ahead to win 33-19. Lots of positives to take away for both teams, with many players enjoying their first experience of a netball league!