With many teams reaching the final stretch of the ORA Winter Netball League, the battle for promotion in Divisions 2, 3 and 4 continues, with few points separating the top teams.
In Division 1, a strong start for St Clement A saw their encounter with Accies A leaving only 2 goals between them at the first break. However, from then on Accies took charge with some outstanding passages of play being finished off by Goal Attack Lara Spary and ever improving Goal Shooter Jasmin Schnle, despite constant pressure from St
Clement’s circle defenders Ella Viera and Emma Le Quelenec. Accies stormed ahead with a 30 – 13 goal lead at half time. The parish side’s GA and Player of the Match Megan Hamilton scored some amazing long shots, but the tight Accies defensive trio of Kat Le Riche, Summer Watkins and Molly Ryan made these opportunities few and far between, with Summer and Player of the Match Molly making a considerable number of interceptions. St Clement’s goal scoring tally was kept at bay by Accies’ slick court work, giving them the points to win 57-24.
In a competitive game top of the flight encounter, the strength of both Convent A and St Lawrence A’s defence was reflected in the low scoring end result.
St Lawrence’s circle defenders, Jo Woodham and Sam Salzone were formidable in their endeavour to deny Convent’s shooters, Emily Green and Rosie Tonner, easy access to their net. At the opposite end, Convent’s Molly Carre (GD) and Jodie Blampied (WD) broke down Saints’ attacking moves with timely on court interceptions.
It was the opening quarter that was the downfall for St Lawrence, allowing their opposition to settle into their flow right from the opening whistle as they forged ahead to a 9-goal lead at the first break.
However, St Lawrence rallied together as a team and proceeded to make their mark on the game. Both Wing Attacks were awarded Player of the Match; St Lawrence’s Steph Egan and Convent’s Maddie Fitzgerald Wilkins, for their precise feeding into the shooting D and 100% commitment to the attacking court play. Convent retained their winning streak, taking a 57-39 win.
Ending the evening, the only two B team in Division 1 went head-to-head in a tight contest. Accies B welcomed the return of Co-Captain Hannah McCormack after an injury in the very first game of the season. It was a very tight first quarter as the teams were evenly matched, with some slick work between the two Convent shooters Yara Cannard and Alex Perry in the circle. Accies B started to pull away in Q2 with the new defensive partnership of Kat Graney and Aoife O’Mahony working well together.
Q3 was a tough battle as Convent came back on having swapped their shooters which resulted in some really nice turnovers so tighten the score. Accies were kept in it by the solid shooting of Jasmin Schnle and Emily Bond, who was a well-deserved Player of the match for her team. Convent’s wing defence Kiah Kuppe was solid throughout and took her sides Player of the Match accolade.
The final quarter was another tough battle, but Accies pushed through to extend their lead and came home with the points and a 45-34 win.
In Division 2, St Saviour B came out strong in the opening quarter capitalizing on a slow start from St Lawrence C as they worked to find their rhythm. Sharp movement and confident attacking play saw St Saviour take an early lead, driven by their accurate shooting from Player of the Match Katie Alves, whose composure in the circle proved difficult to contain.
The second quarter continued at a high intensity. Strong defensive efforts from St Saviour’s Michelle Mallet (GK)and Rhian Yang (GD) disrupted St Lawrence’s attacking flow, forcing errors and limited scoring opportunities as both teams worked tirelessly across the court, ending the second quarter 25-21 to St Saviour.
However, the third quarter saw a turning point for St Lawrence as they began to settle and capitalize on cleaner ball movement. Improved feeds into the circle from Player of the Match Sophie Carter (C) provided vital pressure with her speed across the court, with well-timed interceptions creating key turnovers linking with Lauren Halliwell (WA) to get the ball into the circle. The accuracy of shooting from the St Lawrence side of Georgie Dodd (GA) and Clem Turner Powell (GS) allowed St Lawrence to edge ahead at the end of the third quarter 37-35.
With confidence growing, St Lawrence carried their momentum into the final quarter. Disciplined defensive work from Rachael Baugh (GD) and Jackie Pannenborg (GK) made scoring increasingly difficult for St Saviour, while calm attacking play ensured the lead was maintained. Despite St Saviour’s continued effort and determination right until the end, St Lawrence took the win at 53-46.
Also in Division 2, St Ouen A took on St Lawrence B in a competitive clash, with both teams showing promise at points in the game. St Lawrence were confident from the first whistle, with Player of the Match Tara Parker (GA) showing from the outset why she was awarded the accolade, commanding the attacking circle and sinking shots from any distance.
St Ouen’s Lisa Neil provided a block in defence, intercepting and disrupting a number of balls alongside Katie Le Herissier and Paige Mason. Midcourt, Mary Surcouf-Johnson and Ashley Dowling worked hard to turn ball over, but it was Julie Gould (C) who provided multiple opportunities for her team to remain on the scoreboard, earning a well-deserved Player of the Match.
Each circle was evenly matched for their defence – shooter opponents, with both challenging each other throughout the game, however it was clear that St Lawrence had the edge on their opponents with both shooters showing accuracy and confidence under the post. St Lawrence continued to dominate across the court, confidently moving the ball and applying pressure on St Ouen, ultimately giving them a 49-33 win.
A convivial St Ouen derby between the club’s B and C teams took place in Divison 3, with the B Team ultimately coming away with the win, although the scoreline didn’t fully reflect the impressive defensive efforts of the St Ouen C side throughout the game. After a tough season for St Ouen C, who have been hit with squad changes across their matches, this game was a highlight as it was clear how the players had improved and gelled as a team.
Katie Le Herissier (GD/GK), who earned Player of the Match for her efforts, was instrumental in defence for the C Team alongside Lisette Grenyer (GK) and Sally Parker (WD), who worked tirelessly to disrupt St Ouen B’s strong attacking play and accurate shooting. St Ouen B’s midcourters Lucy Fox (C) and Lianne Laignel (WA) showed their strength as a unit, with the ball moving swiftly into shooters Jasmine Le Lievre (GA), Sarah Attwood (GA/GS) and Zoe Barrett-Banks (GS), the latter of whom earned Player of the Match for her side.
St Ouen C’s attack struggled initially to gain points due to the formidable defence of Lauren Byrne (GK) and Sarah Ramasawmy (GD), however they began to to gel, successfully feeding the ball through to shooters Mel Noon, Lyn Parris and Elisa Da Silva.
Strong support from St Ouen A team players on the sideline added to the atmosphere, and after a very enjoyable match, B team took the win at 35-10, leaving lots of positives on both sides to go into remaining matches this season.
Elsewhere in Division 3, the second meeting of the season between Accies E and St Brelade’s C was always going to be a cracker- and it didn’t disappoint! From the first whistle, Sirenna Woodford set the tone in defence, making key interceptions to edge Accies one goal ahead after Q1.
The pace picked up in Q2, but Accies kept their cool and went into halftime with shooter Barley Vibert supporting them to have a 3 goals last lead. St Brelade, currently sitting 5th on the league table, made some clever switches and brought real intensity. Shooters Lolly Waters and Isla Singleton-Riley were sharp in the circle, while Sammy Kean (WA) worked tirelessly through midcourt, trying to slow Accies’ fast play. Captain Charlotte Edis led with determination and was named St Brelade’s Player of the Match.
However, Accies had answers, with Kacey O’Connor moving to Centre (C) alongside captain Estelle Le Mornier at WA, bringing speed and precision through the midcourt, feeding with beautifully timed passes into the dynamic shooting duo of Ava Huish and Player of the Match Zoe Morales, who capitalised well under the post.
Accies’ defensive pairing of Libby Casey and Sirenna Woodford were immense, backed by Flori Lofthouse at WD reading the game brilliantly. By Q3, Accies had pushed ahead 32-20 and never looked back, taking a 48 – 27 win.
Division 3 top team St Clement B secured a victory of 48-24 against a young and athletic St Lawrence D. The through court play was effective with sisters Jane and Lizzie Wright (WD/WA) linking well to take the ball to the shooting circle. Lesley Godfrey showed talent in both defence and shooting positions. Player of the match for St Clement was shooter Chloe Ham-Howes, whereas as Merri De Gruchy (GK) took the accolade for St Lawrence for her tireless defence in the circle.
