The ORA Winter League was back for the third week of competitive netball, with early leaders beginning to emerge in each division.
In Division 1, it was a game of two quarters each for Convent A and St Lawrence A, with both teams currently sitting at the top on the table. Convent took the game to St Lawrence in the first quarter, settling quickly and piling on the pressure with precise passing and clinical shooting by Rosie Tonner and Madison Fitzgerald-Wilkins. Molly Carre (GD) was in the thick of defence and earned Player of the Match with her dominant defending and superb interceptions throughout the game. St Lawrence were full of energy and worked the ball well into their shooters, Sofia and Nicole who converted their shots. St Lawrence’s Sam read the game well in defence, ably supported by Jo and Imogen to close the gap. The third quarter saw both teams competing for ball and it proved to bean end-to-end game, with both sides forcing errors, turning over ball and then losing it again. St Lawrence’s Steph Egan (WA) rose to the challenge of her first ‘top flight’ experience, having just been promoted from the B team, and was named Player of the Match. It was an exciting and challenging game by both teams, with a great standard on display across the court with lots to take away and work on in preparation for the next game. Convent A took the win at 54-36.
In another competitive clash, Accies took on Convent in a battle of the B Teams. Both teams settled well with end-to-endplay and some excellent shooting and movement by Convent’s Paloma Farina-Richings who exploited the circle and shotwith 100% accuracy. At the opposing end, Emily Dove (GA) earned the Player of the Match for Accies with her consistent shooting, with the ball going in no matter where she was in the circle. As the game continued, Convent were in full flow and with defensive interceptions and rebounds by GK Amelia and GD Millie, centre court linking WD Bethannie and Scarlett, Convent won the quarter 17 – 11. Convent shooters Yara and Alex used excellent feeds from Isla and Leah, whoshowed some great intuition.
Accies continued to push on, with the third quarter showing both teams playing some great attacking netball. Convent’s Flo Kelly was the link from defence to attack and provided some great insightful passes into her shooters, earning herself Player Of the Match. Convent finished off the game the stronger. Bethannie took the GD bib during the quarter and piled on the pressure turning over the ball. The youngsters up from YouthNETS showed their expertise and skills to the full. The mixture of youth and experience makes for a great mix and Convent ran out worthy winners at 58-45 of a well competed game.
Ending the Division 1 matches this week, Accies A started the game strong linking turnovers from defence to capitalise these and lead on the score board. St Clement A put up a great fight with a strong defending unit including key interceptions made by their Player of the Match Ella Viera and some excellent long shots by their shooters. However, Accies were on a roll and despite being out of position, Player of the Match Daisy Dunn made a brilliant contribution to the game at WA, linking the defence and dynamic attacking duo leading Accies to a resounding 81 – 25 win.
In Division 2, St Ouen A were looking to gain points on the league table against St Lawrence B, with both teams began with strong, evenly matched play, finishing the first quarter level. In the second quarter, St Lawrence B established a decisive lead, with their defence successfully disrupting St Ouen’s shooters and their own attackers, namely Player of the Match Lila Rudd, converting crucial goals to give them an 8-goal advantage at halftime.
St Ouen A mounted a comeback in the third quarter, reducing the deficit to 5 goals and briefly seizing the lead during a tense final quarter thanks to the combined efforts of Sarah Ramasawmy and Player of the Match Lisa Neil in defence. However, St Lawrence B demonstrated resilience, fighting back to regain the lead and ultimately securing an exciting victory by a narrow margin of 3 goals at 51-48.
A Division 2 intraclub encounter was a first for many in Accies C and D. Accies D’s Frankie Chatterley at WA and Thea Toudic at Centre had their first taste of Division 2, usually playing in Division 4, with Thea gaining her side’s Player of the Match award. C team Centre Megan Jerrard was also on a roll, getting her team’s Player Of the Match. Her speed up the court and fast, accurate feeds supported shooters Mimi Carney and Julia Duszkiewicz, who worked well together as a new shooting combination and netted a high shooting percentage between them. Newly returning to Accies, Janine Evans showed her experience as wing attack and made a valuable contribution to the C Team.
Despite D team’s defending trio of Molly Bellot, Eadie Roberts and Evie Macdonald working tirelessly, they couldn’t stem the flow of their clubmates’ goals and finished the game 25-61.
Division 3 began with a competitive clash as St Brelade’s C faced Accies E. The game began evenly, with Accies narrowly ahead 16–12 after the first quarter. St Brelade fought back strongly to take the second quarter, with their Player of the Match Sammy Kean creating pressure in the midcourt,though Accies maintained their lead. In the second half, Accies’ sharp shooting and numerous interceptions proved decisive, with Zoe Morales earning Player of the Match for her side. Despite St Brelade’s tight defence, Accies powered through to a 56–38 victory.
St Ouen stepped on court for their first intraclub clash of the season, with both B and C teams welcoming new players to the squad. St Ouen B started with confidence, with connections across the court evident in their possession and movement of the ball. However, St Ouen C came out the gate with determination, showing particular strength in their defensive unit of Demelza Noblet (GK) and Player of the Match Lisette Grenyer (GD), who were instrumental in providing turnovers for their team. At the opposite end, Lauren Byrne (GK) worked well with Katie Le Herissier(GD), who was subbing in from C Team, to apply pressure on their opponents. C Team’s Emily Hopkins (GS) used her strength and height to continue to push through and create space to allow her teammates to find channels into the circle, supported by Mel Noon (GA), Harriet St Pier (GA and Lyn Parris (WA). Midcourt, it was a battle of speed and endurance, with B Team’s Player of the Match Lucy Fox (C) earning the accolade through her consistent pressure and ability to create opportunities to move the ball across the court, linking well with Lianne Laignel (WA) and Sarah Atwood (GA) despite the pressure from their opponents. St Ouen B continued to forge ahead, showing that their combined league experience is invaluable in maintaining a lead. After a competitive, yet good-spirited game, St Ouen B finished with a 46 -21 win over their clubmates.
In Division 4, guests u14 Jets Blue played with intent and respect for their opposition. The shooters; Ruby, Connie and Libby didn’t miss a beat and ‘had a go’ at new moves; linking with the centre court players, Izzy, Bea, Bobbi who earned her second Player Of the Match. Feeds were on point away from the defender and they used their speed and change of direction to keep the ball moving. The shooting was on point as can be justified by the 79 goals scored. Mili and Bobbi were dominant as WD and kept the St Saviour attack to the sides of the court to aid their opportunity to gain possession of the ball. The defensive duo of Ellie and Priseis tracked and attacked the ball until the final whistle. Many interceptions were made working hard to keep ball side position. Priseis turned tips into clean interceptions and Ellie read the game superbly to run the front of the shooter to turnover ball.
It was a mature performance from the young Jets side. The girls listened, followed coaching points, gave new tactics a try and fully committed to the game. Super proud!
St Saviour provided Jets with some challenges, but the girls worked through the situations and learnt many valuable lessons.
For full results listings, visit https://netballresults.uk/jersey/
