ORA Winter League 26/27 Week 4

The ORA Winter Netball League continued into its fourth week on Monday and Tuesday, with teams in the four divisions battling it out on court to gain points for the leaderboards.

Division 1 kicked off with Accies A securing a tough 41–28 win against Convent B in a strong team performance. Accies’ Player of the Match, Gabrielle Scott (C) linked attack and defence well, while Harriet Edwards (WA) provided great movement and feeds into the circle. Emmy Brown (GA) and Emily Dove (GS) worked well together, creating chances and converting them into goals. Convent’s Player of the Match, Bethannie Wood, alongside Millie Pratt and Lexi Edward were solid in Convent’s defensive set up and intercepted clean ball consistently. Defensively, Autumn Carro (WD), Isabella Lofthouse (GD) and Molly Ryan (GK) worked hard to disrupt Convent’s attack, with the circle defenders making multiple interceptions. In the third quarter, Isabella picked up an injury, so Autumn moved to GD and Poppy Hughes came on at C. Poppy settled quickly, helping drive the ball forward and provide great feeds into the circle. The team adapted well and maintained their momentum. The young Convent girls battled hard to keep in touch with Accies and even drew the scores in the middle of the second quarter. Convent kept within 4 until the third quarter when Accies took a hold of the game and ended with a win.

Yet to break their impressive championship streak, Convent A were quick to settle and began to link passages of play together with fine movement and speed of ball. Player of the Match, Layla dos Santos used her agility and elevation to read the game well and linking with Jacy Brown, whose feeds to her shooters Aimee Bourke and Madison Fitzgerald Wilkins showed excellent foresight to give the Convent shooters opportunities to score with endless shots hitting the mark.Convent defenders, Lauren Devine, Amelia Coutanche and Jodie Blampied worked on new set ups which gave dividends to turn ball. The young Accies girls played with heart and competed for every ball, with their Player of the Match, Aoife O’Mahoney, working tirelessly in defence in both GD and GK positions.

In Division 2, a closely fought game between St Saviour B and Convent C ended with just one goal separating the teams at the final whistle. Both sides started strongly, trading possession and working hard in defence. The match remained incredibly competitive throughout, with neither team able to establish a comfortable lead. St Saviour B showed great composure in attack, while Convent C continued to challenge for every ball and kept the pressure on right to the end. As the game entered its final stages, the score remained extremely tight. Both teams showed determination and excellent teamwork, but St Saviour B held their nerve to finish with a narrow 52–51 victory. A fantastic, competitive match that could have gone either way – credit to both teams for battling until the very last whistle. Players of the Match were Milli Renouf (Convent C) and Kudzai Muchezka (St Saviour B).

Elsewhere in Division 2, St Ouen A and St Lawrence B faced off in a tough match of willpower and determination, with both teams keeping the scores relatively even in the first 3 quarters. In the final quarter, St Lawrence began to pull ahead, despite excellent efforts from St Ouen’s Player of the Match, Sarah Ramasawmy (GD/GK), using quick passes and accurate shooting to edge forward on the scoreboard. St Ouen’s shooters, Jasmine Le Lievre, Jessie Garner and Lauren Byrne, were consistent and strong under the post against some relentless defensive pressure. In the end, St Lawrence saw an opportunity and took it, edging ahead to a 47-35 win.

In Division 3, St Ouen B faced a relatively new St Lawrence D team, displaying a strong performance across the court from the first whistle. Despite tireless defence from St Lawrence’s Merri De Gruchy (GK) and POM Isla Parker (GD), St Ouen were able to build an early lead through solid teamwork and possession – moving the ball confidently to goal. St Ouen’s POM, Nicole Power (C) was instrumental in guiding the ball through the midcourt, finding passages with Mel Noon (GA) to find the post. In defence, Mary Surcouf-Johnson (GD) was impressive in a new player combination due to injury, proving to be a real problem for the talented St Lawrence shooters. St Lawrence showed resilience and determination throughout, consistently challenging the ball and finding a flow as a team. However, St Ouen took the advantage from the start and powered through to finish on a 48-27 win.

Division 4 saw the first intra-club showdown of the season, with newly formed youth team, St Ouen Mavericks, taking on their clubmates, St Ouen C. It was an exciting and enjoyable match, with St Ouen C showing their development as a team to create some fantastic passages of play across the court. Emily Hopkins (GS) was a key component for St Ouen C, using her height and confidence to build up the scoreline against some impressive defensive efforts from Mavericks’ Jamiee-Lee Le Lievre (GK) and Player of the Match, Bethan Watts (GK). St Ouen C worked hard to challenge their opponents, capitalising on turnovers to build the scoreline up, however, Mavericks really showed their potential at points in the game, taking the win in quarters 2 and 3 through careful passes and excellent interceptions. After a well-contested game, St Ouen C came away with their first win of the season at 24-15.