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Netball U10B Team 'Blog'
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Highfield 4 Eagle House 1 As last week the score line perhaps suggests that this was a rather one sided game, but ultimately it came down to the fact that we struggled to cope with the twelve foot nets on an unmarked court and hit the target on just the one occasion despite the fact that we created many, many chances. Unlike the umpires, both sets of midfields worked well together to create a hard fought contest. Sophia in particular ran good lines in attack and opened up the D with comparative ease. However we dropped the ball when it was passed to us and the opposition snaffled up the loose possession with glee. Defensively we worked well together, occasionally being drawn up field as our enthusiasm got the better of us and this led to all four goals being scored with comparative ease and with the shooters under comparatively little pressure. We must, must , must stay back with our opposite number. Offensively, we created many chances despite being under quite a lot of pressure from the opposition. When this happens we must create space by keeping our depth and especially our width. We must also make sure that we do not hide behind defenders as the pass to us will seldom be completed. It was a shame that I was not given a practice after last week's game as there was much upon which we should have built, I am sure that we will be allowed one outing before next Wednesday. It would be good to finish on a high. One serious point: driving a minibus is not easy at the best of times, and for your safety it is essential that you do not scream at any time, that you remain seated with your belts on and above do not squirt water - ever. It is your safety and your lives you are risking.
Eagle House 4 Marlston House 0 See, it was warmer today and with the warmth came some netball that was actually quite good in places(even very good), especially when compared to the depths of last Wednesday's unkind wind and our rather discouraging performance. Marlston House were a rather nice little team, especially in the midfield where there were hard fought and competitive little one on one battles and Marlston deserved to put the ball away on at least one or two occasions. However Sophia, Ella, Clara and Phoebe combined well to keep the pressure on in defence, and in attack when they moved the ball with SPEED and WIDTH we opened up the opposition with comparative ease. Occasionally we bunched up a little too much congregating around the ball as children around a pot of sweets and this led to us losing possession when all we needed was to stay wide and pass the ball wide. Behind them, Emily, Millie and latterly Georgia marked well and all saw the interceptions that could be made. Again quick ball quickly turned defence into attack and slow ball caused problems. We have to get the balance right. Up front Hollie and Emma had quite a few chances of which we converted just four, four good goals admittedly, but we must strive for a greater scoring percentage. We must also make sure that we do not hide behind players but constantly be moving away from the opposing defenders and into space. Marlston House played as well as St Andrew's in places, but to be honest and this is the most pleasing, we carried nobody, nobody seemed out of place especially in the second half, and everybody made a good pass, made an interception, marked well, or won fifty fifty ball and this is why it is important to recognise that this is a team game. We all have a job to do and today everybody did it much much better. Last Tuesday, we worked hard and the benefits were clear to see, and we must work equally as hard before the next match.
St Andrew's 8 Eagle House 2 So where was all this warm and fine weather that was forecast for this Wednesday afternoon? Oh yes, outside now twenty-four hours late, and it was coldly missed, to put it politely. And like some warm bloodied animals, as in our last match, it took us a little too long to get into the game. We were four goals down by the end of the first quarter conceding a lead from which we never really recovered. Part of the reason was a number of our players were just not hungry enough for the ball, and when we did gain possession we gifted passes to the opposition. Movement is essential and we must make sure that we mark our opponent much more closely, looking for the interception, and then as I said last term taking the time to pass the ball on to a member of or own team. Towards the end of the first half we started to understand the new positions(caused by absences) and we 'won' the third quarter. Against a very competent St Andrew's side, Sophia and Isabelle worked tirelessly as did Emily and Millie, and the others contributed on occasions but not with the same consistency, a continuous effort I know that you can offer. It is a team game where everybody has to work for each other. We will practise hard before our next match. Lambrook 3 Eagle House 3 Team: Emma Jennings, Sophia Orr, Clara Bennett, Ella Tyrell, Emily Barber, Phoebe Tennant, Hollie Hunt, Millie Guida, Georgia Frost. Player’s player of the match: Sophia On an extremely cold afternoon we were the team lucky enough to be chosen to play in the sports hall, leaving the other three teams that travelled to Lambrook to battle the cold. It took our girls half of the game to show their true playing ability. This could be due to the short warm up time, the lack of practice of playing in a sports hall, or the fact we were playing with full height posts. The shooters certainly panicked on initially seeing the post height although they would be capable of scoring had they not lost a level of confidence. We saw passes out of the D, sometimes losing the ball, instead of taking the shot. In open court during this first half we were not creating space and our passes were too long. There was also some footwork and poor ball control. It was a pleasure to see the girls respond to some changes at half time, including an agreed lowering of the post at our shooting end to the correct height. This seemed to boost our confidence and we came out playing a superb second half. We dominated the game from being 3-0 down at half time. Our passes were stronger and more accurate and movement into space was far clearer. All girls must be congratulated for fighting back from a losing position to take such clear control of the game. We were seconds away from a win as the final whistle went with the ball in our goal third. Well done to all girls and to Sophia who gained player of the match for her aggression and determination throughout. Thank you also for our great sideline support.
Eagle House 13 The Marist 3 In the gathering gloom of a winter's evening (actually, it was quite warm, belying the time of year) this was a well played and well contested return from the excesses of the festive season. Technically both sides committed a few too many mistakes conceding possession and Eagle House tended to mark either too close or too deep, and when they committed to the interception they moved across too early to concede contact penalties. That being said, Emily, Clara and Millie did regain lost possession on a number of occasions, although as Mrs Nolan says, you must count to two before passing as this will allow you to see what options you have. Ella, Georgia (especially) Phoebe and Sophia looked sound in the midfield, marking tight on occasions to force mistakes to regain possession and every now and again we used the width across the court to move the ball wide then up and wide again before feeding Emma, Hollie and Isabella in the D. Our fourth goal was by far the best when be put together six passes with width, with movement and with speed for Isabella to slot the goal. Your target now is to reproduce that standard with greater consistency, that means all the time. You also have to work on your marking, especially against mobile and skilful players. Concentration is the name of the game. A good afternoon's work in many ways, culminating in a match played in good spirit by both teams. So well done..........for today!
U10B’s vs Highfield 3rd December 2011 Eagle house lost 11-7 Team: Emma Jennings, Izzy Orr, Clara Bennett, Sophia Orr, Phoebe Tennant, Emily Barber, Georgia Frost, Ella Tyrrell Smith and Hollie Hunt. Girl of the Game: Clara Bennett Eagle House Opposition 1st Quarter 1 2 2nd Quarter 3 4 3rd Quarter 6 5 4th Quarter 7 11 Well done girls on a very close game! Unfortunately the final score does not reflect how well you played as a team. We made some very accurate passes and have really improved on our footwork and dodging, which we have worked hard on in training sessions. The court was quite slippery and you all did very well to keep your footing and mark your opposition closely. We still have a lot to work on as you need to try and remember to not stand next to your team mate with the ball with your hands in the air as many of these got intercepted. You need to take advantages of the spaces on the court so then we can make quick passes down the court. Good luck for your next game!
Eagle House vs Yateley Manor Wednesday 2nd November Eagle House lost 4-1 Team: Emily Barber, Holly Hunt, Phoebe Tennant, Ella Tyrell- Smith, Clara Bennett, Georgia Frost and Millie Guida Girl of the game: Emily Barber Well done girls! Although this was a disappointing final score considering we were missing both of our shooters and had no reserves I thought you all put in 100% effort. Yateley Manor played very well with some very quick passes however, our defence managed to intercept many of these at the crucial times which was great to see. We largely need to improve on our footwork though as at times it was very poor and it gives away easy passes to the opposition. You played with determination and had some great shots at goal. Hopefully next time we can convert these into points. We had a very strong defence with excellent marking which meant Yateley Manor couldn’t score any more goals even though they had chances too. Overall it was a good game, taking into account it was not our usual team, however I think you all learnt about areas that you need to work on (mainly footwork and creating space). Better luck next time.
Wednesday 21st September Under 10s Tournament at The Marist Team: Isabella Orr, Ella Tyrell Smith, Sophia Orr, Georgia Frost, Millie Guida, Phoebe Tennant, Emily Barber, Isabella Orr This was a tough afternoon but the girls rose to the challenge and gamely took on 5 matches against a number of A teams. The first match against Bishopsgate was a tricky start as they had already warmed up with another game and went on to win the entire tournament for the Under 10 category! The match against Meadow Vale was fast and furious and the team did a brilliant job, holding their own in a game a little less ordered than they are used to. Izzy scored 2 great goals, culminating in a draw. Each match was only 7 minutes long so the girls had to be very much 'on it' from the first whistle. I think that this was a weakness today and that if the girls had been able to play as hard from the outset, as they were beginning to play by the end of each match then they may have been a little more successful. Having said that, the girls tried hard throughout and never once gave up or lost their focus on the game in hand. Don't be disheartened girls. It is always a great experience to take part in a tournament and play against a wide range of schools and abilities.
Wednesday 14th September Under 10B v Cranleigh Won 5 -2 Team: Isabella Orr, Ella Tyrell Smith, Sophia Orr, Georgia Frost, Hollie Hunt, Clara Bennett, Millie Guida, Phoebe Tennant Girl of the Game for Cranleigh: Isabella Orr Coach's Girl of the Game: Georgia Frost What an awesome performance from a really hard working team. Girls I was so impressed by each and everyone of you, as you all worked your little socks off! Izzy and Hollie, our two wonderful shooters played like they had been playing together for years, and really made the Cranleigh defence work. They both passed the ball to each other accurately and both of them scored for their team - Izzy with 2 fantastic long range shots. Sophia took full control of the centre court and did not stop running the whole game, making lots of interceptions and always making herself available for the next pass - great fitness Sophia! At our defending end Cranleigh struggled to feed the ball into the circle, because of our supersonic Georgia and her long arms. Georgia you played really well today, reading the game well and making lots of interceptions. I lost count on how many times you turned the game around - well played! I haven't mentioned everybody by name above, but all of you gave 100% effort today which is all I ask. So great game girls and please do keep it up.
Wednesday 7th September Under 10B v Feltonfleet Lost 15 – 1 Team: Emily Barber , Ella Tyrell Smith, Sophia Orr, Georgia Frost, Hollie Hunt, Clara Bennett, Millie Guida, Phoebe Tennant Girl of the Game for Feltonfleet: Emily Barber Coach's Girl of the Game: Sophia Orr This was an interesting game to watch. For the first quarter it appeared that Feltonfleet were the far stronger team on court. They had a clear understanding of the rules and were very aware of what needed to be done to get the ball to their shooters. After a long summer break and very little opportunity for practice so far this term, Eagle House seemed a little bemused at the proceedings – not least the 2 players who had never played netball before! The second quarter looked rather more optimistic as our girls got into their stride and things began to look more hopeful. The Feltonfleet shooters were very good though, and the score against us crept up at steady rate. I was impressed by the girls’ attitude at half time. All were keen to know how they could improve their play and work together more effectively. The second half of the match went from strength to strength and by the final quarter both teams seemed far more equally matched. There were plenty of shooting opportunities but the shooters have yet to get their eye in which was a shame as they passed brilliantly between each other, showing a promising relationship in the ‘D’. Despite the disappointing score, there was a great deal of positive to draw upon from this game! By the end of the match there had been notable performances by everyone on court – I hope that this promise continues to develop over the coming season! |
