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| Netball Under 10A Team 'Blog' |
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Wednesday 21st January v Oratory Won 12 - 1 Player of the Match: Caitlyn Earwaker Coach's player: Alice Jennings Well, the opening quarter WAS as good as the other three (hurray!) and the U10As WERE more than a match for Oratory! The girls played extremely well today. They spaced out well and thought about the order of play as they passed the ball from one to another and into the D where Clare and Caitlyn scored some impressive goals, keeping their cold supporters entertained. The team work between our two shooters is becoming closer and neater each week as they become increasingly used to each others' skills and styles. They have become quite an awesome double act. Down the other end of court, Alice was intercepting and defending like the Bionic Woman, determined not to allow any ball to pass her and make the D. Tammy, as ever, was her calm and collected partner, cooly clearing any strays. In centre court, Chloe was reliable and seemed to be everywhere that she was needed. Lucy had springs in her trainers and was as energetic and useful as always, her skills perfectly suited to playing on the wing. A dramatic fall after an enthusiastic leap for the ball forced her to sit out for a quarter; Miriam was ready to fill in and she was able to play a part in helping the team to score the following five goals. Yet to score, Oratory looked a little dejected as we finished the third quarter. Eagle House had a slight reshuffle and Caitlin M and Sydney had a chance to debut for the As. With a minute to go, Oratory finally scored. The team played a terrific match today. There were more than a few flashes of some really excellent play. Well done girls, you know you can do it and you know what you can do to become even better!
Wednesday 14th January v Dolphin Lost 15 - 12 Player of the Match: Caitlyn Earwaker Coach's player: Chloe Newland After the first quarter we had not managed to score and were 5 goals down. Girls were dejected and frustrated... I would never have guessed at this point that I would end up watching one of the most exciting netball matches I have seen for a long time! What I love about the under 10s is their resilience and their defiance in the face of a tricky opposition. The subsequent quarter speeded up slightly as the girls warmed up (again, a little too late but better late than not at all) and Caitlyn and Claire were able to score 3 times. Although they were still 9-3 down, the girls were hugely boosted by the goals and were keen to discuss their play and listen to advice for the second half. Feeling feisty and fully charged, they took their positions; I could sense their energy and determination and found it infectious as I bounded up and down the side line! The team were working pretty well together now - looking for each other and concentrating. There has been such an improvement since I last saw them play a match early last term; the girls appear far more focused and aware of themselves and their skills on court. As we began the final quarter, the score was 6 - 13. After the slow start, the girls had found their rhythm but had an awful lot of catching up to do. The U10s were unfased by any of this and did not consider letting a 7 goal difference deter them from trying to win. So on they played and within a minute scored a goal. This was followed by another one minute later and then another soon after that. Two more goals for Dolphin then three more for us. It was brilliant - fast, confident, focused and determined. When the final whistle blew, the girls were very happy. They knew that they had played really well and had every reason to feel proud of themselves. Girls, when your opening quarter is as good as the others, you will be more than a match for any team.
Wednesday 12th November v Marlston House Won 8 - 5 Player of the Match: Caitlyn Earwaker Coach's player: Clare Chummun
Wednesday 5th November v White House Drew 6 - 6 Player of the match: Lucy Whitehead Coach's player: Tammy Izzat As usual the team started slowly! Lucy had a very tall opponent at centre but she hid behind her for the first quarter. When EH had an interception it went well down the court but careless passes and poor spacing lost it again! White House were defending well. During the second quarter EH found more space and Sydney made a number of good interceptions as GK. In the final quarter EH were as determined as White House and the ball went from end to end. WH again had a number of shots and eventually took the lead. With about 25 seconds to go EH scored to give a draw. Both teams played well.
Wednesday 15th October v St. Piran's Lost 9 - 5 Player of the Match: Megan Wilkins Coach's player: Caitlyn Earwaker Eagle House were very slow to start, seeming to be half asleep during the first quarter. Their movement across the court was not good therefore this affected their passing and unfortunately also their catching. They ended up 1 -4 down during this time. The rest of the game they played really well. The girls still need to learn to pass ahead to a moving player where a stronger pass is needed. There were some good interceptions during the second quarter and more attempts at goal. EH won the third quarter with some fluid passing down the court. The final score was 9 -5 to St Piran's but if we had been awake during the first quarter things might have been very different... Saturday 11th October Lambrook Haileybury Tournament 6th out of 7 teams
Wednesday 8th October v Edgeborough Lost 4 - 17 Player of the Match : Caitlyn Earwaker Coach's Player : Alice Jennings Eagle House started off giving high loopy passes which were easily intercepted by Edgeborough who took advantage of this weakness and scored ten goals in the first half, a very large lead indeed. Even in the third quarter EH couldn't turn it around but were faced with an excellent GA for Edgeborough who was very quick on her feet and a good shooter. EH saved their best play for the final quarter when they moved well, passed well and found spaces. The last quarter was a draw 3 - 3. The players need to find space and passes need to be much stronger.
Wednesday 1st October V Highfield Lost 4 - 5 Player of the Match : Alice Jennings Coach’s Player: Alice Jennings On a sunny but windy afternoon the team started the game slowly, being very static and not passing ahead of their player. There were very few attempts at goal during the first quarter. The second quarter saw a great improvement in movement and therefore lots of interceptions with two goals being scored by each team. The ball travelled back and forth during the third quarter with few attempts at goal. Highfield scored towards the end of time. A more determined EH came onto court for the final eight minutes and worked very hard to intercept the ball and then go onto score two goals from their few attempts. Again Highfield scored in the final seconds making the final score 5 -4. Lucy Whitehead had an excellent game, reading the game very well and taking some very good interceptions. Wednesday 17th September v Cranleigh Won 7-6 Player of the Match: Caitlyn Earwaker Coach's Player: Caitlyn Earwaker Cranleigh was a strong opposition and we did brilliantly to beat them this afternoon. The first quarter was quite frenzied and although the girls were energetic, the passing was a little panicky! Despite this, Caitlyn scored two great goals before the whistle blew. In the second quarter, Cranleigh maintained much of the possession and their passing was notably stronger and more direct than ours. Megan impressed with a couple of bold interceptions, demonstrating that leaping and stretching for the ball will often bring positive results! With two more goals secured by Eagle House, Cranleigh were yet to score as they walked exhaustedly towards their bag of half time oranges. Not to be beaten easily and somewhat reenergised, the Cranleigh team sprang back on court and scored three goals in a matter of minutes while the Eagle House team looked on with some surprise at this turn of events! With spirit, though not always great accuracy, the girls tried hard to fight back and Clare and Caitlyn both managed to score before Cranleigh's fourth and last goal of the penultimate quarter...4-6 to us but still anyone's game! The last quarter was quite tense and although they were pretty tired both teams kept up the pace and played very well. It was a relief when the final whistle blew. It had been a very tight game but we had won by a single goal! Well done girls, Cranleigh were a tricky side and you did well to win today! Thank you also to Emily who did an incredibly neat and accurate job of the scoring. I'm looking forward to playing both the A and the B team next week, at home, against Bishopsgate. Wednesday 10th September Training Game v Hall Grove Won 11-2 Player of the Match – Caitlyn Earwaker Coach's PLayer: Lucy Whitehead A great match to begin the netball season. Although they were a little rusty after such a long break from the game, the under 10s displayed a fair amount of talent and plenty of determination against Hall Grove. All the girls were tremendously keen to play and their enthusiasm and energy outshone any feelings of weariness during the game. A particular mention should be given to the three new members of the squad – Caitlin, Miriam and Ella. Despite having been learning netball for a mere week and a half, they were very excited to play for a quarter of the game and did a pretty good job, all things considered. After such a fun and successful start, I am feeling very eager to progress with the rest of the season! Well done to all of the Under 10s!
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