 |
| Netball Under 12 Team 'Blog' |
|
U12A Team U13B Team (Including many U12s) U12 Netball Squad
Friday 6th March IAPS Regional Tournament - High Wycombe What a fantastic squad! Nine tired but talented girls boarded the minibus on Friday recounting tales of another Seussical rehearsal. Within minutes of leaving EH, Crowthorne High Street was treated to strains of Mamma Mia, their vocal chords well and truly warmed up before we reached the motorway. On arrival at Kingsmead Netball Centre in high Wycombe the U12's organised themselves into their warm-up and ball skills preparing themselves for their challenging day ahead. Their competition consisted of ten other prep-schools all eager to win one of just two coveted places at the National Finals. I cannot begin to recount all ten games as the results will speak for themselves. The girls lost three games in their quest and were extremely disappointed to have come third, BUT they have forgotten how brilliantly they played in the other seven games. There were plenty of 'ifs & buts' but the caliber of the opposition made each game a challenge. Our game against the Dragon was only lost on the second before the whistle. The one major issue with this team is to learn not to panic when the score is against them. We need to slow the pace down and concentrate on our skills, making that accurate pass is the all important road to success. When we can master this, this team will achieve all the success they deserve. I would like to mention my team; manager for the day - Jaya, who organised all us to be in the right place at the right time. A huge thank you to her for making everything run so smoothly. Romy, who jumped onto the court in a second and played well. Ellie who worked tirelessly and shot some beautiful goals, often getting the better of a taller opponent. Charlotte who displayed such fantastic skills and enthusiasm on and off the court, Eliza, what an improvement, created many shooting opportunities by great passing into the circle. Steffi, small but nippy, where did those strong accurate passes come from? Fantastic! My dynamic defence Ashleigh, how high can she jump? Kim & Alex brilliant blocking and interceptions, keeping many attack away from the goal. Godstowe Won 9-3 Dolphin Won 8-3 Highfield Lost 3-8 Spratton Hall Won 4-2 Heath Mount Won 9-0 Chigwell Prep Won 3-1 Chesham Prep Won 13-0 Beaudesert Won 3-1 Dragon Lost 3-4 Winchester House Lost 3-7 As we arrived home, all tired emotionally and physically, I heard the girls say 'Oh well, back to rehearsal' Who could ask more of this bunch? Well done everyone!
Wednesday 21st January V The Oratory U12B Lost 12-2 Players of the match: Alyna & Heidi Coach's player; Holly This was quite a difficult game against the opposition's 13A team. They had requested that they played our Bs but with most of our B team being U12, size was against us. We began the game a little tentatively and allowed The Oratory to pull away. We needed to attack the ball more and get into the space in front of the defender. At half time we did strengthen our side with some taller U13s and asked Ellie and Stephanie to help spread the play. Progress was made and the score in the second half was 3-2. A learning game, providing us with lots to work on in next week's sessions. I have made Holly my player of the match for the progress she has made with her netball since September - she defended very well today and has got the footwork nailed!
Wednesday 14th January v Dolphin
U12 Won 33 - 8 Player of the match: Coach's player; Eliza Hamilton-Fairley What a confident beginning to the Lent term! It was not that the opposition were weak; this team had a particularly good afternoon. Their body control and movement skills were impressive, the ball moving swiftly down the court almost always finishing with a goal. Our defense worked hard on keeping the Dolphin shooting pair away from the goal but when Dolphin missed their shots we were always up for the rebound, quickly getting the ball out of the danger zone! It was superb team effort, every member player their heart out; I was so proud of them. Today my team player was Eliza who has made tremendous progress. To all my team - WELL DONE!
Wednesday 3rd December v St. Andrew's U12 Won 15-1 Player of the Match; Coach's player: Ashleigh Bishop
This was a good score for the team, particularly as they have been concentrating on hockey over the last couple of weeks. On saying that, there were a lot of replayed ball, loopy passes and miss-timed drives. Only because the majority of the girls have great basic skills, could they get away with these mistakes and still pull a victory out of the bag. The play was fairly even, St. Andrew’s had an athletic centre court but were missing their goal shooter. We, on the other hand, have a superb defence team who usually work well together, so St. Andrew’s inexperienced attack found it hard even to gain possession of the ball in the circle. I was pleased with their performance but have a long list of improvements before the IAPS in March.
Wednesday 5th November V Pangbourne College U12 Won 14-7 Player of the match: Coach's player: Kim Brant This was a disappointing game. The opposition were far weaker that us so the team lost full concentration. This is often hard to play as Pangbourne 'bunched' to receive the ball which we regularly intercepted but then immediately EH had to find space and get out of the muddle. There were a few moments of fluid play when I recognized our team but on the whole not a good performance. A learning curve where the girls must play their own game regardless of the opposition. Pangbourne are in the middle of their hockey term so this was one of their first outings. Several of their team showed great promise.
U13B Won 20-0 Player of the Match: Emily Holbert Coach's Player : Jemima Walker What a performance! On a cold and wet Wednesday we made our way to Pangbourne College to meet our opponents. However we had nothing to fear, from the very first whistle we commanded the match. We passed quickly and accuratley and by the end of the 1st quarter were already 6 - 0 up! At half-time we were 12 - 0 and we decided to change the team around completely putting the girls in unfamiliar positions. Emily went into GA, a position she has never player because she claimed she couldn't shoot, she proceeded to score the next six and was made player of the match. I was very impressed with the commitment of the team and the way they played in the conditions.
Wednesday 8th October v Edgeborough U12 Won 28 - 9 Player of the Match: Charlotte Earwaker Coach's player: Steffi Morgan It was obvious during the first few minutes that this was a mismatch. Eagle House demonstrated advanced skills using timing and strong accurate passes whilst Edgeborough floundered with inexperience. The opposition were delightful and did not bow down faced with this strong side. After two quarters it was time for our team to change into unfamiliar positions. Steffi and Ellie took on defense with Alex and Jaya shooting. The girls rose to the challenge and still demonstrated that there is no substitute for having solid basic ball skills and body control
Wednesday 1st October V Highfield U12 Lost 15 - 8 Player of the Match: Alex O'Donnell Coach's player: Kim Brant This was not a good afternoon for the team who all seemed out of sorts. The lack of drive coupled with inaccurate passing made it very difficult to get the ball into the circle. Highfield had more energy and determination and this showed in their numerous interceptions. Their shooting pair could hardly miss but when they did EH should have taken advantage of the situation and gained the rebound. The second quarter Alex and Kim really picked up their pace not allowing the attack any freedom in the circle. Highfield did not score that quarter. Unfortunately we couldn't sustain this throughout the game. Kim had an excellent game throughout as well as encouraging and motivating the team. Highfield were stiff opposition but I think our team were complacent during the fri st quarter and gave away too large a lead. U13/12B Won 13-3 Quarter time scores 1: 2-1 2: 5-1 3: 8-1 4: 13-3 Player of the match: Ana A very good match where the girls won convincingly. There was some lovely movement in both the attacking and defending circles. A great team effort, well done, girls! EP Wednesday 24th September V Lambrook Haileybury U12A Won 27 - 6 Quarter time scores: 1) 6 -1 2) 13 - 3 3) 22 - 5 4) 27 - 6 Opposition's player of the match - Coach's player of the match - Eliza Hamilton-Fairley/Ellie Bamber What a good performance! Even with the introduction of new players into this squad, the team worked well together, moving into space and passing the ball with fluidity. There were occasions however when we could have created more space by taking the opposition away from the ball. To counteract that were wonderful passing sequences down the court finishing off with a goal. All shooters worked well in the circle, made possible by accurate passes from Steffi and Eliza. There were several changes of position during the game and all girls rose to the challenge. U13B Won 21-6 Opposition's player of the match - Emily I was really proud to hear how well the U13B team got on. For many girls this was their first competitive netball match. Miss Ross reported that it was a fine team performance. Romy and Ana were exceptional in attack scoring numerous goals. Eagle House had the lead from the first quarrel and the score at half time was 8-4. Alys demonstrated lovely balance and skill playing WA and C. Emily led the way as Captain, while Alyna was solid in defence. Well done, girls! Opposition's player Our skillful shooters! of the match
|
Player of the match 
