Leeds Carnegie hotshot Carla Dziwoki nailed 30 points from 30 attempts to help her side to a 53-44 Co-operative Superleague home victory over Celtic Dragons.
Australian Dziwoki's flawless performance was backed up by a solid display from Jo Walker, while young WA Natalie Haythornwaite's efforts earned her the player of the match award.
The clash was a close affair with both sides winning one half, but the home side's second quarter assault kept them ahead of the Welsh outfit.
The visitors looked promising in the opening 15 minutes, but Leeds soon replied to regain the dominant position by half-time.
Strong
Dragons made a strong finish but could not catch up with the hosts, allowing Carnegie to claim the points and move to third place in the Superleague table.
"Leeds Carnegie produced a workman like performance with some good passages of play," said Leeds co-coach Marion Lofthouse.
"Carla Dziwoki had a 100% shooting record which pressurised the Celtic Dragons.
"The Leeds defence of Jo Davies and Lauren Potter held strong throughout the game and made timely interceptions.
"Player of the match Natalie Haythornwaite produced some defence splitting passes into the circle."
Showing posts with label Netball. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Netball. Show all posts
Wednesday, March 3, 2010
Friday, February 26, 2010
Late heartbreak for England
A dramatic late fightback saw England denied a historic series victory over Australia.
For more than 50 minutes England looked on course for victory in the deciding match of the best-of-three Co-operative International Series at the O2 Arena.
However Australia, who had levelled the series with a narrow win in Nottingham, dug deep to secure a 45-43 win.
The defeat was heartbreaking for England, who had led for long periods and had led 29-20 at one stage.
England head coach Sue Hawkins, who saw her side win the opening match 41-40 in Liverpool, said: "When we were nine goals up we should have built from that margin.
"We have to go back and look at what it was. Was it they stepped up, or we allowed them to step up? My feeling is we allowed them to step up.
Assualt
"Our error count went up and especially when it got tight in that last five minutes. So when the pressure goes on we need to practice like that."
The turning point came in the final quarter as England saw their 35-29 lead quickly evaporate as the Diamonds launched a full-on assault.
Nerves did not help England's cause as they Australia increased the pressure and when the tourists took the lead for the first time at 40-39, there was only one likely outcome.
Australian head coach Norma Plumber was understandably delighted, saying: "You don't win nine out of 12 world series if you don't know what it's about.
"I thought we started to get the momentum in the second quarter and let it go again. But to come home like a train, I'm just absolutely rapt with the girls did there."
England: GS: Jo Harten GA: Pam Cookey WA: Karen Atkinson C: Jade Clarke WD Sara Bayman GD: Sonia Mkoloma c GK: Geva Mentor
Australia: GS: Caitlin Bassett GA: Susan Pratley WA: Madison Browne C: Natalie Von Bertouch WD: Mo'onia Gerrard GD: Rebecca Bulley GK: Bianca Chatfield
For more than 50 minutes England looked on course for victory in the deciding match of the best-of-three Co-operative International Series at the O2 Arena.
However Australia, who had levelled the series with a narrow win in Nottingham, dug deep to secure a 45-43 win.
The defeat was heartbreaking for England, who had led for long periods and had led 29-20 at one stage.
England head coach Sue Hawkins, who saw her side win the opening match 41-40 in Liverpool, said: "When we were nine goals up we should have built from that margin.
"We have to go back and look at what it was. Was it they stepped up, or we allowed them to step up? My feeling is we allowed them to step up.
Assualt
"Our error count went up and especially when it got tight in that last five minutes. So when the pressure goes on we need to practice like that."
The turning point came in the final quarter as England saw their 35-29 lead quickly evaporate as the Diamonds launched a full-on assault.
Nerves did not help England's cause as they Australia increased the pressure and when the tourists took the lead for the first time at 40-39, there was only one likely outcome.
Australian head coach Norma Plumber was understandably delighted, saying: "You don't win nine out of 12 world series if you don't know what it's about.
"I thought we started to get the momentum in the second quarter and let it go again. But to come home like a train, I'm just absolutely rapt with the girls did there."
England: GS: Jo Harten GA: Pam Cookey WA: Karen Atkinson C: Jade Clarke WD Sara Bayman GD: Sonia Mkoloma c GK: Geva Mentor
Australia: GS: Caitlin Bassett GA: Susan Pratley WA: Madison Browne C: Natalie Von Bertouch WD: Mo'onia Gerrard GD: Rebecca Bulley GK: Bianca Chatfield
Tuesday, February 16, 2010
England eye historic win
England will be bidding to beat Australia for the first time in nearly 30 years this weekend as they take on the world champions in a three-Test series.
It was June 1981 when England's women last tasted victory against the Green and Gold machine, but Tamsin Greenway reckons the long wait could be about to come to an end.
"They are the number one in the world so they are the target, but we have been getting closer," Greenway told skysports.com. "We beat them in the FastNet competition - that was a great result - and we have beaten New Zealand recently - so we have got a great chance."
The 27-year-old Surrey Storm wing attack has been capped 23 times by her country since making her debut against South Africa in 2004, and has seen netball in this country take big strides since then.
The most important boost to the game has undoubtely been the creation of a national club competition for the first time, with nine teams now competing on a nationwide basis.
"Superleague has been massive for us," Greenway said. "The standard has definitely been raised across the board and we have seen that in the England performances.
"The Australian league system has been running a lot longer than ours, but we are catching up fast."
Greenway and some of her England colleagues have also had experience playing in the professional ANZ League down under - a competition comprising five teams apiece from Australia and New Zealand.
"It is a step up in the ANZ because it is full-time professional and that is pretty amazing - a lot different," said Greenway, who has played for the Queensland Firebirds in the last two ANZ competitions.
Experience
"Seven of the England team have been out there for the last two years and we have been able to learn from that experience, which has definitely helped us."
All this suggests that England will again be competitive against the world champions, but can they beat them?
"We have been in winning positions before but we have let them get back into it," she admits. "They never know when they are beaten - that is their mindset and it comes from winning all the time! We just have to take that extra step, beat them once and it all changes."
Greenway also reckons home support could be key.
"It's never easy for a touring team and we know we are going to get great support," she added. "Home games are fantastic - playing in front of huge crowds, it's a great atmosphere and it gets everyone buzzing. We have got to start fast in the first game and ride that wave of support.
Confident
"Plus, we know we've been playing well and we are confident. We've got a great chance."
The first Test is at Liverpool's Echo Arena on Friday evening, followed by matches in Nottingham on Sunday and London on Tuesday.
It was June 1981 when England's women last tasted victory against the Green and Gold machine, but Tamsin Greenway reckons the long wait could be about to come to an end.
"They are the number one in the world so they are the target, but we have been getting closer," Greenway told skysports.com. "We beat them in the FastNet competition - that was a great result - and we have beaten New Zealand recently - so we have got a great chance."
The 27-year-old Surrey Storm wing attack has been capped 23 times by her country since making her debut against South Africa in 2004, and has seen netball in this country take big strides since then.
The most important boost to the game has undoubtely been the creation of a national club competition for the first time, with nine teams now competing on a nationwide basis.
"Superleague has been massive for us," Greenway said. "The standard has definitely been raised across the board and we have seen that in the England performances.
"The Australian league system has been running a lot longer than ours, but we are catching up fast."
Greenway and some of her England colleagues have also had experience playing in the professional ANZ League down under - a competition comprising five teams apiece from Australia and New Zealand.
"It is a step up in the ANZ because it is full-time professional and that is pretty amazing - a lot different," said Greenway, who has played for the Queensland Firebirds in the last two ANZ competitions.
Experience
"Seven of the England team have been out there for the last two years and we have been able to learn from that experience, which has definitely helped us."
All this suggests that England will again be competitive against the world champions, but can they beat them?
"We have been in winning positions before but we have let them get back into it," she admits. "They never know when they are beaten - that is their mindset and it comes from winning all the time! We just have to take that extra step, beat them once and it all changes."
Greenway also reckons home support could be key.
"It's never easy for a touring team and we know we are going to get great support," she added. "Home games are fantastic - playing in front of huge crowds, it's a great atmosphere and it gets everyone buzzing. We have got to start fast in the first game and ride that wave of support.
Confident
"Plus, we know we've been playing well and we are confident. We've got a great chance."
The first Test is at Liverpool's Echo Arena on Friday evening, followed by matches in Nottingham on Sunday and London on Tuesday.
Bath Drown out Thunder
TeamBath consolidated second place in the Co-operative Superleague after holding on for a tense 46-44 victory at Northern Thunder.
It was a rolling Thunder side that took to the court in Bury buoyed by a satisfying seven-goal success over Hertfordshire Mavericks the day before.
But it was the visitors who took control of the game in the first quarter, winning the opener by five goals. TeamBath were keen to get their training moves into match-winning performances and their defence certainly showed that as Thunder struggled to find their way through the traffic on court.
Stacey Francis and Eboni Beckford-Chambers did well to slow the ball into Thunder's highly accurate Karen Greig. Although the shooter admits she never felt more pressure to land a goal than when Jade Clarke delivered her a bounce pass through the lengthy legs of Beckford-Chambers - hopefully video footage of that shot will turn up on YouTube.
That first fifteen minutes proved the undoing for Thunder as the second stanza finished 12-12, keeping Bath in front at half-time.
Changes were made by both teams for the next quarter. Krystal Gayle came on from Rachel Henry at WA; Bath gave Rosie Allison the GS bib and Asha Tett came off. The home side made more of their shooting chances, as they revved up their attack, but with fewer attempts than their opponents were only able to win the quarter by one goal.
Intent
Now thunderous in their intent to claw back the four-goal deficeit Northern, spurred on by a vocal home crowd and some good turnover ball, pulled to within a point at 39-40.
But the push for the lead was halted when Jade Clarke, Thunder's Player of the Weekend, was pulled up for footwork. The momentum was lost and TeamBath did what defending champions do so well and prevailed.
Northern Thunder coach Suzy Chapman said: "The team gave a fantastic performance as we carried our determination and passion from yesterday's game through to today." Despite the defeat she was encouraged by the display, adding: "The game and result shows we can compete against the best."
Captain Karen Greig felt they were beaten by the clock. "It was a slow start but we came back strong quarter on quarter but unfortunately we ran out of time," she said. "We hope we have put some shock waves through the netball world."
TeamBath head coach Jess Garland liked the way her side began, but admitted the game did not follow her plan after the first quarter. "We were pleased with the way we started as we have been working on defence have taken that from training onto the court. Our defence looked sharp and Stacey and Eboni applied pressure early on.
"The positives from that last quarter are that Northern Thunder could have won the game, but TeamBath weathered the pressure. It may have been ugly at times but we held on for the result."
It was a rolling Thunder side that took to the court in Bury buoyed by a satisfying seven-goal success over Hertfordshire Mavericks the day before.
But it was the visitors who took control of the game in the first quarter, winning the opener by five goals. TeamBath were keen to get their training moves into match-winning performances and their defence certainly showed that as Thunder struggled to find their way through the traffic on court.
Stacey Francis and Eboni Beckford-Chambers did well to slow the ball into Thunder's highly accurate Karen Greig. Although the shooter admits she never felt more pressure to land a goal than when Jade Clarke delivered her a bounce pass through the lengthy legs of Beckford-Chambers - hopefully video footage of that shot will turn up on YouTube.
That first fifteen minutes proved the undoing for Thunder as the second stanza finished 12-12, keeping Bath in front at half-time.
Changes were made by both teams for the next quarter. Krystal Gayle came on from Rachel Henry at WA; Bath gave Rosie Allison the GS bib and Asha Tett came off. The home side made more of their shooting chances, as they revved up their attack, but with fewer attempts than their opponents were only able to win the quarter by one goal.
Intent
Now thunderous in their intent to claw back the four-goal deficeit Northern, spurred on by a vocal home crowd and some good turnover ball, pulled to within a point at 39-40.
But the push for the lead was halted when Jade Clarke, Thunder's Player of the Weekend, was pulled up for footwork. The momentum was lost and TeamBath did what defending champions do so well and prevailed.
Northern Thunder coach Suzy Chapman said: "The team gave a fantastic performance as we carried our determination and passion from yesterday's game through to today." Despite the defeat she was encouraged by the display, adding: "The game and result shows we can compete against the best."
Captain Karen Greig felt they were beaten by the clock. "It was a slow start but we came back strong quarter on quarter but unfortunately we ran out of time," she said. "We hope we have put some shock waves through the netball world."
TeamBath head coach Jess Garland liked the way her side began, but admitted the game did not follow her plan after the first quarter. "We were pleased with the way we started as we have been working on defence have taken that from training onto the court. Our defence looked sharp and Stacey and Eboni applied pressure early on.
"The positives from that last quarter are that Northern Thunder could have won the game, but TeamBath weathered the pressure. It may have been ugly at times but we held on for the result."
Thursday, February 11, 2010
Bath Back in the Swim
Team Bath bounced back from their first defeat in nearly two years with a 62-42 victory at Leeds Carnegie.
The two teams met at Leeds Met University with different objectives which ensured a highly entertaining match, closely fought for three-quarters of the game.
TeamBath were in unfamiliar territory coming to the contest on the back of a defeat to Surrey Storm; their first loss in nearly 23 months, and aiming to maintain the pressure on the leaders at the top of the Co-operative Superleague.
Leeds were looking to build on their top-half credentials after some excellent but un-rewarded performances in recent games.
A familiar Leeds starting seven took to the court and it was a good battle against a less recognisable TeamBath side. Rosie Allison (GS) made the starting seven for the first time in Superleague with Lindsay Keable (GK) earning a second start.
It was a close opening with both sides having 16 attempts at goal in the first 15 minutes, the defending champions netting one more than Leeds at the quarter whistle.
Targets
The momentum flipped around at the end of the half as Leeds scored 10 from 13, Bath 10 from 14, but the visiting side's coach Jess Garland was keen for her squad to address certain issues on court; "we had specific targets after our match against Surrey," she said.
Carnegie chose to stay with the same seven throughout the match, and it is a side that are beginning to gel together. Various combinations were being tried and tested by Bath who saved the best till last.
The final quarter saw a change of gear from TeamBath, who had been given a thorough working out by Leeds, but in the final 15 minutes put together some immaculate and inspirational passages of play with exceptional understanding between the players, building up a 20-goal margin at the final whistle.
TeamBath coach Jess Garland admitted the game was just what her squad needed: "Leeds really tested us and kept with us for the first three quarters of the game," she said. "We're really pleased with some of the things we made improvements on.
"We are looking to have a more clinical performance against Glasgow on Friday night."
Leeds co-coach Marion Lofthouse thoroughly enjoyed the match: "What a fantastic game of netball!" she said. "Both teams exhibited great skill and commitment. Bath dominated the last quarter, showing the experience required to win the game. The Leeds players will learn from this match."
She also felt praise was also due to the match officials: "Both umpires allowed the players to contest the ball and this contributed to a great display of netball," Lofthouse added
The two teams met at Leeds Met University with different objectives which ensured a highly entertaining match, closely fought for three-quarters of the game.
TeamBath were in unfamiliar territory coming to the contest on the back of a defeat to Surrey Storm; their first loss in nearly 23 months, and aiming to maintain the pressure on the leaders at the top of the Co-operative Superleague.
Leeds were looking to build on their top-half credentials after some excellent but un-rewarded performances in recent games.
A familiar Leeds starting seven took to the court and it was a good battle against a less recognisable TeamBath side. Rosie Allison (GS) made the starting seven for the first time in Superleague with Lindsay Keable (GK) earning a second start.
It was a close opening with both sides having 16 attempts at goal in the first 15 minutes, the defending champions netting one more than Leeds at the quarter whistle.
Targets
The momentum flipped around at the end of the half as Leeds scored 10 from 13, Bath 10 from 14, but the visiting side's coach Jess Garland was keen for her squad to address certain issues on court; "we had specific targets after our match against Surrey," she said.
Carnegie chose to stay with the same seven throughout the match, and it is a side that are beginning to gel together. Various combinations were being tried and tested by Bath who saved the best till last.
The final quarter saw a change of gear from TeamBath, who had been given a thorough working out by Leeds, but in the final 15 minutes put together some immaculate and inspirational passages of play with exceptional understanding between the players, building up a 20-goal margin at the final whistle.
TeamBath coach Jess Garland admitted the game was just what her squad needed: "Leeds really tested us and kept with us for the first three quarters of the game," she said. "We're really pleased with some of the things we made improvements on.
"We are looking to have a more clinical performance against Glasgow on Friday night."
Leeds co-coach Marion Lofthouse thoroughly enjoyed the match: "What a fantastic game of netball!" she said. "Both teams exhibited great skill and commitment. Bath dominated the last quarter, showing the experience required to win the game. The Leeds players will learn from this match."
She also felt praise was also due to the match officials: "Both umpires allowed the players to contest the ball and this contributed to a great display of netball," Lofthouse added
Surrey Storm to Victory
Surrey Storm extended their lead at the top of the table after an impressive 67-23 away victory against Glasgow Wildcats.
The visitors came into the match with an unbeaten league record and they were in no mood to end this run.
Another dominant display from Storm means they have a massive 199 goal difference and moves Surrey six points clear of second-placed Hertfordshire Mavericks.
Rachel Dunn was once again the stand-out performer in the side, netting a huge 53 goals from 61 attempts and the 31-year-old picked up her second Sky Sports Co-operative player of the match award in just two weeks.
Surrey's defence was also taking the plaudits with a fantastic display; they limited the Wildcats attack to only 12 shots in the first and second quarters combined, resulting in the few opportunities presented to Glasgow.
Mkoloma and Mentor were both performing well for Surrey, ensuring their opponents had little of the ball as possible - helping Storm to a comfortable victory.
Delighted
Tamsin Greenway, who was filling in as player/coach for the match, was pleased with the way the team had performed.
She said: "We started slowly but built well, we were obviously going for goals and it was great to get different combinations on the court which once again proves our strength and depth. There is still a lot to work on but we are happy with the result."
Sharp shooter Dunn was delighted to be named player of the match and gave a lot of credit to the squad.
She added: "I am really pleased but I've got to give credit to the rest of the team, the defence shut down so much ball tonight and the mid court and attack gave great feeds in so they gave me plenty of opportunities."
Wildcats coach Denise Holland was disappointed with the result but gave credit to the attitude of the players in what was a hard match.
She said: "Wildcats worked hard throughout the game, intelligently and tirelessly to capitalise on possession.
"We will take many positives from this performance."
The visitors came into the match with an unbeaten league record and they were in no mood to end this run.
Another dominant display from Storm means they have a massive 199 goal difference and moves Surrey six points clear of second-placed Hertfordshire Mavericks.
Rachel Dunn was once again the stand-out performer in the side, netting a huge 53 goals from 61 attempts and the 31-year-old picked up her second Sky Sports Co-operative player of the match award in just two weeks.
Surrey's defence was also taking the plaudits with a fantastic display; they limited the Wildcats attack to only 12 shots in the first and second quarters combined, resulting in the few opportunities presented to Glasgow.
Mkoloma and Mentor were both performing well for Surrey, ensuring their opponents had little of the ball as possible - helping Storm to a comfortable victory.
Delighted
Tamsin Greenway, who was filling in as player/coach for the match, was pleased with the way the team had performed.
She said: "We started slowly but built well, we were obviously going for goals and it was great to get different combinations on the court which once again proves our strength and depth. There is still a lot to work on but we are happy with the result."
Sharp shooter Dunn was delighted to be named player of the match and gave a lot of credit to the squad.
She added: "I am really pleased but I've got to give credit to the rest of the team, the defence shut down so much ball tonight and the mid court and attack gave great feeds in so they gave me plenty of opportunities."
Wildcats coach Denise Holland was disappointed with the result but gave credit to the attitude of the players in what was a hard match.
She said: "Wildcats worked hard throughout the game, intelligently and tirelessly to capitalise on possession.
"We will take many positives from this performance."
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