Wandsworth B vs. Chequers B
50-23
Wandsworth B vs. Chequers B - 50-23 (by Julia)
Harri, Clare, Caiti, Nicki, Georgie, Zoe, Julia, Anneka, Kiran
POM: Georgie
PP: Anneka
Wandsworth B took to the courts on Saturday with an almost entirely new line-up (only 2 players from last season starting), so the expectation was for some potential teething problems as we took our time to gel as a team. However, from the off the girls demonstrated just what a capable and complementary bunch they are going to be. Within moments of starting we took the lead, demonstrating our attacking prowess and defensive strength. The first quarter seemed to get better and better as we capitalised on every shooting opportunity and made numerous turnovers.
Q1 = 15-5
Second quarter continued in the same vein as we made a couple of attacking and defensive changes. Newbies Caiti, Clare and Nicki dominated in defence with several flying interceptions, making it difficult for Chequers to find their shooters. In attack, Kiran (aka Sticky Fingers) and Anneka were bamboozling the Chequers defence with some great runs and cheeky passing around the D. As a result Q2 saw us build on our lead with another compelling scoreline.
Q2 = 16-3
Third quarter saw a dip in form. Chequers tightened up their defence (and seemed to benefit from a bit of umpire bias), whilst we seemed to lose our concentration, perhaps knowing we'd already won the game. That said, Georgi continued to work hard in centre court, with some great vision for her feeds into the shooters, whilst Harri, who was back on in defence, put some great pressure on their attack, forcing some missed shots. All in all we had our worst quarter, making some silly mistakes and not capitalising on our opportunities.
Q3 = 7-8
We changed things up in the fourth quarter, with Zoe back on as WD and getting some lovely tips in mid-court, whilst Clare demonstrated her versatility as she moved into GS, using her impressive leg split to edge closer to the post. Once again the team was working well as a unit, with some lovely passages of play. Tiredness set in a little but we adapted to the situation in order to take our time and maintain possession.
Q4= 12-7
All in all, a superb start to the season with a convincing win over a decent team. As we progress we'll need to work on our composure under pressure, concentration in the latter stages of the match, and building in some set plays from centre passes - we probably could have been more efficient with these, but we're still getting used to each other as a team. Big-up to Anneka who had a splendid game and received PP, whilst Georgie impressed throughout and was honoured with POM. Well done girls!