- Trust Helping Hands 28 Stratford Ladies Blues 39
- BDR 28 Comets Tornadoes 44
- Thunderbirds 50 Shooters Flames 25
- Pink Ladies 43 Shooters Sparks 17
All teams were treated to a glorious morning to play out the penultimate games of the season. 4th placed Trust Helping Hands met with 2nd placed Stratford Ladies Blues. A competitive game, Stratford had the lead from the first quarter assisted by great shooting from Jo Wish at GA [opposition's player]. Trust, without their normal centre player, adjusted positions across the game with both Rachel Goodman and Katie Desmond [opposition's player] taking the bib and playing with great effect. Stratford won the first 2 quarters and took a 24 -11 lead into half time. Trust had a strong 3rd quarter winning it 9 goals to 6, managing to get within 5 goals during the quarter, but Stratford were leading by 10 at the next interval. Stratford held on to take the win and with a bye of the final week of the season, currently sit in 2nd position with nothing else they can do but see how things play out 7th April.
BDR met third place Comets Tornadoes in the early game. Great shooting from Michelle Hastie [opposition's player] and Ami Mertens-Dixon [umpires' player] for BDR helped them keep their score within half to take a point from the game. Comets took the win and 5 points to keep the pressure on at the top of the table. In the final match of the season they will meet Stratford Ladies Purples, current league leaders, and the winners will be decided in that match!
Thunderbirds met Shooters Flames in the late game. With excellent mid court support from Holly Roberts at WA [umpires' player] and Carolyn Stacey at WD [opposition's player], they put a strong performance against Shooters, who were one player short. Pippa Corby at WA [umpires' player] worked hard to cover the deficit of the other wing, and the Shooters team managed to take a point from the game by scoring within half the winning score. Both teams sitting mid table, the win for Thunderbirds closes the gap on Flames from 6 points to just 2 and so again, the final match could be crucial to their final league positions.
The final match saw Pink Ladies take on Shooters Sparks. Both teams started with just 6 players, Pink Ladies started strong and took an early lead. They were up to a full complement mid way through the first half when their final player arrived and took the court. Jess Thwaites at WD [umpires' player] was a dominant force across the court for Pink Ladies making great interceptions, finding space and generally supporting the team. They ended the first quarter with a 5 goal lead. Lisa Blake shot consistently well for Pink Ladies throughout the match supported by Jo Haslam and Laura Joynes. At half time, they had stretched their lead to 12 goals. Shooters Sparks responded to the strength in the circle, bringing Charlotte Rhodes, their newly registered player, into the defensive circle to support Kayleigh Seys [umpires' player] However, by the third interval Pink Ladies were 19 goals ahead as they continued to grow in confidence and they ended the match winning by 26 goals. A fantastic team performance earning them their first points of the season - well deserved ladies!
Player awards:
Trust Helping Hands: Umpires' player - Leonie Green, Players' player - Katie Desmond
Stratford Ladies Blues: Umpires' player - Sam Murdoch, Players' player - Jo Wish
BDR: Umpires' player - Ami Mertens-Dixon, Players' player - Michelle Hastie
Comets Tornadoes: Umpires' player - Lucy Mellor, Players' player - Lottie Mayers
Thunderbirds: Umpires' player - Holly Roberts, Players' player - Carolyn Stacey
Shooters Flames: Umpires' player - Pippa Corby, Players' player - Scarlett Hitchman
Pink Ladies: Umpires' player - Jess Thwaites, Players' player - Jo Haslam
Shooters Sparks: Umpires' player - Kayleigh Seys, Players' player - Faye Ellery
