Hertfordshire Under 16s take the Division 2 title

Hertfordshire travelled to Kent at the weekend for the final round of the English Counties League coming away with two wins for the Under 16 A and B teams and a defeat for the under 18 team. On a cold and windy day the under 16 a team needed to maintain their high performance levels to capture the division title and started with Taryn Belcher-Brown GS Stephanie Dunbar GA Meggie Cook WA Annalisa Carraturo C Laura Wilson WD Ellesse Ward GD and Katie Ashley GK.

The first quarter was a tentative affair with both teams making passing errors and unable to settle into a rhythm to produce good netball in difficult conditions. Kent took the lead at the end of the quarter 7 to 4. Hertfordshire settled the quicker in the next quarter playing short passing netball keeping control of possession and with good shooting in windy conditions and some excellent defensive interceptions by both Laura Wilson and Ellesse Ward won the quarter 10 to 5 to lead at half time 14 to 12.

The third quarter was another close affair with Kent edging it 9 to 8 leaving Hertfordshire up by just one goal. Emily Staite was brought into the team at C and with the team growing in confidence and playing good all court netball ran out winners 32 to 27. That meant that Hertfordshire won the division with a 100% record of played 7 won 7. Player of the match was Meggie Cook at WA.

The B team game was also played in cold difficult conditions with Hertfordshire fielding two development squad players Nicole Clayton and Natasha South for their County debuts. The team was Nicole Clayton GK Kara Stone GD Laura O’Mahony WD Emily Staite C Natasha South WA Lucy Rex GA and Ruby White GS.

Hertfordshire started this game brightly but took a little time to get into their stride with Lucy Rex playing well at GA. After settling quicker than Kent Hertfordshire won the quarter 10 to 3. The second quarter saw Kent match the Hertfordshire game with Kent winning the quarter 7 to 4. The third quarter continued to be a physical game with Hertfordshire’s experienced players Kara Stone, Emily Staite and Lucy Rex taking more control through out the court winning the quarter 12 to 5. Squad captain Annalisa Carraturo switched into the game for the final quarter to allow Emily Staite to play in the A game and with this not affecting the tempo of the Hertfordshire game the team registered another victory 33 to 20. Player of the match was Kara Stone  

The Under 18 game was played indoors with Hertfordshire starting Emma Ashley GS Christine Caffrey GA Holly Fowler WA Sarah Bennett C Alex Bone WD Charlotte Davis GD and Jo Allan GK. Hertfordshire started the better and took a 3 to 0 lead early on but with Kent fighting back in the latter stages of the quarter it was even at quarter time 7 to 7. The game was played at a high pace but Hertfordshire allowed a number of handling errors to creep into their game giving their opponents the chance to lead at half time. Amy Hebden and Grace Kane and Lauren Willimott  all took to the court during the second half but once again some uncharacteristic errors allowed Kent whose shooters played particularly well against Hertfordshire’s excellent defence to maintain the lead and run out winners 39 to 26. Player of the match was Jo Allan

The squads now move to the two end of season tournaments first at Eastern Region on 26^th March in Ipswich and the final Inter Counties Alex Barless tournament in Bournemouth on the weekend of 1^st 2^nd April.

Hertfordshire travelled to Birmingham for round 6 of the English Counties League with one Under 18 team and two under 16 teams.

The Under 16 B game played outside in cold windy conditions with Hertfordshire starting with Ruby White GS Stephanie Dunbar GA Laura O’Mahony WA Emily Staite C Laura Wilson WD Kara Stone GD and Katie Ashley GK. Hertfordshire started brightly playing controlled netball in the difficult conditions and took an immediate lead thanks to some good shooting and a number of defenders making telling interceptions. Good performances from laura Wilson, Katie Ashley and Emily Staite backe d up by the rst the team saw Hertfordshire too strong for the Birmingham side. Substitutions at Half time brought A team players on court to rest laura Wilson and Emily Staite for the following A game and Abi Lambden at WD and Annalisa Carraturo at C merely reinforced the side who eventually ran out winners 35 to 14.

Player of the match was Emily Staite

In the Under 16 A game Hertfordshire started Taryn Belcher-Brown at GS Lucy Rex at GA Meggie Cook at WA Annalisa Carraturo at C Abi Lambden at WD Hannah O’Neill at GD and Ellesse Ward at GK.

Hertfordshire started with the determination and confidence that they have been demonstrating throughout this season. The opposition proving to be extremely talented and tough competition also started strongly however Hertfordshire managed to match them goal for goal which created great momentum. Hertfordshire upped the pace and their strong defensive tactics broke down the Birmingham attack enabling them to gain a two goal lead at quarter time 9 to 7. Second quarter Birmingham came out hard and managed to bring the game level. This nail biting quarter saw the ball move fluently and at an impressive pace up and down the court, both teams scoring goal for goal. At half time the score was 16 all. In the second half Hertfordshire brought on Emily Staite at WA and Laura Wilson at WD. Hertfordshire’s fantastic defensive play and strong mid-court link created the inner strength to break down Birmingham’s incredible pace and take the lead. At the end of the 3^rd quarter the score was 27 to 24 for Hertfordshire. In the final quarter the impressive work from Hertfordshire’s defensive circle, accuracy of the shooters and confident centre court play enabled the lead to maintained.The Final score Hertfordshire 37 Birmingham 35 maintaining Hertfordshire’s advantage at the top of the table. It was a pleasure to watch! The Player of the match was Ellesse Ward

The Under 18 game played indoors was more suited to good netball with Hertfordshire fielding a squad of nine starting with Alex Bone GK Jo Allan GD Amy Hebden WD Sarah Bennett C Holly Fowler WA Christine Caffrey GA and Lauren Willimott GS. Birmingham who were top of the division showed their skill and pace from the outset and were too strong for the Hertfordshire side. Hertfordshire struggled to get possession to their shooters and were unable to cope with the pace and accuracy of the Birmingham mid court at quarter time Hertfordshire were down  15 to 3 and further behind at the half time stage 30 to 5.

Hertfordshire rallied in the second half by then having Grace Kane on court at WD and Emma Ashley at GS. By concentrating on the key aspects of their own game Hertfordshire began to find space on court and competed with Birmingham losing the third quarter 11 to 9 and the final quarter 8 to 6 to lose 55 to 20.

Player of the match for Hertfordshire was Grace Kane

Hertfordshire Juniors entertain netballers from Alberta Canada

On Friday afternoon Wodson Park Sports Centre hosted two games between the Hertfordshire County Squads and teams from Alberta in Canada.

The first game saw Hertfordshire’s under 16 team take on the Under 18 team from the visitors with Hertfordshire’s starting line up Taryn Belcher-Brown GS Stephanie Dunbar GA Lucy Rex WA Annalisa Carraturo C Laura O’Mahony WD Kara Stone GD and Ellesse Ward GK. Hertfordshire started brightly playing good all court netball and with the shooters scoring freely and the defensive unit picking up interceptions through out the first period Hertfordshire took a lead that they were not to lose throughout the game. Ruby White was brought into the attack and Hertfordshire continued to dominate the visiting side until the half time break. In the next period Alberta fought back and reduced the overall lead but Hertfordshire were able to step up a gear when required to recover their composure to run out winners by 46 to 20.

In the second game Hertfordshire’s under 18 squad played an under 23 side from Alberta starting with Georgina Alcott-Smith GK Jo Allan GD Alex Bone WD Sarah Bennett C Holly Fowler WA Christine Caffrey GA and Emma Ashley GS. As in the previous match Hertfordshire started the better and lead at half time playing good all court netball with sound defence and good shooting particularly from GA Christine Caffrey. In the second half Hertfordshire continued to play good netball with Holly Fowler outstanding at WA and maintained the lead into the final quarter. Suddenly Alberta found some form and with Hertfordshire losing possession too easily fought back to finish the game with an exciting draw 37 all.

Hertfordshire’s Junior squads clean sweep again

Hertfordshire’s junior squads continued a fine run of form when registering three wins against West Yorkshire on saturday in the English Counties League division 2.

The Under 18 squad comprising Christine Caffrey, Jo Allan, Charlotte Davies, Sarah Bennett, Holly Fowler, Amy Hebden, Alex Bone Grace Kane Emma Ashley and Lauren Willimott played with growing confidence and control and although not scoring highly defended exceptionally well and were too strong for the side from West Yorkshire. Hertfordshire narrowly won each of the four quarters running out overall victors by 33 to 26.

The Under 16 team maintained their 100 per cent record in the league and were on fine form with defenders Ellesse Ward and Abi Lambden winning countless interceptions creating opportunities for a set of in form shooters to take advantage of. The squad of Annalisa Carraturo, Meggie Cook, Emily Staite, Ellesse Ward, Abi Lambden, Taryn Belcher-Brown, Stephanie Dunbar, Katie Ashley, Kara Stone  and Laura O’Mahony  out played West Yorkshire in almost every area of the court playing some excellent flowing netball. Hertfordshire registered their highest win of the season so far winning 62 to 19.

The third game was a chance for Hertfordshire’s development squad to gain match experience as the County under 16 B team boosted by squad regulars Katie Ashley and Laura O’Mahony whose experience showed providing a solid base for a team who rarely play together. Charlotte Jordan, Lucy Goddard, Kelly Somers, Rebecca Pratt,  Natasha South, Laura O’Mahony, Leigh Rees Reynolds, Lucy Jones and  Katie Ashley  made up the squad. Another game of good all court netball by Hertfordshire saw a victory 42 to 20.    

Three wins for Hertfordshire’s Youth sides

Saturday saw Round Four of the English Counties League with Hertfordshire taking on Surrey on a cold and damp day. Hertfordshire had one Under 18 team and two Under 16 teams playing with all three registering victories.

In the Under 18 game Hertfordshire started Lauren Willimott at GS Christine Caffrey at GA Holly Fowler at WA Sarah Bennett at C Amy Hebden at WD Charlotte Davis at GD and Jo Allan at GK.

The match was dominated by the two defences with shooting chances difficult to come by from both teams. This resulted in a particularly low scoring game with the score eight all at half time. Emma Ashley came on in the second half at GS and by the end of the third quarter Hertfordshire had a four goal lead. Alex Bone replaced Amy Hebden at WD for the last quarter and steadied the side for the final period with Hertfordshire running out winners by 18 to 16. Player of the match was Charlotte Davis.

In the Under 16 A game Hertfordshire started Taryn Belcher-Brown at GS Lucy Rex at GA Meggie Cook at WA Annalisa Carraturo at C Laura Wilson at WD Hannah O’Neill at GD and Ellesse Ward at GK.

Playing in difficult conditions Hertfordshire edged the first quarter 6 – 5 and took a further lead into half time 18 – 11 with some good defending and excellent mid court play. In the second half Victoria Stokes came on at GA with the team taking a little time to settle after the break losing the quarter by 9 to 8 but finished strongly out scoring Surrey 10 to 3 in the final quarter to win the game 36 to 23 and maintain their top position in the League. Player of the match was Laura Wilson.

In the third game an under 16 B side comprising Chloe Darcy at GS Stephanie Dunbar at GA Grace Kane at WA Emily Staite at C Laura O’Mahony at WD Kara Stone at GD and Katie Ashley at GK.

The team were too experienced for Surrey’s B side and took an immediate 12 to 3 lead in the first quarter with some excellent shooting by Chloe Darcy and good play all through the court. The second quarter was not as successful for Hertfordshire with the cold conditions and slippery ball causing uncharacteristic mishaps but still Hertfordshire were too strong for their opponents winning the quarter 5 to 4. In the second half Hertfordshire played a more controlled game with Emily Staite running the game at Centre and all three defenders picking off a number of excellent interceptions. Hertfordshire ran out eventual winners 39 to 15 to complete a clean sweep for the afternoon. Player of the match was Emily Staite.

The next fixture for Hertfordshire is the visit of West Yorkshire on February the 4^th.

Hertfordshire Under 16s hit top spot

Saturday saw round three of the English Counties League season with Hertfordshire hosting Hampshire North at Stanborough school. In the Under 16 game a full squad of twelve players were selected with the starting seven Taryn Belcher-Brown at GS, Victoria Stokes at GA Meggie Cook WA Annalisa Carraturo C Abi lambden WD kara Stone GD and Ellesse Ward GK. The first quarter was played at a fast pace with end to end action and little to separate the teams. Hertfordshire just edged the quarter 11 – 10. Ellesse Ward at GK was clearly suffering with a heavy cold and was replaced at quarter time by Katie Ashley. The second quarter saw a number of brilliant interceptions from Abi Lambden and Meggie Cook and with more excellent shooting from Taryn Belcher-Brown Hertfordshire extended their lead at half-time to 24 – 17.

The third quarter saw the introduction of Laura Wilson at WD moving Abi Lambden to GD and Stephanie Dunbar at GA with little effect on the overall team performance which continued to prove strong in defence and fast open play in attack.  The attack continued to score consistently and led at three quarter time 37 – 24. Two further changes were made so that the whole squad had court time with Grace Kane coming on at C and Ruby Bridge at GS. The team eased to a 43 – 33 victory which saw them take top spot in the Division. Player of the match was difficult to determine with so many excellent performances by Hertfordshire young team. It was left to a joint award to Meggie Cook and Laura Wilson both having contributed exceptional play in attack and defence.

In the Under 18 game Hertfordshire were looking for their first win of the season and started with Emma Ashley at GS Christine Caffrey GA Holly Fowler WA Jade Keys C Alex Bone WD Charlotte Davies GD and Jo Allan GK. Both teams started with tall defending circle players that made it difficult for shooters to get into their rhythm with Hampshire North settling first to take the quarter 10 – 8. This was mainly due to the WA and GA moving with ease through out the attacking third of the court. Hertfordshire ‘s coaches responded by introducing Amy Hebden to WD and a tighter defence to restrict the space. Shooting was again not easy against the tall defenders and a low scoring half saw Hertfordshire trailing at half time by 16 – 13. Lauren Willimott was brought into the team at GS and further tight defending began to see Hertfordshire’s fortunes change. Although three goals down for most of the third quarter two excellent interceptions by Jo Allan and Charlotte Davies combined with safe handling of possession and accurate shooting from Lauren Willimott saw Hertfordshire finally take a lead mid way through the quarter. Spurred on by this and some excellent all court netball from the whole team meant a first win of the season  by the Under 18’s 32 – 25. Player of the match was Amy Hebden whose exceptional defending made a significant contribution to the victory.

Mixed results for Hertfordshire’s County youth squads

Saturday saw the opening fixture in the final season of the English Counties League with the visit of Warwickshire to the Hertfordshire Netball Centre at Parmiters school.

In the Under 18 game County debuts were made by Jade Keys at Centre and Lauren Willimott at Goal Shooter in the team with Captain Chirstine Caffrey at GA Sarah Bennett WA Amy Hebden WD Charlotte Davis GD and vice captain Jo Allan GK.

In a low scoring match both sets of defences dominated proceedings with shooters finding it difficult to get into a consistent rhythm. Warwickshire made the most of the limited shooting opportunities  leading 8 – 6 at quarter time and 14 – 11 at half time.

Hertfordshire introduced GS Emma Ashley and C Holly Fowler at half time but still struggled to maintain any consistency in their play and trailed at three quarter time 15 – 21. Carly Summers made her County debut for the final quarter at GA but the team was unable to make up the deficit losing the quarter 9 – 7 and the match by 30 – 22.

Hertfordshire’s player of the match was Charlotte Davis who had an excellent game in the heart of the defence.

In the Under 16 game Hertfordshire had a comprehensive squad consisting of  Taryn Belcher-brown GS, Victoria Stokes GA, Meggie Cook WA, Annalisa Carraturo C (Captain), Laura Wilson WD, Kara Stone GD  Ellesse Ward GK, with Chloe Darcy, Lucy Rex, Laura O’Mohney , Abi Lambden and Katie Ashley as substitutes. This provided a strong and versatile mix for the first game.

In the first quarter the energetic and positive approach combined with 100% commitment, to their responsibilities as a team enabled them to secure an early lead of 11 - 6. The attacking play was controlled and fluid with the superb movement from both shooters combined with the defensive efforts from all players created fantastic opportunities which they grabbed with both hands!

In the second quarter Warwickshire started to catch up, their determination to close Hertfordshire’s lead created enough opportunities for them to prevent the shooters from having as many shots on goal. With some lovely fluidity being demonstrated by both teams they drew the second quarter 10 – 10, however Herts still maintained their lead 21 - 16

Third quarter Hertfordshire introduced Chloe Darcy as GS this combined with the team’s commitment to try and maintain their lead Hertfordshire’s consistency continued however Warwickshire’s determination and fantastic shooting brought them to just 2 goals behind. Again the teams drawing the quarter 10 -10. Score standing at 31 - 26

Tiredness from the Herts girls was beginning to show, so for the fourth and final quarter some fresh legs were added to the Hertfordshire team with Abi Lambden coming on at WD and Lucy Rex as WA. The game then took on another pace, Hertfordshire’s 100% commitment and enthusiasm was regained and the fluidity returned. The solidity of Hertfordshire’s defense combined with Ellesse and Kara’s fantastic communication in the defensive circle prevented most of the passes in to the opposition’s shooters enabling Hertfordshire to turn the game around and stride out ahead to win comfortably 44 - 28

Hertfordshire’s U16 player of the match was Ellesse Ward (GK), whose excellent reading of Warwickshire’s game provided solid defence and turned the ball over numerous times.