1st VII v Uppingham

Date: Saturday 13th March

Venue: Away

Get changed at break. You will need to order a packed lunch. Please be ready to leave the Arch at 12.30pm. PLEASE NOTE THAT YOU WILL NEED TO TRAVEL IN YOUR NON_PLAYING TRAINERS AS THE APPROACH TO THE COURTS IS APPARENTLY VERY DIRTY!!!! FLIP FLOPS ARE FINE!!!!!

Kit: Blue skirt and shirt + white socks. No hoodies! Remember to remove jewellery and to bring water bottles. Match start time is 2.30pm. Estimated time of return: 5.45pm – we are not staying for team tea.

Team:

E Holroyd
E Tyler
A King
H Cornish
G Horn
S Parkin
A Smale
S Matthews

Result: Uppingham 35: Repton 50

Match Report:

Deary Deary Me!!!!! I dread to think what my and Mrs Jenkinson’s blood pressure has been reading this afternoon!!!! After the initial shock of arriving and finding out that we were to be playing outside, we tried desperately hard not to think about the fact that if we won this match we would have been unbeaten for 2 seasons at 1st team level. Being 7 goals to 0 down in the first 6 minutes was therefore not the ideal start we had envisaged, and certainly not in keeping with the ‘unbeaten for the second year running’ piece I had rather cheekily written at midnight last night, thinking I was being terribly organized with regard to my Reptonian article. I heard my Grandmother’s voice ringing in my ears with shrills of ‘that’ll teach you!’ as the minutes ticked slowly by.We completed the quarter trailing by 10 goals to 17. We were slow, sluggish and a bit sleepy; we weren’t hungry for the ball and frankly the girls didn’t really look as though they wanted to be there. At the change of ends, there was a frank exchange of opinion and then we really stepped up a gear. The second quarter was fantastic and we managed to reverse the fortunes our way and went into half time 24 goals to 20 up. Ellie at GD suddenly focused and together with a fantastically on form King in the D we managed to make numerous interceptions in their attacking third. Meanwhile Horn and Parkin at the other end, were having a really tough time, but kept their heads and maintained an unbelievable work rate that simply wore their opponents down. Matthews, Cornish and Tyler then started to stay much tighter on their opponents and Uppingham made many more mistakes in the middle of the court. We on the other hand, reduced the number of unforced errors made. At this stage I should add that my hat goes off to Abi Smale who had been playing at WD. As the match got tighter, she was so supportive towards the team in that she elected to stay on the side-line since the team started to look as though it was gelling. After such a long drive, it takes a special player to so nobly ‘take one for the team’ and for that I thank her for making it so easy for me – especially when she had also been playing well!

We managed to stretch the lead a little further in the third quarter and crept ahead by 6 goals although we still had to keep our heads as they could easily have come back at us especially in 15 minute quarters. We need not have worried…the final quarter was fantastic and we marched on to win by 50 goals to 35. There were some amazing patterns of play and I thought how lovely it was of some of the Uppingham parents to congratulate me on such a stylish team. That said, they were right as the girls had some moments of brilliance and played the best netball I have seen from them this term. So….(as I wrote last night!!!!), an unbeaten season for the second year running – well done girls….you have made us very proud indeed. NMO/CJJ