Netball girls jumpstart season with win over Nottingham
21st Oct 2010 - Written by Dave Rudge
Birmingham 1st Vs Nottingham 1st
54 - 40
After the disappointment of losing out to the Loughborough 2nds in last season’s BUCS Trophy final, the netball 1sts were determined to bounce back in their opening league fixture of the season, and they bounced back in style. Opponents Nottingham presented a laudable test, but goals from Hannah Kennedy and the prolific Laura Brocklebank propelled Birmingham to victory in a game they never looked like losing.
The game began in pulsating fashion, with the Birmingham girls spurred on by an electric home support. But it was the visitors who drew first blood with two early goals from Taryn Belcher-Brow chastening the Brum faithful. Birmingham were soon back in it though. After a couple of misses, Kennedy found her range to level the scores and the crowd rediscovered their voice.
The nervous tension affecting the players prevented both teams from gaining the ascendancy. Nottingham goal-attack Georgia Rule struggled to make an impact, missing a series of easy chances, allowing Birming ham to nudge ahead. But Rule eventually broke her duck in the fifth minute to tie it up at 4–4.
The pattern of the game changed on seven minutes. Birmingham found another gear, and for the remainder of the quarter, Nottingham couldn’t get out of their half. Brocklebank scored a hatful in quick succession to open up a 9–5 lead. The hosts’ goal keeper Lucia Karonias had the Nottingham forwards in her pocket, and a plethora of athletic interceptions provided her team with the confidence to extend their lead to 15–6 by the end of the first quarter.
During the interval, Nottingham captain Emily Staite questioned her team’s desire to win the game, asking “do you really want this?” At first her words did not appear to have the desired effect, with the home side pick ing up right where they left off: harrying their opponents all over the court, and stretching their lead to 20–7, courtesy of the magnificent Kennedy. Nottingham were in danger of being embarrassed, but remarkably they managed to conjure some resistance.
Nottingham’s Rule overcame her early nerves with a string of goals to reduce the deficit to 28–17, and although Birmingham went in at half-time still with a sizeable lead, their plucky opponents arguably shaded the second quarter.
Neither side was able to get the upper hand at the start of the third. Sloppy passing from both sides caused the scoring to slack, but it didn’t take Birmingham too long to reassert their dominance; a feint pass by Robyn Smith allowing Brocklebank to make it 31–19 on 34 minutes. Nottingham needed some of their earlier inspiration but couldn’t threaten the irrepressible hosts. Brocklebank really began to stamp her authority on the game, extending the lead to 36–21, and at the other end some clinical shooting by Belcher-Brow only just man aged to keep the score line respectable. However, Nottingham refused to lie down, scoring six goals in the final five minutes of the third to pull it back to 38–29 and the hosts were met with muted applause as they left the court.
But their fears were soon allayed as a rampant Birmingham came back out for the fourth. Captain Kate Roberts, revital ized from a rest on the bench, made a real difference, linking up well with Brocklebank to make it 39–29 in the first attack of the quarter. The crowd responded, greeting every tackle like a goal. Brocklebank and Kennedy were unerring in their shoot ing as they put their team out of sight at 50–39. Belcher-Brow battled on bravely but after hitting the rim three times in a row, her expression said it all and Birmingham ran out easy winners. After the game Roberts said her team had ‘gelled really well’ and spoke glowingly of Hannah Kennedy: “She hardly missed a shot all game. She was brilliant.” Next up for the girls is a visit to the stronghold of Loughborough.