London & South East Netball
Surrey Storm Talent Squad were back to winning ways after a long Christmas break. The youngsters had their first home game on Saturday against the northern side. The whole squad has been training hard since their defeat against Northern Thunder in December determined to get a win under their belts in a bid to bring the NTL title home for a second season.
The squad that stepped onto the court this weekend was unrecognizable from the starting twelve in the last game. They had shaken off the nerves, had a bounce in their step and fire in their bellies. In the training sessions since their defeat coaches Anita and Emma have brought in tough competition from Regional sides across London and South East, giving the girls much needed match practice and trying many combinations to ensure confidence was sky high before the game today.
Storm certainly had the home advantage with lots of supporters on the bleachers- the atmosphere was great and helped to lift the girls throughout the game- thank you to those who came to support - it was brilliant to see some familiar faces backing the squad.
Starting 7:
The squad started with their older, more experienced players to ensure a strong start. From the first whistle Storm came out fighting and soon secured their first goal. It took a while for Team Northumbria to respond what with Simmonds and Holland being formidable in defence. Both defenders put immense pressure on Northumbria’s shooters, putting them off their shots and denying them space in the circle.
The second quarter saw one change in the middle- Kim Piper and Frankie Gray swapped to ensure consistency and dynamism through the court. Storm continued to plug away at Team Northumbria, denying them shooting opportunities and turning the ball over consistently.
In the second half fresh legs were brought on throughout the court seeing that all squad members had a part of the action. Hayley Brooke replaced Fran Plom at GS, Nicole Duke and Ellie Fawsitt took over at WA and C respectively, Fran Desmond stepped on as WD and Rachel Mulloy came on at GK. The third quarter was an exciting one with the fresh players upping the tempo. The attack worked well together, with some fantastic drives to the circle and inspirational balls to the shooters. The other end was in safe hands with our England U17s Mulloy and Desmond making some vital interceptions. The fourth quarter saw the pair team up in the circle providing them with some great experience in preparation for the U17 European Championships in March.
All in all the squad performed well. The hard work behind the scenes in training has come into fruition, and it was great to show the crowd what they were really made of. The girls went away from the game having learned lots and with a little bit more vital confidence in themselves and each other.
Next weekend sees the squad travelling up to Leeds for their second away game against Leeds Carnegie. It is bound to be a tough one, but if the girls build on what they did this weekend they are set to give the northern side a good run for their money
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