| Starting 7: GK Kerry Almond GD Emma Dovey WD Gabrielle Marshall C Rachel Henry WA Maria McAndrew GA Kathryn Turner GS Krista Enziano Bench: Alice Travis Georgie Webster Beth Cobden | A derby against local rivals Leeds Athletic faced the leaders as they made the short journey over the hills. Form and recent performance means nothing in what normally turns out to be a physical and tough encounter. Oldham started brightly with a fast pace which seemed to shock the home team. The attack found Enziano in the circle and she seemed to be on fire popping the ball in from all over the circle. In defence Oldham were keen to stop Leeds creating any flow or speed and went on a five goal run without an answer from Leeds. A time out in the first quarter from Leeds allowed them to refocus and pull a couple of goal back but Oldham came out on top in the first quarter 17-11. |
With strength and depth on the bench Georgie Webster and Beth Cobden took to the court in defence shifting Gabs Marshall into the middle. The quarter started tightly with both teams unable to get a grip of the quarter however Oldham began to settle and put six goals on the score without Leeds being able score, again Leeds called a time out but this time Oldham did not lose focus. Pressure from defenders Emma Dovey and Webster at the back forced mistakes from the Leeds attack and the ball was brought through the court with pace to the Oldham shooters. At half time Oldham led 31-19.
At half time it was crucial that Oldham demanded more to keep the pressure on their local rivals. More changes were made with Alice Travis taking over the shooter role and captain Kerry Almond and Henry being reintroduced to the court. It did not take long for Travis to settle and the attacking speed of Maria McAndrew, Rachel Henry and Kathryn Turner along with some greatly timed feeds was too much for the Leeds defence to handle. Leeds did show patches of good play but it wasn’t enough to make an impact on the score. Oldham won yet another quarter pushing the score out to 46-30.
Coach Debbie Hallas was lucky to make yet more changes going into the final quarter and kept the defence and attack fresh. Turner carried on her great form in the shooting circle and linked well with the players around her. Leeds showed a disappointing fight back as the game went on and Oldham’s winning form continued. Again Oldham won the last quarter which extended their lead again as the game finished 61-39. The reigning champions know there is plenty of room for improvement in the coming weeks as the games begin to get tougher.
Coach Debbie Hallas: “Overall I was pleased with the performance, it was a good win and a real team effort today. Player of the match was Maria McAndrew who was consistent throughout the game and made the Leeds defence work hard. We are looking to take this through to next week’s tough game away against The Downs.”
At half time it was crucial that Oldham demanded more to keep the pressure on their local rivals. More changes were made with Alice Travis taking over the shooter role and captain Kerry Almond and Henry being reintroduced to the court. It did not take long for Travis to settle and the attacking speed of Maria McAndrew, Rachel Henry and Kathryn Turner along with some greatly timed feeds was too much for the Leeds defence to handle. Leeds did show patches of good play but it wasn’t enough to make an impact on the score. Oldham won yet another quarter pushing the score out to 46-30.
Coach Debbie Hallas was lucky to make yet more changes going into the final quarter and kept the defence and attack fresh. Turner carried on her great form in the shooting circle and linked well with the players around her. Leeds showed a disappointing fight back as the game went on and Oldham’s winning form continued. Again Oldham won the last quarter which extended their lead again as the game finished 61-39. The reigning champions know there is plenty of room for improvement in the coming weeks as the games begin to get tougher.
Coach Debbie Hallas: “Overall I was pleased with the performance, it was a good win and a real team effort today. Player of the match was Maria McAndrew who was consistent throughout the game and made the Leeds defence work hard. We are looking to take this through to next week’s tough game away against The Downs.”
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