Oldham Netball Club's national league side signed off 2015 with a resounding 56-25 win away at Cheltenham based Hucclecote.
The away side started quickly, pushing into a 3-1 lead before Hucclecote came back with some strong play and uncharacteristic errors from Oldham. The comeback was short-lived though as Oldham then scored 6 unanswered goals, Emma Dovey and Kerry Almond were piling the pressure on the Hucclecote shooters and creating turnovers which Gabby Marshall and Iona Darroch were picking up for the Oldham attack to finish off. Oldham out their foot down and raced into a 16-8 lead at the break.
The away side started quickly, pushing into a 3-1 lead before Hucclecote came back with some strong play and uncharacteristic errors from Oldham. The comeback was short-lived though as Oldham then scored 6 unanswered goals, Emma Dovey and Kerry Almond were piling the pressure on the Hucclecote shooters and creating turnovers which Gabby Marshall and Iona Darroch were picking up for the Oldham attack to finish off. Oldham out their foot down and raced into a 16-8 lead at the break.
No changes for the second and Oldham took the first 10 goals of the quarter before a timeout allowed the home side to regroup and finally score. Maria McAndrew was moving freely in attack and, alongside Marshall, was feeding Kathryn Turner and Amy Clinton well, with the shooting pair holding some great space and driving well to move the Hucclecote defence out of position. Half time score - 31-14
For the third quarter Abby Tyrrell moved to GD, with Dovey, Marshall and Darroch all moving up the court, giving McAndrew a well earned break. The changes did little to dampen Oldham's speed and court play though, with the full team working hard to limit the chances of the two tall Hucclecote shooters, and also to make sure that Turner and Clinton had enough ball to keep the scoreboard ticking over. Score – 45-19
The final quarter saw a few more changes with Darroch moving to GA and McAndrew re-entering the court at C. Some slick play through the court gave Oldham more chances to increase their lead which they duly despatched. A blood injury saw some changes enforced but they did little to halt the flow of the reigning champions. Final score: 56-25 to Oldham.
Coach Debbie Hallas was happy with the display, despite the depleted squad. "We started much better this week and put ourselves in a good position early, we played some great fast-flowing netball and it was good get five points in the bag before Christmas.”
“Player of the match was goal keeper Kerry Almond who took 10 intercepts throughout the game and nullified the presence of ex-England shooter Rosie Allison.”
Squad: GS A Clinton GA K Turner WA M McAndrew C I Darroch WD G Marshall GD E Dovey GK K Almond. Bench: A Tyrrell.
For the third quarter Abby Tyrrell moved to GD, with Dovey, Marshall and Darroch all moving up the court, giving McAndrew a well earned break. The changes did little to dampen Oldham's speed and court play though, with the full team working hard to limit the chances of the two tall Hucclecote shooters, and also to make sure that Turner and Clinton had enough ball to keep the scoreboard ticking over. Score – 45-19
The final quarter saw a few more changes with Darroch moving to GA and McAndrew re-entering the court at C. Some slick play through the court gave Oldham more chances to increase their lead which they duly despatched. A blood injury saw some changes enforced but they did little to halt the flow of the reigning champions. Final score: 56-25 to Oldham.
Coach Debbie Hallas was happy with the display, despite the depleted squad. "We started much better this week and put ourselves in a good position early, we played some great fast-flowing netball and it was good get five points in the bag before Christmas.”
“Player of the match was goal keeper Kerry Almond who took 10 intercepts throughout the game and nullified the presence of ex-England shooter Rosie Allison.”
Squad: GS A Clinton GA K Turner WA M McAndrew C I Darroch WD G Marshall GD E Dovey GK K Almond. Bench: A Tyrrell.