Oldham travelled to Team Bath on Sunday for the first game of 2015, and game out on top to consolidate top spot in the league.
The Christmas break was evident in the first quarter, with Oldham’s customary slow start being more pronounced than normal. Team Bath did have a strong 7 filled with NSL players, including their new import, but Oldham welcomed Jodie Gibson back to the court for the first time since an Achilles injury last June. Oldham fought back into to the quarter despite some very sloppy play all across the court. The quarter ended 10-10.
The Christmas break was evident in the first quarter, with Oldham’s customary slow start being more pronounced than normal. Team Bath did have a strong 7 filled with NSL players, including their new import, but Oldham welcomed Jodie Gibson back to the court for the first time since an Achilles injury last June. Oldham fought back into to the quarter despite some very sloppy play all across the court. The quarter ended 10-10.
Emma Dovey and Gabby Marshall entered the court for the second quarter, with Gibson and Maria McAndrew taking a rest and Rachel Henry moving to WA. The changes helped and Oldham looked more settled, with the attack flowing freer and the defence tightening up on the quick Bath shooters. Kathryn Turner continued her fine form, taking control in the shooting circle, to give the Bath defenders a headache with her quick moves through the circle. Georgie Webster was tying the Bath WA up and restricting her play allowing the Oldham defence to turn over a lot more ball which the shooters duly converted. Half time score 23-17 to Oldham.
Krista Enziano replaced Alice Travis at GS for the second half, McAndrew and Gibson also returned to WA and WD respectively. Enziano made an immediate impact at GS with the Bath GK needing to mark a lot tighter in the circle to stop the long ball in. The quarter was fairly even with traded intercepts and errors by both teams. Oldham edged it to take a 35-27 lead into the final quarter.
Webster replaced Gibson, who had made a good impression on her return, and carried on her form from the second, giving the Bath attack a headache and less options. Oldham’s class told in the quarter, with their skill and team unity showing through the ball speed and work-rate from all the players. Final score 50-35.
Captain Kerry Almond said “It was a tough game to start the New Year, but a good game to jump back into. We always expect a hard game down here and today was no different. We were scrappy in patches, but we did play some good netball and worked hard through the 60 minutes. I’m pleased to see Jodie Gibson back on court after her injury, her hard work in rehab has paid off. Georgie Webster had a strong game today and was rightly named player of the match.”
Starting 7 – GS A Travis GA K Turner WA M McAndrew C Rachel Henry WD G Webster GD J Gibson GK K Almond Bench G Marshall K Enziano E Dovey
Krista Enziano replaced Alice Travis at GS for the second half, McAndrew and Gibson also returned to WA and WD respectively. Enziano made an immediate impact at GS with the Bath GK needing to mark a lot tighter in the circle to stop the long ball in. The quarter was fairly even with traded intercepts and errors by both teams. Oldham edged it to take a 35-27 lead into the final quarter.
Webster replaced Gibson, who had made a good impression on her return, and carried on her form from the second, giving the Bath attack a headache and less options. Oldham’s class told in the quarter, with their skill and team unity showing through the ball speed and work-rate from all the players. Final score 50-35.
Captain Kerry Almond said “It was a tough game to start the New Year, but a good game to jump back into. We always expect a hard game down here and today was no different. We were scrappy in patches, but we did play some good netball and worked hard through the 60 minutes. I’m pleased to see Jodie Gibson back on court after her injury, her hard work in rehab has paid off. Georgie Webster had a strong game today and was rightly named player of the match.”
Starting 7 – GS A Travis GA K Turner WA M McAndrew C Rachel Henry WD G Webster GD J Gibson GK K Almond Bench G Marshall K Enziano E Dovey