Hinckley steam ahead as rivals make them work hard

Hinckley As played rivals Rugby Railway at home. Hinckley wanted to build on their first win and continue the good work.

The first few minutes of the quarter this was not the case, the As didn’t wake up and react to the game and what was going on as well as they usually do.

Rugby scored the first few goals on the trot which woke the As up slightly. As the ball was coming from defence to attack, Hinckley had to work hard to get ball side and a few balls were being intercepted, but with sheer dedication and accurate shooting they soldiered on to win the first quarter by a goal.

It was a similar story in the 2nd quarter, Hinckley had to work hard to play the ball down court as Rugby were shutting them down quickly and their zone marking makes it hard to find space.

Hinckley had to work the ball around using the defence as backup at times and using their triangles to ensure they were making the most of the opportunities they had. After the 2nd quarter Hinckley As were down by 1.

Hinckley As decided to make a few changes, shifting around the very versatile team, bringing on a new attacking player Nicola Sanders who would provide a different type of ball into the shooting circle with Carmen Whitaker dropping into GS.

As the third quarter began the As got a few goals back and upped their attacking game. In defence it was a constant battle with Rugby’s agile GA and a very accurate shooter, the As defence also stepped up their game and communication to ensure Rugby did not have any space and their shooters were not seeing much of the ball.

Rugby only scored three in the third quarter.

For Hinckley, Ashleigh Oakes and Nicola Sanders worked well around the circle to give the shooters the supply they needed to convert an impressive amount of goals. The third quarter finished 28-21 to Hinckley.

In the fourth quarter, Rugby brought on a good holding shooter which made the defence change their game plan and have to work around the shooters much more.

Hinckley continued their performance in the fourth quarter despite a five minute shaky period due to Rugby’s hunger and them turning over a few centres and balls down court. The final score was a 37-32 win for Hinckley. Player of the match was Jessica Rainbow. Under 14s Hinckley U14s netball team went out for their 1st match of the year against the seasoned Highway U14s. Starting out quite nervously they took time to settle into the game and get used to working with one another but improved with every quarter and finished with much improved confidence and smiles despite losing. Player of the match - Katie Talbot D team:

This week saw two matches for Hinckley D team.

Thursday saw them take on Highway at home. A strong start saw them take the lead early on, but Highway quickly retaliated growing strong in their defence with some excellent interceptions. Hinckley fought well during the game, with good on court communication. Highway’s accurate feeds into the goal circle and amazing accuracy in their shooting saw them dominate the game, pulling further ahead in each quarter. Final score 59-20 to Highway. Saturday’s away match was a wet and cold game with extremely slippery courts, against Stockton.

Unfortunately, Hinckley only had 6 players for this match leaving gaps in their attack. The first quarter saw Hinckley manage to score a few goals but Stockton shored up their defence in the 2nd and 3rd quarters limiting shooting opportunities Hinckley. However, extra efforts in the last quarter saw them score as many goals as in the rest of the match resulting in a final score of 49-12 to Stockton. Dasia Wheatley was nominated player of the match for both matches showing she is a force to be reckoned with. C team: Hinckley c won the centre to begin the game. Rugby railway were leading by 3 in the first quarter, Hinckley sent passes to the shooters with accuracy. At half time the opposition continued to lead by 3. Rugby made changes at half time which Hinckley capitalised on pulling back by 2. Defence turned over a number of balls in the 3rd quarter, but needed to steady the attack play. In the final quarter changes in the railway team made it difficult for Hinckley side to gain a lead. Final score a loss for Hinckley 36-39. Player of the match went to captain Jessica Pickering. B team: Hinckley B team travelled to Stockton for their second game of the season. Hinckley started strongly, converting most of their centre passes however Stockton were able to capitalise on Hinckley mistakes and ended the first quarter with a narrow one goal lead.

The second quarter saw Hinckley settle into the game, patiently building pressure on the Stockton defence. Excellent shooting from distance enabled Hinckley to take a two goal lead by half time which they extended to three by the end of the third quarter, despite Stockton drawing level at the start of the quarter. In the last period, Stockton again started strongly turning over a couple of Hinckley’s centre passes to bring the score line even. Unfortunately Hinckley were not able to close out the game, eventually losing 34-39. Player of the match went to the Hinckley Goal Shooter Anna Poulson.