ROSSLYN PARK SURREY 65-21 TIFFIN A
SATURDAY 11TH NOVEMBER
Starting Line Up: GK – Hannah Wallis (C), GD – Annabel Saggers, WD – Lucy Paterson, C – Elin Murphy, WA – Milly Marsh, GA – Fran Bennett, GS – Tara Ellis
Subs: Simone Kirkpatrick, Gabs Cross
This week’s fixture was against Tiffin A, a team that have met Park in fixtures since RPNC first entered the game. The team started the match with all guns blazing, coming at Tiffin with high intensity play and whole court defence right from the off. Great turnovers in mid court by Murphy and Bennett kept the ball coming down to Park’s shooting circle. Despite the sunny conditions, Ellis shot consistently throughout the whole first quarter, allowing Park a healthy lead by the end of the first 15 minutes. End of quarter score: 19 – 8
In the second quarter, Park’s circle defence really started to cause problems for Tiffin’s shooters. Saggers showed her ability to read the game and anticipate play, making some impressive interceptions as Tiffin played the long ball. Wallis achieved tip after tip inside the circle, forcing Tiffin to work harder to get their shooters into position to take their shots. Park were able to capitalise on these turnover balls, with Paterson and Marsh supporting Murphy through the mid court to quickly transition the ball down to our shooters. Park’s cohesion on court really began to take shape in this quarter, shown by Tiffin’s scoreline of only 4 goals in this 15 minutes. End of quarter score: 35 – 12
Park made use of the depth of their squad in the third quarter, moving Paterson to Centre and adding Kirkpatrick and Cross in defence. With fresh energy on court, Park’s lead increased even further across the third quarter. Kirkpatrick and Cross made an immediate impact, with a number of 3-second calls being made against Tiffin as they struggled to break down Park’s defence. Bennett worked hard throughout the mid court and shooting circle to ensure Park had as many opportunities as possible to extend their lead, working brilliantly with Ellis to move the ball straight into the circle within two passes from the centre third. Tiffin has also made some changes to their line up, but the defensive focus of the team in this game remained and Tiffin scored another 5 goals in this quarter to Park’s 14. End of quarter score: 49 – 17
Park went into the fourth quarter with the aim of maintaining their high standards of play and keeping the intensity right up to the final whistle. Saggers and Wallis continued their rampaging defence, earning Saggers a double POM this week from both Park and Tiffin. The team’s consistency of play was noticeable in the final score and the team are heading into their next fixture against Capital Nuns with confidence. End of match score: 65 – 21