YORK’S LATEST BUCS league game was highly contested against a strong Sheffield 2nds team. York had previously suffered two defeats to Teeside 1sts and Northumbria 3rds, however two outstanding victories in the BUCS cup gave York momentum on their return to the league.
From the start, the game was evenly matched, with shots going in at each end. Superb shooting from Lisa Griffiths and Kay Masterson put pressure on the Sheffield shooters to emulate the same consistency, and they did just that.
York supported each other well when faced with a talented Sheffield Centre, who was putting enormous pressure on York’s centre court players. However, York centre Rebecca O’ Dwyer did not panic and her experience paid off as she continued to comfortably feed first class balls into the shooters. At the end of the first quarter, the score was level at 12-12.
The second quarter contained much of the same, with neither Sheffield or York exerting any dominance. York seemed to struggle to feed their shooters suitable balls in the attacking third, interceptions and offsides occuring regularly.
However, clever marking by Lottie Knight prevented Sheffield from lobbing sky high balls into their tall Goal Shooter, which kept the score close at 26-27 to Sheffield.
Captain, Rebecca O ‘Dwyer chose to change the formation of her versatile team in the third quarter to prevent York falling further behind. As a result, consistent passes by Charlotte Ferris and Bronwen Dalley- Smith to Kay Masterson resulted in a York comeback, as York ended up in the lead at the end of the quarter. at 41-37.
The last quarter could have gone to either team, as Sheffield put up an aggressive fight, turning over a number of York’s centres and passes into the D. However, York fought back, with Lottie Knight again putting immense pressure on the Goal Shooter. Despite York’s lead in the third quarter, the game finished 50-50, a nail-biting end to a great match.
Rebecca O’Dwyer commented that the score was a “fair reflection on the game” and that she was “extremely proud” of her team’s performance. York must not feel disheartened after this game and they must put it behind them with a match against Sunderland 1sts later this week, which will entail the highly anticipated comeback of Nina Pullman, who will almost certainly lift the team’s spirits.