Alcuin, led by newly elected York Sport President Charlotte Winter, looked strong from the offset and smashed Goodricke 22-9. Megan Knight seemed at ease despite being played out of position and sent a continuous string of solid throws into the shooting circle.
The first half was fairly balanced but play became scrappy in the second half, the ball getting stuck in the middle third of the court, and the game can be noted for its aggressive style from both teams.
In the end the attacking pair, Meg Hollinghurst and Charlotte Winter, simply had too much quality and movement for a static Goodricke defence.
Winter was very pleased with the win: “We had a lot of injuries and absences today, but the girls all played really well, especially the goalkeeper Laura Macfarlane, who hasn’t played in over a year. It has generated a good team spirit for the upcoming games.”
Alcuin face their biggest competitors James and Halifax this week to determine the winners of this term’s college netball.
Meanwhile, Vanbrugh beat Langwith 15-13 in a very close contest. Vanbrugh started convincingly with their goal shooter putting them 1-0 up off the first centre pass, but Langwith’s centre court was stronger with Alice Thomson showing dominance.
Despite Thomson’s consistent passes to her shooters, they struggled to score, which could have put them well ahead of their rivals before half time.
The first half ended 7-7 and with neither side showing dominance, a draw looked like the most probable outcome. However, Vanbrugh’s Katie Thomas stepped up her game and intercepted numerous passes into Langwith’s shooters.
The shooters looked troubled by Thomas and although their shooting had improved from the first half, they did not have as many chances to convert. The game ended 15-13 to Vanbrugh, but it could have gone either way. Finally, James thrashed Derwent 14-6 in a convincing performance.
With both teams looking to put pressure on Alcuin and Halifax, James put themselves back in the race for the league with a comfortable 14-6 win over Derwent.
The consistency and movement of James’ goal shooter Alia Khalil ensured that James were to gain three points. She was fed by Katie Ashcroft and Shannon Dixon, who dominated the centre court.
On the other hand, Derwent struggled to feed consistent balls into their shooters due to the pressure from the James’ defenders; the score was 9-2 at the end of the first half and all James had to do was to keep up this high level of play.
Derwent fought bravely, but James continued to pressure the Derwent shooters, and despite impressive movement by Maggie Edwards and Rosie McClusky, the James defence did not look at all troubled over the course of the game. Down in the James attacking circle, Khalil continued her impressive performance, and her height ensured that she won every rebound. The game finished 14-6 and James gained a very much deserved three points for their efforts.