By Stephen Holcroft
A clinical yet classy display by York’s netball 3rds proved the ultimate decider against opponents Bradford 1sts in a game on knife-edge for long spells. The away side certainly had their share of opportunities in this contest, but the consistency of York’s attacking line gave them the edge on Wednesday afternoon which saw Bradford succumb to an eventual 37-34 league defeat.
An immediate setback for the hosts saw Bradford scrape ahead to 2-0 only for Amy Moll to pull one back on her 3rd shooting attempt; Rhia Stevens-Leach, ably supplied by Elissa Bryan, followed up to give York the advantage. At the end of the first quarter York led 11-9.
But such was the kamikaze nature of this tie, any slender lead that York did have seemed worthless. The second quarter went the visitors’ way; a rallied offensive partnership had the rearguard of Lottie Knight and Tess Webb tested as Bradford reduced their arrears. York continued to work away at the opposing net, but at the midway stage were trailing 19-18.
If the first two quarters were anything to go by, we were in for a pulsating finale. Had there been any added incentive to claim victory, York could certainly be encouraged by the ever-present animated support in their favour. Stevens-Leach turned her performance up a notch; her conversion levels after incisive team work from Moll and Bryan were impressive. With Claire Smith in command of the central exchanges, York again pegged Bradford back and took a 27-26 lead going into the decisive quarter.
Yet fatigue threatened to spoil the occasion. Captain Kate Copson was forced off the court from exhaustion. Perhaps fortunately their opponents were also running on empty; York now had Bradford where they wanted. Although the scoreline suggested differently, the remaining stages proved relatively comfortable for the hosts, and much to their supporters’ delight held on for the 37-34 victory.
The result elevates York up to 4th position with 6 points- 3 points clear of yesterday’s opponents Bradford, and 6 ahead of bottom-of-the-table rivals York St.John 3rds, who battle it out with York in next week’s fixtures.