Santander International Match Reports 11 February 2024

Premier Division
This game was always going to be a close one, Simcock's came out of the blocks fast which saw them score the first goal of the game. Thompson's soon answered back,scoring their first goal of the game. Simcock's took a few turnovers and took the lead.The first quarter saw Simcock's lead15-8.
Neither side made any changes going into the second quarter, this helped Thompson settle and turn the ball over,Thompson mid-court players Charlotte Geldart(WD),Nan Williams(C) and Ella Clague (WA) helped bring the ball through court and made a smooth transition to Anne- Marie Crompton (GS). A contact was called right when the quarter time whistle was blown, which meant a penalty shot had to be taken from just inside the circle Fern Christian (GA) took the shot and executed with ease. Simcock's lead at the end of the second quarter 25-19.

Thompson came out in the third quarter with some fire in their bellies, creating crucial turnovers which they took to goal. Thompsons defence of Molly Christian (GK) and Emily Rawlins (GD) put a lot of pressure on the Simcock's shooters. Thompson worked really hard for each other and finished the quarter only 1 goal behind as the score was 30-29. Going into the final quarter it was all to play for both teams looking for the win. The ball was back and forth with both teams converting important shots. It was a well contested game which saw Simcock's take the win with the final score 40-37.

Championship Division

This was always going to be an interesting game against top of the table Marbree Misfits.The teams haven’t played each other since the first match of the season in Sept. Marbree Misfits, a team with some experienced players got off to a strong start with Lisa Quilliam and Emma Riley making some great interceptions. There was some strong midcourt play with Emma Riley (Missfits) and Kate Doran (Route 1) matching up against each other nicely at Centre. Misfits lead the game at the end of the first quarter by 3 goals.Route 1 Turbos settled into the game during the second quarter and the shooting combination of Elena Reid (GA) and Shannon Saunders (GS) found the net consistently even under excellent defensive pressure from the Misfits defence, who at times, made it challenging for the Route 1 attackers to feed the circle. The second quarter ended 10-10.

In the third quarter, Turbos decided to mix up a number of the player positions and this decision gave their game the boost it needed and had a positive impact on Turbos scoreline game. Turbos defensive duo of Hannah Snidal (GD) and Freya Skillicorn (GK) were successful in picking up many rebounds and, along with Alice Willoughby (WD) were dominant in bringing the ball from defence into attack. Turbos finished the quarter in the lead 21-13. In the final quarter, Misfits attempted to  bring it back in the final quarter but Route 1 continued to capitalise on the momentum they had gained in the previous quarter and ultimately game finished 26-21 with Hannah Snidal being awarded POTM.

Division 2

Route 1 Sparks started the game incredibly well, with some fantastic turnovers from the defensive duo Kate Morris and Laila Paradise leading to some quick goals for the Sparks. The midcourt of Route 1 worked well to take the ball down court with some lovely feeds from Robyn Hall at centre. The first quarter ended 6-1 to Route 1. Quarter 2 saw more rotation in the shooting circle between Iselin Keeling and Poppy Bregazzi, both shooting accurately despite the defensive pressure. Thompson settled into the second quarter and put some more goals on the scoresheet due to some lovely work down court from centre passes, but
Route 1 continued to turnover the ball and extended the lead to 14-4. 

Thompson came back fighting in the second half and the play went end to end. Some sharp shooting from Anya Watterson and Sophia Summers saw the best quarter yet for Thompson. Niamh Rooney continued to bring the ball down the court well and feeding the shooters to provide them with more opportunity and Julia Carrol’s efforts were paying off as she was able to make some key interceptions in Route 1’s attacking end. With each team scoring 6 goals in the quarter, it ended 20-10. The last quarter showed that both teams had given their all, with lose balls from both sides. Lily Kemp did well to pick these up for Route 1 and Lois Kneen continued to feed the shooters well to provide the Sparks opportunity. Thompson continued to fight until the final whistle and with some very accurate shooting and some impressive long bombs, they won the final quarter but it wasn’t
enough to catch the lead Route 1 had already established. The game ended 25-18 to Route 1 Sparks.