Essex Open won 41-30 against local rivals Manor A today at Redbridge.
Essex Open A 41 Manor A 32
In a poor game of netball Essex Open A eventually emerged as comfortable winners. However the early stages of the game did not suggest that this would be the final outcome.
Both sides started really slowly with sloppy passing and careless errors meaning that goals were few and far between.

It was Manor who held the early initiative going 6-4 and 8-5 in front. However late goals from Sophia Sefton and Jaida Simpson saw Essex draw level at 8 all at the end of the first quarter.
The second quarter saw a similar pattern with neither side able to retain possession for any length of time. Essex briefly threatened to take control when they went 15-12 in front. However they were never to put together a sustained spell of quality netball to take the game away from Manor. When the half time whistle went a late rally from Manor saw the scores remain level at 19 all.
In the second half Essex introduced Lola Stevens at wing defence and made some positional changes. At first there was very little impact but after a slow start to the quarter Essex took control. Manor were struggling to score against the Essex defensive combination of Ellie Stanley and Flo Edwards. They managed to restrict Manor to a mere 4 goals in the quarter. At the other end Simpson and Sefton shared 10 goals between them to give Essex a 6 goal cushion with a quarter to go as they led 29-23.
Essex needed a good start to the last quarter to ensure that they secured the points. Although they were not at their best Essex had enough of the possession in the centre court where Lola Stevens, Rebecca Wilks and Nicole Alves had too much for their opponents. A spell of 5 goals without reply midway through the quarter left Essex firmly in control. When the final whistle went Essex had secured a 41-30 victory.
Stanley, Edwards, Alves, Biss, R Wilks, Stevens, Sefton, Simpson