Author: Steve Wilks

The opposition started strong with a quick first goal but the Blues stepped it up and pulled a quick goal back to level the score. They attacked and defended well, creating a lot of chances in the rest of the first quarter, ending it 4-1 up.

Q2 the team really started to play well together, which was great as some girls were playing their first match for the Blues. There was great movement up the court and the defence was strong keeping the opposition back. It was a much tighter quarter ending at 6-2.

At the beginning of the third quarter the opposition played really tightly and started to pull it back getting to 7-5 down. But Essex stepped it up and tightened up the defence and took their chances in attack to end the quarter 9-5.

Some great defending in the final quarter and great work by the whole team giving away far fewer penalties than the opposition meant Essex ended the match 10-5 maintaining their unbeaten run this season.

Oppositions player of the match: Rose

Coaches player of the match: Anami

Credit:Jodi Blackham

Essex Open Under-12 Blues vs Essex Open Under-11 Maroons
Essex Met Netball League – Match Report

With both regular shooters unavailable, Essex Open Under-12 Blues were forced into a reshuffle for this week’s Essex Met League fixture against the Under-11 Maroons. A make-shift attacking line-up saw players stepping out of their usual positions, with Elisha from the Under-12 Maroons kindly supporting as guest shooter.

Despite the changes, the Under-12 Blues started off with determination, working hard to adapt to new combinations in the attacking third. Their defensive unit held firm under pressure, showing great communication and resilience throughout.

The Under-11 Maroons, meanwhile, struggled at times to keep up with the physicality and speed of the game but did well to stay competitive and not let their heads drop. The Under-12 Blues continued to control the game, linking well through court and converting their chances efficiently to finish as 22–2 winners.

Both sides demonstrated excellent spirit and commitment, gaining valuable match experience and showing great promise for the season ahead.

Opposition Player of the Match: Elin
Coach’s Player of the Match: Shekinah

Final Score: Maroons 2 – 22 Blues

After a slow start, the Maroons found their rhythm, working the ball through the court, applying defensive pressure, and never giving up , even scoring a couple of well deserved consolation goals.

The Blues, meanwhile, showed great movement and precision shooting in attack, securing a well-deserved 22–2 win. But the Maroons kept fighting right to the final whistle, showing great determination and team spirit.

The elusive first win can’t be far away after a gutsy performance like that, the Maroons will be sharpening their elbows for the return match!

Q1: 0–9
Q2: 1–13
Q3: 2–16
Q4: 2–22

OPOM: Hannah O
CPOM: Olivia

Credit: Brad O’Connor

Our match on Saturday was quite intense in the first two quarters due to the score being pretty tight. We were applying our defence on centre passes very well however we made it hard for ourselves getting the ball through the centre third. It was a good match overall and a good outcome. Azaria was a well deserved player of the match and had very accurate shooting. Arianna also fed the ball into the circle very well. Tanure and Omotayo linked up effectively to get the ball down the court. We won 30-18.

Credit Alice H. U13 team player

After a rigorous warm up session, it was clear at Q1 that Essex Open U11 Blues would need to step up to the challenge presented by fierce opponents, Brentwood. With their waspish colours Brentwood rapidly set the pace by delivering the first goal.

Undeterred, Essex O with steely focus used their team’s strengths in defence and attack to dominate all areas of the court for the rest of the match.

Despite Storm Amy and 3 of our players hitting the deck as a result, they left the court proudly having won the match 8-2.
Players’ Player: Hannah O
Coach’s Player: Megan

Credit: Maureen Page

The first quarter was a tightly contested one and not Essex Open’s best start, as they led by only two goals. During this period, the team was still adjusting to Brentwood Leopard’s style of play and finding their rhythm on court

In the second quarter, there were several impressive interceptions from both attack and defence. However, Essex Open struggled to capitalise on these opportunities, finding it difficult to break through Beacons’ tight defensive unit.

In the penultimate quarter, Essex began to pull away, building a 16-point lead. This improvement came from stronger marking, fewer loose balls, and much better movement around the D, allowing smoother play and more consistent scoring.

The final quarter was steady and composed. Essex maintained their lead by staying tight on defence, contesting every loose ball, and moving confidently towards the ball to close out the game. But the game ended 33-17 to Essex open.

Player of the match went to Zara-Ann and Lily

Credit Ariella Sebyala (U14 Maroon Team Member)

The U14 Essex Open blues went against Manor Met Green and came out with a great 45-9 win. In the first quarter we only conceded 1 goal and managed to score 9, all parts of the team were strong and played their part well. Following on into the second half we conceded only 2 goals and scored 13. But in third quarter GD took a bad twist to her ankle and tried to carry on playing but later came off in the middle of the quarter, this left us with 6 players. However, we kept playing and we pushed ourselves to keep the momentum going for the winning streak. Although we were a player down we still only conceded 4 goals and still scored 11. Centre back and myself worked out a triangle method to mark both the WA, C and GA. Everyone was focused and determined to give it their all in the last quarter, despite a player down we managed to exceed our performance in the first quarter with conceding only two goals and scoring 11. During the whole match, the team supported each other and each played their role so well resulting in a 45-9 win.

Player of the Match – Nickita.

Players
Holly, Lara, Nickita, Asia, Sihaam, Esther and Kara

Credit Kara Jaiswal.

Essex Open U14 Maroons vs Manor Met U16s (Essex Met U16 League – Match day 2)

In their second round of Essex Met U16 League fixtures, the Essex Open U14 Maroons produced a commanding performance against Manor Met U16s. From the very first centre pass, Essex Open set the tone, scoring unanswered goals and taking complete control of the game.

Quarter after quarter, the Maroons maintained their dominance, cutting out Manor Met’s attacks in the mid-court and allowing very little progress into their defensive third. On the rare occasions the ball did break through, Essex Open’s defence stood strong to deny any scoring chances.

Although it was a very dominant display, the match also highlighted areas for improvement. The team will look to sharpen the pace of play, improve passing consistency, and strengthen attacking link-up as they continue their U16 league campaign.

Opposition player of the match: Trishana