Author: Steve Wilks

Today’s London Pulse tournament was a great success between the entire team that lead us to qualifying

As a result, we have now qualified to compete against Magic at the Copperbox for the final on the 22nd of March. It will be tough, but I’m sure we can stay competitive and win.

On the topic of Magic, our first game was against them, it was tough but we played as good as we could at the time.
Although the score was a disappointing score of 6-3 to Magic, we kept working hard during the other matches and finished in position to match them in qualification.

What my personal opinion on what we could work on for future games is, If the other team is playing very fast paced, when we get a turnover or any ball of ours we should slow down and get them to think ‘ oh they are going slow let’s just match with them. Apart from that our attack and defence was spectacular especially, Jess and Edie in the circle. They kept the shooter high and forced the shots which caused too much pressure on them.
The rest of the tournament went perfectly.
We listened to the coaches.
We sucked in what they said and put it out on to the court.

From the tournament, London Pulse chose me as MVP from the whole group of over 200 players; as they said my defense were tough on the outside but I still went in there and put up the shots.
As I always say at home when I’m practicing my shots and movement, it is not me alone, it was a team effort and I couldn’t have done it without all the circle edge support and the other shooters.

Pulse MVP – Elisha
CPOM – whole squad

Credit: Elisha Owolabi (U12M)

Please see the attached poster with details of the Under 12 trials.

Here is the match report from U12M – Essex Met League on 13th December.

Match report: Essex Open VS Phoenix flames
Final score: Essex Open 35 – Phoenix Flames 2
Essex Open started strongly in both areas of defence and attack. The defensive side of the team were particularly strong at Phoenix Flames’ centre passes, making lots of interceptions and turning balls over to give Essex Open the advantage. The attack then took over, throwing good strong passes to each other and delivering the ball to the shooters, resulting in several goals on Flames’ centres. Ultimately, each player was important and played their part as a team, securing the dominant win of 35-2.
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>  Player of the Match & OPOM: Naomi Atalar
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Credit: Naomi Atalar

Essex Open vs Woodson Park Skye- match report

We faced Woodson Park twice this weekend, starting with a tough, hard-fought game against their A team. We pushed right through to the final whistle and carried that determination straight into our match against their B team.

The game didn’t start the way we hoped, with Woodson park taking an early lead. But once we settled, everything changed. We shifted gears, turning over ball after ball, and completely to our control. We wore our bibs with pride and didn’t let anyone get in the way of us, as we strolled into the last quarter of the game. We focused on the game, ears on the umpires and eyes on the ball.

From sharp defensive pressure to confident shooting, we worked together, built momentum and dominated the rest of the match. By the final whistle, the scoreboard said it all: Essex Open 35 – 17 Woodson Park.

A brilliant performance, a well – deserved win and a reminder of exactly what we can do.

OPOM – Jess and Mary
CPOM – Skye & Asya

Woodson Park 22 – 16 Essex Open

Essex Open delivered a determined performance, showing real strength throughout the match. Their defence was particularly strong on the centre passes, applying constant pressure and making it difficult for Woodson Park to move the ball freely. This defensive intensity kept Essex Open competitive from start to finish, despite Woodson Park ultimately securing the win.

Umpires MVP: Jessica
Jessica stood out with an exceptional display, driving the team’s defensive success and setting the tone with her work rate and commitment.

Coaches’ player: Noa

Credit Stella Edwards.