An amazing experience for Essex Under 14s as they played their Essex Met League game against Brampton Manor Academy at the Copperbox on Sunday. They were the warm up game before the England v New Zealand encounter. In an entertaining game Essex ran out winners. Well done to all.
Today we played AP Saints Navy.
Our passing was average because we were giving away the ball to the other team which could have been avoided, however our intercepting was strong and so was our defence which put pressure on the other teams passes.
Our team communicated well but some of our players were not in position for the ball. AP Saints had some fast players but we stayed on them giving them minimal opportunities.
Our attacking could have been more thought out we needed to slow our pace however our passes were solid giving no space for our opponents to intercept.
Overall it was an easy win and we did well as a team.
POM: Kara
Credit: Kara Ubhi (U12B)
Game 1: win against Weston Park 16 – 11
We worked really hard, as our attackers (GA & WA),started off strong, navigating the gap on centre passes. When it was Weston Park’s centre, the defenders (GD & WD) were on the shoulder making it difficult to pass the ball – creating a free pass.
Game 2: win against TTNC 18 – 6
The communication between the shooters was good as they created space for themselves. I also thought that the back up for the shooters from both defence
and circle attackers was good.
In the circle , GD & GK had a good communication for the rebounds, switching and who should mark the ball.
Game 3: loss against Eagles 16 – 9
The game started well, as the defenders were willing to get turnovers. However, the basic things we knew how to do weren’t going to plan , such as passes , catching and rebounds.
Overall we did really good for the first time!
Credit: Jessica Bantu-Buabo (U12M)
The Blues started strongly against their strongest opposition yet in the U11 league. They took their chances and scored 3 goals in quick succession.
The second quarter continued with the Blues battling for procession and holding their own against a physical side. They moved the ball well through the court but only managed one more goal ro go 4-0 up.
Manor Met battled hard in the third quarter and got their first goal against the Blues. However the Blues battled back and with some quick passing into the D and accurate shooting were 7-1 up going into the final quarter.
The Blues continued their strong defensive play but were pinned back by the defence of Manor Met who made some great intercepts to limit the Blues to only one more goal. The game finished 8-2.
A good strong performance by the Blues who showed their growing confidence and great team work and determination.
Oppositions’ player Anika.
Coaches’ player Anika
Credit: Jodi Blackham
What a great game! Both teams were full of energy, smiles, and amazing teamwork from start to finish.
The Maroons started off really strong, using some super passing into the circle to take an early lead. Even though everyone was playing against their usual teammates, they all tried their best and kept the game friendly and fun.
The Blues worked really hard throughout the match and never gave up, battling to score their goals and showing great team spirit.
In the last quarter, the Blues were fantastic in defence, getting some great interceptions and making it tough for the Maroons to score. The Maroons got 2 goals in that quarter and the Blues scored 1.
Final score: Maroons 16 – Blues 4
A brilliant effort from everyone—well done to both teams!
POM Maroons: Willow
POM Blues: Carmen
Essex Open Maroons 10 – 4 Manor Met
What a great morning for the Maroons against Manor Met today. The Maroons first win of the season playing the year up and a convincing one at that.
Quarter Scores:
Q1: 3-1
Q2: 4-4
Q3: 7-4
Q4: 10-4
The Maroons started strong scoring three great goals in the first quarter, as opposed to their one, their passing was fast, shooting precise and defended strong.
The second quarter Manor Met found their feet and really applied the pressure, scoring three goals and us managing just the one, to bring it to a tie at the end of the quarter 4-4.
With the pressure mounting and the desire to secure their first win, the Maroons came back on in the third and fourth quarter and showed great determination, better movement, stronger defending and precision shooting in attack, scoring six more goals and securing a well-deserved 10-4 win.
After a tough last match, this was exactly what they needed. Lots of smiles all round and great teamwork.
Well done to all the girls! A well deserved win
Oppositions player of the match: Hannah O
Coaches player of the match: Eilidh
Kent Club 44, Essex Open 55.
This was an excellent win by Essex, who now are only a single point behind Claygate at the top of the table. Essex also have a vastly superior goal difference and average. This was a tightly contested game, which Essex only emerged as victors in the last quarter. From the start, it was very closely contested. Kent Club took the early initiative and led until midway through the first quarter. As the end of the quarter, Essex got on top and, with Leah Hayzelden and Maddy O’Shodiee scoring freely, took a 15-11 lead into the second quarter. Whilst Essex won the first quarter, the second quarter very much belonged to Claygate. In the centre-court, Nicole Alves, Jasmine Odegberin and Rebecca Wilkes had plenty of possession, but on too many occasions Essex made mistakes feeding into the circle, which cost them dearly. At the other end, Emma Shaw and Renee Hurley were finding it difficult against a very tall Kent Club shooter who rarely missed. While Essex held their lead, through most of the quarter they finished poorly with Kent Club scoring four goals without reply to pull it level at 25-all at the interval. Kent Club started the third quarter well, scoring two goals to put them in front. However, Essex started to get back into the game. Four consecutive goals restored the Essex lead. This was the pattern for most of the third quarter. Whenever Kent Club pulled close to Essex, they took the game away from them with some excellent passing movements and sure shooting from O’Shodie and Hayzelden. Going into the last quarter, Essex led 39-35 and needed to start well to ensure that the points were theirs. This they did, and although Kent Club scored from the first centre, Essex then scored six goals with only a solitary response to give them an eight-goal lead. After a very closely contested game, Essex dominated the last quarter, scoring 16 goals with only nine in reply. In defence, Charlotte Peters, who came on in the second half, and Emma Shaw nullified the Kent Club shooter. This enabled Essex to continue their recent impressive form and close in on Claygate.
Shaw, Peters, Hurley, Alves, Linehan, Odegberin, R Wilks, Hayzelden, Reynolds-Blanche and Oshodi
EO U10s 19 – 0 WW
Our U10 blue team delivered a heroic performance today, securing a fantastic 19-0 win against Woodford Warriors. The team showed incredible teamwork and determination from start to finish. Our shooters were great today, particularly our GA who was on fire, confidently sinking goals from every angle. The mid-court worked tirelessly to keep the ball moving. When the opposition did manage to get into our defensive area, our players read the play brilliantly and made some outstanding interceptions to keep them scoreless. A superb all round effort, well done blue team!
OPOM: Connie 
Essex Open U11 Blues 13
Essex Open U10 Maroons 4
The Under 10 Maroons played really well against the older Under 11 Blues team. It was a tough start, with the U11s scoring lots of their goals in the first quarter, but the Maroons didn’t give up and worked hard to score a few of their own.
In the second quarter, the U11 scored 3 goals and the U10 Maroons scored 2 — a great effort! The third quarter was very exciting, with both teams scoring one goal each.
This was the first time the Maroons have come up against such a strong team, and they showed amazing commitment and teamwork throughout the game. There was some super dodging and great movement. The defending was fantastic too, stopping lots of goals and keeping the pressure on the Blues.
OPOM: Elizabeth M
CPOM: Reeva
Final Score: Essex Open Blue 21 – 3 Woodford Warriors
Essex Open Blue put on a commanding performance against Woodford Warriors, taking a well-deserved 21–3 win.
From the start, Essex Open showed sharp passing, strong communication, and excellent defensive pressure. Their shooters were on fine form, making the most of every opportunity and maintaining composure in the circle.
We had lots of encouragement from our two wonderful coaches Rosemarie and Bisi. However we did get called up for foot work quite frequently which we will improve for our next match.
Players: V.Popa, M.Aderibigbe, A. Penman, E.Yilmaz, E.O’Connor,L.German, S.Lall, T.Bhogal, F.Rogers
Report written by Francesca Rogers U12