Author: Ariella

Essex Open secured a narrow 36-34 win in a vitally important regional league game at Ashmole School today.
Hyde Park 34 Essex Open 36

In a thrilling game Essex secured a vital win which in all probability secures their place in Division 2 of the regional league for next year. Essex started well with Sarah Biss, Rebecca Mead and Vicky Fox dominating the centre court and helping create a number of scoring opportunities. However Essex struggled to convert these and at the end of the first quarter Essex were in trouble as they trailed 11-5. The second quarter was much more evenly matched as Essex took their chances and were even able to make a slight inroad into the deficit but at half time Essex were still 4 goals in arrears as Hyde Park led 21-17.
Tactical changes at half time were to turn the game. Rochelle Reynolds-Blanche came on as goal shooter and Zoie Humphrey went to goal defence. With Stewart and Humhrey outstanding in defence and with Reynolds-Blanche having an immediate impact as shooter Essex fought back strongly. The quarter proved to be decisive as Essex turned a 4 goal deficit into a 2 goal lead as they went in front 29-27.
In the last quarter Essex were determined not to give up their hard earned advantage and worked hard to keep Hyde Park at bay. With 5 minutes left Essex had extended their lead to 4 goals. Although Hyde Park staged a late rally when the final whistle went Essex were victors by 36-34.
Stewart, Linehan, Fox, Mead , Biss, Humhrey, Jackson, Reynolds-Blanche

Essex won all six games in the Essex Met League at Redbridge Sports Centre today – reports to follow. For the first time this season all six teams won their games at Redbridge Sports Centre this week. The B,D and E teams all now top their respective leagues and with four games to go could all win titles.

Essex Open A 44 Romford 39
Having lost their previous league game Essex got back to winning ways with a narrow victory over Romford. In a closely fought game the first quarter was finely balanced with neither team able to gain the initiative. Going into the second quarter with the scores level at 12-12 Essex slipped behind and allowed Romford to take a four goal advantage to lead 23-19 at the half time interval.

The third quarter proved to be decisive as Essex played their best
netball of the game and managed to overturn the deficit to take a
narrow two point lead. Whilst the last quarter was fairly even Essex
were in no mood to give up their hard won advantage and at the end of
the game held a five point lead. They now sit third in the Division 1
table.
Stewart, Tynan, Mead, Linham, Gibson, Cambell,Humphries,
Jackson, Morgan-Smith

Essex Open B 66 Plessey 32

Essex B consolidated
their position at the top of Division 4 with a comfortable victory over
Plessey. From the outset Plessey were unable to contain Essex who
played their usual free flowing netball to create numerous scoring
opportunities for Rebecca Wilks and Rochelle Reynolds – Blanche to take advantage of. The game was all over in the first quarter as Essex raced to a 20-6 lead. With Ellie Masters making an excellent debut the Essex centre court totally dominated the game. To their credit Plessey never gave up and continued to fight hard.

By half time however Essex had extended their advantage to lead 34-16. Essex were in no mood to ease up and the second half followed a similar pattern to the first and Essex finished the game with a comfortable 66-32 victory.

Dawkins,
Livingstone, Masters, K Wilks, Maddison, R Wilks, Reynolds – Blanche

Essex Open C 23 Oakwood 21

The closest game of the day involved Essex Open C narrowly defeating Oakwood by two goals. The first quarter was extremely tight with goals hard to come by. At the end of the first quarter Essex led 6-5. In the second quarter Essex gained a slight initiative as they dominated the centre court and managed to extend their lead to 13-10. Just as it looked as if Essex were going to push on they were pegged back by Oakwood and at the end of the third quarter
were only two goals in front leading 18-16.

The last quarter was extremely tight and the game was in the balance right up until the final whistle. However at the end of the game Essex had maintained their two goal advantage in a game in which they were always in front but had never managed to extend their lead by more than three goals.
J Wilks, P Idoku, Murphy , Masters, Mann, Kerr, Fray, Kenny

Other results
Possibly the best result of the day was the D team who had an
excellent 69-37 victory over Romford. This was a top of the table clash
with their being only 1 point separating the teams at the top of
Division 8 prior to the start of the game. The E team continued their
excellent season with a 62-8 victory over Yaks and now seem to have an unassailable lead at the top of Division 10. The F team completed a
great day for the club with a 24-12 victory over Phoenix Flames.

In 1991, Susan and Lucy, both talented, committed players, joined Essex Open as U12s.
“THE TIMES THEY ARE A-CHANGING”
In 1991, Susan and Lucy, both talented, committed players, joined Essex Open as U12s.
On this particular occasion, we had an Essex Met league match against OPA at Landon School. In those days we didn’t have set dates and venues for this league. It was up to the clubs to arrange the fixtures between them.

I was both stunned and concerned when neither Lucy nor Susan turned up for the match. I knew they usually travelled together, so the possibility of them being stuck in traffic or worse crossed my mind. The game was played with just six players. Mobiles were not in common use at that time, but I knew there would be some phoning around from the team afterwards. It came as no surprise when, on returning home, I got a phone call from Susan. She was very apologetic and confessed that both she and Lucy had totally forgotten about the match.
At the start of the next training session, both girls immediately approached me with further apologies. I didn’t make it easy for them.
“It’s not me you need to apologise to, it’s your team mates. You also need to realise that the team played with only six players…….and won……without you!”
The effect of this on the girls was immediate. Both of them took the court, obviously determined to prove to me that they were still valuable members of the team. Susan played a blinder, she was superb! Lucy was desperate to do likewise, but tried too hard and ended up not being able to do anything right. And I just watched them, chuckling to myself on the sideline.
Neither girl forgot a fixture after that.
The level of commitment shown by Lucy, Susan and their team mates was a strong contributing factor to their winning both the U11 and U12 Nationals.

In previous Post-Its I have mentioned Lorraine, Aimee and Zoie. The high level of commitment from their team led to their victory in the U14 Nationals.
In those days I didn’t need to check availability of players. The girls or their parents were reliable in letting me know of sickness or injury.
Today I email fixtures to parents, asking for availability, and I’m lucky if half my squad’s parents reply. I have a reliable core of about 12 players who regularly attend training and are available for fixtures. Most weeks I have absences at training that are not explained.
Speaking to my fellow coaches, the problem is obviously not unique to me.
At junior level the commitment needs to come from the parents. At senior level it is the players themselves that to ensure that they don’t let their team mates down.
Pam Burridge

Essex gained an excellent victory over Tiffin today winning 50-33 in the Regional League.
Essex Open 50 Tiffin 33

Having been narrowly defeated by Tiffin earlier in the season, Essex were looking for revenge in the return fixture at Redbridge Sports centre on Saturday. The early exchanges indicated that it would be a very tight game as both teams scored freely and mid way through the first quarter the score stood at 6-6. Essex finished the quarter strongly and Zoie Humphries scored 6 goals in quick succession to give Essex a decisive 12-7 lead at the end of the first quarter. Tiffin fought back at the start of the second quarter but Essex were playing some of their best netball of the season. With Stewart and Tynan defending superbly Essex were able to launch a series of attacks and with Stacey Jackson and Zoie Humphries in excellent form were able to build a healthy lead. At half time Essex were 24-15 in front.
Tiffin struck twice straight after the interval but Essex fought back immediately and continued to press home their advantage. Much as Tiffin tried they could not cope with the pressure exerted on them by Essex and by the end of the third quarter Essex had built up an unassailable lead being 35-23 in front.Essex finished the game in style scoring a further 15 goals to record an impressive 50-33 victory and lift them above Tiffin in the table.

Team: Stewart, Tynan, Fox, Biss, Cambell, Mead, Humphries, Jackson

The Under 16 team lost 39-23 to Telstars in the final game of their Regional league campaign and unfortunately failed to qualify for the play off group.

It was an exciting day at Redbridge Sports Centre on Saturday with some excellent games of netball.
Essex Open A 33 Manor 42
Essex went down to table topping Manor in an exciting game which was much closer than the scoreline suggests.Manor started strongly and took full advantage of their opportunities whilst Essex struggled to find the net regularly.With the end of the first quarter looming Manor were 13-6 in front. Then Stacey Jackson scored three quick goals to keep Essex in touch.Essex started the second quarter really strongly and pulled it back to 15-15. However Manor continued to put pressure on Essex and pulled away to lead 23-17 at half time. In the third quarter of the second half Essex enjoyed lots of possession and managed to reduce the deficit to 2 as they trailed 28-26. Going into the last quarter Essex held out real hopes of claiming the points. Indeed they reduced the array rears to a solitary goal a minute or so into the final phase of the game. Unfortunately Manor had too much for Essex and they eased away towards the end to win 42-33.
Stewart, Tynan, Linehan, Biss, Mead, Cambell, Humphrey, Jackson

Essex Open B 51 Romford 43

Essex maintained their position at the top of Division 4 with a thrilling victory over Romford. Minus key players Essex started slowly and soon found themselves 4-1 down. Essex fought back and turned the game around to lead 9-6 but the match swung back in Romfords favour and at the end of the first quarTer it was 10-10.
In the second quarter Romford took control of the game and were able to score freely. Essex managed to keep in touch until the end of the half whereby Romford eased away to lead 28-21 at half time.
Essex were determined not to give up their unbeaten record without a fight and gradually begun to claw their way back into the game as Rochelle Reynolds and Rebecca Wilks scored freely. Amazingly in the 3rd quarter they turned a 7 point deficit into a 2 point advantage to lead 38-36. Essex were in no mood to give up this hard won advantage in the last quarter and gradually moved away from Romford to finish comfortable winners 51-43 in what had been a thrilling game.
Livingstone, J Wilks, Fox, Maddison, Murphy, K Wilks, R Wilks, R Reynolds-Blanche

Essex Open C 41 Pettits 27

Essex Open C enjoyed a comfortable victory over table topping Pettits.Essex started slowly missing opportunities to score early on. As a result the first quarter was keenly contested and Essex held a narrow 7-6 lead. However good defensive work in the second quarter and regular goals from Jess Fray and Isabella Morgan-Smith enabled Essex to go into the break with a 15-10 lead. Essex continued to dominate in the third quarter and managed to extend their lead to 28-19.
With weather conditions deteriorating quickly Essex dominated the last quarter of the game to finish with a well earned victory with the score standing at 41-27.

J Wilks , Idoku, Mann, Murphy, Kerr, L Carlisle, Kerr, Fray, Morgan – Smith

Other Results
Essex Open D beat Aeonian 33-29 and moved to the top of Division 8 with league leaders Romford losing. Essex Open E have opened up a massive 18 point lead at the top of Division 10 as they inflicted a 58-11 defeat on Oakwood. In the same division Essex Open F went down to Marshalls in a thrilling game by 24-23

Essex Open were well beaten by 2nd placed The Downs in their first regional game following the Christmas break.
Missing key players Essex were soundly beaten by The Downs at Esher College. Essex started the game very slowly and they allowed The. Downs to dominate the early exchanges. With less than 10 minutes played Essex found themselves 9-1 down and staring at a humiliating defeat.With their opponents dominating in both circles Essex were finding it hard to create shooting opportunities. Towards the end of the first quarter Essex became more competitive and at the end of the first quarter had reduced the deficit to 16-6.
Some good shooting from long range from Zoie Humphrey and Stacey Jackson kept Essex in the hunt but The Downs were able to work the ball close to the posts and score consistently. At half time they had established a 31-14 lead.
To their credit Essex battled hard and never gave up and indeed in the third quarter they were probably at their most competitive.However The Downs were still able to extend their lead to go into the last quarter trailing 44-23. The final quarter followed a similar pattern to the rest of the game with Essex never quite able to score consistently enough to put any pressure on The Downs who ran out convincing 60-32 winners.
Next week Essex return to action in the Essex Met League with a fixture at Redbridge Sports. Centre against table topping Manor

Team: R Reynolds- Blanche, Linehan, Fox, Biss, Cambell,Wilks,Humprey, Bush, Jackson

Our first game of the season started off really well considering some of the players haven’t played together properly before.
Today’s game started off really well considering some of the team hadn’t properly played together before. They played at their best during the first 2 quarters and their joint commitment and hard work enabled them to really pull away. Caitlin’s performance was particularly impressive, as in spite of her being out for a month and a half with an injury, she managed to make a very positive impact.
Well done to all of the girls that played this morning!

Stevie, Holly, Chloe, Jasmin, Teri, Yoma, Angelica, Abbie & Caitlin.

Becca and Rochelle

It was a mixed day for Essex Open as they returned to action in the Essex Met League on Saturday. The B,D,E and F won but the A and C teams lost.
Essex Open A 42 New Cambell Green 58
With only 1 point separating the teams in the top 3 of the Essex Met League Senior Division this was a vital clash.New Cambell opened strongly and quickly put themselves 3 goals ahead without reply. The rest of the first quarter was fairly even with New Cambell always having a slight edge. At the end of the first quarter Essex trailed by 13-11. Although Essex fought hard they could not make any impact on the deficit and towards the end of the second quarter the game started to slip away from them as New Cambell extended their lead to 7 to take a 28-21 advantage into the second half.
At the start of the second half Essex played some of their best netball and reduced the arrears to 4. However New Cambell proved to be too strong and had all but won the game by the end of the 3rd quarter leading 44-32. The last quarter was academic as New Cambell finished the game comfortable winners 58-42

Essex Open B 51 Leyton 26
There was no stopping Essex Open B as they easily beat a spirited Leyton side to maintain their position at the top of the table. They are now 10 points clear of the second placed team. It was all over in the first quarter as excellent teamwork together with some good shooting from Rebecca Wilks and Laura Bush saw Essex take a 15-1 advantage.To their credit Leyton never gave up but the Essex team was simply too strong and ran out 51-26 winners

Essex Open C 26 Forresters 36
This was a disappointing result for Essex who never really got going in what was an evenly contested game. Essex started well and in the early part of the game held the initiative. After 5 minutes of so Essex held a 6-3 lead. However Forresters came back strongly and led 7-6 going into the interval at the end of the first quarter.Essex really struggled in the second quarter and trailed 17-11 at the interval. Although the second half was evenly contested Essex couldn’t score regularly enough to put Forresters under pressure and they eventually lost 35-26.

Other Results
Essex Open D enjoyed an excellent win against Foxes by 45-37. This means that they stay second in Division 8. Perhaps the performance of the day came from the E team who beat Phoenix Flames 71-6 to give them a 10 point lead at the top of division 11. In the same division Essex Open F beat Leyton D 34 -18.