Essex beat Academy 49-27 at Brunel today!
Regional League Division 1
Academy 27 Essex Open 49
Having already defeated last years runners up The Downs, Essex went one better by comprehensively defeating 2015 champions Academy.

The first five minutes was very evenly balance as both sides matched each other goal for goal. Essex had started strongly but a few loose passes had meant they couldn’t turn their advantage into goals. However Academy were finding it very difficult to cope with Antonia Simmonds in the circle and Essex started to gain the initiative scoring four quick goals without reply to take an 8-4 lead early in the first quarter. When Academy responded they found the Essex defensive duo of Michelle Stewart and Zoie Humphrey in top form. At the end of the first quarter Essex held a 14-7 lead.
Essex were totally dominating the centre court with Sarah Biss, Leanne Spencer and Rose Morgan- Smith providing lots of opportunities for Simmonds and Maddie O’Shodi to keep Essex in front. The match was to all intends and purposes settled in the last part of the second quarter when Essex eight consecutive goals without reply to take a 29-14 lead into the half time interval.
With such a big lead it was perhaps inevitable that Essex would find it difficult to maintain such a high tempo performance and they allowed Academy to come back into the game. The third quarter was much more evenly balanced and at the end of it Essex led 38-20.
With the points in the bag Essex cruised through the last quarter to complete a convincing 49-27 victory. Essex have now won all three games in the Regional League and remain top of the table.
Stewart, Humhreys, Spencer, Biss, Morgan-Smith, O’Shodi ,Simmonds,
R Wilks, Weekes,Hazledon, Campbell