PUBLISHED 15 October 2019
Having enjoyed a successful unbeaten league campaign AKS Year 11 netballers went into the Fylde & Wyre U16 tournament at Stanley Park in confident mood and determined to go further than the semi-finals of last year and with a superb display of fast accurate netball and superb shooting they certainly did this as they were crowned Champions.
We started the tournament nervously in our first game against Cardinal Allen but soon started to gain greater accuracy to our passing and dodging and we went into an early lead. Great defending from Amelia and Tara dominated the circle and won back possession which was duly converted into goals by Ellie and Charlotte and at the final whistle we had our first points on the board. Our second game saw us against a strong Garstang side but we started well and played with control getting off to the perfect start scoring from our first two centre passes with great execution of training ground tactics. We slowly gained in confidence and with everyone making space for each other and dodging effectively we moved the ball superbly down the court and kept the score moving along with Ellie and Charlotte increasing their shot conversion rate to record our second win and three more points.
Improving with every game two more good wins against Fleetwood and Carr Hill saw us top our group and go into the semi-final against Hodgson.
We knew the semi-final would be a hard game against a skilful Hodgson side but we lifted our game once again to play fast, flowing netball. Amelia and Tara again dominated our defending circle but great link play from Mia, Hannah, Nyah and Anna moved the ball down the court efficiently to our attacking end. Ellie and Charlotte worked superbly together in the circle to create shooting opportunities and with both converting at ease we kept our noses infront and at the final whistle we had deservedly won a place in the final against Baines.
The final could not have been closer with only one goal separating the teams at the final whistle. We started well, now confident in our team tactics, and despite the pressure of a final we kept possession well and went into an early lead. Baines however worked hard to both win back possession and get free and they kept us in sight with some good shooting so at half time we just had our noses infront. In the second half Amelia showed great experience and was unflappable in defence to frequently win back possession and at the other end Ellie and Charlotte shot exceptionally well under pressure to keep the score moving along. Both teams played at a fast pace and were guilty of giving possession away at times but with time running out we were still ahead. A penalty saw Baines cut our lead to just a single goal but the team continued to work hard with and without the ball and at the final whistle we were celebrating a 8 – 7 victory and being crowned Fylde & Wyre Champions. Ellie captained the team superbly leading by example with her excellent movement and shooting and she was named as the ‘Player of the Tournament’.
The AKS Year 10 team started the tournament well with a good win against Carr Hill. Alex and Ziv worked hard and defended superbly and Poppy dominated the centre of the court to link our defence with our attack. The second game saw us against a well organised and skilful Hodgson team. We marked well but a lack of structure in our play and inaccuracy in our passing saw us frequently give possession away and fail to convert scoring opportunities that we created and at the final whistle we could not match our opponents and Hodgson came out as winners. A loss to St.Aidans in our final group game meant we could not progress into the final and had to settle for the 3rd/4th play off game. This was a close fought game with everyone working hard and we started to play with more fluency and accuracy. Prisha Rajan worked hard to create shooting opportunities which she duly converted but Baines consistent shooters saw them score at ease and at the final whistle we had to settle for 4th spot.
Poppy was the ‘player of the tournament’ for her superb workrate and for her dominating the centre court play
After being crowned Fylde & Wyre Champions the AKS Year 11 team went into their penultimate league match against Lytham in confident mood and determined to maintain their unbeaten league record.
Both AKS and Lytham started the game well playing fast and accurate netball and matching each other pass for pass. Great defending from Amelia and Tara made it difficult for the Lytham shooters to create clear scoring opportunities but some rushed passes saw Lytham also win back possession. The game was very fast and the ball moved from end to end where as AKS scored Lytham would react and make the scoreline equal. This continued throughout most of the first half but AKS slowly took control and managed to go into half time 14-9 ahead. AKS went into the second half determined to remain in control and they raised their game playing excellent accurate passing netball. More great defence saw us regain possession and with Mia, Hannah and Nyah linking defence and attack superbly we worked the ball into our attacking circle at ease. Superb movement in the circle from Charlotte and excellent shooting from Ellie saw us convert more of our shooting opportunities and we edged further ahead. The remainder of the second half saw us playing with confidence and demonstrate our tournament winning netball and at the final whistle the score was a superb 27- 12 victory. The whole team contributed to the team win but player of the match was Tara for her superb defending against a taller opponent.
AKS Year 10 faced a strong Lytham side but in the early stages they matched them in both work rate and scoring goal for goal. Great defending from Alex and Ziv frustrated the Lytham shooters who found getting clear shooting opportunities difficult and good shooting from Abigail and Prisha kept out score ticking along. Lytham played fast accurate netball which saw us have to mark well to win the ball back but all too often rushed passes saw us squander possession and at the break Lytham had edged into an 8 -3 lead. The second half saw Lytham improve the accuracy of their play and with us still failing to keep possession and play with any fluency by the final whistle Lytham had moved further ahead and the score was 3 – 15. Ziv was again the player of the match for her superb defending in the circle.