Cambridge University Ladies’ Netball Club (CULNC) were made to sweat at the University Sports Centre on Wednesday afternoon, as they narrowly held off a determined late charge from the University of Birmingham seconds to win 38-37 and maintain an unbeaten opening start to the Midlands 1A division season.

Despite remaining largely on top throughout the game, the Light Blues were never able to pull away into a comfortable lead. Indeed, this was almost to the home side’s downfall, as a spirited performance in the final quarter saw the Midlanders almost nick only their second win of the season. But backs-to-the-wall defending and clinical shooting up top saw CULNC hold strong to claim outright lead at the top of the table for the first time this season. 

The first quarter was a cagey affair, with the centre court taking a while to settle as both sides resisted the urge to push forward and potentially forfeit too much space at the back. But, by the second quarter, CULNC – who were once again without captain Hayley Smith through injury – began to play their own game and, as expected, they edged into a narrow early lead, thanks to now trademark sharp-shooting from attackers Frances Lee-Barber and Maddy Eno. 

However, this was undoubtedly the Light Blues’ toughest test of the season, and impeccable shooting from the Midland side’s attackers, captain Jess Green and Aussie Charlotte Bray, facilitated by strong turnover work in the centre kept CULNC on their toes. Indeed, throughout the first two quarters, the home side were unable to put together their usual string of cohesive, lightning-quick passes as Birmingham’s floating duo in the centre, Georgie Lewis and Lucy Hoskin, kept on clawing CULNC passes out of the air. 

Yet the Light Blues’ centre court players were also leaving their mark on the match: Sophie Maitland and Becky Haggie seemed to be able to seamlessly move the ball through centre court to the circle edge at will, leaving themselves in pole position to feed the shooters. In particular, Haggie – putting in a player of the match performance – was displaying exemplary ball-handling skills, taking some difficult passes out of the air with ease.

CULNC edge Nottingham to maintain a perfect record

But CULNC seemed unable to break past their dogged opponents. Indeed, the Birmingham defensive pair were putting the Light Blues shooters under immense pressure, and their usually clinical shooting began to falter.

So it was with the realisation that added potency up front was required that, going into the third quarter, the Light Blues pulled off what proved to be an inspired tactical change. Vice-captain Tara Phillips took it upon herself to leave behind her defensive responsibilities and slot in at goal shoot with the hope of revitalising the misfiring CULNC attack. And this gamble paid off, as Phillips’s ability to dominate space in the circle caused problems for the Birmingham defence, allowing the ball to more frequently find its way into the circle.

And in the final quarter, the switch seemed to have delivered for the Light Blues as they surged to a five-goal lead in the final quarter. But the final few moments were to be far from comfortable, as the away side, desperate to avoid dropping into the relegation zone, rallied. 

Indeed, with the Midlanders coming ever closer to upstaging CULNC, it took dominant defensive performances from Charlotte Plumtree and Lucy Gumbiti-Zimuto to hold off their unrelenting charge. By pulling off a vital intercept seconds before the ball reached the hands of the incredibly accurate Birmingham shooters, they secured the Light Blues their fourth consecutive victory by the slender margin of one goal. 

But, despite the tense manner of the victory, it was still a well-earned and vital three points on the board for CULNC as they edged towards their goal of promotion. Indeed, speaking to Varsity after the match, the home side’s goal shooter Lee-Barber was in a celebratory mood: “It’s often said by football pundits that it’s a positive thing, a sign of league-winning form, when you can not play at your best but still manage to find a way to earn the three points.”

CULNC: Gumbiti-Zimuto, Plumtree, Phillips, Maitland, Haggie, Lee-Barber, Eno, Carpenter, Smith (c)

Birmingham II: Lane, Fitts, Jones, Green (c), Barbor, Lewis, Bathhurst, Girdlestone, Dawes, Spence, Hoskin, Bray