One Oxford team down, one to go….

The Netball Jays earned a convincing win over the Oxford Brookes 1st Team, which gives them a good deal of confidence to defend their title against the Oxford Roos in the annual Varsity match this Saturday, 12pm at the The Leys School in Cambridge.

After winning 9 out of 11 games in their BUCS League and defeating Oxford Brookes last term, the team were quietly self-assured, which was only amplified in their polished warm up. The match started with a tall and experienced Oxford Brookes team holding their own, until interceptions by GK Becca Brake and GD Emily Lester allowed for successful turnovers. Movement down the court from defence to attack was impressively fluid and Cambridge appeared to be taking control of the match. After a slightly slow start Cambridge came out of the 1st quarter with a 10-6 lead.

A change of the tactic in the 2nd quarter from a zone block to man-on-man marking was effective in increasing the Cambridge lead. The lively centre court duo of Sophie Polisena (C) and Hannah Pennicott (WA) created confusion amongst the Oxford Brookes defence as they were able to work the ball around the circle before slotting in some beautiful overheads and perfected bounce passes to the shooters.

The Jays then really took off in the third quarter, scoring an impressive 16 goals while skillful defenders Emily Lester and Jess Creak only allowed 3 goals to be let in. The defence could always rely on their interceptions being converted successfully by sensational shooting from Laura Gibson (GS) and Captain Sarah Gill (GA). The Oxford Brookes’ taller defence did not phase them, and rebounds on their rare misses were claimed and almost always sent in on the second try. Although pushed around a bit by her opponent, Laura Gibson showed that no GK could predict her dodging.

The fitness of the Cambridge team shone through in the last quarter against a slightly dejected Oxford Brookes team. With a fresh pair of legs on the court in the form of WA Kirsty Taunton, interceptions were being made in all thirds. New centre set plays were continually sending the ball with artistic precision to the shooters. Hard work by WD Libby Brewin on marking her WA out of the game allowed Cambridge to increase the deficit. The final whistle blew to a score of 49-22 to Cambridge and ended a superb performance.

Player of the match deservedly went to GD Emily Lester who hadn’t let any balls past her bounding reach. Captain Sarah Gill, who also put in an excellent performance to continue her fine form, was ecstatic about tonight’s win. She thought of the game that “the defence were putting great pressure on the Oxford Brookes attack. There were some phenomenal interceptions throughout the court, great set plays and this was an overall confident performance from the Jays.”

Oxford will undoubtedly provide tough competition on Saturday, however they have won only 3 of 9 games in their BUCS league. Gill thinks the team now has the confidence needed to head into a challenging varsity game and is adamant the Jays will come out on top. This final performance caps a fantastic season for both the Firsts and the Jays before Saturday’s Varsity match proves that the Cambridge Netball teams are the clear blue favourites.