Double Win Over Army
Thames Mavericks continued their impressive build-up to the men's and mixed National Leagues taking two big wins at Army Netball on Sunday. Both squads put in dominant displays throughout the day with Mavericks' men scoring a 49-26 victory over the Army men before the mixed team took to court to run out 35-9 winners against Army's mixed lineup.
The men's match started the day with the Army squad preparing for the upcoming inter-services competition. Mavericks had the first centre pass of the game with England U25 Manish Manoj taking charge in the midcourt from the first whistle. Crisp passing from England's Charlie Gray (wing attack) meant the ball was delivered into the shooting circle before the Army defenders could slow Mavs' attack. Mavericks' England U25 shooting duo of Jacob Kirby (goal attack) and Joe White (goal shooter) showed their skill, swinging the ball at speed around the circle, finding great space and shooting accurately. At the end of the first quarter, Mavericks already held a 15-4 lead.
Army came out fighting in the second quarter and their midcourt worked well to transition the ball to their shooters so this quarter saw Army convert a few more of their chances while Mavs continued steadily onward. When the half-time whistle blew, the scoreline sat at 24-12 to Mavericks.
However, the second half of the match saw Mavericks in full charge of the game and their defence was in incredible form. Craig Lenane (goalkeeper) and Matt Fox (goal defence) were faultless and worked as a perfect unit throughout. Backed up by Chay February at wing defence, Mavs shut down attack after attack with Fox and February combining to force the Army players into making wayward passes into their shooters that were picked off time after time by Lenane who grabbed so many clean interceptions that Army could only score 4 goals in the third quarter. At the other end, Kirby and White were ruthlessly efficient for Mavericks and at the final break, Mavs had extended their lead to 37-16.
Mavericks continued their march in the final quarter and with Dougie McKay coming on at wing attack with fresh legs, the Mavs midcourt had a new injection of speed. With Lenane and Fox continuing to deny Army and win possession for Mavs, Kirby, Gray and White rewarded them at the other end by racking up more goals for Mavericks. When the final whistle came, Mavericks had pushed further ahead and took the win by 23 goals, 49-26.
After a break, Mavericks' mixed team took to court against Army's mixed line-up and after easing into the game, Mavericks broke Army in the second half of the game to take a huge win with every player in the squad taking to court and performing with absolute precision. In the first half, Bea Barefield (goal shooter) partnered Charlie Gray (goal attack) in the Mavs shooting circle and despite the height of the Army defenders, Barefield continued to sink long-range shots with ease, thanks to Olivia Westerberg's pinpoint feeds. Tamryn Settle and Dominique Jamie were excellent in defence against strong male shooters and Sophie Snowden again showed her strength and fitness in the midcourt. At halftime, Mavericks were leading 12-5.
Mavs rang the changes in the second half and stormed away from Army. England mixed player Jessie Cherrill (goal defence) and Lenane, back on at goalkeeper made life impossible for the Army shooters who could only add 4 to their total in the second half. Winning rebound after rebound, forcing errors and picking up yet more interceptions, Cherrill and Lenane gave the Mavericks numerous opportunities and the team made the most of them all.
Connor Sharod-Southam at centre was well-supported by Hannah Trickey (wing defence) and Chloe Reschwamm (wing attack) and this trio delivered the ball at speed again and again to Kirby (goal attack) and Morgan Fokkens (goal shooter) who were impeccable. This full-court, full-squad effort was rewarded handsomely and Mavericks took the win 35-9.
Speaking after the match, Hannah Trickey said:
"This was a great day of netball and thank you to Army for hosting us. We are really happy with how both the men's and mixed teams performed against Army, who we'll also face in the EMMNA National Leagues. Every player has improved during our recent series of friendlies and not only have our results been strong, but we've also been able to give everyone court time, which will be invaluable as we head into the league fixtures in March."
