Mavs First Win
Well, we had a great weekend! Mavericks travelled to Worcester on Sunday for an afternoon of matches against mixed teams from West Cheshire Warriors and Kraken Netball. These two teams performed really well in the summer's National Championships so it was a real test for us.
However, the squad excelled and after a first, hard-fought match against Warriors, which saw the Cheshire side take the win, the Mavericks regrouped and took to court again in a match-up against Kraken and from the first whistle, Mavericks were most definitely in charge, winning the first quarter 15-0.
In defence, Toby Garbett and Natalie Stacey completely shut down the Kraken attack with both players taking clean intercepts and adding so much pressure on any of Kraken's attempts on goal that they just couldn't find the net. In the midcourt, Jessie Cherrill, Chay February and Georgina Robertson were in complete control, moving the ball seamlessly to the Mavericks shooting duo of Chanti Stubbs and Charlie Gray.
After such an impressive first quarter, Mavericks remained in charge for the rest of the game and were able to give their whole travelling squad time on court. Standout performances came from shooter Bea Barefield who sank one long-distance shot after another, despite the height of the Kraken defenders, and also Rob Lockwood, who won so much ball in defence in his first-ever netball match. Hannah Robertson was a stalwart in the midcourt and Nardus Nel's aerial prowess ensured Mavericks didn't lose possession at all in attack.
In the final quarter, Olivia Westerberg continued to win ball on every attacking centre pass for Mavericks, whilst Stubbs and Nel added more goals to the Mavericks total. At the final whistle, Mavericks took the win, 42-20.
Club Chair, Connor Sharod-Southam said:
"This was a fantastic performance from the Mavericks. To be turning in wins against national league sides with such new combinations and with just a few training sessions under our belts is a really positive sign of what's to come. The whole team really worked for each other and the win was truly deserved."
Whilst Mavericks were on court in Worcester, another of the club's players was just up the road in Bromsgrove, preparing to represent England in the upcoming Men's Netball Nations Series. Jacob Kirby will be flying out to Singapore on Friday with the squad for six days of competition against top sides such as Australia and New Zealand.
Kirby has been training hard with the squad over the last few weeks and has played practice matches against Northern Ireland, Scotland and England Universities. He's also been part of the men's squad selected for a practice match against the England women's team, the Roses, as they prepare for their upcoming series against South Africa.
Kirby said:
"It's such an honour to be representing England men's netball in Singapore and I'm really looking forward to the whole experience. As a squad, we've been training every weekend since selection back in September and our recent practice matches have been brilliant. We're definitely heading into the competition in great shape and we're excited to see what we can achieve."