Saturday 10 October 2015

Match Report: City Push Thunder Close

Oxford City vs Bristol Thunder 1 - 10.10.15
17-22 Loss
It was a strong start to this year's Western Regional League season against last season's champions.
Thunder scored first within the first minute of play but we responded with a runner from Nick and a mid-range shot for Jo. The scores stayed very close through out the first half. So many shots went up we barely noticed having a shot clock and Dave/Dan were sinking some beautiful long shots to keep us neck and neck with Thunder. Ruth scored a short shot just before half time to bring us into the break leading 9-8.
Second half the boys took over the scoring. Dan scored a couple of runners (one off a witch). Gaz had a penalty and a close-range shot. Dave helped us out of trouble with long shots that were always going to be in the basket. Nick had a difficult time against the height of Thunder but still found time for three goals. Alice had to come off with a rolled ankle after epic defense against Thunder's chief goal threat. It was a surprise was that her elbow wasn't hurt by her marker running her head into it. Catherine had her regional team debut and slotted into the whirling dervish attacks nicely. Niall had some great chances that just didn't drop but provided an injection of pace whenever he was on the pitch.
We all played really well. There are definitely areas for improvement but we displayed a tempo and level of self belief that feels new to the regional squad. We lost in the last 15 minutes where Thunder got five goals in a row but we didn't let our heads drop. We were coming back but the time was up. The training is paying off and we are looking a real threat in this years regional league. In future we need a bit more communication, get rid of those odd stray passes and more high fives. There was inconsistent quality of high fiving. We need that fixed for next match! 
It is a shame not come home with the victory but we can all be proud of the way we played. If we continue to play as well we are in good shape for this season.
MVP - Alice, for a defensive triumph against Ruth Campbell. She defended at least three would-be goals and disrupted the normal Thunder game plan. Excellent work, Alice! I hope you ankle enjoys a well-earned rest.
Scorers - Dave Ewing (5), Dan (4), Nick (3), Ruth (2), Gaz (2), Jo

- Match report by Jo

No comments:

Post a Comment