4th October
Hinckley B vs Offchurch C
Final score WIN 47-38
Hinckley B played Offchurch C who pipped them for top spot of the table last season. The first quarter saw an even playing field with the ball going back and forth across the court, and both teams fighting to gain possession, ending 10-11 to the opposition. The second quarter saw Hinckley B find their rhythm with the ball moving quicker down court and into the shooting circle where the duo of Hannah Wallace and Carole Payne fought against the wind from Storm Amy, and a tight defence, to sink the shots and take the team in the lead 26-19 at half time. A quick change in attack saw newcomer Lucy Steele take the WA bib again after a fall in quarter 1 and Hinckley continued to add to their lead. Thanks to a solid defence, Hinckley gained multiple turnovers in the final quarter and calmed their play down to keep their lead right until the final whistle. The match ended 47-38 to Hinckley and player of the match went to Carole Payne who’s shooting accuracy was on point.
Hinckley c v Synergy C
Final score WIN 44-18
First game of the season for Hinckley C saw them up against Synergy C. With new team members Alice Bates, Amber Nixon and Sue Ley, Hinckley C were keen to start strong and hit the ground running which is exactly what they did. A strong display in centre court play from Sue and Katie Phillips, and excellent shooting, despite the very windy conditions, from Velvet G and Chloe Phillips saw Hinckley end the first quarter in a convincing lead 15-5. The second quarter saw Synergy make some changes and Hinckley struggled to get in their stride but defensive pressure from Alice, Anna Clayden and Karen Malkin kept the opposition attack from scoring and at half time the score was 23-7. Hinckley let Synergy back into the game in the third quarter but remained composed and went into the last quarter with a defensive change of Amber at GD to keep Synergy at bay and end with a 44-18 win! Player of the match went to Chloe Phillips.
Hinckley D vs Coventry & North Warwickshire F
Final score WIN 30-22
Hinckley D played their first game of the season at home with a great match against Cov and NW F team. Hinckley took a while to find their feet for the first two quarters, with some strong defence from Cov and NW and some strong winds impacting the shooters availability to convert, resulting in them falling behind by just two goals at half time. In the third quarter the attack and centre court fought hard to keep Cov and NW defence away and created some good space to feed the ball nicely down the court. Some excellent feeds into the circle saw Hinckley convert and pull away with a 23-19 lead. This strategic play continued into the fourth quarter as Hinckley maintained a good lead throughout, with defence getting some amazing intercepts and applying some great pressure to Cov and NW meaning Hinckley got another 7 goals to push for the win. On the final stretch, attack created some great opportunities to feed into the D, making for a 7-goal win and a final score of 30-22 to Hinckley D. Player of the match went to Caron Ogden for her speed, patience and accuracy down court.
Hinckley E vs Coventry & North Warwickshire G
Final score LOSS 24-44
Following the successful friendly matches Hinckley E were ready for their first match of the season against Cov & NW G. With 10 from their squad of 12 available the starting line-up took to court.Play was pretty even during the first quarter with the ball going back & forth. Defence had many interceptions in the circle and thanks to good movement in centre court, the team worked well getting the ball into the shooting circle. Despite the strong wind, some fabulous long-range shots were achieved & Hinckley finished the first quarter just behind at 10-12. The second quarter continued in the same way, with everyone going for it but with a few turnovers against Hinckley a couple of heads went down & Cov & NW increased their lead by 6. Hinckley made several changes for the third quarter & whilst Cov & NW had found their rhythm, Hinckley’s changes in defence, centre court and the shooting circle meant they were at a disadvantage as the team did not settle and play was more sporadic, ending the quarter behind by 16. More changes were made for the last quarter and despite Hinckley’s defence having their best quarter only allowing 7 goals to be scored, the attack still struggled against a very tight defence & Hinckley lost the game 24 – 44. A well dwell-deserved player of the match went to Claire Cousin who played GK in her first league match for the club, and gained many interceptions in the circle against an experienced GS.
11th October
Hinckley A vs Coventry & North Warwick A
Final score LOSS 54-62
Hinckley A had their first league game of the season against C&NW. A new team for both sides meant we had lots to play with. After drawing after the first quarter, Hinckley knew it would be a tough and contested game to pull away. The second quarter let Hinckley down in addition with some poor decisions which meant they were trailing at halftime. After a couple of tactical changes in the second half, Hinckley managed to claw back some goals but the damage was already done. The team managed to keep their heads and worked tirelessly right to the final whistle but the final score ended 54-62 in C&NW’s favour. It was an unfortunate loss but a game they are willing to win in the second half of the season when they face the team again. Player of the match went to Molly Insley.
C team vs Coventry & North Warwick E
Final score WIN 43-33
Hinckley C played Cov&NW E this Saturday in an exciting match. Hinckley got off to a flying start with the defensive combination of Amber Nixon, Anna Clayden and Alice Bates keeping the opposition to just three goals in the first quarter. Strong combinations down court and pinpoint shooting left Hinckley with a good lead at quarter time of 10-3. Cov&NW rallied in the second quarter but Hinckley stayed calm and took their centre passes to goal consistently. After a tied quarter the half time score was 20-13 to Hinckley. The third quarter saw Dara D join Hinckley for her debut in the C team. Her speed and great feeds coupled with Velvet G and Chloe Phillips’ impressive shooting bolstered the attack end who maintained their 10 goal per quarter stat. Meanwhile the opposition grew in confidence, and with some long balls to goal began trying to pull back Hinckley’s lead. Hinckley started the final quarter slowly and at one point Cov&NW came within just three goals of catching up. The final 10 minutes saw Hinckley give a final push, and with Katie Phillips working tirelessly in C to apply the pressure and keep the connections strong, the team surged forwards to a strong win of 43-33. A very well deserved player of the match went to Velvet in goal shooter.
D team vs Offchurch E
Final score LOSS 26-35
A tough game for the D team this week, with only five of their team available and three E team players kindly stepping up to help. The team were determined not to let one of the team’s flat-tyre emergencies on the way to the game throw them off, but it did take a little while to find their rhythm! Offchurch settled into the game quickly and built an early lead, but after half time the D’s mixed things up – switching the GK and GS to bring more height into defence and unsettle the oppositions circle. The change worked, and the final quarter was their best spell, with much stronger flow through court and better timing in attack. Caron Ogden had a brief rest from C in the third quarter, but her calm presence and steady feeding into the circle were soon missed, so a tactical reshuffle brought her back to stabilise the middle. Not the result the team were after with Offchurch taking the win 35-26, but the last quarter showed real grit and teamwork. Player of the match went to E team sub Amy Stuckey with a solid performance at GD, reading the game well and turning over the ball throughout! Lots of positives to take forward and build on for the next game.