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.