Going into the Christmas break it was a good final match of 2015 for the Hinckley Ladies teams this weekend. Hinckley A were at Home to Leamington B this week, looking for a win after a loss to Leamington’s C team earlier this season. Hinckley had a slow start to the match, going down 12 goals to 6 but after the first quarter Hinckley stepped up their game and fantastic defence allowed Hinckley to shorten the gap by half time to 14-12. A great all round third quarter and on form shooting from player of the match Carmen Whitaker gave Hinckley the lead by a single goal going into the final 15 minutes. It was a nerve racking last quarter as Hinckley pulled ahead by four then fell behind by one, Hinckley managed to remain calm and with a tight defence and conversion of opportunities by the Hinckley shooters ensured themselves a 29-28 victory.
Hinckley B beat Coventry and North Warwick C 24-21 with GA Emily Harrison once again awarded Player of the Match.
Hinckley C also won this weekend, beating Henley E 31-18 where, after a close 45 minute encounter, they had a great last quarter taking a tight 3 goal lead on to a convincing winning final score with a 13 goal difference. Player of the match was GA Darcey Arrowsmith whose shooting and all round match play was outstanding.
Hinckley D had a convincing victory over Copsewood E, 48-19, keeping them safely at the top of the table with GA Holly Hemsley yet again winning POM.
Hinckley E played Griff & Coton C away. Hinckley were struggling, having players unable to give their normal 100% due to illness. However, the first quarter saw both teams evenly matched goal for goal, finishing 5-6 in Griff’s favour. Once again Hinckley had to rely on F team players to fill in with GK Zoe Stokes playing out of position having an amazing game, intercepting passes and forcing out the Griff GS, making it difficult for her to score. Hinckley’s GD Annis Pears (player of the match) also intercepted many balls and had a strong game. Attack wise play was frustrating at times with the goals just not going in as they battled against 2 very tight defenders. Overall, although a low scoring game for both teams, Hinckley felt that they could have won this game had they been firing on all cylinders as they lost out with a close final score 19–17 in Griff’s favour.
The F team trekked out to Stockton with only 6 players on Saturday. Determined to fight until the end, minus a Wing Defence, they took to the court in good spirits. This week’s defensive duo worked tirelessly with Jayne Marlow making several impressive interceptions and Nicola Coulson taking many rebounds from Stockton’s missed shots. After the second quarter the wind picked up and threw in an extra challenge to contend with but Hinckley kept their heads up and played a difficult but enjoyable match. Hattie Lockley worked especially hard at Centre to make up for the vacant position and received a very well deserved Player of the Match award. The final score was 39-15 to Stockton.
Midweek the Hinckley Hornettes fought hard against top of the flexi league Griff and Coton . Despite holding their own in the last half of the game they were narrowly beaten 24 to 16. Player of the match was awarded to Verity Skelton for her amazing inceptions and great teamwork. Special mention must go to Katie Foster who excelled once again as Goal Defence.