A Team
Hinckley A team looking for a win after two defeats were away at Stockton this week. Starting well with a great team spirit, Hinckley took an early lead. Fantastic defence and on form shooting allowed Hinckley to take the lead in the first quarter 15-6. Continued effort from every single player of the Hinckley side allowed them to maintain their lead in the second quarter, an accidental headed pass to the Hinckley shooter a particular highlight! Hinckley continued to keep Stockton out of the game in the second half with fantastic work from the defensive trio who only conceded an average of 6 goals per quarter. Hinckley’s centre court brought the ball down well to feed to the shooting duo and also joint players of the match, Carmen Whitaker and Carole Payne. Final score, Hinckley 49, Stockton 24 also ensuring Stockton were denied an extra point.
B Team
Hinckley B team met Highway C at home on Wednesday evening. Hinckley started well and were drawing at the end of the first quarter. Every player on the court supported each other throughout the game. The defensive duo of Issy Ormerod and Laura Williams worked well together and ensured the opposition only scored 2 goals in the third quarter to allow Hinckley to enter the final quarter in the lead. Anna Askham fought tirelessly for the ball throughout the game despite suffering an injury in the first few minutes of the game, earning herself player of the match. Final score 30-25 to Hinckley.
C Team
Hinckley C team had rearranged fixtures and finished up with three matches this week.
On Monday night the C’s took on second in the table Leamington. Leamington took an early 15-8 lead in the first quarter. Despite Hinckley being strong for the remainder of the game, not allowing Leamington to gain any more ground, they could not claw back the first quarter deficit, finally losing 36-44. Player of the match was Wing defence Karen Ogden.
On Wednesday the C’s played in a nail biting game against rivals Henley E. Despite losing the first quarter by 2, the team fought hard against their opposition to end the game with a draw of 27-27. With some excellent goals scored and some great defence, GD Jess Burke came away with a well deserved player of the match. The second game of the three this week for the Cs so the team aimed to keep up their energy for a win on Saturday.
The Saturday game was away against Coventry and North Warwickshire C. The team had a great start and began to take a strong lead, but C&NW managed to keep the score within 5 for most of the match. Thanks to the team’s determination, Hinckley C went on to get the much needed win with a final score of 40-35 and player of the match was once again defender Jess Burke.
D Team
This week Hinckley D took on Keresley B team. Hinckley started strong and dominated the game from throughout. Centre court worked tirelessly to link the defence to the attack to bring the ball up the court. The start of the second quarter saw Keresley close the gap from 6 behind to 2. Hinckley quickly regrouped and remained determined. For the whole game, Hinckley fought hard against the confident Keresley side. Tight marking turned over the play to Hinckley’s advantage, and they secured another great win 42-24. Well deserved player of the match, again, went to Holly Hemsley at GA.
F Team
A number of absences forced the F team to make some drastic changes to the usual line up for their match against Alvis C. Captain Zoe Stokes moved to GK and Sabrina Kemp took on the daunting task of GA and rose to the occasion brilliantly to provide shooting support for GS Anna Poulson. Subs Leanne Easdown and Ede Roche (POM) filled in at WA and WD. Hinckley had good momentum in the first quarter, scoring the first few goals, however consistent shooting from Alvis opened their lead by the end of the second quarter. Play was paused in the first quarter after GD Hattie Lockley had a nasty fall, but with no sub to replace her she soldiered on and continued to provide excellent defence. Hinckley worked well as a team, had good pace and control of the ball and were able to slow the Alvis attack in the second half of the game, but by then the gap was too great and the match ended 36-13 to Alvis. The encouragement from the spectators and the attitude of both teams resulted in a fun and friendly atmosphere. So although the Hinckley F couldn’t produce a win, it was a very pleasant match to be a part of.