Match Report
England Netball
England Netball
Bath bounce back too late as Lawson leads Thunder to another win
Another fantastic crowd packed into the Sports Training Village at the University of Bath on Monday night as local heroes Team Bath welcomed Northern Thunder for their opening home match of the 2012 FIAT Netball Superleague season. Perennial play-off makers Bath are heading into a season of transition with many of their big names having departed for warmer climes at the ANZ Championship, while their rivals from Manchester are expected by many to compete for the big honours come May. A haphazard match ended in the visitors favour but the hosts will rue a string of missed opportunities that ultimately cost them the chance of an upset.
A lively affair was hoped for by many, indeed this had been a designated match to be played in front of the expectant Sky Sports cameras, and the opening exchanges did not disappoint. The animated crowd were on their feet early on as the game ebbed and flowed with true effervescence, it wasn’t the prettiest of starts but it had plenty of action. Missed chances, inaccurate passing and poor communication were being teamed with passionate pressure, incisive intercepts and staunch defending. After five minutes the hosts had the slenderest of leads, 4-3. With both sides now warm, Thunder started to show their credentials, Sara Bayman leading from the mid-court with some quick turnovers which inspired her attacking team mate Kathryn Turner to follow suit. With Tracey Neville’s side converting from their own centre passes and punishing the Bath mistakes, the ice cool Australian shooter Janelle Lawson led her side into a 16-9 advantage at the end of the opening quarter.
The hosts were showing their class in patches but they needed to up the consistency in the second quarter. However, before they could regain any resemblance of a way back into the match a blistering start from Thunder in the second quarter saw them trail by thirteen within the blink of an eye. Earlier neat work from Kadeen Corbin, Asha Francis and Amanda Trounce was being replicated as they inspired Bath into a mini fight back. The influential Corbin was obviously considered the main threat, as Kerry Almond and Emma Dovey were doubling up on the England shooter in an attempt to rid of her any feeds. To the delight of the crowd, who seem to have continued the 'vuvuzela in netball' theme, Jess Garland’s team were looking the better side. However, in all honesty with the scrappy passages of play and continued misdirecting of passes, neither side could claim to be playing to the best of their abilities. At the interval the gap stood at eight with Thunder ahead, 30-22.
Half-time allowed Neville to make a couple of changes including the welcome re-introduction of Karen Grieg who was seen on a Superleague court for the first time since her ACL injury in the middle of last season. Garland also made some alterations with Katy Walsh and Kat Hayes replacing Becky Watkins and Asha Francis respectively. Bath continued to pressurise all over the court but the visitors’ mid-court were starting to dominate with Bayman working her magic. New onto the court Rachel Henry, was linking the attack well and Lawson continued to score heavily. The tempo started to slow in the third quarter with the high energy from the first half starting to fade. Mia Ritchie was still doing her best for the hosts and showed her class with a beautiful round the corner feed to an ever impressive Corbin. This was to be a rare moment of joy for the home side in the third quarter as Thunder surged further ahead, taking a 46-30 lead into the final fifteen minutes.
The changes continued in the final quarter as Neville also brought Eleanor Cardwell and Danielle Bloomfield onto court, utilising eleven of her twelve player squad. The changes seemed to have an impact on proceedings with play notably slower at the beginning of the quarter and the error count rising. A brief respite was afforded to those in action as Corbin called for an injury time-out after feeling for her ankle. Thankfully, for Bath and England, the determined attacker was fit to continue. The stoppage provided a spark for Bath who came out strong after those moments of rest. The tempo picked up once more and Garland’s side were again showing why they should not be underestimated this season, with some assured passages of play and stubborn defending from the up and coming Sam Cook.
The movement of the ball through the court was a lot quicker and the home fans were given a glimpse of what their side can really achieve, much to the enjoyment of the appreciative crowd. It was ultimately too little, too late, as the damage had already been inflicted. Thunder had done enough early in this encounter and thanks to Lawson and her accurate shooting, the lead proved to mammoth to overturn. Each side would have been left frustrated that they did not produce a consistent four quarters of their best netball, with Bath particularly left to rue their chance to tumble Thunder on a day when their opponents were far from their fluent best.
Starting line-ups:
Team Bath: GS - Corbin, GA - Francis, WA - Trounce, C – Ritchie, WD –Watkins, GD - Fletcher, GK - Cook. Bench: Rose, Walsh, McGinley, Hayes, Williams
Northern Thunder: GS - Lawson, GA - Turner, WA - Cobden, C – Bayman, WD - Malcolm, GD - Dovey, GK - Almond. Bench: Greig, Enziano, Henry, Bloomfield, Cardwell
Shooting stats:
Team Bath: Corbin: 27/34 – 79%, Francis: 15/16 – 94%, Hayes 3/4 - 75% Team: 45/54 – 83%
Northern Thunder: Lawson: 35/46 – %, Greig: 7/12 - 58%, Turner: 13/17 - 76% Team: 55/75 – 73%