Northumbria resist Celtic come back as they slay Dragons in classic encounter
The FIAT Netball Superleague continued in earnest on Saturday evening, as Team Northumbria welcomed Celtic Dragons to their impressive £30 million Sport Central Arena. An almost capacity crowd saw the Newcastle based franchise welcome the visitors for their debut home game of the 2012 season, on the back of a closely contested defeat to Loughborough Lightning the week before. Celtic Dragons on the other hand, had enjoyed a comprehensive victory over Team Bath in their first game of the season, and were entering the game high on confidence. Team Northumbria’s Head Coach Lisa Stanley was proved to be correct in her pre-match programme notes, predicting a ‘very hard fought encounter, with lots of quick passages through the mid-court.’ But her side held on to an early lead to record their first win of the season in a result that will send shockwaves throughout The FIAT Netball Superleague.
The home side started the game impressively, leaving the Welsh side reeling from their opening ambition and aggression. Toetsie Kambatuku, who was Team Northumbria’s attacking dynamo, were in sublime form in the first quarter, and Kambatuku scored from every one of her eleven chances in front of the net. But the player of the first period was Northumbria’s captain, Samantha Holt. Her excellent defensive interceptions and commanding presence restricted the travelling team from scoring any more than five goals, whilst her distribution to playmaker Vicky Burgess enabled immediate counter attacks that were duly converted by Kambatuku and Darcie Worsdale. Celtic Dragons were made to look sluggish and ordinary in a frenetic opening period that left the home side with a 17-5 advantage.
Sensing a whitewash, Dragons coach Melissa Hyndman changed her tactics for the second quarter, removing ineffective Crystal George from defence and switching Chelsea Lewis for Lottysha Cato at GS. The move worked, with the away side immediately opting for a more obvious strategy - lofting high balls straight to their 6 foot 6 inch shooter to convert. Cato’s impact was instantaneous, amassing three times the amount of scoring opportunities than the Dragons combined attack from the first period, and she proved to be clinical from the circle. Team Northumbria found the more ‘route 1’ style of attack harder to cope with, however their offence was still firing on all cylinders. Kambatuku was the attacking heart again, with Worsdale providing fantastic movement and support play for her strike partner, and a headache for substitute Kyra Jones. The sides ended the second period with Celtic Dragons trailing by 7 points, and the home support willing their side to continue their impressive display.
Hyndman altered the offensive makeup of her side further for the third quarter, moving Cara Moseley from GA to WA, moving Nicola James to the bench and introducing Emma Thomas as the attacking partner to Cato. The attacking plan remained the same, which turned the welcoming home support against the increasingly one-dimensional visitors. Every time the ball was thrown high towards the Dragons’ towering scoring threat, the crowd grew noticeably more restless. Each interception that Holt and substitute Jade Johnson managed was met with raucous cheers for the defence and derisive jeers for the attack. Team Northumbria were reduced to playing counter attacking netball, however Celtic Dragons were gaining more of a foothold in the game thanks to Cato and Thomas, who played effectively together. Thomas reaped the benefits of some loose marking, as the home side concentrated their efforts on preventing Cato from collecting the ball. With Johnson and Holt sticking to the front and back of the opposition GS, Thomas proved to be an efficient scoring alternative, even though Team Northumbria never succeeded in marking Cato out of the game. The atmosphere in the Sport Central Arena changed as the home support sensed that that the Dragons were sinking their claws into the game. Whilst the audience accepted that the match had been killed as a spectacle, the result was still to play for as Team Northumbria took a narrow 39-35 lead over the Celtic Dragons going into the final period.
The fourth quarter started as a cagey affair, with both sides sensing that the game was finely balanced. Initially, Kambatuku appeared fatigued as her energy in the Dragons goal circle reduced significantly, leaving Worsdale having to increase her attacking movement. Every Team Northumbria player looked visibly tired from the efforts required to sustain their advantage. With nine minutes left on the clock, Dragons took the lead, 43-42, for the first time in the game, and it looked for the first time as if the home side were going to finish the game as plucky losers. But as soon as they conceded the lead, Team Northumbria appeared revitalised, and they regained their creative spark. Burgess and Maria Ewing were more effective with their mid-court distribution, and Kambatuku rediscovered her form at the net. The Dragons hoisted balls forwards towards Cato with more urgency and less accuracy as they could feel the game slipping away from them once more. With seven minutes left on the clock, Dragons GD Stephanie Williams was sent to the sideline for persistent defensive encroachment, at which point Team Northumbria pressed home their advantage, scoring two further goals before Williams returned to the court. The visitors tried to gather energy for one last comeback, but were unable to do so in time, with the game finishing 55-52 to Team Northumbria.
Starting line-ups:
Team Northumbria: GS – Kambatuku, GA – Worsdale, WA – Ewing, C – Burgess, WD – Woodings, GD – Penny, GK – Holt (C)
Bench: Brown, Johnson, Guy, Cameron, Kennedy
Celtic Dragons: GS – Lewis, GA – Moseley, WA – Morgan, C – Drane (C), WD – James, GD – George, GK – Abbott
Bench: Jones, Williams, Cato, Pretorius, Thomas
Shooting Stats:
Team Northumbria: Kambatuku: 36/41 – 88%, Worsdale: 19/26 – 73% Team 55/67 – 82%
Celtic Dragons: Lewis: 3/3 – 100%, Cato: 33/38 – 87%, Moseley: 6/6 – 100%, Thomas: 10/10 – 100% Team: 52/57 – 91%
Match Report: courtesy of Tim Andrews, on behalf of England Netball