England U19s Tour of Jamaica
The England U19s succumbed to a heavy defeat in the first Test Match against their Caribbean counterparts as a sluggish start saw the Sunshine Girls lead by 12 after the first quarter, a lead they would rarely look like relinquishing. A more composed performance in the final 45 minutes restored some pride but the youngsters were down 29 – 44 when the full time whistle sounded.
The game had started really brightly for England as they turned over and converted the first Jamaican centre pass and then scored from their own to take an early lead. However, the different style of play that the Caribbean side were showcasing was causing problems for the inexperienced England team and they were now being forced into numerous errors. A fantastic run of scoring saw the Sunshine Girls dominate the quarter and a shell shocked England trudged off the court with a 17 – 5 deficit.
The break was well needed from an England point of view and this was when the coaches really earn their keep. Some sound words of advice seemed to have an impact on the team and some fresh faces on the court were faring better in the second quarter. Sam Cook was making her presence felt at GK as her movement made it increasingly difficult for the Jamaican mid-court to feed their tall shooter. The centre court from England were also showing a lot more composure and the team created an amazing 18 shooting opportunities compared to the Sunshine Girls’ 7 in the quarter. Unfortunately the shooting was a little wayward and at half-time England were trailing 23 – 11.
England’s rotation policy continued in the third quarter as once more fresh legs were brought on to counter the Jamaican's. The tempo remained high and turnovers were being created with increasing frequency as shooting opportunities continued to be created. The lead was briefly pulled back to 26 – 18 before a run of three unanswered Jamaican goals saw them re-establish a 12 goal advantage. A high energy quarter ended 10 – 10, England down 33 – 21 heading into the final quarter.
An even start to the fourth quarter dissipated as a poor patch with ten minutes remaining from England saw the opposition score five unopposed goals, extending their lead to 15. A late burst of energy ensured that the game finished more positively for England as they battled goal for goal in the remaining minutes of the match. The final whistle blew to signal a second lost quarter, 11- 8 to Jamaica, and left an exhausted England with much to reflect to on.
Although the score line would suggest a one sided encounter, the young England side will be pleased with the way they battled back in the last 45 minutes. In the next match they will be pushing for a much quicker start and to continue the fantastic work in mid-court to produce the amount of scoring opportunities they did in this first Test. The experience of playing on court against such high quality opposition with a different style of play will also prove invaluable for future clashes. The different combinations also settled in well and used the information from the coaching staff to tighten up the game. With a better start to proceedings, England will be looking to bounce back as quickly as possible from this defeat.
England U19s starting 7: GS – Alice Ewer, GA – Rachel Shaw, WA – Natalie Haythornthwaite, C – Yasmin Parsons, WD – Beth Cobden, GD – Jodie Gibson, GK – Eleanor Cardwell
Replacements: Amanda Davis, Shaunagh Craig, Francesca Desmond, Sam Cook, Lauren Potter