Omega Netball Club News

The 2nd game of the 2nd half of the Herts League fixtures and it’s a competitive game for Omega 2 against Crosskeys 2, both of whom are mid-table teams, so a battle was expected.    The starting 7 were GS – Hannah Brown; GA – Sophie Humphry; WA – Leanne Mansfield; C – Emma Faulkner; WD – Molly Brett; GD – Andrea Kinninmonth; GK and Captain – Louise Cousins; with Lisa Short on the bench.

With 4 of the 8-squad suffering from the affects of the night before and another with a heavy cold, Omega know it’s going to be a tough one….probably tougher than initially expected.  The first time out in the new kit and at a new venue and the team at least look good!    Both teams are keen to win and the quarter is evenly played, with both shooting circles consistent in converting the goals, so the game becomes a battle of the shooters.   Omega gain a couple of interceptions and manage to create a 2 goal lead by the end of the quarter.

The team chat reminds everyone of driving towards the pass and the team return to court to compete for the game.  The quarter is again fairly evenly matched, but Omega again win some interceptions, but many are short lived as Crosskeys read the passes and Omega allow them to steal back the ball by not doing as was discussed in the break.  The defence try hard to close down the Crosskeys GS, but the opposition attack manage to find her every time – one to practice at training!  Omega manage to maintain their lead, increasing it by another goal going into the 2nd half of the game, with the score at 31-28 by the half time whistle.

Another reminder from the Coach and captain on expected playing strategies and a change in attack with Lisa Short taking the court at WA and Leanne moving to the bench.  Some more frantic play and evenly matched netball from both teams, but Crosskeys take advantage of Omega’s errors this quarter and close the gap in the scores.  At one point, Omega go 3 down, but they are not ready to concede and fight to stay in the game.  By the end of the 3rd quarter, Omega manage to hold on to a 1 goal advantage to head into the final stage of the game.

Both teams return to the court desperate to take the game, but Omega take a more controlled approach to the game and penalise Crosskeys at every opportunity.  The final quarter sees the best game play from the whole Omega team, with great linkage down the entire court, superb feeds from the attacking players and a much more skilful display of netball.  The fantastic court play and feeds are finished perfectly with confident, consistent shooting by both shooters.  The final result sees Omega taking the 5 points for the table and they have limited their opposition to a single point by ending with a goal difference of 5 goals and a great score of 59-54!

Omega are on a promising winning streak for the start of 2018, with both the 1sts and 2nds taking their games yet again this weekend.  Let’s keep on this winning roll!

The 1st game of 2018 for Omega 2 and the team were anxious.  They were uneasy about how they were going to perform having had several games cancelled by leagues for unforeseen circumstances in November and December, resulting in the team’s last game of 2017 being 13th November…..so the team had had an extended Christmas break!

The starting squad was  GS – Sophie Humphry; GA – Emma Faulkner; WA – Leanne Mansfield; C – Lisa Short; WD – Molly Brett; GD – Andrea Kinninmonth; GK and captain – Louise Cousins, with Hannah Brown starting on the bench due to having broken her finger at training earlier this week.

A scrappy start to the game with both teams wanting to take home the win.   The game was neck and neck for much of the 1st quarter, with many simple errors being made across the court and neither team taking a head start off the block.  The Christmas festivities have definitely taken their toll and the whole Omega team struggle to settle into the game, but they begin to capitalise on some errors made by Asco, giving them a lead of 4 goals at the end of the opening quarter, with a score of 12-8.

A reminder of Club playing principles from the Coach in the break and the team know they have to take control if they want to start the year off as they mean to go on.    Both teams take the court and play begins, but the frantic play continues!  The younger opposition strive to keep the win in sight and come out meaning business, but somehow, Omega continue to increase their lead by a further 2 goals by half time, ending the 1st half 25-19.

During the break, once again the Coach attempts to instil the key elements back into our play.    This quarter, it appears the team have listened and begin to play their game.  They are much more settled and manage to maintain control of the game with great linking of the balls by the attacking players, who manage to find the shooters who are consistent with converting the shots.  The defence are tighter and win many more balls from the opposition, allowing the whole team to work together as they did pre the lengthy down period in November and December, which results in a comfortable 18 goal lead going into the final quarter.

The final quarter and Omega return to court, with Hannah taking the GS position, Emma moving to C and Lisa taking the bench.  The team appear comfortable with the lead created in the 3rd quarter and continue a steady game.  Hannah is found easily in the circle and doesn’t let the team down with more spot on shooting, supported well by her attacking team mates both in and at the edge of the circle.  The defence continue to win more of the ball from the opposition and the improved play across the whole court ends the second half with a spectacular goal difference of 27 goals and a final score of 62-35.

Slow off the blocks, but as the Omega team settled into their game, they worked well together as a squad to bring home a fantastic first win for 2018!  Hopefully the rust has been shaken off and we’re back in our stride!

Starting Team – GS – Hannah Brown, GA – Emma Faulkner, WA – Lisa Short, C – Molly Brett, WD – Claire Statham, GD – Queenie Pearce, GK – Louise Cousins.

After a frantic week for Omega’s captain Louise, trying to complete a squad, we were ready to take on Buntingford.  As always Omega started with apprehension as some players were not in their usual positions to begin with. There was some great play from the attacking end with some accurate passes into the circle to GS Hannah by C, Molly and before we knew it, Omega were pushing ahead. Tight marking in the circle by both GK, Louise and GD, Queenie created Buntingford to wobble a bit and reduced their shooting accuracy. Omega’s defence grabbed some great rebounds, resulting in the ball being brought down the court quickly, but sometimes too quickly, causing passing mistakes into the circle. Often with GS, Hannah double marked, GA Emma would command the majority of the circle. By the end of first quarter, Omega were 6 goals ahead, with a score of 16-10 in Omega’s favour.

During the break, Buntingford made some tactical changes that took Omega by surprise and they scored 3 straight goals. Omega’s centre pass was marked well, making it a bit frantic. Passes into the circle were again, panicked and were often intercepted by a strong Buntingford circle defence. This quarter saw some great interceptions by C, Molly and WD, Claire. This helped keep Omega 3 ahead for a while, but unfortunately this wasn’t enough to keep the 6 goal lead, ending the 1st half of the game with Buntingford taking the lead of 1 goal and a score of 28-27.

In an attempt at regaining the lead, Omega made a change in the defence, changing Claire into the circle at GD and Queenie picking up the WD position.   The Omega team knew they had some work to do to hold on to the game.   However the pressure and adrenaline proved too much, with the team making errors with their passing, having not truly grounded before attempting the pass, compounded by some missed attempts at goal.  Buntingford were quick to capitalise on the Omega teams errors increasing their lead to 6 goals in the 3rd quarter and a score going into the final quarter of 40-34 to Buntingford, but Omega were not ready to concede the game.

A change to the mid court for the final quarter, swapping WA, Lisa into C and Molly from C to WA.  With fresh legs in the key linking position, Omega knew this was the final chance at taking the game.  Some superb feeding from all attacking players into GS, Hannah started the quarter well with Omega fighting to stay in the game.  Tight defence by both GD Claire and GK Louise saw several interceptions and rebounds being won, allowing further attempts to bring the ball to goal, but Buntingford were determined to maintain their lead, forcing errors on Omega with passing the ball and winning interceptions to return ball ownership consistently.  Determination from the whole Omega team resulted in them winning the final quarter, reducing the Buntingford lead to 4 goals by final whistle, allowing them to gain the needed 2 points for the table.  Final score was 49-45.   A tense and tight game throughout with determined play seen from both teams, with Buntingford having the edge with disciplined play, that won them the game.

With a depleted team, against our Bogie team, Omega were expecting a tough game and Hornets did not disappoint.  The starting squad was GS – Hannah Brown; GA – Sophie Humphry; WA – Leanne Mansfield; C – Claire Statham; WD – Queenie Pearce; GD – Chloe D’Arcy and GK – Andrea Kinninmonth.

The game started with Omega loosing the first centre pass as the tension was ever present.    Omega took time to settle, the coach commenting on them playing like the ‘Stansted Express’ and needing to calm it down to allow those helping out and those out of position, to gel.  The first quarter was neck and neck throughout with both teams giving it their all in true competitive spirit, both determined to take home the win, with an even score of 11 all to end the first quarter.

In the second quarter, Omega looked more together, taking better control of the ball.  Omega capitalised on some errors forced on their opponents, allowing them to take a slight lead in the quarter, but that was short lived as Hornets were not ready to concede the game, ending the first half of the game on a draw of 25-25.

Half way through and Omega needed to keep control on their play.  An injury with a knock to the face in the circle, saw Omega’s GS calling time and leaving the court.  A swift change of positioning, moving Chloe in to shoot and Queenie from WD to GD and the game was back underway.  A few of minutes of play and Hannah returned to the court, picking up the vacant WD position.  The new positioning suited the pulled together squad and Omega started to take and hold onto a 5-goal lead by the end of the 3rd quarter.

A team chat in the final quarter break and a decision made to keep status quo on what by now was a winning team.  Omega returned to court knowing that if they maintained control and converted their centre passes, the game was theirs.  A couple of simple errors made in linking the passes, but Omega fought back to regain control and play tactically, as discussed with their coach.  A nail-biting game throughout, with a game that could have gone either way for most of it, but the determination of the Omega team paid off, resulting in them holding on to their lead and taking home the win they fought hard to achieve.  The final score being 45-37.

A big thank you to Chloe D’Arcy and Queenie Pearce for helping out today.  You were both awesome!

We arrived at the game, knowing it would be a tough match, having never beaten Bishops Stortford before, however, determination and grit throughout the court play, resulted in Omega winning the game!

The shooting from GS, Hannah Brown and GA, Sophie Humphry was on point for the entire game,  with Hannah holding some glorious positioning and Sophie supporting mid-court throughout.  The team gelled and were creative with their passing.  Their confidence to work the ball around, paid off.

Starting at C for the first half of the game, Lisa Short constantly supported mid-court play and fed some great balls into the circle.  The dodging from WA, Leanne Mansfield was phenominal, performing triple and quadruple dodges, making the WD fall behind her at every point, allowing no way for the ball to be intercepted.  She threw some superb loop balls into GS, Hannah and adapted her feed, performing some ‘spot on target’ short passes too.  A tactical switch by the Coach, allowed fresh legs mid-court, with Molly Brett taking the C position and Lisa Short moving to WD.  The change of dynamics resulted in tighter defending mid-court and superb feeding with new links into the circle from Molly Brett.

Defence was on point today!  Chloe D’Arcy filled in at GD, playing out of position and out of her comfort zone, resulting in her being unsure at the start of the game, but changing her mind and looking like she was in her natural position once she got into the flow of the game.  She perfected her lean on marking the shot, resulting in the shooters holding onto the ball too long, gaining the advantage for Omega.   Both  GK, Louise Cousins and GD, Chloe D’Arcy marked the oppositions strong GS, but Chloe also read the feeds into the GA at times, ensuring some great interceptions throughout the game.

GK, Louise had the toughest of players as the GS was very tall and a consistent shooter, but her determination and marking led to the GS missing quite a few shots in the last half, which really gave Omega the boost to win the game.

It was close throughout, with Omega only ever being at most 8 infront, but we remained calm, passed it around and controlled the game to make the final score.

Omega turn up for the fixture with bare 7 players and our usual WD, Molly Brett, having to fill the centre position.  The team for the game being:-

GK & Captain – Louise Cousins; GD – Andrea Kinninmonth; WD – Claire Statham; C – Molly Brett; WA – Leanne Mansfield; GA – Emma Faulkner and GS – Hannah Brown.

The opposition are a very young team, who are determined to give Omega a good game.   The Omega team work hard to establish player positioning and linkages during the first quarter and the hard work pays off and we end the first quarter taking an early lead of 21-8.

Our team talk is very positive and the team return to court, keen to attain our first Division 2 win of the season, having been unlucky in the previous games.  We continue the game, taking advantage of errors made by the young team, who never give up on their quest, even when their GA picks up an injury half way through the game.

We started to look tired by the 3rd quarter, but managed to dig deep for energy and drive to keep us going to the end of the game, whilst continuing to grow the score at the same rate.  Omega take the ball to goal with control and confidence, having won the ball over on many occasion down the court, allowing the shooters to convert over 21 goals in every quarter.  A well played game by Omega, sees the game end with a massive score of 92-25.

The young Turnford players are also commended and congratulated for their attitude throughout the game, never giving up and giving it their all right to the end.

The second Herts County, Division 2 game of the season and the usual adrenaline is present.  The team take the court, as the winning team from their Monday night game, with subs Lisa Short and Andrea Kinninmonth on the bench.  They have a slightly fractious start and attempts to speed the ball to the shooters, sees the score at the end of the 1st quarter with Crosskeys one goal ahead with a score of 9-8.

Initial thoughts for the 2nd quarter, is to keep the team the same, however an ankle complaint sees GS Hannah Brown leave the court, Sophie Humphry moving to GS, Emma Faulkner moving from C to GA and Lisa Short picking up the C position…a 3 position change for the Omega attack…Leanne Dickens at WA being the only constant.   The team are slow to settle for the first half of the quarter, but begin to show some steady, determined play for the second half of it, with some great movement and positioning of GS, Sophie Humphry, allowing an easy feed of the ball from the attacking players.  The improved play by Omega levels the score at 20 goal each by half time.

The decision at half time is to continue the team as per the 2nd quarter.  The team starts well, but some simple errors allow the opposition take a lead on the game.  Crosskeys pick up the loose balls and intercept some forced passes made by Omega, allowing them to increase their lead by 5 goals by the end of the 3rd quarter.

The final quarter and the team revert to the positions at the start of the game, with Hannah Brown returning to the court and Lisa Short taking a seat on the bench.   The team have some goals to make up to close the gap.  They unsettle their opposition and manage to attain 4 turn-arounds with great defensive play from WD Molly Brett, GD Claire Statham and GK Louise Cousins, allowing them to close the gap to within just 2 goals with 5 minutes remaining and a potential win looks to be within their grap, but they fail to hold on to it.  Crosskeys capitalise on Omega’s many simple errors with their ball control and open the gap once more.  Omega win yet another chance, but again, fail to convert to goal, ending the game 40-48 to Crosskeys.

The final Herts County game for Omega 2 and they are playing Shelley.  The team for the whole game is Hannah Brown – GS; Leanne Mansfield – GA; Claire Statham – WA; Lisa Short – C; Molly Brett – WD; Julie Stanbridge – GD and Louise Cousins – GK.

Omega look strong as they start the game and although they make many errors, they win possession of the ball from their opponents many more times to allow them to take a quick lead to the game.   A missed shot by Omega and the opportunity for a turnaround for Shelley, but a tip to the ball on the edge of the shooting circle by Claire, sees the ball back in Hannah’s possession, who quickly converts it as has become to be expected of her.  The team are slow to settle into their positions and ever-changing combinations, but nevertheless, the first quarter ends with a solid 9 goal lead for Omega, with the score 13-4 in their favour.

The second quarter and Omega are much more into the game, with fluid linking of the ball right the way down the court, finished by superb feeds into the shooting circle by Leanne, Lisa and Claire and accurate goal conversion.  We see a fantastic feed from Molly from way deep in the centre third, finding Hannah with precision, who rounds off the goal in her usual manner.    The final 10 seconds of the game and the ball is fed into Hannah, who misses the shot, but has gained a penalty due to a contact, and the final goal of the half sees the scores at 34 – 11 to Omega.

Omega look confident and relaxed as they take the court for the second half of the game.  Excellent defensive play by the team and particularly Molly, Julie and Louise results in a couple of held balls by Shelley and no goals being converted by the opposition until the final 5 minutes of the quarter.   A deflection by Molly in the centre third sees the ball roll quickly down into our shooting third and picked up by Hannah, who once again takes advantage of the won possession.  The final 12 seconds of the quarter and it’s Omega’s goal line throw-in.  They skilfully link the ball in a very controlled manner, quickly and smoothly down court, finding Leanne who scores the goal just before the whistle ends the quarter.

Going into the final quarter, Omega have a massive lead with the score 52-16 to start the quarter.    Leanne uses the support of her attack around the shooting circle with fantastic movement and passing to work herself into a good shooting position in this quarter.  The team keep up the pace to the end of the game and win the game 66-22.

A great season for the Omega 2 team, who end the season as Division 3 winners, which is greatly deserved.  The accuracy of the shooters this season has resulted in a massive 1034 goals, which we’ve never seen before!   This is not achieved in isolation as the defensive play and skilled ball control by the rest of the team has allowed them to turnover the possession of the ball to allow the extra attempts at goal conversion.  Well done Omega 2 and we look forward to your next season in Division 2 at Sir Fred’s.

Net10 weekend and not as much pink as we expected to see but well done to Anna Rogers for some rather choice socks!   Cosmic did well sporting pink ribbons in their hair.

Omega set out with a squad of 8 and a plan to change the attack each quarter to give all players a game.   The first off is Anna Rogers, with Claire Statham playing out of position at Centre and Emma Faulkner playing GA…a first time for this combination this season.   Omega start the game well and take an early lead, but Cosmic prove worthy oppositions and fight to close the goal difference.   Omega steady their play and take control, in the latter part of the quarter and accurate shooting from both Hannah Brown and Emma Faulkner results in the team leading 19 – 9 by end of the first quarter.

A change to the team in the 2nd quarter, sees Claire Statham off due to an ankle injury, Emma Faulkner moving to play the Centre position and Anna Rogers back in for the usual attack combination.  Omega make a few simple errors, but mainly maintain and win possession throughout the quarter, with some great linking mid court by C,  Emma and WA, Leanne Dickens.  100% shooting accuracy from Hannah Brown, great movement and interworking with GA, Anna, allows the team to storm ahead, with the score at half time at 33-16 to Omega.

The team remain the same for the rest of the game and another fantastic shooting quarter for the team allows them to increase their lead further.  The team continue to make some basic errors, giving the ball to the other team, but they fail to capitalise on their advantage.  This coupled with another quarter with 100% conversion rate for Hannah Brown, sees Omega’s lead increase further.

The score going into the 4th quarter is 47-26 to Omega and they keep the pace going for the final quarter.  In this quarter, the defence shine with some superb interceptions by GK, Louise Cousins, GD, Julie Stanbridge and WD, Molly Brett, winning possession 11 times this quarter between them.    They kept control and converted the goals, scoring 17 goals in this final quarter, leaving the final score 64-31 in their favour.

Omega needed this win to secure their top of the table position for the season, but Cosmic gave them a good game and fought to the end.  The game was played in great spirit by both teams.  The team now look forward to the final game against Shelley on 2nd April.

The 2nd round of the Herts League games and it’s a fight for the top of the table spot for Omega 2 and Crosskeys 3 and both teams are keen to win.  Crosskeys take an early lead with a score in the opening minutes of 5-0, with Omega throwing some sloppy passes,  but they soon settle and get into their game.  They fight hard, closing the gap to just one goal deep into the quarter, putting pressure on Crosskeys and forcing errors, with balls being thrown off court.  The 1st quarter ends with Omega 2 goals down with the scoreboard showing 11-13 to Crosskeys.

A change to the centre court in the 2nd quarter, bringing on the reserve and the teams take the court.  The 1st centre pass is Crosskeys’ and Omega put the pressure on, forcing the ball over the 3rd without being touched.  They punish Crosskeys’ error by gaining the goal.  They continue the pressure and just three minutes into the quarter, they level the scores 14-14.   Crosskeys continue to make mistakes, breaking on their centre pass on three occasions this quarter and Omega capitalise on their mistakes, scoring 18 goals in the quarter and only allowing 7 for their opposition.  The score at the end of the quarter is 29-20 to Omega, giving them a comfortable lead for the second half.

The team are reminded to play their game at half time and they are keen to maintain the lead as they take the court for the second half of the game.  The Omega defence is tight and they put the pressure on Crosskeys, once again, forcing them to make errors allowing Omega to take ownership of the ball.  Omega continue to increase their lead in this quarter, with much improved linking in the midfield and accurate shooting. The final 6 seconds of the quarter and Crosskeys centre pass.  They rush and attempt to force a long ball to their shooter and the ball goes off the goal line.  They leave the court for the final break with the scores of 43-32 in Omega’s favour.

Omega midfield changes back to the starting team for the final quarter and they are determined to hold on to their lead.  Great defensive play by the Omega attack force Crosskeys to throw the ball out of court.  Omega take possession and score the goal.  Half way through the quarter and Omega have increased their lead with the score of 50-37.   A toss-up is awarded for Omega WA and Crosskeys WD simultaneous offside and Omega wins the ball, taking advantage and gaining another goal.  Their opposition begin to look beaten.  With four minutes to the end of the game, Omega have another chance to increase their lead when Crosskeys break on their centre pass once again, but Omega fail to hold onto the ball, with a sloppy pass.  Fantastic interceptions by Omega defence, coupled with accuracy in shooting and good linking midfield, allow Omega to maintain their top table position, with a final score of 58-42.    A much improved performance from the Omega 2 team this week, playing more like their usual standard of game.   Two more games to the end of the season and the team cannot afford to become complacent in achieving the top spot and winning the division.