Omega Netball Club News

Omega travel to Norwich for their penultimate East Region game against Norfolk Utd, the team promoted with them from division 3 at the end of last season.  The build up to the game has presented nerves as they are missing their regular shooter, but both Hannah Brown and Emma Faulkner step up from the 2nd team, to fill the shooting position and give options for mid court coverage.    After a long journey, the team arrive fairly relaxed and warm up.

They take the court with Hannah Brown filling the GS position to start and Omega have the first centre pass of the game, swiftly taking the opening goal of the game.    The Omega team start with control and skill and with the defence putting pressure on the opposition’s shooters, they force Norfolk to error their first two centre passes within the shooting circle, allowing Omega to score the first 5 consecutive goals of the game.  The tight defence by Phoebe Gillen (GK), Hannah Sell (GD) and Claire Daws (WD) continues through the opening half of this quarter, which forces the Norfolk attack to error on several occasions, turning over the possession of play to Omega’s advantage on several occasions and the attack players Sophie Cockrill (WA) and Lucy Andrews (C) demonstrating great control of the ball, seeking out the shooters, who’s accuracy is on fire!  With both teams in the same colour kit, some confusion is evident as Emma Maidment (GA), sees the blue on the edge of the circle and thinking it is her team member,  she passes the ball to Norfolk’s centre and they quickly take the ball down court to goal.   The determination and desire to win is evident in both teams, resulting in the umpires having words with players on both teams and a player on each team being cautioned (Omega for persistent offence and Norfolk for dissent on umpire’s decision).  The opening quarter ends with Omega holding the lead with a score of 15-8.

Some praise for the great display of netball during the quarter and the team being told to continue the play as they’ve started.  The same team take the court once more, but Norfolk make changes to both their circle ends, replacing their GK and GS in an attempt to keep the scores close.   The first centre pass goes to Norfolk this time and the quarter doesn’t start so well for Omega with Norfolk fighting back, stealing the first 3 goals of the quarter.   Hannah Sell’s tight marking wins Omega the opportunity to claw back a goal as the Norfolk GA contacts as she attempts to position herself for a goal line pass, but the ball is quickly returned to Norfolk.  The sea of blue on the court is seeming to cause problems for the Omega team this quarter and they loose the ball on a couple of occasions, throwing the ball to their opposition in error as a result.   Omega’s WD, Claire Daw picks up a warning for persistent obstruction around the circle in an attempt to pressure the Norfolk attack.  This quarter, the Norfolk GK puts on the pressure and Omega struggle to find their shooter, forcing Emma Maidment to work harder to dominate the shooting circle.   Likewise, the Norfolk GS appears to have given their GA confidence and the accuracy of both players is now spot on.  These changes allow Norfolk to claw back the goals, winning the 2nd quarter 13 -11, ending the first half with a score of 26-21 to Omega.

A tactical change to the team, with Emma Faulkner replacing Hannah Brown as GS and Sam Abbott replacing Claire Daw at WD.  The team are told to settle back and maintain control of the ball, checking the player they are throwing to, to avoid further passing direct to the opposition.   Once again, the quarter starts with Norfolk fighting back hard and taking the first three goals of the quarter in the early minutes, but a swift change as this time it’s Norfolk’s turn to get confused with the colours as they pass the ball directly to Omega.   Another caution is given, this time to Omega’s WA, Sophie Cockrill for dissent towards the umpire’s decision, which sees the possession awarded to Norfolk.    Omega are not moving onto the pass this quarter and Norfolk are quick to read the pass and steal it on several occasions.    The Omega defence continues to be strong and tight, forcing Norfolk attack to error, but having gained the possession, Omega return the ball straight back to their opposition.   An error with a foot on the line at a side-line throw in proves costly for Omega as Norfolk hold onto possession and gain an equaliser bringing the score to 32-32 with only a minute to the end of the quarter.  Omega fight back to regain a lead to end the quarter 34-32.

The final quarter and players are told to take back control and move on to the pass.  A slight change with Sam Abbott taking the WD and Hannah Sell returning to GD and the team take the court.  Norfolk GS misses the first shot of the quarter and goes for the rebound, but contacts Omega defence, allowing Omega to take the first 2 goals of the quarter.   The colours look to be proving difficult for both teams in the opening minutes, as each player appears to be really thinking about their pass before releasing the ball.  Determined to maintain control and the lead, Omega attack display skill in controlling and linking the passes and perfection in the inter-passing within the shooting circle.  This, coupled with some superb interceptions by Omega’s defence, allows Omega to increase their lead to 5 goals, but an error on a centre pass sees Norfolk pick up the next 2 goals, reducing the lead once more.   Omega settle again and their discipline in ball control throughout the whole court, pays dividends as they re-open up the lead.  Desire to win ever present, sees Omega’s WD, Sam Abbott cautioned for deliberate contact in the final minutes.    Lucy Andrews intercepts the ball in the final 30 seconds but immediately returns the ball to Norfolk who punish with a goal.   The final centre pass is Norfolk’s, but the team continues to the pressure to the bitter end, with Hannah Sell intercepting the ball and the team take it to the shooters, but there is not enough time to convert a final goal.   The game ends with a final score of 45-40, limiting Norfolk to a single point for the table.  The win sees Omega sitting 1 point behind top of the table, Thoroughbreds who have played all of their games and Omega having one more game in hand, hence the potential to take the top spot.

Player of the Match for Omega went to Emma Maidment and for Norfolk, to their GD.

An excellent display of competitive netball from both teams as is usually the case when the two teams meet and a game controlled well by both umpires.  Omega meet Cranfield for their final re-arranged game, which is a home game on Saturday 7th April, when they hope to secure the top spot and promotion for the 3rd year running, this time to Division 1 of the East Region League.

After playing against Bears earlier in the season and the final score being 54-54, Omega knew this was going to be a competitive game and that they would have to put up a fight in order to take the win which is exactly what they did.

Omega take the 1st centre pass to start the game off, a missed goal by Omega resulted in Bears being the first on the scoreboard. Both teams are making mistakes and the game is almost goal for goal, defence are applying pressure and making several interceptions but are being called up by the umpires for ball handling and contact resulting in the ball being back in Bears possession. Both teams were rattled by the pressure, Bears WA was given a caution for persistent breaking on centre passes and Omega’s WA is told to tidy up her obstruction. A close finish to the 1st quarter 11-10 to Bears.

Omega start off the 2nd quarter with nothing but determination. Omega have the 1st centre pass which is straight to goal – they were back to playing their game. Omega were defending throughout the whole court forcing Bears to make errors and converting these into goals. Both teams desire to win is really starting to show as Bears WA is given a warning for dangerous play and Omega’s WD is given a caution. Omega’s shooters were consistent throughout the quarter and both had averaged above 90%. The score at the end of the quarter saw Omega pulling away at 26-24.

Moving onto the 3rd quarter with a 2 goal lead Omega’s attack worked the ball around and were feeding into the shooting circle superbly. The team came together as one and everyone was on their game, 4 lose balls were picked up by Omega in the 3rd quarter alone. Omega’s defence were communicating and working well together – 4 interceptions were made, several balls were forced off the back line whilst also applying pressure causing Bears to be called up for a held ball. Omega managed to retain their lead and the final score of the quarter was 42-38.

Final quarter and Bears had the 1st centre pass but were penalised for delaying play therefore it was advanced and handed over to Omega. The 4th quarter was the quarter Omega pulled away and took the win with the 1st 4 goals of the quarter being scored by themselves. Another 2 of Bears balls were forced off the back line due to solid defence. 10 minutes left on the clock and Omega were 10 goals up!!!!! Bears were beginning to feel the pressure, making silly mistakes allowing Omega to take advantage of this. Omega WA now also given a warning. Omega were minimising mistakes in this final quarter and went out fighting for that win. The hard work paid off as the final score was 63-48.

POM was awarded to GA Emma Maidment.

Saturday 20^th January saw Omega vs Thoroughbreds for first place in the East Region League. Going into this match we knew it was going to be well fought by both sides and not an easy win. Nevertheless, we were raring to go and were determined to continue our winning streak.

As the first quarter began it was clear to see that the nerves were getting to Omega with footwork and forced errors. However, we began to work as a team and got back on track with Phoebe Gillen (GK) safely collecting a rebound that the team took to goal. Great defensive play came from Lucy Andrews (C ) as she intercepted Thoroughbreds Centre pass and with a superb feed from Sophie Cockrill (WA) Omega scored another goal. Tight defence from Omega resulted in forcing Thoroughbreds centre pass out of court and with Omega working together as a team resulted in another goal. Unfortunate footwork from Omega gave Thoroughbreds the chance to claw back and with the next centre being theirs this resulted in Omega conceding multiple goals.  With 5.9 seconds displayed on the electronic scoreboard, a “Time!” call from the Thoroughbreds scorer results in the umpire ending the 1st quarter just as Charlotte Jordan (GS) has the ball ready to take a shot!  After some confusion, the umpire goes with the call and decides to end the quarter ahead of time and Omega are robbed of a goal!  The score at the end of the first quarter was 15-11 to Omega.

The Second quarter kicked off with Omega taking the first centre pass. Omega was playing very good netball however unfortunately lost the ball with a pass across the circle, with both teams not giving in easily, contact by thoroughbreds gave us possession of the ball but unfortunately we missed the shot and Thoroughbreds gained possession and brought it down court to the GS who again failed to score. Omega took full advantage of this and confidently converted to goal. Omega continue to work tirelessly, putting pressure on Thoroughbreds’ Centre pass and forcing 3 seconds. The score at the end of this quarter was 28-24.

Going into the third quarter both teams were beginning to tire but were determined to give it all they had. Valiant defending from Lucy Andrews (C) resulted in her tipping Thoroughbreds centre pass but unfortunately slow transitioning meant her efforts were not rewarded and Thoroughbreds were fighting back and scored two consecutive goals. Hannah Sell (WD) hunts down the ball and intercepts allowing Charlotte Jordan (GS) to put another goal on the board for Omega. Omega are now noticeably tiring, making silly mistakes including; footwork and breaking which Thoroughbreds punished us for and brought the score even. The end of the third quarter was 41-40 to omega.

In the last quarter, the crowd were on the edge of their seats and you could feel the tension in the air. Omega started well scoring 3 consecutive goals. Thoroughbreds forced the ball off the court and it was their backline. Foot on the line gave us a chance to increase our lead but unfortunately we lost the ball. Fantastic netball was seen by Charlotte Jordan and Hannah Sell as Charlotte drew the GK out of the circle allowing Hannah to feed in under the post for a goal. In the final few seconds Omega are drawing with Thoroughbreds and Emma Maidment (GA) receives a penalty. Omega’s supporters are standing with anticipation as Emma scores, finishing with a 53-52 win.

The return match between Omega 1 and Comberton in the 2nd round of the East Region League and it’s an away game for Omega with a squad of 8 due to illness.  The starting team being GS – Charlotte Jordan, GA and Captain – Emma Maidment, WA – Sophie Cockrill, C – Lucy Andrews, WD – Hannah Sell, GD – Hannah Lok and GK – Sam Abbot, with Claire Daw on the bench.

The first quarter was a good opener for Omega, with Comberton Shooters not yet having a good eye for the shot, which Omega took advantage of.  Omega were quick into the game with some great early turnovers by both defence and centre court players, enabling Omega attack to play some quick balls into the shooters, who capitalised on the hard work of the team, allowing Omega to take an early lead of 9 goals going into the 2nd quarter with a score of 15-6 in Omega’s favour.

A change to the team for the 2nd quarter, with Claire Daw taking the court at WD and Hannah Sell on the bench.  The start of this quarter saw great controlled play by the entire Omega team, excellent interworking in the circle by the shooters and several rebounds and interceptions being won by the Omega defence players.  However the Comberton shooters had now got their eye in and were consistent in their conversion at every opportunity awarded them, reducing the goal difference by 2 goals and it was Omega’s turn to be off the shooting boil!   Additionally, Omega lost control of the ball on 2 of their  consecutive centre passes and Comberton were quick to punish them with 3 straight goals.  Omega fought  back hard, breaking down the next Comberton centre pass to gain control and steal back a goal, followed swiftly by converting the goal on their following centre pass and a strong defensive rebound by Sam in GK on the next, allowed them to gain back their lost goals to maintain a stable lead.  The 1st half ends 27-19.

The coach and captain remind the team of our game play, as some key areas were seen to be lacking in the 2nd quarter.  A swift change again in defence sees Sam Abbott leave the court and Hannah Sell take up the GK position for the remainder of the game.   Tight defending on the first centre pass results in Comberton being punished for a held ball and Omega are off to a promising start,  but the advantage is short lived as Omega fail to convert the shot.  However, Omega force another error on Comberton and this time, Omega please the supporters with a goal.   The first few minutes of this quarter and Omega are quick to punish Comberton at every opportunity, taking advantage of many errors forced on the team.    Some fantastic interceptions were performed by Claire (WD), Sophie (WA) and Hannah Sell (GK) this quarter, as a result of added pressure on Comberton added by the entire Omega team, which allowed Omega to increase their lead to 15 goals very quickly, with Omega’s shooters now consistent in their conversion.    Comberton settle back into the game in the latter part of the quarter, which is more evenly played, however the earlier lead is maintained by Omega.

Going into the final quarter, Omega have a comfortable 18 goal lead and it starts with even court play, but Omega’s strong centre court defensive play, once again forces Comberton into a held ball situation and Omega are quick to take advantage.    We see some great rotation play by the Omega shooters, Emma and Charlotte, in the circle and strong support at the circle edge by the Lucy (C) and Sophie (WA).  The team make some strong links across the court which results in them continuing to steadily increase their lead throughout the quarter.  In the final minutes of the game, Hannah Lok (GD) and Hannah Sell (GK) are strong and they intercept the ball well.  A solid performance from the entire squad and another great result with a final score of 58 – 38.  Not as big a goal difference as the 1st round, but Comberton gave Omega a great game throughout, showing they are a team to be reckoned with.

This weekend saw Omega 1’s travel to Essex for a challenging game against Bears 1’s. Although starting the season with a full squad, Omega prepared for a tough game with multiple injuries leading to a bare 7 squad. This included the premature return of GK, Phoebe, who played brilliantly through gritted teeth. Along with us, came the support squad of Andrea and Paul to coach and back up if needed. The squad this week included: Phoebe Gillen, Hannah Sell, Megan Pryde, Lucy Andrews, Sophie Cockrill, Emma Maidment and Charlotte Jordan.

After a motivational speech from coach, the first quarter saw a nervous start for both teams, and contested challenges up and down the court. Consistent centre court play saw Omega take the lead 13-11, with Bears fighting until quarter time.

As expected, Bears came back for the 2^nd quarter fighting, challenging and forcing errors from Omega’s side. Play became slightly frantic up and down court, with the nervous squad unusually quiet in their play. Interceptions from defence did come (despite lacking height!!) but unfortunately, Bears determination gave them the lead at the end of the quarter of 24-29.

After team talk of encouragement from captain, Emma, the Omega team returned to court, ready for the fight to reduce the goal gap. Consistent shooting from both Emma and Charlotte saw Omega close the gap. With defensive support and surprise interceptions from Lucy, Megan, Hannah and Phoebe, and controlled play to attacking end, Omega finished the quarter 41-38.

For the last quarter, Bears fought throughout the court, forcing errors and intercepting. Half way through the final 15 saw Bears take the lead and Omega back to chase the win. Controlled play and continual defensive support from Sophie and Lucy saw Omega get back into the game. Pressure throughout the defensive end allowed Megan to achieve a great interception and turn over to goal. This saw the game finish 54-54. It was felt that this was the fairest outcome for both teams, with equal contest throughout the game, of which was played in good spirit. We look forward to hosting Bears at home for the return game.

Player of the match: Emma Maidment (GA)

After a disappointing defeat last weekend, Omega were well and truly up for getting back to winning ways! With only a core seven and both the return of Charlotte Jordan and Claire Daw, the team started with Charlotte Jordan GS, Emma Maidment GA, Sophie Cockrill WA, Lucy Andrews C, Claire Daw WD, Hannah Sell GD and Samantha Abbott GK.