Omega Netball Club News

A great win for Omega tonight against an ER Division 1 team, Crosskeys.

With a couple of unfamiliar combinations in the team, Omega started strong as Crosskeys struggled to compose their play and gain the goals.    Omega maintained the lead throughout the whole game, but Crosskeys kept up the competitive play, closing the gap on several occasions, but never quite enough to level or take the lead.

The fight for the win was on every player’s mind going into the final quarter, with Omega having a 7-goal advantage taking the court.   A battle to the end with Crosskeys contending at every opportunity, but a win of 44-41 for Omega in the first summer league game with almost a full team of 7 of Omega’s regular squad as a result of many player injuries throughout the season.

The final game of the East Region 2023/24 season and Omega face their nemesis team, Bears.  It’s been a while since Omega have beaten Essex based, Bears but they are keen to end the season on the high and know that if they play as they have for this second half of the season, they can take the win they strive for.

A shaky start with Bears swiftly gaining the first three goals, but Omega begin to take hold and quickly even the score taking the next 3 consecutive goals.   The defence get into their stride easily and begin to tighten as the quarter plays out, applying the pressure on their opponents.   Some speedy and frantic play in the attack end, but in the later minutes of the opening quarter, they start to compose and gain a slight lead on the scoreboard, ending the quarter 11-7 in our favour.

A great start to the second quarter with the team linking well and gaining more control in their play.  This results in them opening the lead to a comfortable 9 goals by mid quarter and they look more composed  in the game.  The defence close down the shooters, limiting the usual feeds into Bears holding GS, making it more difficult for their opponents and with the pressure applied, some of the feeds go off the goal line and Omega gain possession.

By start of Q3, Omega are up by 7 goals with a low half game score of 24-17.  They maintain and increase their lead by 10 goals in the first half of the quarter, but begin to loose their composure and focus, allowing Bears to claw back and remain in the game.    Bears take this quarter 10-8, but Omega continue to lead in the game going into the final quarter with a score of 32-27.

The team chat in the final interval advises t0 keep focussed on their own game and regain composure.    A scrappy start to the final quarter sees Bears level the score in the opening half and Omega fighting to regain the lead.  Some goal for goal play with levelling scores each time occurs in mid quarter and Bears take the lead by 1 goal for the first time in the game.  However, Omega are not ready to concede the game and give their all to once again take the lead and their efforts pay off in the final minutes as they end the game with a 42-40 win.

A game of 2 halves and one that Omega had in the bag, but in the final half had to fight for with grit and determination to take the game.  They succeeded and take a further 5 points to the table, ending the season with a final 5th place positioning, which is a big achievement considering the end of the 1st half of the season, relegation was looking to be on the cards.  The second half of the season has seen the team gel and grow together, with new players settling well and complimenting the squad.   A great bedding in season of a new squad, which looks promising for next season if they continue to pull together as a team as they have this 2nd half of the season.

Opposition awarded Player of the Match goes to GS, Georgia Quinton.

The penultimate fixture of the East Region League and Omega meet Eastwood, knowing that this is a key game and they need the win.    With GA, Emma harbouring an injured ankle from the previous game against SAS, the team are nervous about her lasting the full game, but a backup plan had been practiced earlier in the week in preparation.

Both teams come out hard in the 1st quarter, however both are also keen to gain the win and the added pressure is evident with the number of unforced errors made by each team.  But with Eastwood up 6-3 by mid 1st quarter, Omega know they need to compose and take ownership of the game.   Great attack play by Leah Badham who is constantly moving to find the space and give options to her team when the 1st move is not on.   Both teams are quick to capitalise on the unforced errors made by their opposition, but Omega succeed in taking a 1-goal lead by end of the quarter.

Eastwood bring on Rachel, a very tall GS in the 2nd quarter in an attempt to gain control of the game, however, Omega make very few errors in this quarter and the shooting accuracy from GS, Georgia Quinton is at 92% and this alongside some solid defending by the defence team, Hayley, Steph, Sam and Nic who gain several turnarounds between them,  and great ball movement and positioning by GA Emma, teamed with the mid court team, Lucy, Zoe and Nic, allow Omega to open the lead by half time to 25-21.

Seeing that Omega’s shooters are on fire, Eastwood move their tall GS back to GK for the 3rd quarter. but this has very little impact on the game.  Omega maintain control and composure in the opening minutes of the 2nd half of the game, increasing their lead to 7 goals, but Eastwood are not ready to concede the game and close the lead to 3 goals by mid quarter and down to 2 by end of the quarter, with a score of 36-34 going into the final quarter.

Omega return to the court, aware that this is their game if they maintain control, discipline and composure in the final quarter.   The team are on fire and rattle the Eastwood defence as the score consistently increases in Omega’s favour throughout the quarter.  Eastwood become increasingly agitated as the umpire calls punish them for lack of discipline in their defence end and Omega reap their rewards at every opportunity.  Omega’s confidence grows throughout the quarter and it’s evident in their play and the final score of 55-44 to Omega.

A very well fought for game by Omega, who showed grit and determination throughout.  A well deserved Player of the Match was awarded by Eastwood to GA, Emma Maidment, who was key to the success of the game, played amazingly and managed to last the whole game on an injured ankle!

Omega’s Regional squad meet MK Netters Gold in their 2nd Regional game and they know this is one they must win.

The fun squad of 8 were ready to take the court and prepared to work had for the game.  The first quarter was a solid start with Omega staying controlled and confident in making their mark on the game.  Some congestion mid court proved problematic, but they took an early lead of 16-11 by the end of the quarter.

Second quarter saw Nicola Rantell taking the court, replacing Hayley Kruse at WD.  The quarter time chase regarding the mid court was heeded and the court play opened up to aid the movement of the ball through court to our shooters. Another solid performance from the whole team this quarter, with superb shooting from GA Emma Maidment and GS Georgia Quinton and strong defence from Steph Winfield who hassled the Netters GS and gained several turnovers for the team.

Another change at half time saw Hayley return to the court, this time in GK and Steph taking the bench.   Netters come out blazing this quarter and managed a roll of 5 consecutive goals as Omega faulted and allowed the opposition back into the game.  Some fantastic defensive play from GA Emma, resulted in her regaining possession for Omega 3 times this quarter, which assisted in the team maintaining their lead, which had now reduced to just 2 goals with a score of 39-37 going into the final quarter.

Final quarter saw the team reset to as was in quarter 2 (their strongest quarter of the game so far) . The team knew this was their game for to compete for and they needed to give all they had for the final 15 minutes.  An amazing start to the quarter saw  7 consecutive goals converted by Omega in the opening minutes, but Netters were not ready to concede and contested for the game to the end.  Control and patience paid off for Omega as they regained composure and ended the game 50-46.  A much needed win for the new team at the start of the season and 5 well deserved points for the table!

Player of the Match assigned by MK Netters to Omega’s GS, Georgia Quinton.  Well done Georgia????????

Our 3rd East Region game is an away game against Essex based team, Crosskeys, who Omega have struggled to perform against in the past few times we’ve played them.  For the first time this season, almost the whole squad is available, with the exception of our regular GS, Charlotte Ramejkis.  As we’re short on the shooting front, Laura Robilliard (Millard) steps up from the Herts County Team, to help out, so we present with a squad of 10, consisting of Megan Pryde (starting on the bench), Molly Brett (WA), Mia Kersey (C), Beth Garrod (starting on the bench), Claire Daw(WD), Leigh Rees-Reynolds (GD), Phoebe Gillen(GK), 1st timer Poppy Swain (GS), Laura Robilliard (GA) and Lucy Hoskin (bench – easing her way back from injury).

With a previously untried attacking combination, the team take the court and open the game.  A nervous start sees a dropped ball at the edge of our shooting circle, which Crosskeys capitalise on and follow on to take the first four consecutive goals as Omega struggle to settle.  Omega’s defence steal possession on a few occasions, but Omega fail to convert the much needed goals. The 1st quarter ends with a score of 6-14 in Crosskeys favour.

A change for the 2nd quarter sees Poppy and Laura swapping GS / GA positions, Molly Brett taking the bench and Lucy Hoskin taking the WA position.    It’s almost a deja vu moment as Crosskeys score a roll of 4 consecutive goals in the opening minutes  and once again, Omega struggle to gain the much needed goals to close the scores.    The Crosskeys team, having played together for some years, are swift to punish Omega at every opportunity, finding their shooter who consistently converts her shots.  As the final seconds count down, Crosskeys take the final centre pass and an obstruction by Omega’s C, earns her a caution for deliberate delaying of play, the play is advanced and Crosskeys gain the final goal.  The quarter sees Crosskeys increase their goal difference by a further 5 goals, taking the score to 14-27 in their favour.

A big change to the team at half time sees Poppy reverting to GS, Mia moving from C to GA, Molly back at WA, Megan picking up the C position and Claire being replaced by Beth at WD.    Omega start the quarter and the change quickly proves fruitful as it’s Omega’s turn to score a roll of 4 goals to open the 2nd half of the game starting with Leigh intercepting Crosskey’s first centre pass and gaining the advantage for her team.  The team look much more together and the attack play the ball between each other with skill.   Crosskeys C, picks up a caution for persistent obstruction around Omega’s shooting circle this quarter. The shooters work as a team and this quarter match their opposition in goals scored, allowing the team to prevent the goal difference from increasing further.  A much better quarter by all and the team finally begin to work well throughout the entire court.  A draw of 10-10 this quarter sees the scores going into the final quarter as 24-37 to Crosskeys.

A final change to the team in the last quarter sees Leigh take the bench and Claire return to court, this time as GD to add height in the defending circle play.  A much more positive team take the court to end the game and once again, the entire team give their all.  The confidence and composure has increased across the entire team throughout the game and the final quarter sees more consistent shooting conversion for Omega and more skillful ball play bringing the ball to goal.  A solid performance from Mia Kersey at GA in this second half of the game, ensuring Omega gain the point they need for the league table.  A fantastic 2nd half of the game with another draw in the final quarter, ending the game with a score of 38-51 to Crosskeys.

Although we didn’t get the win, the team played with determination and tenacity throughout and the confidence and control in their play grew quarter on quarter.  Suddenly, the team are showing great promise for the rest of the season!

The final game in the first rounds of the Herts County League, first division games and Omega face Turnford 4 for the first game of the day.

Omega start the game and each team secure the first two goals from their respective centre passes, before Omega begin to take hold, securing 3 goals to Turnford’s 1 for the first half of the quarter.  Omega defend superbly, with their defensive players WD, Nicola Rantell, GD, Samantha Abbott and GK, Louise Cousins winning turnover after turnover from their opposition.  However after gaining the upper-hand, they quickly returned the ball to Turnford through simple errors, allowing them to play the second half of the quarter on a goal for goal basis.  The opening quarter ended 14-9 to Omega.

A quick team chat in the quarter and the team take the court ready to give their all once more.  Omega start strong, winning ball after ball from Turnford, resulting in them taking the first 6 consecutive goals of the quarter.   Some superb teamwork is seen in the attacking third, with dynamic movement in the circle from GA, Emma Maidment, creating the space needed for a direct feed from the circle edge by C, Lucy Andrews, directly to GS, Ruby Brett under the post, who finishes off with the goal….a display of textbook attacking play!  Omega’s circle defence tightened, with more good teamwork displayed as the defence forced Turnford’s GA to shoot long shots, which were not as accurate.  Strong ball marking by GD, Sam sees Turnford struggle to move the ball forward and WD, Nicola picks up the stray ball from the pressured pass.  The whole team consistently apply the pressure, once again resulting in many interceptions and loose balls being picked up by Omega and the shooters consistently reward their team efforts with their accurate shooting.  The final 26 seconds and it’s Omega’s centre pass, but an offside call in our shooting circle means, allows Turnford the opportunity for the final goal.  Omega defend and WD, Nicola picks up a Caution for a contact in her attempt win back the ball for her team, but the team succeed in preventing the goal.   This quarter, Omega limit their opposition to just 7 goals and manage to convert 15, widening their lead by end of the second half to 29-16 in their favour.

Omega have a comfortable lead to start the second half but are determined to continue the pressure.  Omega start strong again in the first half of the 3rd quarter, with a couple of good runs on 3-4 consecutive goals being scored, but Turnford give their all and having only scored 3 goals in several minutes, begin to push back at Omega and the second half of the quarter goes goal for goal, with the score going into the final quarter being 46-28 to Omega.

The final quarter and once again it’s Omega to start, however an error with the passing around the circle edge sees the ball in Turnford’s hands and they secure the first goal.    Omega continue to make simple errors with ball placement and passes for the opening minutes and Turnford take advantage, taking the first 5 consecutive goals of the quarter.   Omega pick themselves up and gain composure as they prove they are a force to be reckoned with, only allowing one further goal from their opposition for the remainder of the quarter and scoring 12 goals on the run to finish the quarter and ending the game with a score of 60-34.

A fantastic performance from the entire team, with accurate shooting from both shooters and strong, tight defence applied by all players.  This result secures their mid table slot, elevating them up from 7th to 4th position…not bad after a ropey start to the season!  The first half of the season started with the team struggling to gel and play the ball, but they have grown and developed teamwork throughout the season, improving their play and winning many more games in the latter half, setting them up for a stronger 2nd half round.