After the league shake-up last week, the next round of matches continue to provide intrigue. Trojans look comfortable at the top of the table, and Knights are beginning to look uncomfortable at the bottom of the table - but there is so little separating the teams in between that there is still everything to play for.
The influential Clements was key to Kwiek's win
Game of the week was undoubtedly the match between Kwiek and Mitcham. Both young teams had had ample opportunity to watch (and support) each other at the Europa Shield the previous week, and knew exactly what each others’ strengths and weaknesses would be.
The game started at a furious pace, with both teams aiming to put full pressure on every pass and movement. Kate Wragg put Mitcham ahead with two quick goals after Vicky Woodgate left her free from mid range, but Kwiek were soon back in the game as Rebecca Clements took advantage of young Carina Lamelas’s inexperience around the basket to sneak in some cheeky shots. Lamelas was able to put away a couple of good long shots in attack, but looked to be struggling in defence, and Mitcham switched Wragg to defend Clements; this did not completely solve the problem, however, as Clements continued to draw free passes from Mitcham fouls, and was deadly from the free pass spot as expected.
Experienced England international Ross Bower was initially able to find space to shoot against the young Adam Camies, but Camies’ speed and tenacity gradually started to pay off in defence, while in attack he was creating some excellent chances of his own and finishing well. The close individual match ups meant that neither side was able to gain much momentum – goals were only coming when one defender made a mistake. Neither side were able to pass the ball easily, and Kwiek's male players were using their awesome speed and athleticism to make interceptions, with Luke Francis seemingly all over the court at once chasing down loose balls.
The Kwiek female players were also starting to dominate their opponents, and CJ Francis in particular completely shut down Helen West. The first half ended with Mitcham 8-6 ahead, but everyone knew the game was still wide open. Kwiek came out in the second half with even more determination, and started to take extreme risks to disrupt the Mitcham attacks – this really paid off. The teams traded goals, but gradually Kwiek’s energy and workrate started to give them the momentum, and Camies in particular started to open up some space in attack against Bower to put away some textbook mid range goals, scoring an impressive 6 in the match.
Wragg was given the unenviable task of defending Clements
A great tussle between the power of Ben King and the speed of Francis ended with both players scoring three goals, but Francis was putting so much pressure on King’s shots that King's frustration started to mount. Mitcham were clearly missing Dean Woods’ calm authority and control at the post, so Coach Dave Synott brought himself on for Craig Gosling, in an effort to give the rest of the team confidence in the rebound, but the much shorter Kwiek boys refused to be intimidated by Synott.
The pace of the game never slowed, but Mitcham's error rate rose, and Kwiek continued to intercept create scoring chances regularly, to take the lead and then seal the victory 13-16. A fantastic game for the spectators, with both teams playing fast and exciting korfball, and Kwiek in particular pulling off some incredible moves and interceptions thanks to their athleticism and team work. Both teams remain contenders for top 4 finishes, but this performance will give Kwiek crucial confidence going into their remaining matches, while for Mitcham it is back to the drawing board.
This week Nottingham faced an early start to travel to Epsom to face the on form Nomads team, who have a strong home record this season. Nomads were without the influential Steve Green, while Nottingham were again without some of their regular male players, which meant a starting place for the improving Rahul Desai, who lined up alongside Rob Mann, Hannah Lorrimer and Tash Dawson at one end, while at the other end the division of Al Knight, Charlie Vogwill, Lucy Sillitto and Heather Ikwuemesi looked to be a potent long range shooting force.
Knight had the difficult task of keeping the in-form Sytze Bijker quiet, while Ean Irwin for Nomads was looking to prevent Vogwill bagging his usual hatful of mid-range goals. The female match ups, meanwhile, provided some real contrasts, as the youth and athleticism of current England internationals Dawson and Lorrimer was matched against the experience and guile of former international players Ana Osborne and Kim Jones.
Nomads started with a bang, as a set-move from the starting whistle led to a drop-off goal from Simon Cole. However, Nottingham were able to respond quickly as Ikwuemesi opened her 5 goal tally for the match. Nomads then ran into a 4-1 lead with some accurate long shooting from Bijker but Nottingham rallied and some impressive shooting from all over the pitch brought them into a one goal lead at 4-5. The two teams then traded goals, as Osborne did what she does best and drew penalty from Dawson and Lorrimer converted a free-pass for Nottingham.
Towards the end of the first half Nottingham started to pull away with some well worked goals to take them into half time 6-11 up. The second half saw Nomads change their tactics slightly as Bijker began to run at Knight, to good effect. Irwin was also doing an excellent job of shutting down Vogwill. However, Nomads were not able to cope with the scoring power of Nottingham’s veteran Rob Mann who boomed in another two scorching long shots.
With the score at 8-16 Nomads made two substitutions in an attempt to get back into the match, but to little effect, and Nottingham finished comfortable 13-22 winners. Nottingham will be pleased to be back in winning form before their big match against Trojans in a couple of weeks, while Nomads will be hoping that they can rally themselves for their next match to keep themselves in contention for a top 4 finish.
Williams, Trojans and England expert rebounder and penalty taker
Trojans faced a potentially difficult game away to Kingfishers, who were still smarting from their recent heavy defeat at the hands of Nomads. Trojans Coach Gary Brooks opted to go for a similar lineup to the one that beat Hungarian champions Szentendre KK at the Europa Cup, with Captain David Brooks, Chris Spice, S-J Hubbard and Emily Brooks at one end, and Rob Williams, Sam Brooks, Carly Holness and Hannah Goodridge at the other.
The game started slowly, with both teams struggling to get their attacking moves flowing freely. The Trojan account was finally opened by S-J Hubbard with a middle distance shot, and Trojans then began to exert some dominance in their play, limiting the young Kingfisher side to one shot attacks whilst carving out decent opportunities in attack. Hubbard was on fine shooting form hitting 3 goals in the first half, whilst Emily Brooks was linking up well with Spice, working the post and feed, enabling David Brooks to stay out in front and capitalise on his shooting ability.
Williams was in his element at the post, matched up against the ever improving Liam Kirby, whilst Sam Brooks was on fine shooting form, also hitting 3 in the first half. With Holness and Goodridge making numerous interceptions to disrupt Kingfishers’ attacks, the half time whistle blew with the score at 2-8 to Trojans, who looked to be fully in control. Trojans’ half time team talk was short, sweet and to the point – keep doing what they were doing and put the game beyond doubt.
The second half started with a Trojans goal, but Kingfishers replied immediately, and Trojans then went through a period in which they began to make it difficult for themselves with lapses of concentration, allowing Kingfishers opportunities to get back into the match and show some innovative play, bringing the scores back to within 2 at 9-11.
A Trojans timeout was called and the message was relayed to show more control; this seemed to work as over the next 10 minutes the lead was increased to 4 goals at 11-15, and with just over 10 minutes remaining, Tony Woodvine replaced Spice to add another attacking dimension to the section. As the clock ticked down, a final goals were scored by Hubbard, Woodvine and David & Sam Brooks for Trojans, to make it 15-20 as the final whistle blew. Another victory for league leaders Trojans and the reigning champions are all but qualified for the end of season playoffs. The question now is who will join them?
England and Knight's Allen defending Bec's Clarke
At the othe end of the table, Bec travelled to Norwich to face the struggling Knights. The previous encounter between the two teams proved to be a heated and high scoring game, so both teams were expecting another close encounter. Knights had been on a poor run since the end of the last year, and were hoping to put in a good performance before a three week break. However a new look Bec turned up - determined and hungry for redemption off the back of their disappointing loss to Kwiek.
Both teams had brought a lot of support creating a tense atmosphere and with changed sides since their last encounter, anything could happen. Bec's Captain Davesh Patel remained on the bench which enabled the return of the experienced Tom Brady. Knights female players lacked depth, with the only threat to Bec seemingly coming from England's Steph Allen.
The game got off to a less than explosive start as the dusty layer of the sports hall floor put paid to any real speed or change of direction. The spectators who were looking forward to the fast-paced agility of Bec's Stu Ironmonger and Knights' Tom Ellis were to be disappointed as neither player was able to reach full skill level on the slippery floor.
As Karen Sparrow, Ruth Campbell, Dinos Tritsarolis and Jeroen Suijker lined up in attack, it was Bec who eventually opened the scoring, with a close shot from the newly-promoted Campbell, giving her confidence that remained throughout the game. Knights were able to respond, only for Bec to pull away with another goal. A couple of well crafted goals from Paul Buttinger and Ross Lenton kept the Knights spirit high and the game within their grasp. Or so it appeared. The calm dominance of Bec remained and as Knights became more frustrated with their unusual lack of finishing power, Bec went into half time four goals in the lead.
Both teams pressured in defence as much as the floor would allow, but the game wasn't a free-flowing spectacle for the watching enthusiasts. The match-up between Allen and Bec's specialist defender Tonya Clarke was providing some intrigue, with neither player giving an inch physically and Allen adding to the contest verbally. Frustrations were running high among Knights players, resulting in a yellow card for James Seymour after a verbal offence towards the referee, Neil Wakefield.
Knight's attacking potential was limited to Ellis, Allen and Ross Lenton whilst Bec players were all shooting and scoring at will. Campbell and Vicky Bland were able to exploit Knights' less experience players, scoring 5 goals between them. But the most notable contribution came from Ironmonger, who in his second league game of the season, was on fine form, scoring four goals from open play. As usual Bec's strength was in excellent ball retention, and Knight's defensive pressure just couldn't withstand the yellow onslaught; final score 7-16.
Knights have a three week break to find their form and get their shooting skills back to the levels they know they can achieve. Having run Mitcham close in recent weeks they will be disappointing with this home loss but will be looking to finish the season strongly. In contrast, Bec returned to London in jubiliant mood, confident that they can turn the season round and the test will be against the top 4 teams in the coming weeks.