Netball: Fantastic fours surreptitiously steal the show...
Imperial seals the deal in the dying seconds
Victory rarely tastes so sweet as when you spend 59 minutes behind on goals, only to seal the deal in the dying seconds. The ICs 4s appetite was whetted for the run up to the end of the season when they did just that against their visitors, Queen Marys 4s.
The writing was on the wall, as these gorgeous girlies, in short skirts and tight lycra, faced defeat against QM 3s just eight days ago. Keen to get our own back, we were disappointed to lose the centre draw and concede straight off the first whistle, but were determined to keep our chins up and our heads in the game.
Grit and determination was rife on the faces of the home side, and as the pressure started to mount on the visitors, things started to get a little heated.
The first quarter was end-to-end; a close finish with QM up 9-7, but with everything still to play for.
Tactical changes saw Captain Emma Oakton push forward to centre and impact sub Chloe Man come on to strengthen the defence. Despite our best efforts, the strength of the QM side was evident and they began to break away to finish the first half up 22-16.
The IC half time talk needed to muster up immense courage and resilience to hold off the QM offensive. It really was a game of two halves, with IC basking in the limelight now. Deep in defence, Alex Hamilton repeatedly plucked the ball from the air and Laura Elliott, with her long, tanned legs, leapt to intercept. Sabrina Maas tracked back well on the QM centre passes, her luscious blonde hair blowing in the breeze, giving their WA no room to manoeuvre. And what a performance in attack, with Ayumi moving beautifully around the circle and Nancy Edge receiving the well-deserved accolade of Player of the Match.
The frustration of the visitors culminated with their chunky WD, on losing the ball to an IC free position and in a fit of rage, slamming the ball at the feet of our shell shocked WA, Feroza Kassam. This resulted in a two goal sending off; a punishment rarely seen in ULU Netball.
This didn’t do much to stifle the temper of QM nor the fiery passion of IC, and the final quarter saw the home side knocking on the door to victory. The wise adage, ‘it’s not over till it’s over’ really rang true, with the IC ladies gaining ground in the last quarter; suavely scoring the winner as the final whistle blew.
