Women’s Netball 1sts retained their lead at the top of the table in a winning 35-29 against Chester 1sts at Foster Sports Centre.

It was a poor opening quarter for UClan as they conceded five points early on from some nervous defending, but finally the opening goal came for the home side. Goal Shooter Hollie Dixon picked up on some quick passing from Goal Attack Danielle Parkinson to open the home side’s account.

After some good play but continuously no luck going forward, Parkinson later made it 4-5 but it wasn’t long until the away side restored their 2 point lead trailing 9-7 at the break.

The second quarter was better from UCLan and Parkinson as they began play with more confidence, but it continued to flow from end to end. Substitute Goal Shooter Gemma Bamford made it 13-13 with the help of gritty determination and support from the bench.

The backing proved to be a massive advantage for the home side as they took the lead 16-14 from a Parkinson shot to rapturous appreciation. However, as the quarter drew to a close UClan, conceded three points before levelling it up again at 17-17 before the start of the third quarter.

The third period saw a completely different UClan side as they stepped up the pressure and began to look like a team who are top of the BUCS league table. Parkinson began to demonstrate why she is important to the side with a long range effort to take the lead, along-side Bamford also had a storming game.

With some nice passing the home side began to dominate and forced errors from the away side, resulting in some poor time passes and interceptions from Goalkeeper Rachel Power. Parkinson later finished the dominant quarter 26-21.

Chester began to chase the game in the final quarter but it was not enough, as UCLan picked up a further nine points. The pick of the efforts coming from Bamford’s skill to keep the ball in play and pick out Parkinson who finished for 34-25. The away side later rounded off the tie 35-29 just before the full-time whistle.

Speaking at the end of the game, Captain Harriet Dunn believed her side would always come out victorious even after a defeat in the 1^st fixture, “It was hard getting back after that tough start but I always believed we would win.”

By Laura Howard

UCLan 2^nd netball team recorded their third consecutive win of the season with a 55-33 win over MMU Cheshire 2nds.

A promising start from the home side surged them to a 6-0 lead with the impressive attacking partnership of Goal attack Heather Robinson and Goal shooter Jen Smith.

MMU Cheshire began to find their feet, but this was soon dismissed by clinical counter attacking by UCLan, who stretched the lead to 16-9 at the end of the first quarter.  Robinson scored 11 out of the 16 and went on to be nominated player of the match through her remarkable composure in front of the goal.

UCLan opened the scoring in the second quarter through goal shooter Jen Smith before an injury to the MMU Cheshire Goalkeeper forced the game to stop, and the opposing player out of the game.

MMU Cheshire Goal Shooter netted to make it 18-10, but Robinson was quick to respond with a hat trick to extend the lead further to 21-10.

The game soon looked to be less one-sided when the visitors picked up the pace scoring three consecutive goals on the bounce.

Although it proved to be a close encounter, UCLan scored five consecutive goals, Robinson taking away four of the points to end the second quarter 28-16.

The third quarter picked up from the previous with the visitors matching the home side’s possession in another end to end tie. Captain and replacement goal shooter Laura Kerr opened her scoring and also formed a strong partnership with goal attack Robinson ending the quarter 42-25 to widen the lead.

A UCLan substitution saw the dominant Robinson replaced in the position of Goal Attack by the starting Goal Shooter Smith.

Although Cheshire were first to score in the final quarter it was the home side that continued to pull away from the visitors to score five successive goals from the Smith-Kerr partnership.

UCLan Centre Verity Scholes delivered precision service to the attacking pair for the inform shooters to continue to finish the game 55-33.

 With the visitors begging to tire the home side proved to be a cut above MMU Cheshire in the final quarter and shown just why they are contenders for the title.

Captain Laura Kerr said: “It was a very good game keeping our run for the top of the league going. All of the girls played really well.”

The result moves the team into second place, equal on points with top of the table Glyndŵr University 1^st    in the Northern conference 5A.

UCLan 2^nds will look to retain their current form when they return to action on the 1^st December when they face Lancaster 2nds away.

By Abby East

Women’s Netball 2nds cruised to a comfortable 48-17 victory over Keele University 2nds at Foster Sports Centre.

UCLan proved to be too strong for the bottom of the league side, who struggled to break down the home sides defence and match the clinical finishing shown throughout.

UCLan were quick off the mark with a quick succession of goals propelling them to a 7-0 lead before Keele responded from a penalty shot.

The visitors failed to match the tempo set by the home side though as UCLan raced into a 13-4 lead at the end of the first quarter.

The second quarter saw the hosts continue to build on their momentum with goal attack Hayley Butterworth putting more points on the board, taking UCLan to a15-4 lead.

Foul play from the visitor’s goal keeper gifted two consecutive penalty shots which goal shooter Jen Smith was quick to take advantage of; although Keele stepped up the pace of their game to reduce the deficit.

After a tight second quarter UCLan continued to pressure on the counter attack with both shooters showing precise finishing, keeping Keele at bay with some resolute defending which saw the third quarter end 33-12.

The home side continued to extend their lead after the break, wing attack Zoe Astin being a persistent threat delivering precise service for the shooters to continue to score from. With the opposition posing little threat, UCLan continued to take advantage and ended the game comfortable winners.

Player of the match was awarded to UCLan’s inform goal shooter Jen Smith, who proved a threat all game through her consistency in finding the net and constant threat against Keele.

Team captain Laura Kerr said: ‘It was a fantastic game, all the girls played really well, I’m really proud of the whole team. We’re now looking to push on and win the league following last week’s exit out of the knockout cup.”

UCLan have recorded two out of three league wins this season, and will look to continue their run when they face MMU Cheshire 2nds at home next week.

By Abby East

Women’s Netball 1sts picked up their third win of the season against Manchester Metropolitan 1sts at Foster Sports Centre, finishing 57-40.

The first quarter saw the home side go a goal behind after a matter of minutes, but later picked up their game and equalised through Danielle Parkinson.

Soon after UClan made it 2-1 through a swift break away, the final pass fell to goal shooter Hollie Dixon, who showed good composure in front of goal all game.

The game was beginning to become a physical battle mid-way through the first quarter when some incisive passing generated a penalty by the opposition. Danielle Parkinson finished to make it 8-3.

MMU began to make strides in the game by scoring three consecutive goals, but it was UClan who increased the lead to 17-8 before the whistle through Parkinson again, ending a spell of dominance for the home side.

The second quarter saw the hosts pick up from where they left off making it 20-8 in the early stages through Hollie Dixon.

The home side were beginning to show why they are challenging for promotion to Northern Conference 1A this year with a couple of excellent passages of play from Captain Harriet Dunn and Wing Attack Sarah Titherley.

MMU again found confidence towards the end of the quarter, but UCLan proved to be the team in form making it 31-14 before the break through Parkinson.

The atmosphere on court was plain to hear as support for the home side increased before the start of the third quarter, but it was the away side that scored first.

UClan had a run of five goals soon after, the latter being an excellent shot from just inside the semi circle from Goal Attack Gemma Bamford.

The home side continued to show great vision down the right-hand side through Wing Attack Lilly Thistle who found Bamford unmarked in the area to finish 42-17.

A lack of communication was beginning to look like the away sides’ problem approaching the end of the third quarter when Wing Defence Lindsay Murphy picked out Dixon perfectly. Bamford later made it 48-26 before the break.

The final quarter saw a miraculous change of fortune for MMU which saw them pick up fourteen goals through some lacklustre defending from the home side.

Danielle Parkinson struggled to make an impact on the game, but later scored two consecutive penalties to make it 54-37. After some effective defending by goalkeeper Rachel Power, UClan won another penalty allowing Bamford to cleverly pick out Parkinson, whose finish clinched the win.

Speaking after the game about UClan’s dominant result and current form, goal shooter and player of the match Dixon believes her side can progress in their next fixture against Chester;

 “This was one of our hardest games as MMU have come down from the league above, so (victory against them, makes us) confident we can maintain our form.”

By Laura Howard

Netball 2nds crashed out of the BUCS Northern Conference Cup  in the opening round after losing 39-45 to Chester 2nds at Foster Sports Centre.

The game was delayed for 15 minutes due to a leak in the roof, which could have jeopardised the game being played altogether. After both teams were satisfied that the problem had been solved, the game eventually got underway.

In the first quarter of the game, Chester marginally edged the game with scoring and possession. However, the UCLan Wing Attack made an impact on the game as they linked with goal attack Robinson to cause the Chester defence a myriad of problems. Both teams wasted a plethora of chances to gain the upper hand.

The second half saw an unstoppable UCLan backline; that yielded few opportunities for the visiting attack. Gladwin- the home side’s wing defence- pulled off a series of blocks to stop Chester breaking towards the goal and turnover possession for UCLan.  Kerr- the wing defence- was also influential in stemming the tide of Chester points.

The two evenly-matched sides had little to separate them after two quarters; both in terms of points and quality all around the court.

The third and fourth halves saw Chester step up a gear and easily breaking through the defence of their tiring opponents almost at will.   The UCLan defence had been given severe examination in the second quarter and their exertions had caught up with them.  A burnt-out defence had no answer to Chester, who stormed through the committed UCLan defence for the win. UCLan, for all their hard work, had only a couple of dropballs to show for their efforts.

By Jane Parry

Women’s Netball 1sts got off to a flyer in their first game of the new season beating Lancaster 1sts 54-21 at Foster Sports Centre.

The first quarter saw UCLAN dominate, and after just a few minutes opened the scoring with Goal Attack Danielle Parkinson.  The home side doubled their lead soon after with another Parkinson shot. Goal Shooter Hollie Dixon later made it 14-3 before Dickinson ended a particular one-sided quarter.

The second quarter saw Lancaster step up the pace, although it didn’t faze UCLAN as they went on to score nine times, the majority scored by Parkinson who was outstanding all game. She later made it 23-7 before the break after a great passage of play from the home side.

The atmosphere was plain to hear as team mates of both teams cheered their side on, but again it was UCLAN who showed determination. Centre Harriet Dunn broke down Lancaster’s attacks and commanded the home side brilliantly in her first game as captain, showing her influential qualities.

With both shooters playing extremely well and the game going easily in UCLAN’s favour, the away side began to look fatigued consequently giving away needless penalty throws, which were converted easily by Parkinson. Dixon later made it 35-12 before Dickinson ended the quarter 38-13.

The final quarter saw a better display from Lancaster as they went on to score eight times, with the home side appearing to sit back on a comfortable lead. Never the less, after shouts of further encouragement from the home support, it was another great passage of play from defence to attack that saw Dixon convert to make it 51-18. Lancaster enjoyed the final few minutes of possession, however it was UCLAN who finished winners on 54-21.

After a disappointing season last season, and crashing out of the final of the BUCS cup, chairperson Lindsay Murphy has high hopes this year with captain Harriet Dunn also confident the team can progress onto promotion.

 “We have a number of new players who have been promoted from the 2nds, and also fresher’s so it will be vital that we work on improving the stats. The girls played really well today but we must look to continue improving next week”

Netball women 1sts will now play Chester 1sts away in their next game.

By Laura Howard

UCLan’s Netball 2nds were a cut above the rest in their league, as they finished the season as undefeated champions.

Ten consecutive league wins, crowned Captain Sarah-jayne Mckie and her team the winners of BUCS Northern Conference 6A and gained them a well deserved promotion to 5A next season.

Mckie said: “It has been an outstanding season from start to finish. Every player has given one hundred per cent towards training and matches.

“The team really gelled this year, and I think how close we were reflected in our results.”

A brilliant 48-21 win against Lancaster on the first day of the season, was the perfect start on their road to glory.

The girls faced tough competition from Bolton 1sts and Manchester Met (MMU) 3rds, but it wasn’t enough to unsettle them, as UCLan finished 12 points ahead of second place MMU.

The only disappointment of the season was the defeat in the second round of the cup to MMU 1sts. However, the upset didn’t faze them and the inspirational Mckie drove her team to victory in the league.

The teams’ presentation evening took place on Wednesday and the ‘Player of the Season’ award went to goal attack Heather Robinson.

She proved to be a vital member as she was named player of the match eight times over all competitions.

Robinson said: “I feel really happy about how I played this season; I can’t believe I got eight out of ten player of the matches. I think as all the team got along so well and worked great together, I found it easy to relax and play well.

Robinson’s excellent performances alongside ‘Most Improved Player’ Hollie Dixon effortlessly broke down the defences of opponents, leaving UCLan with a final goal difference of 216.

Other awards on the night went to Verity Scholes who took ‘Players’ Player’, and the comedy award of ‘best personality’ was given to Dayna Wood.  

The teams’ efforts were rewarded at the Sports Ball as unsurprisingly they were named Pluto’s team of the year.

Robinson added: “We definitely deserved the award because we all pulled through as a team with whatever was going on, if we were losing, or someone was struggling or even sent off, we’d pick each other up, give advice and support each other, like a team should.

“We won each game as a team and we are so happy that this got recognized. “

Appointed caption for next season, Laura Kerr will hoping to step into Mckie’s shoes and continue the success of this season.

Mckie added: “I think Laura will do us proud next season, she has a great team behind her so she will be fine.”

By Elisa Langton

UCLan 38-25 Bolton

The UCLan Netball  2nds remain in top position and unbeaten in league 6A as they beat local rivals Bolton by 38-25.

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UCLan 44-54 Nottingham Trent

UCLan Netball 1^sts were narrowly edged out of the BUCS Cup by Nottingham Trent in a close encounter which ended 54-44 to the visitors.

It was a tight game throughout with UCLan taking the lead at the half way point, but it was not to be for the home side as the lead slipped away and consequently ended of their season.

Nottingham got off the mark first after they defended UCLan’s first centre and created a great shooting opportunity to put them ahead.

However some great movement around the shooting circle and superb netting from Goal Shooter Georgina Farrer quickly turned it round and put UCLan in front.

Shortly after Goal Attack Danielle Parkinson could have added to the tally after player of the match, Harriett Dunn, worked a free pass to the home side into the circle, unfortunately Parkinson couldn’t finish.

UCLan found their form towards the end of the first quarter with some pivotal defending from Goal Keeper Laura Kerr, despite all of the home side’s efforts the first quarter finished 11-15 to Nottingham Trent.

The second quarter started much like the first had finished.

UCLan looked dangerous on the attack with both Farrer and Parkinson on top shooting form.

The lead was shortened as UCLan seem to hit the acceleration pedal, quick passes left the Nottingham defence running backwards.

Dunn took advantage of a replay ball as she took the free pass quickly and found Parkinson who netted perfectly which gave UCLan a 25-22 half time lead.

The visitors seemed to step up the pace in the second half of the game.

Inch perfect passes provided them with plenty of shooting opportunities which their shooters did not fail to take.

After the third quarter the tables had turned and Nottingham had the lead, 32-42.

UCLan were not going down without a fight and the last quarter proved this.

However every net UCLan could scrape Nottingham cancelled out with one of their own.

Some great shooting by substitute Gemma Bamford gave hope for the home team but after a great game Nottingham Trent came out victorious.

Captain Farrrer said: “It was a good game but we just seemed to lose it in the end.”

The match also marked the last game with UCLan Netball for some of the first team.

Farrer added:“It was my last ever game for UCLan and during my time here I’ve never missed a first team game in the whole three years.”

After gaining promotion last year to league 1a, the team have struggled to grab victories this season but Farrer seemed positive from the experience as she added: “When I took on the role of first team captain this year I knew it was going to be tough and it has.

“It’s been a great experience though and I know all of us have developed from league 1a experience.

“I don’t want to leave UCLan Netball, however with such a great group of girls, I know they’ll all do a great job next year.”

Good luck next season girls.

By Elisa Langton

UCLan 1sts 46-46 Liverpool 1sts

A superb fighting performance by the UCLan Netball team gave them their first point of the season as they drew 46-46 with Liverpool.

In this compelling encounter, goal shooter, Georgina Farrier opened the scoring for UCLan after a couple of minutes. UCLan took advantage of some lacklustre Liverpool play and doubled their tally. But the Merseysiders fought back and broke into a 12-11 lead after the first quarter.

There was a great atmosphere in Foster Sports Hall with everyone backing the home side. Danielle Parkinson broke down a Liverpool attack and found Farrier in space to shoot. Both shooters displayed some excellent shooting throughout the game.

The visitors coach stopped the game in the third quarter and accused the UCLan supporters of intimidating the shooters with their noise, but this didn’t seem to faze the home team as they approached the final quarter with a 40-33 lead.

Liverpool stepped it up a notch, along with a few debatable decisions by the umpires and they managed to level the scores. A tense last 5 minutes for UCLan saw goal-keeper, Ella Durant, who was outstanding throughout the match, made some crucial interceptions to keep her side in the game. The final whistle couldn’t come soon enough for the home team, but the players seemed happy with the result.

Captain and best player, Georgina Farrier, said: “I’m absolutely ecstatic with the result. To me that is a success for the season, in my eyes we won today”.

The UCLan 2^nd team put on a fine display against Salford 2^nds as they won 57-7. The result maintains their 100% record this season. Player of the match went to Heather Robinson.

By Elisa Langton