rushmoor v sussex

This match saw 1st and 2nd in the league face off. A win for Rushmoor would see them stay top of the league for the festive period and a win for Sussex would see them close the gap on their rivals.
The game started at great pace, with Rushmoor taking an early lead. However, Sussex who know Rushmoor well, clawed back the deficit by taking advantages of errors in Rushmoor’s play. The first quarter ended with Rushmoor up by 1 (11-12)
The Second quarter started much the same as the 1st, with both sides equally matched. Some excellent play in the centre court from both sides, gave all 4 shooters plenty of opportunities to give their teams the lead. The 2nd quarter ended the same as the first with Rushmoor maintaining the slight lead (23-24).
Without a recognised coach on the bench, it was again down to the captain and vice-captain to make a change to try and turn the game in Rushmoors favour. This change saw Keri come onto the court at WA. After a few initial errors, the team settled into the game and began to pull ahead. Defence turning over ball, centre court bringing it through to the attack with ease and some accurate shooting saw Rushmoor assert their dominance and show why they are top of the league and undefeated so far, this season. At the end of the 3rd quarter Rushmoor had a commanding lead of 10 goals (28-38).
Going into the 4th quarter Rushmoor made use of their strong bench with another couple of changes in the quest to consolidate their lead. The changes saw Jo and Nikki being replaced by a double Sarah substitution. Sarah Gartland into C and Sarah Gill into GS. As with all changes, Rushmoor took a little while to adjust to the new set up and Sussex took full advantage of this. They began to take charge of the game and close the gap, converting a succession of turn overs and interceptions. The lead was quickly diminishing, but Rushmoor refused to give up and kept themselves in the game. After a nail biting final few minutes the game ended 42-43. Rushmoor winning by just a solitary goal!
Thank you to Maggie for the shooting stats and coaching advice, Claire for scoring and James as chief babysitter!!

Players player – Jo
Opposition player of the match - Jo