U.13 netball V Dulwich

On Friday our U13 team readied themselves for a home fixture against Dulwich.  The last time they met, Wellington were beating them in the Shanghai City Final, but sadly lost by one point in the closing seconds.  Would history repeat itself? We started the game as a training quarter, with all fouls and penalties called but possession not overturned.  What was lovely to see was that Wellington had very few calls against them as their footwork was clean and they kept possession seamlessly. At the end of this quarter the game started, with all calls being honoured and possession overturned.  Very quickly it became clear that Dulwich were using their height advantage with overhead passes but Clara Collins and Jade Sedgwick as GK and GD dealt with this tactic really well and quickly despatched the ball back towards the Wellington attack.  Excellent shooting from Coco Brandini and Kimberly Littler left Wellington ahead by two goals, 3-1. With a large squad to field, many changes across the team led to fresh-legs and renewed energy across court in the second quarter.  Julia Johansen as C, Ruby Brandini in the circle as GS, assisting her sister Coco (GA), Constance Legrand as GD and Seren Thomas as WA, the youngest by three years.  Her attitude is exemplary and when brought off the bench she played with no fear.  Although the inexperience of some was clear to see, Wellington still played at their own pace and only lost possession owing to their own unforced errors.  Our defence in the circle was still strong and with thanks to Ruby in the circle, the quarter saw Wellington still ahead, this time by one goal (4-3). For the final quarter, Lottie Paxton moved from WA to C and maintained good links between defence and attack.  Chantelle Freeman as WD distributed the ball well though the centre court and Cherry Chen ensured all passes reached our shooters.  With two minutes to go Dulwich levelled the score and sadly, the excitement led to Wellington rushing their game which led to lost passes.  As the final quarter ends Dulwich scored the winning goal and shortly after the game ended 6-5. I would like to thank all of the players and the amazing home crowd of parent supporters – Mr Thomas, Mr Littler, Yvonne, Cheryl, Richard, Rita, Lorna, Tim and Jo. Charlotte Godwyn Netball Coach