Frome Diamonds went into this match needing to win with any chance of promotion this season. Their last meeting saw Diamonds win by a convincing 51-13, but after their last match against Melksham Ravens where they only won by a point, Diamonds were taking nothing for granted.
Diamonds started off strong, using tried and tested set play, working from the centre pass with Georgina Guy straight to Sheri Pleasants and the shooting team of Georgia Cox and Helen Maunder. Diamonds turned over a couple of Corsham centre passes and built a 4-0 lead. Corsham found their footing and fought back and by the end of the first quarter the score was 15-10.
The second quarter saw some excellent defence from Natasha Manners and Carly Ritson, quickly adapting their marking to the unique shooting style of the Corsham Shooters. This enabled the ball to be quickly and efficiently passed through mid-court by Tracy Carter and Georgina. Half time score was 28-16.
The third quarter continued the same with excellent movement down the court into the shooting circle. The support around the D from Sheri and Georgina was working well, which allowed Georgia and Helen to get close to the post and were therefore missing very little. At the end of the third quarter diamonds had increased their lead to 43-19.
By the time the fourth quarter started, Diamonds were like a well-oiled machine. Defence were working well, with excellent interceptions which easily moved up court and were converted into goals. By the time the final whistle blew, Diamonds had won convincing by 60-25.
Player of the Match: Helen Maunder. Players Player: Natasha Manners and Georgina Guy
Frome Diamonds 29 – 25 Holt Gold
In a tough fought match against Holt Gold, Diamonds came out worthy winners for their first game back after the Christmas break (finally!).
Diamonds kept their lead throughout the game, being ahead by 7 or 8 goals at one point in the game. The attack of Sheri and GG worked the ball around the D in order to get the ball into Helen and Andrea who were battling against a very strong Holt defence.
Defensively, Tash, Carly and Elise managed to get countless tips and interceptions in order to work the ball back down the court back into the shooters.
Half time saw an attacking change with Georgia stepping into GA and Helen moving to GS. This helped Diamonds to maintain their lead and setting up many shooting opportunities for Georgia and Helen.
The last quarter saw a defensive change with Tracy stepping in at WD in order to try and block out Holt’s GA from the circle. This worked in Diamonds’ favour as it allowed them to get more turnovers and end the game at 29-25 to Diamonds.
