Yorkshire Jets stormed into Cardiff on friday night ready to face Celtic Dragons for another crucial game in The FIAT Netball Superleague.
All players put up an exhilarating fight to prove themselves, as both teams coincidently came into the game having lost their respective matches the round before. It was Anna Carter’s side that triumphed and her opposite number, Celtic Dragons’ Melissa Hyndman, who was far from happy at the final whistle.
However, Yorkshire Jets’ team work was something to admire and it has to be noted that the hosts kept their fighting spirit right until the end.
The visitors started brightly and scored two goals in short succession as the Dragons struggled to settle and made simple mistakes. Several penalties were being awarded in the early stages in Jets’ favour due to contact by the Welsh defence and they were looking composed in the attacking circle.
At the opposing end, Lottysha Cato scored her first goal to reduce arrears to 3-1 and the Dragons were now starting to pick up the pace. Vigorous defending from Crystal George summed up the tenacity of the hosts defending as she made an astounding tip to rob the Jets attackers of possession.
Without a doubt, the start of the opening quarter was being dominated by Yorkshire Jets and they seemingly maintained possession throughout. A little too much contact was being made by the Welsh defence and it cost them dearly as their opponents stretched further ahead.
However, the spirit that Dragons often showcase was in full force and they fought back strongly, led by a fantastic intercept from Sophie Morgan which started a move resulting in an effortless goal for Cato.
The tempo had noticeably risen as both attacks started to link well, Rachel Shaw and Jo Walker were moving fluently while Cato was receiving great feeds from Thomas and Nicola James. The quarter ended 13-11 to Yorkshire Jets.
The strength of teamwork from Yorkshire Jets was really starting to show at the start of the second quarter as they managed to hustle the home side and seize the ball to score from turnovers. The action was focused in the mid-court as Celtic Dragons pushed to gain a foothold back in the game but there was agitation on and off the court as the contact calls on the Welsh side became more frequent with Crystal George being called twice in quick succession.
This seemed to destabilise Hyndman’s team as Jets pushed on with Shaw increasing the lead to seven. Contact was certainly the talking point in this quarter as the problem spread to the Dragons attack with Cato now being the player punished.
The hosts needed to stay composed and controlled in the face of this adversity and they did a good job of sticking with the visitors as they exchanged scores. Rachel Forbes then urged her team forward with a terrific and powerful one-armed pass across court to set up a sharp Jets move which resulted in a Walker score.
The lead drifted back out to nine but in true style a late surge from the Dragons, with Cato a key figure, they drew back to a 26-22 deficit at the interval.
A quick start was required from Celtic Dragons as they looked to keep momentum on their side and some nice exchanges between Kyra Jones and Cara Moseley managed just this. This was countered with some excellent link-up play between Natalie Panagarry and Jo Walker in the Jets attack as the Yorkshire based franchise demonstrated some excellent team work to remain in front.
With the visitors on top and the calls for contact on the hosts growing larger by the minute, a large crowd in Cardiff started to become restless. This was working in Jets’ favour as they kept their cool to exchange scores with their opponents and stay in control, despite the booing from the partisan home support increasing in volume. The game was definitely a red hot encounter.
Every time Celtic Dragons pushed forward and came to within a few goals, a well drilled Yorkshire Jets side would counter with their own exemplary passing moves to once more pull clear.
The hosts were looking slightly deflated towards the end of the quarter as Shaw moved her side into a commanding position and a clash between George and Jacqui Russell led to another call in favour of the Jets defender and they were winning 37-29 moving into the final fifteen minutes.
The tempo and resolve on court refused to drop as both sides chased a vital victory. Sophie Morgan and Stephanie Williams were pushing the hosts forward while Panagarry continued to be the creative spark for Carter’s team.
Midway through the quarter the pressure from Celtic Dragons saw them move to within four and the crowd were roaring with delight as the game was back in the balance. The atmosphere was electric but the tension from those in attendance was abundantly clear as the home fans felt their side was not getting the big decisions.
Fortunately for Yorkshire Jets they have a shooter this season who seems impervious to pressure and once again Shaw was ice cool in the circle as she sunk a long range effort which finally took the sting out of the Dragons.
The visitors drew further clear with the seconds ticking down and Yorkshire Jets could eventually celebrate an extremely hard fought win in what was an invigorating encounter in Cardiff.
England Netball Report,www.englandnetball.co.uk
Sportsister, The Women’s Sport Magazine
