It was an oddly subdued crowd that welcomed the visitors from the South West on the long journey up to Sports Central Arena in Newcastle on Saturday.
Both sides were suffering mixed fortunes in The FIAT Netball Superleague, having won only one game out of four each, with Team Bath only edging above the Team Northumbria on goal average.
The home side, minus their influential Centre Vicky Burgess, who was out with tonsillitis, were coming off the back of an away defeat to Hertfordshire Mavericks, whilst Team Bath were high in confidence after recording their first win against Loughborough Lightning.
The scene was set for a highly competitive encounter, and with Celtic Dragons dropping points against Yorkshire Jets on Friday, this game was an opportunity for either side to advance their FNSL position and vie for a top four position.
The volume of the support was cranked up a notch at the beginning of the first quarter, with the atmosphere finally reflecting the occasion. Precise shooting from GS Toetsie Kambatuku and GA Darcie Worsdale buoyed the home crowd further as their team took an early 7-4 lead after six minutes.
Team Bath started to get a foothold in the game through good teamwork and offensive play from the attacking pairing of Kadeen Corbin and captain Asha Francis, eventually gaining a 10-8 lead with five minutes left on the clock.
Team Northumbria GD and captain, Sam Holt, (playing only her second game at Sport Central) was impressive in key instances, preventing Team Bath from taking a more commanding lead, however the away side were creating the most opportunities during the first period.
The Southerners combined well in a move straight from the training ground initiated by Centre, Mia Ritchie, and finished by the clinical Corbin to give them a 13-11 lead with two minutes to go. Team Northumbria replied in kind, turning it into a one score game with 44 seconds remaining, however Bath came back through Francis twenty seconds later.
This was to be the last action of the quarter as the home side fumbled the ball from the restart, with Team Bath leading 14-12.
The second quarter started as the first had ended, with the on form Francis snatching a score for the visitors from the restart. Team Northumbria battled back strongly, with Centre, Emma Woodings proving to be the creative catalyst for Worsdale and Kambatuku, who kept the home side within touching distance.
Team Bath’s GK, Sam Cook, prevented Team Northumbria from getting more points on the board through a couple of crucial interceptions, as her side extended their lead, but not their advantage. Team Northumbria were going point for point with the Southern side for the first half of the second period, and were creative and ambitious with their passing and movement.
Their ambition was not matched by execution as the defensive combination of Cook, Gemma Fletcher and WD replacement Scarlett Williams, who all worked tirelessly and efficiently to contain any of the host’s advances.
Following a brief time-out in which Team Northumbria’s Emma Woodings had to deal with cramp, Bath’s passing was noticeably more crisp and cutting than the home side as they extended the points difference.
The away team’s GA, who was consistently accurate during the quarter, duly converted an incisive move involving WA, Amanda Trounce, Francis and Corbin. Conversely, Team Northumbria’s Kambatuku almost appeared reluctant to shoot on a number of occasions, choosing instead to pass when a shooting attempt could have been made.
With one minute remaining, Corbin scored after her team collected an errant pass from Team Northumbria, giving Team Bath a 28-23 lead going into half time.
Despite there being only a five point difference between the two sides, the Sport Central faithful sounded muted again as the teams came out for the start of the third quarter. The hosts played well from the outset; with GK Sarah Penny intercepting a number of opposition passes.
Team Northumbria had brought on 17-year-old Centre, Claire Brown for Jade Johnson, and moved Woodings to WD. By some way the youngest player on court, Brown displayed remarkable maturity and confidence, refusing to be dominated by her opposition.
The young Centre was instrumental in setting up attacking moves that Worsdale and Kambatuku converted, whilst Team Bath were trying to force passes for the first time in the game. Worsdale narrowed the deficit to four points with three minutes left on the clock, with her attacking partner Kambatuku striking once more to make it 31-34 to the visitors.
The travelling team responded immediately through captain Francis and Corbin. Team Northumbria grabbed two points back also, however Team Bath’s outstanding offensive player snatched a shot before the buzzer.
Team Northumbria had narrowed Team Bath’s lead to 4 points, trailing 37-33 entering the final quarter.
The fourth quarter exploded into life immediately after the restart, with fantastic defence from Team Northumbria’s captain, Sam Holt preventing Francis from scoring first. Kambatuku, who had been attempting fewer shots in each quarter, struck first for the home team, to an immediate counter score from Corbin.
The home side appeared to be flagging in this final period, and Team Bath were starting to expose gaps in the mid-court area, that Trounce, Francis and Corbin took full advantage of. The game appeared to be slipping away from the hosts, who were trailing 44-34 with 10 minutes remaining.
Kambatuku was soon substituted for Hayley Cameron in an attempt to re-inject some life into Team Northumbria’s struggling attack, however the hosts were soon trailing by 35-47 with 7 minutes left to go. The 12-point gap was to remain intact for the majority of the remaining time until Worsdale narrowed to deficit by one, with the visitors eventually emerging victorious by 52 points to 41.
On the whole, Team Bath were deserving of their win. They were more clinical than the home side, who appeared to lack the killer final ball and finish. Team Northumbria will rue missed opportunities, however it was a lack of attacking direction in the final quarter that ultimately cost them the game.
England Netball Report, www.englandnetball.co.uk
Sportsister, The Women’s Sport Magazine
