Surrey Storm were crowned winners of the inaugural ReEnergise Tri-Tournament after defeating rivals Hertfordshire Mavericks 33-29 and Bath 29-27 in an action packed afternoon of netball at Surrey Sports Park on Saturday.
Surrey Storm were crowned winners of the inaugural ReEnergise Tri-Tournament after defeating rivals Hertfordshire Mavericks 33-29 and Bath 29-27 in an action packed afternoon of netball at Surrey Sports Park on Saturday.
Coach Tamsin Greenway used this pre-season tournament as a way to try out numerous combinations from her final 14 ahead of the start of the 2015 Superleague Season in January. The tournament also saw the eagerly anticipated return of England captain Pamela Cookey as she pulled on a Storm dress for the first time since the 2012 season.
Match 1: Surrey Storm vs Team Bath
It was a shaky start to the first quarter by Team Bath as a missed pass from centre Kyra Jones resulted in turnover ball, allowing Storm to capitalise and take an early lead with debutant Pamela Cookey opening the scoring. Bath reacted quickly and errors for Storm meant they were able to net three in a row and take the lead. However, the familiar pairing of Rachel Dunn and Tamsin Greenway in attack proved ruthless once again as Bath struggled to break down further Storm attack. Dunn flew in with a key interception allowing the home side to hit the target and bring scores back level. There was end to end goals for the final minutes of the quarter with Dunn netting the final goal of a very tight first quarter for both teams. The scores remained level at 9-9 going into the second quarter.
The second quarter saw a change at WA for Storm with Georgia Lees replacing Greenway. Cookey opened the scoring again for the home side, hitting the target twice in quick succession which saw them take an early two goal lead 11-9 at the beginning of the second quarter. A combination of attacking errors and a tight Storm defence around the circle edge put Bath under added pressure in attack. Bath called an injury time out as Lees feeds Cookey who extends Storms lead to five. Flanagan intercepted a Bath centre pass to allow Dunn to hit the target, keeping a 100% success rate for Storm. Storm defence continued to prove to be a tough opposition. Clinical work in attack saw Dunn convert on half time, giving the home side a 7 goal lead – their biggest of the match – going into the third quarter; 21-14.
Greenway made full use of her 14 players in the third quarter as changes included captain Reid to GK, Becky Gentle to GD, Kat Ainsworth to C, Greenway to WA, Katie Harris to GA and Kat Hayes to GS. Further changes for Bath saw Murie to GD and Brownie to WD and Dent to GS. It was a slow start to the third quarter for both teams. Storm turned over a Bath centre pass and Hayes made her mark on the game, extending Storm’s lead to 8. The middle of the quarter saw a series of end to end mistakes from both teams. Storm turned over from a Bath replayed ball which enabled Harris to open her shooting account for the afternoon. A low scoring quarter saw no goal for either team in the final few minutes of the third, allowing Surrey to retain their 8 goal lead, 25-17.
The final quarter saw S Francis in at GK and Craig in at GS for Bath, and a full change in attack for Storm with Lees in at WA, Hayes in at GA and Harris in at GS. Bath came out fighting at the start of the third quarter as they netted three goals in quick succession without any reply from the home side who struggled to convert with missed attempts from both shooters. Bath crawled back the lead and got to within four before Harris scored Storm’s first of the quarter. Lots of pressure from Bath in this final quarter saw them bring back the goal deficit to two. Flanagan remained solid in defence, making two crucial interceptions in quick succession which meant Storm were able to hold off a Bath comeback. Despite a resilient effort from Team Bath in the final quarter, Storm were able to hold off persistent Bath attack and take a well fought win. The game ended Surrey Storm 29-27 Team Bath.
Surrey Storm Starting 7:
GK – Huckle
GD – Reid
WD – Flanagan
C – Borck
WA – Greenway
GA – Cookey
GS – Dunn
Team Bath Starting 7:
GK – Manu
GD – S Francis
WD – Brownie
C – Jones
WA – Ritchie
GA – A Francis
GS – Allison
Match 2: Hertfordshire Mavericks vs Team Bath
Bath opened the scoring through shooter Allison and take a two goal lead early on in the first quarter just as they did in the first match. Missed shots form Corbin put Mavericks under added pressure however they maintained composure and patience. Some quick feet from Corbin on the edge of the circle saw her pick out a pass and score to bring scores back level. Errors in Bath attack allowed Mavericks to take the lead for the first time after 8 minutes with Corbin netting two goals in quick succession once again. Bath reacted quickly and momentarily retained the lead before Mavericks scored on the whistle to bring the scores back level at 8-8 heading into the second quarter.
Second quarter saw changes for Team Bath with Francis on at GD, Craig on at WD and A Francis on at GA. Allison opened the scoring again for Bath as they took an early lead in the second quarter. Mavericks were quick to react to early Bath pressure. Candappa found Korbin in the circle with a long range pass which outsmarted the Bath defence and gave Mavericks the edge over Bath, allowing them to regain the lead. Middle of the second quarter saw errors made by both teams as neither could retain possession. A powerful attacking performance towards the end of the second quarter from Mavericks meant they were able to extend their lead out to five with a minute to go. Bath reacted with a goal on the final whistle which meant they headed into the third quarter trailing Mavericks by 3 goals as the quarter ended 18-14.
The third quarter saw changes for both teams. For Team Bath; S Francis to GK, Murie to GD, Jones to C, Dent to GA and A Francis to GS. For Mavericks; Drayne to WD, Carter to C, Drakeford to WA, Hankin to GA, and Joseph to GS. Mavericks opened the scoring and built on their 4 goal lead at the start of the third quarter. S Francis attempted to tame the Mavericks attack, which saw Bath creep back to within 3. However, Hertfordshire remained resilient, keeping their 4 goal lead throughout the quarter. Mavericks extended their lead to five goals, 20-25, in the dying minutes of the quarter with just the final quarter remaining.
Mavericks made further changes heading into the final quarter with Oyesola on at GD, Carter on at WD, Drakeford on at C and Thompson on at WA. Bath ate into the lead at the start of the final quarter as the GS scored two in quick succession to kill Mavericks to three 25-22. Mavericks reacted well to early pressure put on them by Bath as an interception in the mid-court saw them extend their lead out to 6. Tired bodies meant a mis-placed Mavericks pass which allowed Bath to score, handing them a slight lifeline. Despite a series of attempts at goal from Bath, Mavericks fought off late Bath pressure and held onto their tight lead with the GS scoring on the dying whistle. The game ended with a 30-28 win for Mavericks.
Hertfordshire Mavericks Starting 7:
GK – Keable
GD – May
WD – Buchanan
C – Candappa
WA – Morgan-Smith
GA – Selby-Ricket
GS – K Corbin
Team Bath Starting 7:
GK – Manu
GD – Murie
WD – S Francis
C – Ritchie
WA – Parsons
GA – Craig
GS – Allison
Match 3: Surrey Storm vs Hertfordshire Mavericks
In the deciding game of the tournament Storm took the lead early on as Reid picked out a mis-placed pass which saw Dunn convert to give the home side a two goal advantage. A resilient defensive effort from Mavericks allowed them to capitalise on mistakes in the mid-court for Storm and bring scores back level at the half way point in the quarter. Storm continued to come under pressure as Corbin gave Mavericks the lead, before a super interception from Flanagan allowed Storm to bring equalise. A contact call against Corbin saw Storm feed through to regain the lead with a minute to go. As Mavericks equalised with seconds to go, quick thinking in Storm attack saw Harris land a long range effort on the whistle to give them a one goal lead, 10-9, heading into the second quarter.
Both teams remained unchanged at the start of the second. Corbin and Hankin made their mark on the quarter, converting three goals for Mavericks early on. Lots of Storm pressure and another flying interception from Flanagan saw Storm level scores as Harris converted. Dunn netted in the final minute which saw Storm extend their lead out to two. A Corbin missed attempt in the dying seconds meant the quarter ended 15-17, with Storm taking a two goal lead going into the third quarter.
The third quarter saw changes brought in for both teams. Changes for Mavericks saw Carter on at C and Candappa on at WA while Storm made a full seven changes which saw Huckle at GK, Reid at GD, Ainsworth at WD, Borck at C, Lees at WA, Hayes at GA and Cookey at GS. Mavericks opened the scoring reducing the goal deficit by one. Strom struggled to gain momentum at the start of the third and Mavericks took the opportunity to move into the lead with Corbin converting twice in quick succession. An injury-time out called by Mavericks GA meant Storm were able to regroup and capitalise as the quarter restarted. Huckle picked up a missed Corbin shot which saw Cookey net at the opposite end of the court. An injury to Reid saw Gentle take to the court at GD late on in the quarter for Storm. Gentle immediately made her mark on the game, making an interception which saw Cookey pull it back to a one goal game before Hayes scored in the final moments of the quarter to level the scores at 22-22.
Reid came back on at GD for Storm in the final quarter. Patient build up in attack saw Cookey make it four from four as Storm took a three goal lead. Reid intercepted on the edge of the court which saw Storm extend their lead out to four goals. Very few errors for Storm and pressure defence proved vital on the score line in the final quarter as Reid picked up another rebound from a missed Corbin opportunity to pull the lead down to just two goals before Hayes netted the winning goal at the other end of the court. Surrey Storm took the victory over Hertfordshire Mavericks, 33-29, securing the ReEnergise Tri-Tournament trophy in the process.
Surrey Storm Starting 7:
GK – Reid
GD – Gentle
WD – Flanagan
C – Ainsworth
WA – Greenway
GA – Dunn
GS – Harris
Hertfordshire Mavericks Starting 7:
GK – Keable
GD – May
WD – Buchanan
C – Candappa
WA – Selby-Rickett
GA – Hankins
GS – K Corbin
Photos from the Tournament are available on the official Surrey Storm Netball Facebook page.
All three teams will next be in action in the 2015 Superleague season, which kicks off in January. Tickets for the 2015 Netball Superleague, including return of Netball London Live at the Copper Box Arena on Saturday 7th March, are on sale now at www.surreystormnetball.co.uk.
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