Prem: Eagles 70 Ryland 41

Sunday 8th January 2023

This weekend Eagles took on Ryland, who had been a challenging match in the earlier stage of the season. It was a great performance from all being the first game back to Prem after the Christmas break.

The first quarter began with a bit of a slow start for the team however, Eagles iconic defensive sister duo, Tori and Katie Fisher were able to turnover ball to regain the lead for Eagles with the help of new addition Izzy Kaye at WD. The remaining time of the first quarter viewers saw some excellent partnership between both attack and defence, connected together by Sophia Shalabi at C, working together seamlessly to finish off the quarter 17-9 to Eagles.

The second quarter saw no changes as the team continued to build on this combination pulling away with a comfortable lead. In this time strong holds and circle rotations worked effectively, enabling the team to deliver the ball into the safe hands of Libby Burgess who shot 93% in this match. Summer Knight’s availability on centre pass was flawless, always providing options and linking the through court successfully. Meanwhile, the defence continued to work tirelessly, turning over ball after ball against Ryland’s strong attacking end. The second quarter ended 34-20.

Third quarter showed the true perseverance of Ryland as they continued to push the Eagles team. Izzy Kaye moved from WD to C and continued to repeatedly intercept what was thought to be unachievable, and the introduction of Charlotte Maxfield in at WD didn’t alter the connections of the defensive unit demonstrating the strength and depth of the squad. In addition to Charlotte Maxfield, Jemma Nightingale came on as WA withholding the strength on centre pass attack and showing some great defensive pressure through court. Later in the quarter, Georgie Maxfield came on as GA switching with Regan Peters, who shot 89% as GA. Georgie added a new dimension to the game, offering flawless feeds to the shooter under pressure. This quarter ended 51-29 to Eagles.

Final quarter saw the team succeed in maintaining their lead and great efforts from all players were displayed. Fantastic partnerships in defence and consistency in attack allowed Eagles to finish the game with a victory (70-41) to add to the table. Opposition’s player of the match went to GS Libby Burgess who was unstoppable in attack, demonstrating fantastic shooting and partnership with her players.

Prem: Leyton 42 Eagles 55

Sunday 11th December 2022

This Sunday saw the Eagles travel away to Leyton. The home side boasted a number of new players since our first meeting and the first quarter was goal for goal. Eagles found it difficult to find turnover in the opening stages, with some short and sharp play from Leyton’s C and WA. 

The second quarter saw a circle defensive circle change for Eagles and injection of Georgie Maxfield in GA, who provided strong punching drives in the attacking end. Complacency with the ball allowed Leyton back into the game and gain a brief lead. Eagles, eager to maintain their winning streak, made some further defensive changes which paired perfectly with attacking duo Jemma nightingale and Summer Knight. Both teams continued to battle hard and the half time score was 25-25. 

Eagles came out fighting in the second half, defensive turnovers lead to some exceptional passages of play with player of the match Libby Burgess being a strong target under the post. 

After a tightly contested and physical 60 minutes of play, the final score was 42-55 to Eagles.

Prem: Premier Romans 42 Eagles 69

Sunday 4th December 2022

The first week of December saw the conclusion of the first half of the season. Eagles travelled away to Premier Romans for a tightly contested match. The Eagles side was somewhat depleted due to NPL franchise commitments and injury therefore Sophia Shalabi, Katie Fisher and Jasmine Nightingale were unavailable for selection. This allowed ample amount of opportunity to test new combinations.

The first half saw a dynamic frontline capitalize on multiple deflections gained by Goal Keeper and Saracens Mavericks defender Tori Fisher. Accurate shooting from all combinations saw a 14 goal lead heading into the break.

The second half started with really strong defensive intent from the Premier Romans. The pressure created in the midcourt generated several turnovers however due to the tenacious efforts of Wing Defense and Captain Charlotte Maxwell, they struggled to capitalize.

The final score was 69-42 to Eagles. With the first half of the season now completed, Eagles remain undefeated and eager to continue their form leading into the second half.

Player of the match - Charlotte Maxwell.

Prem: Eagles 70 BSV Billericay 40

Sunday 27th November 2022

Eagles played BSV Billericay today who were 5th in the league, so they knew they would have to come out with a flying start to keep the consistency of their winning streak.

Eagles worked hard in the first quarter with a solid squad performance with some very slick passing from Tori, Leah and Charlotte and some great feeds from Sophia and Summer to get the ball into the shooting circle, where both the shooters, Libby and Regan maximised the opportunities and they ended the quarter 11 goals up.

In the 2nd quarter Jas came on with some fire in her belly and contested every opposition’s attacking play to get some turnovers. BSV Billericay fought back at us, making the quarter result a lot tighter with Eagles winning the quarter with a further two goals ahead making the score 37-24.

The third quarter saw a slight change to the defensive line-up with Katie moving into the GK position. The switch up saw the defence capitalise on interceptions leaving BSV Billericay struggling to adapt quick enough to these changes. Eagles started to turn the ball over quickly to stop BSV Billericay from feeding their accurate shooter so effectively. Eagles really managed to push on in this quarter with the introduction to Jem and Georgie and some amazing play from all ends of the court. The score being 56-29.

In the last quarter Eagles knew that all they had to do was maintain their lead and look after the ball. The whole squad showed some strong, confident, and accurate passages of play and worked hard to maintain goals from their centre passes, which is what they had been working on at training.

Well done to BSV Billericay for a very competitive game and a big thank you to our coaches and supporters for cheering us on and being the 8th player and for the umpires and technical table for doing a great job to help the game run so smoothly.

POM Eagles Regan Peters

POM BSV Billericay Megan McMahon

Prem: Norfolk United 37 Eagles 68

Sunday 13 November 2022

Eagles played Norfolk United which meant that is was the first of an overnight trip for the team. It was a top of the table clash with both teams coming with missing players.

The game started off goal for goal, with a few passing errors happening from both teams. But WA, Summer Knight, opened up our GS, Libby Burgess, with some confident long bombs and the defence trio of Charlotte Maxfield and Tori and Katie Fisher executed a dominant unit at the back. The first quarter ended 16-10.

The same effort was repeated at half time with Norfolk making five changes halfway through the second quarter with their defensive unit taking over in the shooting circle. The second quarter ended 33-17 to Eagles.

The third quarter saw a change with Georgie Maxfield coming on as WA and Eagles’s newest member, Izzy Kaye, entered the game half way through the 3rd quarter at WD. Both players slotted in with ease and the team continued their strong run.

The game eventually finished 68-37. Special shout-out to Norfolk for their excellent match teas. Thank you for hosting and see you next time. An amazing performance from Regan Peters the player of the match

Prem: TFC Leicester 44 Eagles 59

Sunday 06 November 2022

In the 5th round of premier 3 league, Eagles travelled to Loughborough to face TFC Leicester. Eagles started strong in the first quarter with Sophia Shalabi and Summer Knight taking the ball quickly through court and delivering well-timed and accurate feeds into the circle. Whilst at the other end, the defensive duo of Leah Middleton and Tori Fisher hassled the TFC attackers well, leading to a 17-8 lead for Eagles at the end of Q1.

There were no changes to the Eagles team at the start of quarter 2. TFC had settled into the game during this quarter, looking more confident and putting the pressure on Eagles throughout the court. Katie Fisher came on at GD and the first half finished with a score of 33-22 to Eagles.

Q3 saw fresh legs in the center court, with Jemma Nightingale on at WA and Jasmine Nightingale at WD. The increased speed in centre court helped Regan Peters and Libby Burgess to capitalize with consistent shooting. Georgie Maxfield took to court at GA in Q3 ending with the score of 51-32.

Eagles’ intensity dropped slightly in the last 15 minutes with TFC challenging them on their errors and winning the final quarter. The game ended with a final score of 59-44 to Eagles. Libby Burgess was Eagles’ player of the match and TFC’s player of the match was Meg Perry.

Prem: Eagles 68 Trafford 42

Sunday 30 October 2022

Eagles played host to Trafford, seeking to maintain their 100% winning record in Prem 3.

The game started well for Trafford as they raced into a 5-1 lead. Eagles, however, restored order by some fast and slick passing through the midcourt driven by the Nightingale twins and excellent defensive pressure by Leah Middleton, Charlotte Maxfield and Tori Fisher. This resulted in Eagles taking the quarter 19-13.

Eagles continued to keep the scoreboard ticking over in the 2nd quarter with accurate shooting from Regan Peters and Libby Burgess.

It seemed that Eagles would run away with the match in Q3, when Sophia Shalabi entered as centre, Summer Knight as WA and Katie Fisher as WD, resulting in several effective turnovers and Eagles stretching their lead to 53-27. Summer demonstrated her long passing skills to great effect during the quarter.

In the 4th quarter Georgie Maxfield supported the Eagles attack with incisive feeds into the shooting circle. Eagles GS left the court with an injury to the face and was replaced by Leah Middleton moving from GK - a task she accomplished with aplomb, scoring 3 out of 3! A late charge from Trafford, however, meant that the quarter was drawn 15-15. But Eagles had already done the damage and took the win 68-42.

Player of the match went to Jasmine Nightingale for a stellar performance as centre in the first two quarters.

Prem: Northants Storm 42 Eagles 61

Sunday 23 October 2022

Looking to hold on to their winning streak Eagles travelled up to Northampton where they face Northants Storm in their fourth game of the season. Eagles were coming into the game undefeated, so stakes were high. The game started well contested going goal for goal for the first quarter with some good patient play from the midcourt opening up the circle in attack.

Going into the second quarter eagles were 1 goal up. The second quarter saw the introduction of Katie fisher at GD, and the spirits of the team lifted. Defensive pressure through court was amazing forcing balls off court and great interceptions from Leah Middleton and Charlotte Maxfield alongside this was some quick midcourt transition and accurate shooting from Libby Burgess. Which had eagles 9 goals up going into half time.

The girls then carried their drive into the third quarter where the intensity picked up and they extended their lead to 45:33. The intensity carried on and Eagles continued to turnover and convert ball to extend their lead. Eagles ended up coming away with a 61:42 win. Player of the match went to Regan Peters for her consistent shooting and calmness under pressure in the circle.

Prem: Eagles 57 Thoroughbreds 30

Sunday 16 October 2022

Eagles went on court on the 3rd prem match, facing Thoroughbreds, who had previously played in 2 very close matches against the other newly promoted teams. Eagles started the match very strongly, with many passes being turned over in the centre court. The contesting in Eagles shooting circle didn’t put off the shooting duo of Regan Peters at GA and Libby Burgess at GS. From Thoroughbreds centre, Eagles defense put up a impenetrable wall, making it difficult for Thoroughbreds to get feeds into their shooting circle. With 2 and a half minutes to go, Eagles had a 14-0 lead before Thoroughbreds scored their first goal. The first quarter ended with an impressive score of 17-4.

We entered the 2nd quarter, with a change of the Nightingale twins, Jas and Jemma, coming on at C and WA. Both were working well with Charlotte Maxfield, with all 3 making strong drives through court to deliver the ball to the attack. With the Thoroughbreds doing a defensive double on Libby Burgess, Regan Peters worked hard to feed and shoot with her iconic long bombs. Thoroughbreds were now settling to play their game, finishing with a quarter score of 16-10, and a collective score of 33-14.

To start the 3rd quarter, we saw Summer Knight coming on at WA, the introduction of Katie Fisher to GD, and Surrey Storm Superleague player Leah Middleton being moved to GK. Her 3 foot mark and impeccable timing of her jump meant Eagles defense were turning over lots of ball. Coming back from a quarter off, Sophia Shalabi was quick at picking up loose balls, with beautiful feeds into the circle. The 3rd quarter ended with a score of 45-23 to Eagles.

Beginning the last quarter, Eagles were keen to finish off on a high. There was a swap of positions for Katie Fisher and Leah Middleton, and Georgie Maxfield was put on at WA. Eagles squad fitness and resilience saw them finish the match with a score of 57-30.

A big shoutout to Charlotte Simpson for her incredible commentary on the livestream, and congratulations to Regan Peters for getting Player of the Match.

Prem: Ryland 36 Eagles 57

Sunday 2 October 2022

Eagles faced their first away game against Ryland, one of our more local opponents, at Bromsgrove School. Off the back of last weeks win, we were on a high and ready to go with the starting seven lineup including the introduction of Surrey Storm’s Leah Middleton who made her Prem debut.

The game started well contested, goal for goal at either end with Eagles starting to pull away with a few turnovers in Ryland’s shooting circle which Eagles converted. We continued to build and finished the quarter with a strong 14-5.

Second quarter saw the introduction of Katie Fisher at GD and Leah move back to GK. We started the quarter strong but Rylands defensive shakeup and our complacency saw the game fall static and Ryland win the quarter by 1 goal so Eagles’ early lead was maintained.

The second half saw the introduction of Summer Knight and a defensive restructure to combat Ryland’s quick attack after their attacking changes made some disturbance. We found our second wind, the intensity picked up and we pulled away to have a strong quarter with some amazing mid court intercepts from Sophia Shalabi, finishing 42-28.

A confident start to the last quarter with the defence duo of Tori Fisher and Leah finding the ball left, right and centre. We continue to solidify our spot in the Prem League with a 57-36 win and player of the match was Libby Burgess for her consistent shooting.

Prem: Eagles 56 Leyton 30

Sunday 25th September 2022

Great match to start the season we started off a little slow with the start of the quarter playing a little frantic but towards the end of the quarter we began to settle. With the first quarter ending 14-9.

Feeling confident going into the next quarter after making a few changes in players with the twins Jemma and Jasmine Nightingale making a dynamic difference that worked great leaving us with a 13 goal lead at half time.

Second half became far more physical with players having to dig deep although we continued to maintain and gain lead as the physicality increased. Our defensive combo in the circle both being sisters Katie and Tori Fisher worked as a great unit and created a hard defence for the shooters. We took on a caution which meant we needed to change and adapt our game. Our youngest players of the team Regan Peters and Sophia Shalabi being only 16 stepped up meeting the physicality of the game making a major impact on the team.

The final quarter was a strong finish from both teams always pushing till the end with a final score of 56-30.