EAGLES U12B V NEWBURY

Eagles U12B v Newbury

March 10th, 2019

Final score Eagles 22 : 28 Newbury

Coming up to the end of the season, with two more matches left to play, this was an important game for Eagles. From the start it was clear that this would be a closely battled game.  Both sides came out with a tough defence and Eagles struggled with their passing at times, especially in getting the ball into the circle.  The first quarter ended 4 -8.

The second quarter saw some better passing and shooting.  Again the defenders kept up the pressure and Eagles stayed with Newbury ending the half just four points behind.

If the match was not tense enough, the third quarter increased the intensity even further.  With some excellent teamwork from Eagles, they were able to close the gap, levelling the score at one point.  Going into the fourth quarter the score was 16-18 to Newbury. 

It was a nail biting final quarter, with Eagles staying close and the defenders doing a good job of slowing down Newbury. But in the end the accuracy of Newbury’s shooters and some great passing proved too much.  Newbury took the win 28-22.  

Well done to both teams for an exciting and tense match with neither team giving up until the final whistle. 

Player of the Match was Annabel.

EAGLES U12A V ROYALS

Final score Eagles 50 - 24 Royals

Venue: Bracknell Leisure Centre

Date: Sunday 3rd March 2019

Happy girls with their coach Neil Day.

The game was really good spirited and both teams worked very hard.

An early held ball by Royals gave Eagles a chance and an early goal ensued. Royals then replied with a tremendous goal from long range. Royals then dominated early play and scored the next 3 goals. Royals played with a calm, relaxed demeanour and their passing was considered and accurate. 

Suddenly, Eagles found their feet and there was a flurry of goals. The shooters missed few chances and scored the next 6 goals. Eagles’ Goal Defence and Goal Keeper played well together and cleared several balls. They were reading the game well and denied the Royals' shooters. 

Eagles’ Wing Defence was playing well too and outwitted the opposition several times. It was a close quarter.

The quarter finished Eagles 10 - 7 Royals.

Eagles commanded the start of the next quarter. The game was more fluid and the pace picked up. There were several blocks by Eagles’ defence. Eagles relied on a few rebounds to score but the team looked in control. There was a super long range goal by Royals which was matched by a similar goal from Eagles.

Eagles’ Goal Defence was determined and held off the attacks by Royals. The game was exciting to watch. Royals kept their composure and played with confidence. The Eagles’ Centre Third were working hard and they made several turnovers.

The quarter finished Eagles 24 - 13 Royals.

Royals started the quarter with an impressive goal. Quickly matched by an Eagles' counterattack and goal. Royals were marking well but there were several Eagles’ turnovers in the Centre Third. Eagles’  Wing Attack made some solid interceptions. The middle of the quarter saw scoring from both teams. 

The game was fast moving and passing was accurate with many long balls. Both teams were taking their time to think of their next move and there was much set play. There were several long, high balls played to the Eagles’ Goal Shooter. Royals were applying a lot of pressure towards the end of the quarter but the Eagles’ defence stayed strong.

The quarter finished Eagles 36 - 21 Royals.

Eagles' Wing Attack and Wing Defence started the quarter on fire and this allowed Eagles to notch up the goals. The pace of the game had picked up again. Eagles Centre was working hard and winning ball. Although Royals were playing well, the Eagles were relentless. Several long range goals from Eagles fuelled the confidence of the strikers.

Eagles’ Goal Keeper and Goal Defence were working well together and denied Royals several times. Royals showed their grit and resilience with consistent play but it was another win for Eagles. An enjoyable game to watch.

Natasha Rycroft was Player of the Match. Well done!

EAGLES U11 V ROYALS U11

Final Score Eagles 14 : 20 Royals

A fast paced start to the first quarter with a quick goal from each team. Followed quickly by another two for Eagles despite some good play from Royals. Royals scored four times in quick succession taking the score to 3-5 despite some good defence from Isla, Rhiannon and Isobel. A long shot on goal from Imogen took the score to 4-5 but Royals added another goal to take the first quarter score to 4-6 to Royals.

Despite the continued pace in the start of the second quarter the goals were slow to come with both teams missing passes. The Royals then took the score to 6-10 but then two  goals from Eagles with some great passing into the circle from Annabel and Sienna. The score at the end of the first half was 8-11 despite some good interceptions in the Royals circle by Tamara.

Royals took the score to 11-14  but some great play down the court by Melody, Eva and Lucy gave the Eagles two chances on goal. The next few minutes of play were nail biting with the ball moving from one circle to another with no increase in the score. 

A great final quarter with all girls from both teams looking tired and determined. Despite some great play by Eagles the final score was 14-20 to Royals.

Eagles player of the match - Tamara
Royals player of the match - GD

EAGLES U13 V B's SKY

Undefeated Eagles take on top of the table B’s…
A tough match for both teams!

Q1.  With the Eagles having the first centre pass, they get the ball up the court and score their first goal within the first 30 seconds. It’s a bit of a shaky start for the team, and the B’s are proving a tough opposition within the first few minutes, with some impressive defending and attacking.  Grace manages to score the second goal a minute later despite the B’s GK doing her best to defend.  It appears difficult for the Eagles to maintain possession, and the B’s are dominating and gaining control of the game.  Eagles have a throw in but passing is a little clumsy and there are a few drops of the ball.  The defending Eagles Keira and Holly are working hard in an attempt to prevent the B’s passing the ball down the court.  Some good passing between Izzy and Lottie and managing to feed the ball to Grace but the B’s have managed to close the gap in score within about five minutes of play ending this quarter with B’s 6 – 7 Eagles.

Q2.  The only change in the team is Sophie as GS replacing Grace.  There is a positive start to the game for the Eagles with Lottie scoring within the first minute.  The Eagles are showing some better defending and the team’s passing is a little tighter.  Anna is proving a great GK and defending the goal brilliantly.  The ball is making its way up the court to Lottie who has responded with a fantastic goal quickly followed by a goal from Sophie.  Despite their lead, the Eagles have to defend hard against the B’s and Izzy makes a great interception, towards Holly who’s defending and then passing to Sophie leads to a further goal. There is some better movement within the passing of the ball and a great manoeuvre by Lottie results in another goal. This quarter ends B’s 12 – 20 Eagles.

Q3.  A slow start to the game and some clumsy passing results in loss of possession resulting in the B’s scoring the first goal of this quarter. The Eagles are desperately trying to find a way through the B’s defence and are struggling to maintain possession of the ball.  However, a chance opening and Sophie scores.  There are some changes in style and tactics and this seems to be confusing the team and it is taking time to get the ball into the D and to get another goal.  A rethink and change back to recognisable strategies results in the Eagles scoring; but what a fight for possession and despite this being a difficult quarter, Eagles remain ahead. B’ 18 – 27 Eagles.

Q4.  Sophie opens this quarter with a great goal and we are seeing much improved play from the Eagles team.  The ball was just about to go out of court but a beautiful interception by Amelia keeps it in play and results in another goal for the Eagles team.  The ball play looks cleaner and sharper and despite pressure by the B’s the Eagles are keeping their head in the game and some great passing between Amelia and Izzy to our shooters.  This quarter sees the Eagles play with more fluidity and tenacity resulting in a final score of B’s 22 – 42 Eagles and the Eagles being the only undefeated team in their league.

B’s SKY 22 - 42 EAGLES

All the girls played well, Holly especially deserved the vote by B’s as the Player of the Match.

EAGLES U12A v ROYALS

Final Score: Eagles 36 - Royals 17

Venue: Windsor Girls School

Date: Sunday 23 September 2018

A resounding team effort resulting in a convincing win by Eagles.

Eagles were strong in the 1st quarter and dominated play. The team certainly had a fighting spirit. With excellent passing and much Eagles’ possession, the girls played at a fast and furious pace. The determined defenders worked hard throughout the whole game but gave the opposition very few chances in this quarter. They intercepted many Royals’ passes. Conversely, Eagles shooters capitalised on their opportunities, which were created by a strong centre third, and the quarter finished 12-3.

Royals came out stronger in the 2nd quarter and the game was much more balanced. The ball moved end to end, with each team scoring, and the tension built. Footwork faults were punished but the overall flow of the game was not disrupted. The match became more exciting with great passing and several turnovers. The score in the quarter was level pegging until a late flourish from Eagles. The quarter finished with an overall score of 21-9.

Eagles started the quarter well and landed the first 3 goals. Eagles’ defenders were on fire and prevented Royals from scoring early on. Royals then clawed back 3 goals from sustained effort. The centre third worked hard and it was a game of cat and mouse with both teams playing well. Overall score at the end of the quarter 27-14.

The final quarter started with early pressure from Royals, who scored first. Eagles then levelled. The defence stayed strong and there were many interceptions which kept Royals at bay. Meanwhile, plenty of ball was reaching the shooters who played tactically and passed wisely. They took their opportunities and Eagles scored well to finished on top and widen the scoreline. The match score finished at 36-17.

U12A Eagles v Magnet

Final score Eagles 57 - 14 Magnet.

Venue: Windsor Girls School

Date: Sunday 6th January 2019

The Eagles looked rested after the Christmas break and took an early lead with three goals in quick succession. This gave the team confidence and gameplay flowed as the ball was passed from end to end with ease. There was solid marking by the Eagles’ defence but Magnet persisted and scored regularly throughout the quarter. Magnet’s Goalkeeper made several impressive blocks to deny Eagles and there were several long range goals from the Magnet’s shooter.

However, the Eagles’ attackers took their chances and the goals started to add up. There was sustained pressure from Eagles’ Wing Attack. 

The quarter finished Eagles 11 - 6 Magnet.

Eagles were relentless in the second quarter and there was a flurry of early goals by the Eagles’ shooters. Magnet started the quarter with passion and scored an amazing goal but Eagles were moving the ball quickly and were keeping possession. Eagles passed the ball accurately and there was plenty of interception by Eagles’ Centre. Eagles’ Wing Attack was proving pivotal to the game and Eagles continued to score time and time again.

The Eagles’ centre third worked hard to feed the ball back to the attackers; their passing, timing and footwork was solid and flawless. The game was fast moving with plenty of action and although Magnet were working very hard, the strength of the Eagles’ defenders shone through. Wing Defence was playing solidly too. The quarter finished with another outstanding goal from Magnet.

The quarter finished Eagles 28 - 10 Magnet.

Magnet were the first to score but once again Eagles dominated at the start of the quarter. Magnet’s defenders were applying much pressure and the Eagles shooters had to work harder to score. Magnet then started to take control, held possession and they scored several goals. The game then became a little rushed and both sides missed opportunities. Penalties were awarded to both sides.

The quarter finished Eagles 40 - 14 Magnet.

Magnet played with determination in the last quarter but Eagles were motivated to increase the goal difference. The Eagles were unstoppable and every member of the team played their part with conviction. Eagles continued to score regularly throughout the quarter and the shooters took more risk with some long range balls. 

Rebecca Perry was Player of the Match. Well done!

Overall an exciting game to watch with both teams playing really well.

Eagles U12A v B's Sky

Final score Eagles 37 : 29 B’s Sky

Eagles U12A Soar to the Summit

10th February 2019, St Neots School was the venue that Eagles U12A won what will probably prove to be their toughest fixture of the season, beating B’s Sky by 37-29.

The game started with even possession between the sides, and perhaps a few signs of nerves in this 'must win' fixture, as a number of passes were mis-placed, and despite having a lead of four at one point, the score was only 9-7 to the away side by the end of the first quarter.

B’s started the second quarter strongly and with Eagles conceding a number of chances, they were slightly fortunate to increase their lead to 16-13 at half time.

In the third quarter Eagles got a grip of the game, with greater possession. The goal shooting continued to be of a high standard, with the percentages of both teams very strong. The third quarter finished with the score at 25-21, with Eagles having increased their lead by one point each quarter.

The team showed great energy in the final quarter and girl of the game Rebecca Perry kept her composure as the score finished 37-29, leaving Eagles set to be perched on top of the league table.

A great match, thank you B’s!

EAGLES U13 V MAGNET (II)

Final Score: Eagles 68 - 09 Magnet

A cold sports hall, saw the second half of the season underway and the first match of 2019.  The opposition were team Magnet who were the last match of the 2018.  Magnets started with the centre pass which was quickly turned over and straight into the opposition third to Grace and bingo, we were one up.  Centre pass followed centre pass and the points kept racking up. A few minutes later we were 13-1 up without reply thanks to some great defensive work to deny Magnets access to the D and impeccable shooting by Grace and Lottie. Magnets then found the net before losing another 3 without return to hear the whistle blow with Eagles 16-02 ahead.

Q2 saw first blood to Magnets but intense pressure and great intercepts by Anna and Keira soon swung the quarter back our way. Some lovely linkage between Izzy, Amelia and the two shooters, together with precision shooting from Grace and Lottie saw Eagles take the quarter 16-3 to lead 32-05 at the half-way mark despite a little bit of untidiness creeping in towards the end.

Q3 opened with a Magnets centre pass, almost instantly turned over thanks to great intercepting by Keira. By now, the pressure on Magnets was relentless. Thanks to each member of the team defending like demons – all arms were up high defending every ball thanks to Friday night’s top training tip! – Eagles won Q3 18-3 and went into the final quarter with a 50-09 lead.

With a strong lead, it was time for Neil to mix things up a bit for the final quarter, which saw Grace playing GA, Lottie on GS, Holly as GD, Georgia in GK and Anna as WD. After a few initial fumbles as people got used to their new positions, Magnets responded well with some tight defensive work. However, Eagles quickly found their feet. The movement up the court and feed into the circle for some precision shooting was only matched by some fantastic intercepting and defending by Izzy, Holly and Georgia. Eagles completely shut out Magnet in the final quarter to win overall by 68-09.  

This was a fantastic team effort with every player producing a great performance. Although hard to single any one player out, Keira was the well-deserved Player of the Match. Sorry Neil, we’ll try and get to 70 next time!