GUNGHO MARKETING 18

THE VETERANS HUB 41

VETERANS Hub kicked off 2023 with a 41-18 win over Gungho Marketing in the South & West Dorset League Premier Division.

In a fast-paced start to the first quarter, both teams defended the ball well across the court. The pressure from Veterans’ WD Amelia Williams and fast, accurate passes from C Emma Bright allowed them to take the lead.

Gungho continued to intercept several passes, especially WD Mailia Brown.

However, accurate shooting from Veterans kept the scoreboard pressure on Gungho, and meant they continued to build on their lead.

Gungho found it hard to match the pace of Veterans who dominated the first half.

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Gungho made a valiant effort to fight back, continuing to make strong interceptions.

Veterans, however, managed to work their way around this, using strong, direct passes into their shooters.

The rain in the final quarter did not deter either team, least of all Gungho who continued to fight for every ball, but Veterans proved too strong and took a convincing win.

PORTLAND PIRATES 24

WARMER HOME IMPROVEMENTS A 39

WARMER Home Improvements A continued their faultless record in Division One with a 39-24 victory over Portland Pirates.

End-to-end play governed the start of this game, with the wind causing problems for both teams as Portland’s GK Amy Dummer picked up several rebounds.

Warmer showed more composure as the quarter went on and led 10-6 at the break.

In the second quarter, Warmer increased their speed of play through the midcourt.

This, and some great interceptions from their C Becky Hallet, allowed them to slightly extend their lead to six goals at half-time.

The evenly-contested play continued in the second half, with Portland staying just in touch enough on the scoreboard to cause concern for Warmer.

Portland, however, were unable to sustain this, and made some crucial errors in the final quarter, which Warmer capitalised on for their ninth successive win.

JOE NEWTON ELECTRICAL 48

LULWORTH LIGHTNING 19

JOE Newton Electrical upset the odds against Lulworth Lightning to take a 48-19 win in Division One – their third of the season.

After a strong start from Joe Newton, where they piled pressure on Lulworth and caused errors, Lulworth’s shooters Madison Carter and Sam Shewbridge began to use their strong teamwork to pull Lightning back into the game.

There were only two goals separating the teams at quarter-time, and both teams came out fighting in the second quarter.

There was defensive pressure all over the court and Lulworth started to settle into the game, although Joe Newton maintained the advantage on the scoreboard.

Joe Newton GK Siena Briant made her presence known in the third quarter, with strong intercepts that her team was able to convert to goals.

Lulworth tried to stay in touch with their opponents but Joe Newton’s speed through the court helped them pull away.

Both teams began to show signs of fatigue in the final quarter and more mistakes crept into the game.

Lulworth’s mid-court came up with some much-needed intercepts but Joe Newton’s movement and consistency kept them in the lead.

DREAM DIGITAL 8

WJNC WILDCATS 60

WJNC Wildcats claimed a dominant 60-8 victory over Dream Digital to cement their 11th win from 11 games in Division Two.

Wildcats dominated the first quarter of this game, setting the tone and intensity early.

As a team, they played quickly through court, while their C Abi Pearson marked her players tightly.

Dream executed some good overhead passes and their GA Meegan Ling matched the intensity of the Wildcats’ defence, chasing every loose ball.

All the action in the second quarter was in Wildcats’ shooting circle.

Wildcats GS Maria Rutailai was shooting consistently but Dream’s GK Lucy Horten was not making life easy for her.

Dream displayed some good, positive team moral in the second half, despite Wildcats now having a substantial lead.

Dream shot accurately when given the opportunity but Wildcats showed more consistency through the game to take a big win.