Netball 1sts: York 35-30 St John
Amid joyous scenes, York’s netballers rounded off a fine Varsity afternoon with victory over St John’s 1sts in a pulsating and physical encounter. An impeccable attacking performance from Sarah Pycroft was the cornerstone of the victory; York’s second over St. John in the space of a month, along with a gritty team display against aggressive opponents.
York quickly found their rhythm on the court. With Pycroft rapidly slipping into the shooting groove and fluid approach play from centre Amy Smith and Wing Attack Claire Shaw, York swiftly managed to assert themselves. However, St. John battled back into contention with slick counter-attacking, which unpicked the York defensive duo of Katie Cowper-Johnson and Hannah Martin and kept them in contention. In a first quarter littered with infringements and obstructions, it was the creative forward bursts of Pycroft and accurate shooting which edged the hosts into an 8-7 advantage.
In an exhilarating second quarter, which fluctuated backwards and forwards, St. John showed their calibre with lightening fast counter-attacking netball and confident passing in York’s defensive third. Nevertheless, having seen their early lead cancelled out, York responded with quick-thinking from the rebound and accurate passing through the middle of the court; Shaw being instrumental in carrying the attack. After the momentum had shifted from one side to another, York narrowly edged a lively quarter to establish an 18-16 half-time margin, with the outcome still wide open.
St. John was made to regret missed chances in the third quarter, as York scrapped out a three-point lead. Pycroft was again faultless in the shooting zone, often demonstrating great perseverance and strength to seize possession. In addition, her strike partner, Sarah Fisher; content hitherto to occupy the withdrawn decoy role to free space, found her shooting range to great effect, snatching crucial points to keep York’s lead intact. St. John themselves demonstrated great resilience and alert defence, but their strength was most certainly the pace of counter-attacks, which caught the York rearguard napping on several occasions.
In front of a partisan crowd, the final quarter saw York struggle to fend off a spirited revival from their adversaries to secure the victory. St John’s muscular approach proved problematic at times, but the attacking awareness and positional play from York proved sufficient to counter the physicality. York capitalised on their opponent’s growing fatigue to finish with a flourish, as they gradually built a five-point winning margin before the final whistle provoked ecstatic scenes on the touchlines.
Speaking to Nouse after the game, a delighted 1st team captain Amy Smith praised the team’s resilient overall performance, saying “it’s an enormous relief to win, and the team were marvellous. Bloody fantastic.”
