09/03/08; 02/03/08; 24/02/08; 17/02/08; 10/02/08; 03/02/08; 27/01/08; 20/01/08; 13/01/08; 16/12/07; 09/12/07; 02/12/07; 18/11/07; 11/11/07; 04/11/07; 28/10/07; 21/10/07;
w/e 20/04/08 GIRLS UNDER 18 NATIONAL PLAY OFF – SEMI FINAL HARINGEY ANGELS 67 SOUTHEND SWIFTS 42 Next was the turn of Southend Swifts under 18 team looking to reach the National Final. They faced Haringey Angels, last seasons Champions, who had already clinched both the South Division title and the National Cup. Both sides made a surprisingly tentative start with defences well on top. Southend kept their illustrious opponents scoreless for the first four minutes but could manage just two baskets themselves. Haringey began to show their pedigree with a 13-4 run over the remainder of the period to hold a 13-8 lead at the first interval. Scoring was again at a premium with just two Katie Doubleday baskets to trouble the scorer in the first five minutes. Defensive intensity was the order of the day and after seven minutes the match was tied at 18. Good offensive work from Swifts captain Emma Hart helped her team to a 24-22 lead but Angels made the last four points to lead 26-24 at the half time interval. The opening four minutes saw the margin extend to 31-25 but some poor decision-making from Southend was hurting them badly. Suddenly the lead was double digit and at the end of the third quarter Haringey led 42-31. A 10-2 run effectively ended the contest although Southend battled to the end. Angels scored the final 10 points to record a well-deserved victory by the slightly flattering margin of 67 points to 42; Doubleday, Hart and Brough all ending with eight points.
GIRLS UNDER 18 NATIONAL PLAY OFF – 3RD/4TH PLAY OFF SOUTHEND SWIFTS 98 WANDSWORTH STING 38 After the disappointment of their semi final defeat, Southend Swifts under 18 team were determined to leave RAF Cosford with a bronze medal when they met Wandsworth Sting in the 3rd/4th place play-off. The teams had met twice in league encounters, with Southend getting narrow wins by 10 and six points respectively. It was a poignant fixture with stalwarts Emma Hart and Jacquelyn Jobey making their final national league appearances before heading off to University in the summer.
Swifts came out strongly with four points from Christina Gaskin and
it was
The second period saw a superb display of athleticism and long
range shooting as the
Swifts were changing all five players at regular intervals as they were able to maintain their defensive intensity. Four points from Francesca Whitby got her tally under way and with one stanza remaining the lead was 68-29. With the contest over, Southend took the opportunity of exciting the watching crowd. From 68-33 they reeled off 20 straight points. Both Jobey and Hart were brought off to a standing ovation from their teammates and a Maisie Elston three-pointer with just seconds remaining saw Swifts record an outstanding 98-38 win that sees them in 3rd place in the country. Jobey with 20, Rodgers 15, Brough 14 and Hart 13 leading a nicely balanced scoring line.
w/e 05/04/08 GIRLS UNDER 18 PLAY-OFFS - QUARTER FINAL BIRMINGHAM FORCE 72 SOUTHEND SWIFTS 88 Southend Swifts under 18 girls team were also forced to travel if they were to reach the Final Fours at RAF Cosford on 19th April. They ventured to Birmingham Force, who had finished second in the Northern Division; Swifts having finished third in the Southern section. Southend made an unusually tentative start, conceding the six of the first eight points but a three-pointer from Francesca Whitby seemed to steady the nerves. An 11-4 spell for Swifts, with some excellent foul shooting, took them 16-10 ahead but Birmingham replied with the next five to make it a one point game. Good work around the basket from Christina Gaskin increased the margin and at the end of the first quarter, Southend held a 23-19 lead. But Force were in no mood to capitulate and a 6-2 run made it 35-34 after 5 minutes. Some of Swifts decision-making was not good as the home side took the lead at 41-39. But over the final three minutes, Southend would finally show some fluency and they scored 10 straight to hold the half time lead at 49-41; captain Emma Hart with eight in the run. A superb five minute spell, with three-pointers from Whitby and Hart, took the margin to 59-46 and should have led to a comfortable victory. But once again Birmingham made a huge comeback and an 11-2 stretch meant it was just 61-54 going into the final stanza. When the hosts scored the first basket the tightest of endings seemed likely. But two steals and baskets from Rebecca Brough and a Gaskin score restored the double digit advantage. They increased this to 71-58 but Force came back with the next five as the home crowd raised the noise level. This time, though, Swifts experience came through as Hart and Maisie Elston helped their team to a 9-5 run that saw them with an 80-68 lead in the final minute. Again, good foul shooting was instrumental and with Gaskin making an outrageous three-pointer on the final buzzer Southend recorded a deserved victory if by the slightly flattering margin of 88 points to 72. Gaskin 25 points, Hart in her best performance of the season 23, Whitby 16 and Brough 10 were the leading scorers that gets this age group team through to their third successive final. w/e 30/03/08 JUNIOR WOMEN NO MATCH FOR SEVENOAKS Junior Women’s Play Offs 1st Round Sevenoaks “Suns” 89 – 44 Northants “Lightning” This season the Junior Women’s National League has been organised in a North and South Conference so in the 1sr Round of the Play Offs, Northants 3rd in the North travelled to Sevenoaks “Suns” who finished 2nd in the South. The general feeling has been that the South is stronger than the North and this certainly proved to be the case on Saturday with the “Suns” running out comfortable winners. “Lightning” struggled to score all evening; they lost the services of Klare Pinney with a neck injury but Chloe Moss battled hard to the end w/e 16/03/08 JUNIOR WOMEN EDGED OUT BY HATFIELD Junior Women’s North Division Hatfield “Fliers” 45 – 41 Northants “Lightning” The Northants “Lightning” junior women made the long trip to Hatfield for the last game of their regular season and returned empty handed after going down to “Fliers” in a close fought low scoring game. From the “of” the game was dominated by defences with the two teams trading baskets. Hatfield eventually gained the upper hand but a 17-11 run by “Lightning” gave them a 3 point half time lead. The second half saw the Northants girls creating a number of scoring opportunities but failing to convert them meanwhile they also allowed “Fliers” to dominate the offensive boards and score with a number of put backs. To make matters worse “Lightning” also missed seven free throws in the second half and this was to prove decisive as the home side held on for a four point win. For “Lightning” Erin Clarke scored 10 points with Chloe Moss and Kyrie Burgoine supporting well with 8 and 7 points respectively. The loss gives “Lightning” 3rd place in the North Division and means they will be ‘on the road’ in the first round of the Play Offs with Southend “Swifts” or Sevenoaks “Suns” their opponents. GIRLS UNDER 18 NATIONAL LEAGUE - SOUTH DIVISION DEVON DEVILS 69 SOUTHEND SWIFTS 72 The final weekend of the regular season gave Southend Swifts huge logistical problems for their two matches. Three players were on holiday, three were in the National Schools netball finals, one was ill and two were injured. In addition 12 players were due to take part in the National Schools basketball finals on the following day, meaning a journey to Devon would be far too big a task. So for their under 18 game in the West Country, Swifts travelled with just eight players, five of whom are in this years under 14 squad; indeed three of them are a year below that level being in school year 8. Southend made a terrible start, conceding the first 12 points as they failed to score in the opening five minutes. A three pointer from Francesca Moody got them started and five points from captain Jacquelyn Jobey reduced the deficit back to 14-8. Devon made the next five, but six unanswered from Swifts in the final 90 seconds left the home side 19-14 ahead at the end of the first quarter. Rebecca Brough and Ellie Shaxon started to exert themselves as they shared the first five points as Swifts began to get closer. Devils moved back out to 27-20 but a long range effort from Lauren Tate helped her team to narrow the gap to four. The obvious lack of cohesion from Southend was evident as good shooting from Devon enabled them to increase the margin to lead 37-29 at the half time interval. The West Country team have had a tough time in their first season at this level, but they were determined to end the campaign on a high. They increased their lead to 42-33 before a 9-2 run got Swifts back to 44-42; Brough with seven. The teams traded scores and a basket from 12 year old Beth Robson tied the game up at 49 all with one minute remaining in the third period. But Swifts totally lost their concentration and conceded the last three baskets to trail 55-49 going into the final 10 minutes. When Devon scored the first five points the game seemed over at 60-49. The Essex side, however, had other ideas as Brough, despite playing with four fouls, took over proceedings. She scored six of the next eight points and after conceding the next basket, Swifts made 10 straight to take their first lead at 67-64 with three minutes remaining. Devils brought it back to 1, but a three-point play from Jobey helped the lead extend to 71-66. But with 90 seconds to play disaster struck as Brough was called for her 5th foul, which meant she had to leave the game. Despite the vociferous home crowd willing their team to come back, Southend, with three of their youngsters on court, held on for the unlikeliest of wins. Unsurprisingly the "senior" trio led the scoring with Brough on 28, Jobey 20 and Shaxon 17 but it was the performances of Francesca Moody, Lauren Tate, Jessica Holland, Stephanie Smith and Beth Robson that will remain long in the memory. w/e 09/03/08 GIRLS UNDER 18 NATIONAL LEAGUE - SOUTH DIVISION SEVENOAKS SUNS 85 SOUTHEND SWIFTS 64 The result of this match would decide who finished in second place in the very tough South Division of the under 18 girls league; Southend having won the first encounter between the teams on their own court by four points. Swifts were without England Internationals Christina Gaskin and Francesca Whitby, both on holiday, and had lost Jennie Rodgers to an ankle injury sustained the previous day. Captain Emma Hart was pressed into action despite still suffering from a glandular illness. Southend made an excellent start, with Katie Doubleday and Jacquelyn Jobey both scoring three-point shots as their team took an 8-2 lead. But excellent defence from Sevenoaks stemmed the tide as the home side scored the next 15 points to take a nine point lead. But Swifts ended the quarter with a 5-2 run that left them trailing 19-13. Both sides were showing excellent defensive technique that was restricting easy shooting opportunities although the home side was showing greater fluency in offence. They led 34-20 before five points from Hannah Culwick, including a three-pointer, pegged them back and at half time the score stood at 36-25. A 7-2 spell, including another Doubleday three-pointer, reduced the deficit back to six and with Rebecca Brough starting to exert her influence in her first full game after injury, it looked like becoming a tight encounter. But an 11-4 stretch for Suns gave them back the initiative and with one stanza remaining they led 55-40. A 12-2 run looked to have settled the game as the hosts led 67-42 but Swifts found some inner strength and put together a 16-4 spell that made the score 71-58. But they could get no further as Sevenoaks ran out deserved winners by 85 points to 64. For Swifts Culwick on 15, Brough 14 and Doubleday 11 had been the leading scorers, on what had been a very good performance with so many players out. The final week of the regular season sees both the under 16 and under 14 girls in action on Tuesday; the older team at Reading and the youngsters at Brentwood. On Saturday, Swifts resources are extremely stretched with a number of players in the National Schools netball finals; the under 18's making the long trip to Devon and the under 16's visiting Northants.
w/e 02/03/08 GUTSY JUNIOR WOMEN JUST PIPPED BY STOCKPORT Junior Women’s North Division Northants “Lightning” 59 -52 Stockport “Lapwings” The Northants “Lightning” junior women mounted a superb challenge in the fourth quarter in a bid to overturn a 15 points deficit but their efforts came to nothing as they slipped to a seven points defeat. Once again the team was forced to travel with just seven players but all seven gave of their utmost for the cause and were slightly unfortunate not to pick up a win. They lost the first three periods of play but the determination of their defensive effort kept in contact with “Lapwings” at 46-31. Then came that inspirational fourth period burst from the county girls which saw them outscoring Stockport 21-13 but regrettably it was a case of too little too late. In the seven point loss Kyrie Burgoine was the team’s top scorer with 13 points. GIRLS UNDER 18 NATIONAL LEAGUE - SOUTH DIVISION CHILTERN PUMAS 41 SOUTHEND SWIFTS 91 Southend Swifts under 18 girls team were the final club side into weekend action when they travelled to Chiltern Pumas. This was the first league meeting of the season as Chiltern were unable to fulfil the fixture at Southend although the teams had met in the National Cup when the Essex side recorded a 30 point victory. Swifts started well, holding a 14-8 lead after five minutes, but then reeled off the final 12 points of the first quarter to lead 26-8; captain Emma Hart with two three-point shots in the spell. Good work from Jennie Rodgers and Christina Gaskin extended the margin and when Rodgers and Hannah Culwick converted successive three pointers the lead was 39-9. Pumas battled back with the next five which saw a scrappy period of play for Southend as they managed just two points on a four minute stretch. Three Gaskin foul shots and a Maisie Elston basket seconds before the half time buzzer restored a little order as Swifts ended 46-19 ahead. A 15-6 run in the opening seven minutes, with Hart contributing 10, further increased the margin to 61-25. Kitty Hall scored her teams two baskets of the quarter which saw Swifts' lead stand at 67-27 going into the final stanza. The first five minutes again saw Southend dominate, scoring 14 unanswered points to lead 81-27. Chiltern, to their credit, continued to battle at both ends of the court but Elston's second three-pointer of the quarter took the margin back over 50. Four points for Ellie Shaxon, and a huge blocked shot, were the highlights of the closing minutes as Swifts ran out victors by 91 points to 41 that keeps them in second place in the league table. A nicely balanced scoring line-up led by Gaskin on 22 points and Hart 16. w/e 24/02/08 JUNIOR WOMEN DOWN THE FLIERS BUT THEN FEEL THE FORCE Junior Women’s North Division Northants “Lightning” (49 – 49) Hatfield “Flyers” 57 – 54 Birmingham “Force” 59 – 57 Northants “Lightning” It was a weekend of mixed fortunes for the Northants “Lightning” junior women. On Saturday they recorded a gutsy overtime win over a determined Hatfield “Fliers” side but slipped to a two point defeat the next day at local rivals Birmingham “Force”. Against Hatfield, “Lightning” had to play catch up for most of the game trailing by seven points going into the final quarter. Most of the damage had been done thanks to a lean spell midway through the first quarter when from 7-4 up they conceded nine unanswered points to trail 13-7 at the end of the period. For the next two periods “Lightning” were able to contain “Fliers” as the game became more and more physical, but they weren’t able to reduce the deficit. All this changed in the final quarter and an Erin Clarke three pointer got the scores to 46 all. Hatfield re-took the lead but a basket and a free throw from Harriet Moss gave “Lightning” the lead. The two teams traded a basket then with the score at 49-48 to the Northants girls they committed a foul. “Fliers” made one of the two resulting free throws and the game went into overtime. During the extra five minutes “Lightning” kept their fans on the edges of their seats by missing no less then six free throws but in the end an early three pointer form Kyrie Burgoine was the decisive factor as “Lightning” held on to win. In the three points win, Burgoine top scored with 22 points, Erin Clarke contributed 10 but possibly the heroine of the day was Harriet Moss who had left her sick bed to play. She put in a determined all-court game and contributed an invaluable 12 points. Less than 24 hours later the team was back on court against Birmingham “Force” expecting another close physical challenging game. Historically, these two teams have had some very close encounters and this game proved to be no exception. Neither team could gain any significant advantage and entering the last minute of the game “Force” led by just two points. Chloe Moss made an interception and scored to tie the scores up. “Lightning” then decided to send Birmingham to the free throw line in the hope they would miss the free throws. To their consternation “Force” made both foul shots to take the game by two points. w/e 17/02/08 GIRLS UNDER 18 NATIONAL LEAGUE - SOUTH DIVISION WANDSWORTH STING 49 SOUTHEND SWIFTS 55 Southend Swifts under 18 girls team looked to consolidate second position in their division with a visit to rapidly improving Wandsworth Sting. Southend had an 11 point win when the teams met earlier in the season since when the South London side have moved into 4th place in the table, Swifts welcomed back England guard Rebecca Brough, out for six weeks with a back injury, although they were missing Christina Gaskin with a strain sustained at national squad training. Wandsworth scored the first four points of the contest before two Jennie Rodgers three-point shots were part of a 10-0 run that took Swifts ahead. Sting replied with the next six and the teams traded baskets to leave Southend 15-12 ahead at the end of the first quarter. Four points straight took the Essex side 19-12 ahead, but their concentration was poor. From 24-20 ahead, they conceded a 10-2 run that saw them trail 29-26 at the half time interval. From there, matters got worse as Sting moved out to 34-28 but excellent foul shooting from Rodgers made it a two point game. Brough's speed and defensive intensity was forcing turnovers and she was influential in a good spell that saw her team tie the game up at 40 going into the final stanza. Neither side could make the decisive break with Rodgers producing an outstanding display at both ends of the court. From 48 all with four minutes to play, Rodgers and Brough combined for the next five points that finally gave some breathing space and helped their team to a very tough 55-49 win; Rodgers leading the way with 27 points. SUPER JUNIOR WOMEN BLOW AWAY “CANNONS” “Junior Women’s North Division Northants “Lightning” 70 – 37 Leicester “Cannons” The Northants “Lightning” junior women were forced to call on two Cadette players to boost their numbers for their fixture against local rivals Leicester “Cannons”. The county girls made the very best start imaginable charging out to a 23-4 lead after the first quarter. In those ten minutes Kyrie Burgoine had connected with no less than five three-point shots. Not surprisingly “Cannons” rallied and with “Lightning” guilty of missing some easy scoring opportunities in the second period the home side only took the quarter 16-11 to establish a 39-15 half time lead. “Lightning” was guilty of some rather sloppy play in the third quarter which “Cannons” edged 14-13 but normal service was established in the final period which “Lightning” took 18-8 to record a 70-37 win. In the 33 points win Burgoine top scored with 31 points including a total of eight three-pointers. Harriett Moss supported well with 11 points while sister Chloe contributed 9 but the win was down to an excellent all-round team effort. w/e 03/02/08 GIRLS UNDER 18 NATIONAL LEAGUE - SOUTH DIVISION BRIXTON TOPCATS 66 SOUTHEND SWIFTS 78 Injuries and unavailabilities meant that Southend Swifts under 18 girls team had an unusual line-up for the trip to Brixton Topcats as they sought to retain second place in the league table. Swifts were forced to field captain Emma Hart who was suffering from tonsillitis. Topcats made the better start, scoring the first four points, but Southend looked to have found their rhythm as they scored the next 10; Jennie Rodgers and Hannah Culwick both with three-point shots. A 7-2 run, with another Culwick long-range effort, took the team 11 ahead and should have been the basis of a comfortable win, but Brixton battled back, scoring the next eight points before a Rodgers basket helped her team to a 19-14 first quarter lead. The home side came out strongly at the start of the second period, putting together a 13-4 stretch that took them 27-23 ahead. They extended their margin to five before Southend scored the final eight points to lead 33-30 at the half time interval; Culwick with six personal. Again a 6-2 run should have got the visitors into their normal fluency but some strange officiating decisions stopped them exerting any kind of defensive pressure; Rodgers sitting out with four fouls. Emily Robson, Ella Rees and Emma Scudder all took full advantage of extended playing minutes but Swifts could simply not retain their composure and with one stanza remaining, their lead was just 48-44. After three minutes it was just 50-48 but from nowhere two players who had surprising trouble in scoring, suddenly found their touch. Ellie Shaxon and Francesca Whitby combined for 26 points in the final period that finally saw their side secure a 78-66 victory that relied much more on determination than any great level of skill, despite leading by just two with three minutes to play. Culwick with a career high 24 points and Whitby 22 led the way in a victory that keeps their team in second place. Next weekend sees three matches on Saturday with the senior women at Holbrook Tigers, the under 18 boys at Brentwood and the under 15 boys at Camden. On Sunday there is a huge day for the club with the under 16 girls playing in the National Cup Final against Sheffield Hatters in Nottingham. w/e 27/01/08 BELOW STRENGTH JUNIOR WOMEN TOO STRONG FOR NORTHUMBRIA Junior Women’s North Conference Northants “Lightning” 59 – 57 Team Northumbria A below strength Northants “Lightning” junior women’s team recorded a battling two points win over high-flying Team Northumbria at the Northants Basketball Centre last Saturday evening. Playing without the services of three influential players things looked black for the county girls after the first quarter with Northumbria taking a 16-10 lead. “Lightning” were able to pick up the tempo in the second quarter and with Klare Pinney dominating the rebounding they chipped away at the northerners lead. The county girls took the period 17-12 and only trailed 28-27 at the half time break. David Clarke’s team were able to maintain their momentum in the third quarter which they took 18-11 to establish a 45-39 lead. Some excellent outside shooting from Kyrie Burgoine at the start of the final period of play too the “Lightning” lead to 56-44 with just four minutes to play but then the scoring dried up. Northumbria in desperation were now shooting on sight and a 6-zero run got them back into contention at 56-50. A Burgoine ‘three’ relieved the tension but instead of running down the clock “Lightning” took early shots. Northumbria responded with a three of their own and one successful free throw. “Lightning” missed two free throws themselves and from the resulting possession Northumbria scored another three-pointer and the lead was down to just two points. Inexplicably Northumbria didn’t foul and send a “Lightning” player to the free throw line in the hope they would miss and give possession back to the visitors. The county girls were able to retain possession and take the 59-57 win. In the two point win, Kyrie Burgoine top scored with 17 points; while Klarre Pinney had her best game for the team with 14 points and pulled down several rebounds. Erin Clarke efficiently controlled the game and added 8 points while Esme Kinghorn’s 7 points were crucial. w/e 20/01/08 GIRLS UNDER 18 NATIONAL CUP – SEMI FINAL MANCHESTER MYSTICS 67 SOUTHEND SWIFTS 51 Southend Swifts under 18 girls team made the long trip north for a National Cup semi final against Manchester Mystics. Manchester have an outstanding group, with a plethora of England internationals and are led by player of the year Georgia Jones, who is part of the Great Britain senior team that was so successful in the European championships in the summer. The start of the game was marred by the failure of the England Basketball appointed referees to arrive, which delayed the tip-off by 45 minutes. Whilst this was the same for both teams, it always seems more difficult for the travelling team and so it proved as the hosts made a stunning start, scoring the first 12 points on what they had to expect to be a convincing victory. But Southend gradually made a comeback. From 15-2 down, they showed great composure, restricting Mystics to just three more points as they scored 15 themselves to trail just 18-17 at the end of the opening 10 minutes – a huge turnaround. An 8-4 run took Manchester five ahead, but good work from centres Ellie Shaxon and Christina Gaskin levelled the game up at 26 before a 5-2 run gave the home side a 31-28 half time lead. A basket from Jacquelyn Jobey brought the game back to one and a 6-2 run for Swifts gave them their first lead of the day at 36-33 after a bizarre four minute passage where neither side were able to score. In the final two minutes Mystics scored four of the final six points and with one period remaining Southend led 38-37. Scores from fast breaks helped Swifts move to 44-42 before Manchester had the decisive spell of the contest. Led by Jones, they scored 10 straight points as part of a 19-1 run that took them clear with three minutes to play. There was no way back for Southend as they lost a tremendous contest by 67 points to 51, although the scoreline may have slightly flattered the victors. GUTSY JUNIOR WOMEN GROUND THE LAPWINGS Junior Women’s North Conference Northants “Lightning” 71 -53 Stockport “Lapwings” The Northants “Lightning” junior women bounced back from their low scoring defeat by Birmingham “Force” with a battling win over 2nd place Stock port “Lapwings”. The “Lightning” success which avenged a three point set back earlier in the season, came on the back of a tremendous first quarter which saw them race into a 21-5 lead. This score line came thanks to aggressive defence and a number of excellent fast breaks. For the rest of the game it was nip and tuck with “Lightning” adding 50 points over the next three periods while “Lapwings” scored 48. The Stockport girls battled gamely and did get the deficit back to ten points midway through the final quarter but “Lightning” were able to pull away for the 18 point win. During that final period the Northants girls missed no les than ten free throws. A total of 23 misses from the free throw line over the whole game will give coach, Dave Clarke food for thought as the team faces a critical period in the battle for Play Off places. In the impressive win all ten “Lightning” players contributed points led by Kyrie Burgoine, Erin Clarke and Roxie Francis with 13 points each while Klare Pinney contributed 11 points and pulled down a number of crucial rebounds w/e 13/01/08 JUNIOR WOMEN EDGED OUT IN LOW SCORING THRILLER Junior Women’s North Conference Northants “Lightning” 43 – 47 Birmingham “Force” The Northants “Lightning” junior women hit a barren scoring patch at just the wrong time in their North Conference game against Birmingham “Force” last Saturday. As a result they came out on the wrong side of a 47-43 score line. Both teams were playing their first game of 2008 and in all honesty it showed with numerous easy scoring opportunities missed. None more so than in the second quarter which Birmingham edged 11-7; this after “Lightning” had led 14-10 after the first period. “Force” went into the final quarter leading 36-35 and in the final period of play scoring became a premium for both teams. Time and time again “Lightning” was able to penetrate the stubborn “Force” defence only to miss shots as soon as they were put under pressure. It was obvious that the team that had the momentum going into the final minutes would take the game and it was Birmingham who did this. They forced a couple of crucial turn-overs which they converted and the win was theirs. Coach, David Clarke would be pleased that nine of his players contributed points but less pleased that none of them could get into double figures and even less pleased that his team missed a total of 12 free throws; a vital factor in a low scoring game.
CADETTE WOMEN TOO STRONG FOR “WARRIORS” Cadette Women’s Midland Conference Northants “Lightning 64 - 41 Shropshire “Warriors” After their disappointing loss to Sheffield “Hatters” the previous week a below strength “Lightning” team got back to winning ways with a 23 point win over Shropshire “Warriors”. The county girls won all four periods of play but the decisive quarter was the second when they outscored their opponents 11-zero to take a 30-14 half time lead. A much improved Shropshire side battled hard in the second half but the result was never in doubt and Coach, Karen Goodrich was able to experiment with some new defensive tactics. For “Lightning” Whitney Bain top scored with 19 points. Chloe Burdett scored 10 and rebounded well, Rovinj Allen maintained her improvement with a 10 point haul and Imogen Cox back after injury, contributed 9 points and added creativity to the back court. GIRLS UNDER 18 NATIONAL LEAGUE – SOUTH DIVISION HARINGEY ANGELS 60 SOUTHEND SWIFTS 54 Southend Swifts under 18 girls team traveled to unbeaten Haringey Angels in a match-up between the top two teams in the South Division of the National League; Haringey having won the previous encounter by 15 points. Southend bizarrely lost the services of two of their players, Jacquelyn Jobey and Rachel Armstrong during the warm-up, who suffered recurrences of long term injuries. Angels started strongly, taking a 7-2 lead as Swifts seemed unable to pass the ball to each other. A time out settled the team and a 10-2 run took them ahead at 12-9 and they maintained their recovery to lead 15-13 at the end of the opening quarter.
The hosts bounced back with the
opening two baskets before a three-point shot from Rebecca Brough restored her
teams’ advantage. Haringey tightened their defence to deny Swifts any easy
scoring chances and a crucial 13-2 run broke the game open at 30-20 but the
Angels moved out to 35-26 and what looked to be a comfortable win but seven straight for Southend brought the margin back to two. The London side moved back out to 41-35 but a three-point play from captain Emma Hart and a Brough driving lay-up made it a one point game at 41-40 going into the final quarter. Swifts were certainly in the ascendancy and a 6-2 run took them 46-43 ahead before came a vital incident. Rebecca Brough took an accidental blow to the head which the officials failed to spot and stop the play, allowing Haringey to score five quick points before a replacement could be put onto court. This gave the home side the initiative, which they gleefully capitalized on to move out to 56-46 with three minutes remaining. There was no way back for Swifts as they fell to a narrow 60-54 defeat in what had been a very good standard match. w/e 16/12/07GIRLS UNDER 18 NATIONAL LEAGUE - SOUTH DIVISION SOUTHEND SWIFTS 67 SEVENOAKS SUNS 63 The first game in another busy weekend for Southend Swifts saw their under 18 girls team welcome Sevenoaks Suns to Fitzwimarc School. The teams shared second place in their division, both with a four win and one loss record so far. A tentative start from both teams saw Sevenoaks hold a 5-1 lead after four minutes. Southend responded with an 10-2 run to lead by four before a three-point shot from Francesca Whitby helped them to a 16-10 first quarter advantage. A further 4-2 stretch took Swifts eight ahead but the visitors responded with seven straight and a further 7-3 run took them three in front at 24-21. Southend made a 7-4 run to tie the game up midway through the period at 28 all. Suddenly the Essex side upped their defensive intensity, keeping their opponents scoreless for the remainder of the first half, as they established the largest lead so far. With Christina Gaskin back in action after three weeks out with an ankle injury, better foul shooting could have given them a much more meaningful advantage, but as it was the scoreline stood at 36-28 at the half time interval. Another Whitby three-pointer helped her team to a 43-34 lead, but Sevenoaks replied with the next seven to make it a two point game. Southend were forced to call upon a less than fit Rebecca Brough and she responded with four points out of an 8-2 run that restored her teams eight point margin. Suns, however, would not be denied and they finished the quarter with a 9-4 run to trail just 55-52 going into the final period. An understandably nervous start saw the visitors get back to just one point down at 58-57 before a three-point shot from Swifts captain Emma Hart gave her team a four point cushion. Sevenoaks replied with the next basket but Southend's defence would again be their saviour as they kept their opponents scoreless for four minutes as they edged out to a 67-59 lead. Suns scored the final three points but Southend were able to retain possession to end up victors by 67 points to 63 in a hard fought contest. Gaskin 21 points, Hart 13 and Whitby 10 leading the scorers as Swifts consolidated their second place position. w/e 09/12/07JUNIOR WOMEN ‘DOWN’ HIGH FLYING NORTHUMBRIA Junior Women’s North League Northants “Lightning” 55 - 39 Team Northumbria The Northants “Lightning” junior women staged and impressive comeback to defeat high flying Team Northumbria at the Northants Basketball Centre last Saturday. Few people in the crowd would have predicted at “Lightning” victory after they trailed 14-4 after the first quarter but they finally clinched the win with some comfort. After that miserable start “Lightning” played out a dogged second period outscoring their opponents 9-3 to give themselves a chance of taking the game in the second half. With both teams struggling at the offensive end stand-in coach, Barry Powell instructed his charges to step up their defensive efforts in an attempt to force errors. The plan worked to a tee with Roxie Francis and Erin Clarke putting a great deal of pressure on the Northumbrian ball handlers while Gabby Patrick was also dominant in defence. Numerous turn-overs were forced and with Kyrie Burgoine and Harriett Moss on hand to score on the resulting fast breaks “Lightning” suddenly found a rhythm and outscored their opponents 28-8 in the quarter to take a 41-25. Team Northumbria had scored just 11 points in the second and third quarters combined and realised a massive effort would be needed if they were to pull the game from out of the fire. They were able to produce more of a threat in the final period of play but it was too little too late and if “Lightning” had showed a little more patience on offence the winning margin would have been even more than the 16 points gap. In the 55-39 win Roxanne Francis led her team’s scoring with 13 points while Kyrie Burgoine and Harriett Moss had 11 apiece. JUNIOR WOMEN COMPLETE CONFERENCE DOUBLE Junior Women’s North Conference Hinckley “Lady Hoops” 39 – 58 Northants “Lightning” Less than 24 hours after their battling win over Team Northumbria the Northants junior women were back on court against local rivals Hinckley & Bosworth “Lady Hoops”. They returned with 19 points win thanks to a storming second half performance which saw them outscore their opponents by 35 points to 16. All this after the scores were all square at 23 all following a physical first two periods. Not surprisingly the county girls were initially a little flat after the emotions of the previous evening but pulled themselves together to complete an excellent double. For the second successive match Kyrie Burgoine led her team’s scoring with 16 points while Esme Kinghorn contributed an invaluable 10 points in a good all-round team effort. GIRLS UNDER 18 NATIONAL LEAGUE - SOUTH DIVISION SOUTHEND SWIFTS 55 WANDSWORTH STING 44 After their successes in recent weeks, Southend Swifts under 18 girls team looked to consolidate second place in the South Division when they welcomed Wandsworth Sting to Fitzwimarc School in Rayleigh. The South London team boast one of the biggest line-ups in girls basketball led by 6' 5" Yemi Oyefuma. Southend were below strength with Christina Gaskin out with damaged ankle ligaments and Rebecca Brough likely to get very limited playing time with a twisted ankle. Swifts made a poor start, trailing 6-3, before two baskets from Ellie Shaxon helped them to a 7-0 run that took them ahead by four. Sting recovered well, scoring six of the next nine points, to trail just 13-12 at the end of the first quarter. Both teams struggled to score at the start of the second period, with Wandsworth regaining the lead at 16-15 but a change of defence had immediate results for the home side as they scored 10 straight to gain their first meaningful advantage; captain Emma Hart with four. Swifts holding on to lead 28-20 at the half time interval. A Rachel Armstrong three-pointer, her second of the afternoon, was part of a 7-2 run that gave Southend their first double digit lead but the visitors battled back, making an 8-4 stretch of their own, to trail just 39-30 going into the final 10 minutes. When Wandsworth scored the first four points the margin was just five but Swifts regained their composure and a three-point shot and fast break lay-up from Hannah Culwick were part of a 7-0 run that took the lead out to 12 and effectively settled proceedings. Further scores from Culwick and Hart kept the gap at 13 and despite Wandsworth scoring the final three points fo the game, Swifts ran out deserved winners in a hard fought game by 55 points to 44 which keeps them in second place in the table. w/e 02/12/07GIRLS UNDER 18 NATIONAL LEAGUE - SOUTH DIVISION SOUTHEND SWIFTS 101 BRIXTON TOPCATS 52 After the convincing victories for their under 14 and under 16 team-mates, Southend Swifts under 18 girls team were determined to get make it three in a row for the club when they entertained Brixton Topcats. Both teams went into the game with a 2 win 1 loss record, so a tough battle had to be expected. But from the start, Southend stamped their authority on proceedings. A 10-0 lead inside four minutes became 19-4 after seven and a Rebecca Brough three-point shot helped them to a 23-8 first quarter lead. A change of defensive formation created more scoring opportunities and a Katie Doubleday trey moved the score out to 35-16. An injury to Christina Gaskin, which will keep her out of action for three weeks, marred the proceedings but good shooting from Maisie Elston helped her team to a 47-21 half time lead. The third quarter saw Southend maintain their concentration as Hannah Culwick, Francesca Whitby and Jennie Rodgers all scored with regularity. With Brough contributing five straight, the lead with one stanza remaining stood at 73-28. The teams traded baskets for the opening three minutes before Brixton had their best spell of the match, scoring 11 unanswered points, to reduce the deficit to 79-44. But Swifts' captain Emma Hart took over proceedings, scoring 12 points in the final 5 minutes to lead her team to a 101-52 victory. Hart led the scorers with 23, with Rodgers on 18, Brough 14 and Elston 12. w/e 18/11/07STOCKPORT GET THE BETTER OF JUNIOR WOMEN Junior Women’s North Conference Stockport “Lapwings” 69 – 78 Northants “Lightning” The Northants “Lightning” made the long trip to Stockport last Saturday and came off second best against a well drilled and determined “Lapwings” team. After the long journey “Lightning” made a poor start to the game and trailed 28-14 at the end of the first period. The team recovered superbly in the second quarter which they took by six points and a comeback win looked as if it might be on the cards. In the third quarter the defence of the county girls was superb holding their opponents to just 15 points but the team struggled to score themselves and going into the last period they trailed by nine points at 60-51. Like the third quarter the fourth was closely contested but “Lightning” were unable to close the nine point gap despite the efforts of Erin Clarke and the team were left to reflect what might have happened if they hadn’t given Stockport a 14 points start! GIRLS UNDER 18 NATIONAL LEAGUE - SOUTH DIVISION SOUTHEND SWIFTS 20 CHILTERN PUMAS 0 Southend Swifts' day of matches started in a way that is too evident in English basketball when opponents Chiltern Pumas were unable to field a team due to illness leaving Southend with a hollow 20-0 win. GIRLS UNDER 18 NATIONAL LEAGUE - SOUTH DIVISION SOUTHEND SWIFTS 101 DEVON DEVILS 36 After the disappointment of their walkover victory the previous day, Southend Swifts under 18 girls team made it onto court against Devon Devils. The West Country side had already suffered two defeats in their opening fixtures, so needed to get their five hour journey quickly out of their legs, whilst Swifts were missing a number of regular players taking part in a county netball tournament. From the start Southend were determined to get their first on-court league win of the season. Their pressing defence brought early rewards as they took a 14-4 lead after just four minutes. The barrage continued and a further 10-2 run stretched the margin although Devils replied with the final two baskets as the hosts led 24-10 at the end of the first quarter. Eleven unanswered points at the start of the second period effectively settled the match and enabled Swifts to constantly change their personnel. The gap steadily increased and at half time the score stood at 54-18 to Southend. Devon had their best spell at the start of the third quarter, scoring six of the first ten points, but a 10-2 run re-took the initiative for Southend and the scoreboard was again kept busy as the advantage increased to 79-30 with one period remaining. The intensity of the game dropped in the final quarter but seven points in the final minute enabled Swifts to reach the three figure mark against a very valiant Devon team who gave 100% effort throughout the contest. Christina Gaskin with her second 35 point game of the weekend led the scorers with Emma Hart on 17, Rachel Armstrong 15 and Rebecca Brough 14. w/e 11/11/07JUNIOR WOMEN GO OUT OF NATIONAL CUP Junior Women’s “Sure Shot National Cup 2nd Round Nottingham “Wildcats 90 -50 Northants “Lightning The Northants “Lightning” junior women came up against one of the country’s top teams in the National Cup last Saturday and came off a decidedly second best. “Lightning” was outsized by the strong “Wildcats” side but could be proud with the way they stuck to their task and stayed positive to the end. The Northants girls did their very best to resist the talented Nottingham team but just as their defensive efforts seemed to have borne fruit they were punished by aggressive rebounding by their opponents. Meanwhile their offensive efforts more often than not came to nothing in the face of the sheer physicality of the “Wildcats”. In the forty points defeat Chloe Moss battled hard for her 16 points while Amy O’Connor and Hariet Moss both contributed 9 points. GIRLS UNDER 18 NATIONAL CUP – 1st ROUND CHILTERN PUMAS 45 SOUTHEND SWIFTS 75 The end of a hectic day saw the Southend Swifts under 18 girls team travel to Buckinghamshire to meet Chiltern Pumas in the first round of the National Cup. This was only the second game of the season for Southend, having suffered a defeat to National Champions Haringey Angels in their opening encounter. Swifts were determined to establish the initiative early in the game and they duly succeeded, taking a 17-1 lead after just 5 minutes. Captain Emma Hart was instrumental in the run, scoring 10 points of her own. Swifts intensity dropped as they constantly changed players and at the end of the first quarter, the lead was just 20-11. Although most of the players had featured in the senior game earlier in the afternoon, they were determined to settle the match as quickly as possible and a 17-0 run certainly had the desired effect although Pumas did manage the final seven points as they trailed 37-18 at the half time interval. An 11-2 stretch took Swifts lead to 28 but Pumas put their best spell together, with runs of seven and six interrupted only by an Abbey Keys three-pointer. A 9-2 run over the last 2 minutes, however, enabled the Essex team to finish the third quarter with a 59-35 lead. Another good spell for Chiltern allowed them to get back to 45-64 but Southend scored the final 11 points of the contest that allowed them to end up winners by 75 points to 45 in not an entirely convincing manner. Hart with 16 and Rachel Armstrong with 14 in her best performance of the season leading the way. The win gives Swifts a home ie against Brixton Topcats in the second round. w/e 04/11/07 JUNIOR WOMEN CONCEDE DEFEAT Junior Women’s North Conference Birmingham “Force” 20 – 0 Northants “Lightning” Midway through the second quarter of this North Conference junior women’s game Coach, David Clarke decided that the play had become too physical and led his team off the court. The game was awarded to Birmingham “Force” but no doubt the Competitions Officer of England Basketball will be conducting a full investigation over the next few days. w/e 28/10/07JUNIOR WOMEN HOLD ON TO BEAT “FLIERS” Junior Women’s Northern Conference Northants “Lightning” 43 – 40 Hatfield “Fliers” The Northants “lightning” junior women chalked up win number two in a low scoring Northern Conference encounter. Both teams made a slow start and with players form both sides finding scoring particularly difficult so much so that the score was tied at seven points apiece after the first ten minutes of play. In the face of some tough “Lightning” defence, “Fliers” found it even harder to find the net in the second quarter managing just four points. The home side also struggled to find their rhythm but found themselves leading 20-11 at half time. The third period was another close run low-scoring affair which “Lightning” edged 11-10 to open up a ten point lead. In the final period of play Hatfield finally got into their stride seeming to enjoy the physical nature of the game. With “Lightning” struggling to score Hatfield closed the gap and with the lead down to just three points they sensed victory. To the county girls credit they responded well and were able to preserve their narrow lead to final hooter. On a day when players’ on both teams struggles to score the ten point hauls of Kyrie Burgoine and Roxanne Francis were decisive while Erin Clarke led the team well. w/e 21/10/07WOMENS UNDER 18 NATIONAL LEAGUE – SOUTH DIVISION SOUTHEND SWIFTS 34 HARINGEY ANGELS 49For their first match of the season, Southend Swifts under 18 team found themselves against National Champions Haringey Angels at their home court at Fitzwimarc School in Rayleigh. The teams have had some exciting encounters, notably at last season’s play-offs, but there was a different look to the Haringey line-up, with a number of new players having joined the club. From the opening tip it was evident that defences would be on top as both sides showed excellent intensity in denying their opponents easy scoring opportunities. A scoreline of 8-6 to Haringey at the end of the first quarter belied the effort and energy being put in by both teams. Southend came out very strongly on the second quarter, making a 9-2 run that gave them a five point lead. But Angels hit back strongly, scoring a decisive 13 unanswered points, which they held on to, to lead 25-17 at the half time interval. The third period again saw Swifts again battle back, getting within six points on two occasions, but Haringey managed the final two baskets of the quarter to lead 35-25 going into the final stanza. The teams traded scores in the period, as the lead remained in single figures, before the visitors scored the final six points to end with a deserved victory if by the slightly flattering margin of 49 points to 34. JUNIOR WOMEN GET OFF TO A FLIER Junior Women’s North Conference Leicester “Cannons” 49 – 72 Northants “Lightning” After the frustration of having two games postponed the Northants junior women finally got their 2007 / 2008 season underway at Leicester “Cannons”. Against their East Midlands rivals the county girls were always in control despite their opponents doing everything they could to make things difficult for them. The margin of victory was a very encouraging sign for the harder games to come. The win came as the result of an excellent all-round team effort in which Roxanne Francis scored 20 points while Amy O’Connor and Kyrie Burgoine supported well with 15 and 12 points respectively.
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