Words by our intrepid first time netball reporter - JO CUBBAGE
Cowie Ladies played well in their opening match against Chevron after a long summer break from competitive netball. This is the second season that the Stonehaven-based team have played in the Aberdeen District Netball League. After finishing mid-table last year, they were hoping that their summer training sessions would help to make a positive start to the new season’s league competition.
It was going to be a tough match as Chevron are a well-established team and were placed third in the division last year. It was a little daunting at first to see Chevron’s tall Goal Attack towering above the Cowie defence on court. Cowie Ladies certainly had their work cut out keeping the ball out of their opponent’s goal circle.
After a nervous start, the match picked up pace quickly. This was not always to Cowie's advantage who often found that control of the game was handed back to Chevron due to their inexperience at playing together as a team. However, the benefits of summer training were evident to the team themselves, and they looked much more comfortable on court by the final quarter. Playing good quality attack and defence gained Cowie much tighter control during the final ten minutes of the match.
Laura Cruickshank was named player of the match for her play in Goal Defence throughout the match.
Chevron played very well, but the final score actually masks what was a fairly evenly matched game. Cowie Ladies have plenty to work on in the coming weeks, but should be pleased with their game, which, thanks to a particularly good final quarter, has given them their first point of the season.
Team: Sabaah Arshed, Katie Boyes, Claire Buckley (c), Vicki Corbett, Laura Cruickshank, Joanna Cubbage, Jenny Elrick, Becky Gordon, Sharon Lewis, Pamela McFadden, Janet Owen.
