Steely Palatinates Performance Leaves Sheffield in the Shade
(4 February 2010)
Durham Netball 2s put in a polished performance as they put paid to the spirited resistance of a tenacious Sheffield Hallam outfit with a 35-25 victory at Maiden Castle, avenging an earlier 49-28 defeat to the Yorkshire side earlier in the season.
A pulsating and powerful BUCS Northern Conference 2B encounter began with both sides on the front foot, the Palatinates edging the first quarter to take in a 9-8 lead at the break.
With Sheffield vulnerable in defence but strong in their offensive play, the second quarter saw Durham take the lead on several occasions – only to be pegged back by the visitors. As the clock ticked towards the interval, the hosts held onto a 16-15 lead to run in with a narrow half time lead.
It was in the second half that Durham really made their presence felt, with great combination play and beautifully intricate passing slicing open the Sheffield defence to the tune of a 26-19 home lead at the end of the third quarter.
The final quarter picked up where the last had left off, Durham defending resolutely and exploiting their pace on the flanks to further emphasise their superiority and to claim three precious a and potentially decisive points in determining their final mid-table league position in the Northern Conference 2B.
Jessica Stewart, captain, said: “We put in a very solid second half performance. At half time, I told the girls to keep calm, to stay composed, and to relax on the ball. We had problems mixing up our play in the first half – it was all a bit predictable – and the way in which we kept our composure in the early stages of the second half meant that we had a greater variety to our play.
“It feels great to have won, and especially to have settled the scores after our loss at Sheffield earlier in the season. This result is a real measure of the progress we’ve made over the course of the season so far.
“This result will give us a huge amount of confidence going into the next few weeks. We showed a great deal of fluidity in our play today, which hasn’t always been the case this season, and that fluidity will really shape our attacking confidence in future matches.”
