St Mary's Calne
The much-anticipated fixture against Radley was played under the lights on Tuesday 22nd November creating a great atmosphere for players and spectators. With the crowds lining up along the side of the Astro sporting posters, witty one liners from the megaphone and lots of cheering, the two teams took to the pitch. From the first draw, Radley showed their strength with the ball being flung straight out of bounds. However, not to be deterred, the SMC team started to show their tactical advantage, making great connecting passes through the midfield into attack, leading to the first goal from Sadie (UVI, Year 13).
As the game continued, SMC were able to apply pressure to the Radley players through midfield to turn over the ball and when the speedy Radley players managed to get a shot, their attempts were thwarted by Phoebe (UVI) in goal. As the game continued, Radley started to find their rhythm and were able to use their speed with solo runs to goal and long hopeful balls. The home side went into the half with a lead of 3 – 2 with a solo goal from Lily M (UVI) and another goal from Celeste (UVI).
Radley came out in the second half with renewed enthusiasm and a gameplan of less passes and more running. This tactic worked for them as they were able to take the lead. The pressure from the opposition made it hard for SMC to clear the ball and Radley capitalised on these opportunities to take the win.
The second game saw more of the same from both teams, with SMC having lots of possession through Rebecca and Pollyanna (both UVI) midfield play but not being able to convert this into goals, while the opposition played to their strengths and were able to find gaps in the strong defence of St Mary's.
Although Radley came away with two wins, the games were thoroughly enjoyed by all participants and spectators. Playing against a different kind of opposition allows different skills to be worked on and this will help with games through the season. The post-match social supper also provided an opportunity for the players to digest the highlights of the game and plan for the rematch.
Mr David Abini, Head of Lacrosse