Looking for their third consecutive win, Halifax set out with something to prove against Goodricke on Sunday afternoon, coming away with a 23-4 triumph.
The first few minutes suggested that the game was going to be a close one. Goodricke kicked off by scoring from Halifax’s first centre pass. Within minutes, the score was 2-2 with both teams hoping a win was within reach.
The Goodricke defensive pairing of Kav Aggerwal and Laurel Hill was strong, putting constant pressure on Halifax shooters Katarina Robinson and Becky Gabbitas, with Aggerwal making some awesome interceptions under the post.
Halifax remained unperturbed however, and the goal difference began to increase, with ‘Fax taking a convincing lead into half-time.
Both teams made changes and as the game restarted it was clear that Halifax had come back with a vengeance. They notably raised the tempo at the beginning of the second half.
Silly mistakes from Goodricke’s mid court allowed Halifax to overturn centre passes and score goals with ease.
Goodricke repeatedly got pulled for held ball, which reflected the defensive strength of the Halifax team. By reducing the number of available passes, Goodricke were forced to make numerous inaccurate passes.
The Halifax defensive pairing of Sarah Moody and Rebecca Gill prevented the shooters getting close under the post, making it difficult for Goodricke to impact in any way on the score line. Numerous accurate balls were played from Lo Jones and Chloe Quilliam into the Halifax shooters. Sophie Simpson, coming on for Halifax as goal shooter, racked up goal after goal, contributing to Halifax’s ever-increasing tally.
Goodricke had fighting spirit, and scored two goals in quick succession in the closing minutes. However it was still Halifax who had the edge and added a convincing win to their campaign.
The Halifax 1sts captain said: “Goodricke put up a really good fight” and that it was in the second half that the “passing worked well and the goals kept coming.”
James, meanwhile, sealed a convincing 39-4 victory over a lacklustre Vanbrugh side, who struggled to compete with the overwhelming James pressure. It was another impressive performance from the Black Swans, who along with Halifax and Alcuin appear to be the strongest teams this year. Vanbrugh will be disappointed with the result, and will be seeking to bounce back with a strong performance next week.
The other two games both resulted in walkovers, as Langwith and Wentworth were unable to field teams against Alcuin and Derwent respectively.