Two local netball teams were in action at the University of the West of England (UWE) over the weekend.
First on court was Bradley Stoke Netball Club’s First Team in a Division 1 match against Winterbourne. Bradley Stoke won the game 49-38 and were pleased with their positive performance.
They have had a good start to the season, picking up 10 points from their first two league games.
With a fully-fit squad to choose from, Bradley Stoke controlled the game, increasing their lead throughout and battling through a determined Winterbourne defence. Reliable shooting from both sides made for a great match to watch and made the score more competitive throughout the game.
Players’ player for the game was awarded to Emma Hussey and nominated player was Jo Maxwell.
Next up was the Premier Division match between Bradley Stoke based TJ’s and Crossbow. Both teams having won last week, it was looking to be a great match. There were a few missed passes as the colours of the teams were similar (mostly in the first quarter, which was packed with action).
TJ’s struggled to get the ball through a strong Crossbows defence at the start of the game but worked through the channels well. The score at the end of the first quarter was 12-10 to Crossbow but that was the last time they were to see the lead.
TJ’s came off with a 19-22 lead at half time and controlled the game, increasing the score in the third and final quarters. Consistent shooting from Rachael Harris and Charlotte Hunt in the final quarter of the game and some strong defending and vital interceptions kept Crossbow’s score down despite the end to end nature of the game.
The final score was 51-39 to TJ’s.
Nominated player for Crossbow was centre Clare Allen and TJ’s nominated player was shooter Rachael Harris.
Photo: Archive image of Bradley Stoke Netball Club’s First Team.
Football: Bradley Stoke Town FC (BSTFC)
The BSTFC First Team did very well on Saturday afternoon, as they travelled to Netham to play the Bristol and Suburban League 2 side St Anne’s in the GFA Junior Cup.
An excellent performance from the team, where at times they were dragged down to a lower standard of football. However, they picked themselves up and went on to win the game 7-4
The Reserve Team travelled to the Bristol and Suburban League 4 to play Corinthian Sports in the Intermediate Cup, the game also very positive for the team as they won 4-0.
They made light work of Corinthian to progress through to the next round of the cup along with the First Team and the remaining two BSTFC sides who played their cup games the week before.
The A Team ended their winning run at the start of the season as they lost to Saltford Stars, despite scoring three goals. Manager Matt Burch reflected on the game saying: “Confidence is good within the group of players so they should be able to come through and get back to winning ways”.
The B Team were the second team of the weekend to lose their game, going down 4-1 against opponents who bullied their way to victory. The physically stronger side were able to win more headers and put in a stronger challenge. Bradley Stoke were able to salvage one consolation as a goal kick bounced off the back of the centre forward’s head, over the goalkeeper and into the goal.
 | Article by Connor Summers |
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