06 ISSUE
ALL THE SPORTS, ALL THE TIME
Surf and Turf: netball, football, Badminton and more
REGULARS
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REGULARS
ISSUE 6: 15 NOVEMBER '13
CONTENTS Shark alert!
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Match Reports
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Previews
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Shark Alert!
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Solent Blitz Aberystwyth
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Solent victory against Southampton is a tall order
Design: Nathan cleal/Adam Storer/Adam Woodgate 3
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ROUND-UP
Match Emma finds solace in Report giant battle
netball
Olivia Walters Solent netball vice-captain Emma Hoare surveyed the wreckage of a 55-18 defeat by local rivals Southampton University and said:” It was better than we thought.” Despite the loss Solent were undeterred and fought with great determination against the odds. Emma said: “Surprisingly, considering we thought we were going to get destroyed, we played really well. “It was all fairly positive throughout the game.” There was a substantial height difference between the sides with Southampton’s players averaging six foot across the court. “We played them a few years back and it was just as bad, especially when they are six foot and us five foot. ”It was hard. Their arms were everywhere and they got so many interceptions.” Solent started off slowly and struggled throughout the game against their towering opponents. Southampton’s dominance showed as they slowed Solent’s game to their own pace and looped the ball around the court out of Solent’s reach. The home team still put up a fight, using their smaller size to their advantage as they darted around, playing lower passes to each other. Solent’s zone marking paid off as usual with the away team getting EATING TURF //
Megan Stephens with the ball
rattled by the defiance of the home defenders. At the end of the first quarter the 6-12 deficit indicated just how much Solent needed to step up and take back control. Solent came out fighting in the second quarter and made some excellent interceptions and passes. The shooting partnership of Emma Hoare and Megan Stephens kept alive the girls hopes’, but it 4
wasn’t long before Southampton caught on to their strategies. Both sides began to show more aggression with Southampton revealing a particularly hostile streak, which resulted in them receiving warnings from the umpires. Solent were much more disciplined than in previous games and held their heads high, refusing to let the score get them down. Solent continued to battle despite being 12-25 down at half-time. Southampton’s aggressive play continued in the third quarter with a few Solent players being pushed around but the girls kept their cool, trying not to be intimidated. But it was at this juncture that Southampton went for the big hit, quickly scoring 25 points and devastating any chances Solent had of a comeback In the last quarter Solent looked to enjoy the game knowing they were too far behind to snatch a victory. A quick swap of positions between Hoare and Stephens and some substitutions gave a few more of the girls some game time but the outcome was never in doubt. Solent kept their nerve and did not seem too disheartened at the final whistle. Solent travel to take on Bristol’s third team, who were promoted to the Western 2A league this season, on November 13.
ROUND-UP
Match Solent Uni 3 Report southampton uni 3
football
Reuben Lambert-Jarvis Solent men’s football team squandered a two-goal lead as they were held to a 3-3 draw by Southampton University at Test Park. The home side recovered from going behind to lead 3-1 with 10 minutes remaining, thanks to goals by Sean Bartlett, Jesse Waller-Lasson and Chris Wateridge. Bartlett had a golden chance to seal the points with a second spotkick but blazed over the bar. It proved a costly error as the visitors netted twice in the closing stages to deny Solent a share of second spot in Western 2A of the BUCS League. Solent made much the stronger start, and captain Bartlett had an effort saved in the opening 60 seconds. Bartlett wasted an even better chance, when he headed wide from Oliver Yates’ cross in front of goal. Yates also needed to receive treatment, as he was caught late by Southampton skipper Matt Powell when delivering the cross. The visitors were struggling to get any real fluency going, and it wasn’t until the 16th minute that they troubled the goalkeeper. Jamie Lawlor and Kuba Tricinski both brought about routine saves from Matt Phillips. The game picked up after half an hour, and the tackles started flying in from both sides. Solent had a shot cleared off the line, but were punished by a goal against the run of play.
Lawlor pulled the ball back to the edge of the area, where Tricinski’s shot deflected cruelly off Ross Langworthy off the post, and into the net. However Solent responded almost immediately. A long throw into the box fell to Bartlett who was being grabbed by George Mortley, and referee Michael Cavahill awarded a penalty. Bartlett stepped up himself to convert his spot kick into the right hand corner. On the verge of half time Solent took the lead with their second in eight minutes, to turn the match on its head. A hopeful long ball was chased down by Yates, who attempted to lob the onrushing goalkeeper. His shot came back off the post, and fell kindly to WallerLasson who finished from a tight angle. Early in the second half Langworthy was booked for a sliding tackle, and the physical battles intensified. Just short of the hour mark Wateridge gave Solent a 3-1 lead, with a stunning 40-yard strike, after a poor clearance from Ben Paterson. The keeper had raced out to clear the ball, but was left scrambling back towards his goal and unable to prevent the shot going over the line. It didn’t take long before the hosts were causing havoc again, and they were awarded another penalty following more horrific defending from Southampton. Having already 5
With three minutes remaining Southampton completed an impressive comeback dispatched from the spot early on, Bartlett stepped up again but this time blazed over the bar. That missed opportunity appeared to be just the encouragement their opponents needed, and with 10 minutes to go they got back into the match thanks to Tricinski who followed up after a good save had denied substitute Michael McConnell. Solent were left fuming, as they appealed in vain for a foul in the build up. Another controversial challenge soon followed, and goalkeeper Matt Phillips reacted angrily to what he deemed to be a dangerous lunge. With three minutes remaining Southampton completed an impressive comeback, to cap a dramatic afternoon. A cross from Jack Parkeyz was met by Aaran Nurse who ghosted in at the near post, to snatch a late draw for his side. // EATING TURF
ROUND-UP
Match Solent hammer Exeter Report women’s basketball
Adam Storer Solent’s women’s basketball side thrashed University of Exeter by 80 points – despite fielding only six players. For the second week running, Solent were unable to raise a full side – and then went down to the bare minimum of five when they lost Ashlee Trebilcock to injury for the final quarter. But they still romped to a crushing 109-29 victory in the BUCS Basketball Premier South division at St Mary’s Leisure Centre. Vice-captain Megan Jenkins and Alison Nicholls top-scored with 27 points each, whilst Welsh international and Solent captain Melanie Curson also chipped in with 23 points of her own. A full-strength Exeter side showed little resistance, but Beatrice Bender ensured her team went back to Devon with some consolation points, as she top-scored with 10 for Greens. Solent had also been short of numbers in the previous week’s 71-53 defeat at Cardiff but this time it did not affect them, netting six baskets before the visitors got a point on the scoreboard. Although Bender grabbed six first-quarter points for Exeter, they were no use, as Jenkins and Fego Adhokorie helped Solent pull away in the early stages, to a 26-6 lead. The home side continued to pile on the pressure and points going into the second period of the game. EATING TURF //
This time, it was Curson and Nicholls who led the charge, each getting 11 and eight points respectively. With a half-time lead of 39 points, it would take a miracle for Exeter to make a comeback. And Solent made sure that wouldn’t happen as Nicholls added another ten points to her tally, while Trebilcock got another six on the scoreboard. Yet, that was to be the last action of the match for the American, as she left the court at the end of the third quarter with an injury. Although Solent were left with all available players on the pitch, it did not stop them from having their best quarter in the final 10 minutes of the game. Welsh international Jenkins netted 13 points, of which five were free-throws, whilst her fellow countrywoman Curson rounded off the win with a three-pointer. The score for the final quarter ended 33-9, to increase the points deficit for the game to 80, which more than doubles Solent’s difference in the league. The victory also ensures they remain in the top two. But it is bad news for Exeter, as it is their fourth defeat in a row, leaving them grounded to the bottom of the table. Despite the convincing win, the hosts’ coach believes there is room for improvement in the squad. 6
Coach CJ Lee pleased with win
“When you are that far ahead, sometimes you just need to set yourself team targets, rather than the win,” said CJ Lee. “The win is not an issue any more and we just got to try and get the girls to still play with the same kind of energy, regardless of the opposition.” Lee also expressed his concerns over Trebilcock’s latest injury setback. He added: “She’s got a long-term ailment with her ankle and given that the game wasn’t really in dispute today, we thought we’d just let her take a rest and hopefully get it ready for next week.”
ROUND-UP
Match Sloppy Totton Report demolished by hero Wood football
Josh Donaldson Sloppy mistakes and lacklustre defending cost struggling AFC Totton dearly as they lost 5-0 at home at the hands of Frome in their Southern League, premier division fixture. Midfielder Rhys Baggridge got the visitors off to a flying start, tapping in from close range before Ben Wood doubled their lead after 30 minutes. Two goals in a minute from Wood and Baggridge sealed the game for the Somerset side midway through the second half. Wood completed his hat-trick in the last minute to round off a miserable evening for the Stags. After a quiet opening in which the sides looked evenly matched, Frome were able to capitalise on a basic error. Former Bournemouth academy
striker Alex Moth mis-controlled in his own half, gifting the ball to Frome’s left back Mark Cooper. Cooper passed two Totton defenders and put a low cross into the box that bypassed everyone, allowing Baggridge to steal in at the back post for the Frome first. Moth nearly made amends for his early mistake when a pass from Jamal Branker found the striker in a good position. But Moth’s rifled shot cannoned off the near post with the goalkeeper well beaten. Frome made the next decisive breakthrough. Cooper again caused problems with a cross to the back post which found Aaron Ledgister unmarked. The midfielder hit the bar with his attempt but Wood was first to react,
poaching a goal from three yards. Branker,17, was at the heart of everything good for Totton but none of his wicked crosses could find a target. Frome made their opponents pay for gambling on attack in the second half and struck with two quick goals on counter in the 56th minute. After a Stags corner was cleared, Matt Smith sped down the left and put in a superb pass that Baggridge was only too happy to tap in. The fourth was a carbon copy with Smith providing the ball and this time it was Wood who supplied the finish. After the away side wasted good chances, Wood completed his hattrick with seconds remaining with another clinical finish to settle a onesided encounter.
Continue for Previews 7
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ROUND-UP
netball
the key to Solent Preview Bristol netball recovery Lucy Hughes Solent will be looking to make a forceful return from a heavy defeat in next week’s game when they face Bristol’s third team. The squad came off worse against top-of-the-league Southampton and they want to put this setback behind them as soon as possible. Solent have only managed to take three points from a possible 12 so far this season so the trip away to Bristol next week will prove vital if they are still to make a firm challenge in the league. With Bristol also only winning one game this season and with a worse goal difference, Solent will be looking to take full advantage. Coach Valdar Hinson’s side still have things to work on and improvements to make, but with key players missing results have been disappointing. Hinson has revealed how she
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plans to make those improvements. “I think the difficulty is with one of our shooters out injured, that puts pressure on. We haven’t got as many options within the shooting circle but we still have other shooters. “Hopefully we’ll go to Bristol positive and come away with a win.” With fewer than half a dozen games left in the league, Solent need to gain confidence and apply pressure to move up the table. Solent’s campaign in the BUCS Cup is proving to be a strong one, a place in the final 16 is also looking likely if they can beat their next opponents, Cardiff Met fourth team on November 27. Hinson will be trying out tactics in the training sessions leading up to the Bristol game and has found key areas that need focusing on. “One of our main issues I always feel is getting our ball out of our
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defensive end through our centre court. We get muddled in there. “Even though we work at it in training and we work on channels when it comes to the match we seem to panic. So that’s the things we will try and work on again in training.” A win against Bristol next week will not only give them that push into the top half but also give them bags of confidence going into that next cup fixture. Captain Emma Nash made a return in their derby clash after missing the previous game and she will hopefully become the driving force that Solent need in the games that lie ahead. If Solent are to win their next fixture they will be sitting a little more confident in the table and should guarantee their place in the Western 2A again next season round.
FEATURES
Shark alert! Solent aim to eat up the opposition
Solent Sharks wheelchair rugby team are now ready to move up to the big pond and prey on some of the best teams Britain has to offer. Sam Hooley
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aving only started in September 2012, club founder Richard Cartwright has been amazed with the team’s progress in such a short space of time, and believes his side is now ready to compete in the GBWR Championships. The inspiration for the club initially came from the summer Paralympic Games, and club founder Richard Cartwright, along with a group of spinal patients from Salisbury District Hospital, agreed to start the club at the university. Since then the club as grown in stature and Cartwright is delighted by the amount of professionalism shown by his players. He said: “We’ve grown immensely, but we’re still learning. We lost a few of our matches in our first tournament, but we won three which is fantastic for a first set-up.” Cartwright now has his sights set on the GBWR Championships, which is the biggest tournament in Britain for the increasingly popular sport. Having assembled enough players to submit two teams in the second division, he is hopeful that the first team can go all the way this year. “Absolutely, we’ll definitely be going for the national championships this year,” he added. “We’re starting two teams, the first with the hope of getting promoted, the second with the aim of getting a lot of experience.” The squad is certainly not short of talent, with Cartwright even having a few Paralympians at his disposal. Former GB international Aaron Phipps was voted 2012 GBWR Most Valuable Player, and will be the standard bearer for Cartwright’s promotion challenge. Solent student Myles Pearson is a current international, and Sonny Wells, Matt Bonney and 9
Patrick Asher-Relf have been invited for trials by the GBWR development squad. The Sharks have played just one friendly tournament this season. It went fantastically well for the first team, who won three out of their five games. One of the lost games was played without Aaron Phipps, so it seems with every player available the Sharks can go as far as they want to this season. For the second team though, things did not go so well and they lost all their matches. But Cartwright remains confident, and believes his players can come back stronger. He said: “Unfortunately they lost all their matches, but they had a lot of fun and most importantly learned a lot.” The Shark’s first tournament begins on February 15th next year, as the 2013/2014 campaign gets underway. It will be fascinating to see how well the league’s newest team can do against some of the best teams in the country.
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FEATURES
Solent blitz Aberystwyth Solent Men’s badminton team moved top of BUCS Western 3A with a comprehensive 8-0 victory over Aberystwyth 2nds at East Park Terrace. Words: Matt Tilbury Image: Calum Hill
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espite the whitewash, Solent captain Phil Turrell admits it wasn’t easy. He said: “They didn’t give us the win, we had to work for it. “It was a good performance from the boys, I’m really happy.” Solent’s first Doubles pair, made up of Liam Bellingham and Josh Tunstall got the home side rolling with a 21-15, 21-11 victory over the Aberystwyth second Double’s team of Max Griffiths and Tom Pimblett. The Solent duo started well, and a well-directed smash by Tunstall gave them an early 3-1 lead. However, this wasn’t an easy ride, and they were pegged back. A strong jump smash by Pimblett tied the scores at 10-10. The home pair regained the initiative and a clever cross court drive by Bellingham, set up game point, and they took it after a poor leave by Griffiths, landed in the tram lines. The second game was more relatively straight forward, and the Solent pair sealed the 21-11 win with a powerfully struck shot by Tunstall. The number one pair then dispatched Ievan Williams and Ross Hoey 21-9 21-19 to add to the home side’s advantage. Solent first singles player and captain, Turrell made light work of James Pecherek romping to a 21-3, 21-3 victory.He continued his domination, finishing off the Aberystwyth number one 21-6, 21-6 to continue their flawless start. Luke Farrell also made a confident start beating the away side’s Adam Baines, 21-11, 21-18, before facing Pecherek. Farrell began strongly, and a powerful net kill gave him an 11-5 lead at the half way point. However, a strong smash down the line by Pecherek kept him in it at 9-13, but the Solent number two pulled away a took the first game 21-15 . He took the second game 21-11 with an exquisite drop shot to increase Solent’s overall lead to six. Team Solent’s second doubles pair, Scott Trevatt
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and Craig Charmers, waltz past William’s and Hoey, taking the match 21-7,21-19. However, their final match against Griffiths and Pimblett was a tight affair. The first game was neck and neck throughout and neither side could pull away. With the scores level at 20-20, Trevatt executed a perfect back hand smash to earn game point, and Charmers won it with a good flick serve down the middle. The second bout was similar to the first, but the visiting duo clinched it 21-18 after a hard smash by Griffiths clipped Trevatt’s racket at the net, and went out taking the match into a decider. Yet again, it was a close encounter, and tensions were running high. With the scores poised at 1212, Trevatt pulled off a perfectly weighted net shot and this spurred Solent on. A miss-hit smash into the net by Pimblett gave the home side match point, and they didn’t waste it, after an incredible low serve by Charmers found the corner of the service line to complete the 8-0 clean sweep. Team Solent now travel to Plymouth Marjons in the cup next Wednesday. 10
FEATURES
solent victory against southampton University is a tall order Solent lose to local rivals University of Southampton but coach Valda Hinson was proud of the girls who were dwarfed by their competition. Leigh Tranter
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olent netball team were overwhelmed by the sheer size of their deadly rivals, Southampton University and went down 55-18 in the Western 2A League. Coach Valda Hinson said: “It was a very tough game but my players played well and gave 100 per cent in each quarter, which is all you can ask when you play a team like Southampton who are a very strong side.” Table-toppers Southampton University were also a very tall side and this made the match harder for Solent who went into the match looking for their second win of the season. Hinson said: “I thought my goalkeeper and goal defence had an awesome game again today but they are never going to get a rebound because of Southampton’s height factor. “I would give man of the match to goal defence Louise Exton, as I thought she had an exceptional game again. “It wasn’t her position last year, she was wing defence, but she is slotting in well with goalkeeper Amy Massey and they are both playing well. Hinson could not fault her team’s determination. “I there were some lovely
interceptions and we turned some things over. But we just didn’t capitalise on it.” She joked: “I just need them to grow taller.” Southampton started strongly and this left Solent always on the defensive with too much to do in the last three quarters. The coach said: “One of the main issues we have is getting our ball out of our defence and through our centre court. We get too muddled in there. “Even though we practice it in training and know what we need to do. When it comes to the game we
panic and forget things, which is something we need to work on.” The clash also saw the return of captain Emma Nash. Hinson said: “Vice captain Emma Hoare did a good job last week but it’s great to have your captain back in the middle, leading. Solent are away on November 20 to Bristol 3rds who are fifth. “The pressure is on,” said Hinson. “Our other goal-shooter is injured. We do have other shooters but we just don’t have as much option in the shooter circle. “We should do well against Bristol. We’ll go there positive like we always do, looking for a win.” As well as searching for their second triumph this year, Solent will also be looking to win their first away game in more than a year.
Solent wth possesion as the home side try to defend.
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