TIGERS HANG ON FOR A DRAW AGAINST TOP OF THE LEAGUE NEWQUAY
Tigers 29, Newquay 29
Liskeard Tigers welcomed division leaders Newquay to Lux Park for their last home game of the season. A win for the Tigers would keep them with a promotional chance but they knew it would be a tough encounter, with Newquay having lost only once all season.
With Emma Dalton unavailable, Julia Eldridge again stepped up into the centre position, the line-up: GK Lucy Smale, GD Vicki Hastings, WD Holly Lemon, C Julia Eldridge, WA Jo Glossop, GA Amie Hoskin, GS Sophie Hocking.
Liskeard opened the scoring and then turned over the Newquay ball through some tough circle defending. Extending to a 3 goal lead the Tigers had control but Newquay were able to pull back through their strong GS. Liskeard led by just one goal at the end of the period.
Encouraged by their first quarter performance, Liskeard wanted to continue controlling the match. Strong defence by Newquay saw the scores draw level but Liskeard upped the pressure.
Smale and Hastings caught the rebounds and turnover ball to securely feed down the court. Possessional play through the mid court from Lemon to Glossop gave the Tigers more chances at goal. With Hoskin shooting at 100% and Hocking helping to create more chances, Liskeard lead 16-12 at half time.
The third quarter started well with Liskeard extending their lead to 6 goals but Newquay meant business and weren’t going to go down easily. A change to their GA, along with the GS having her best quarter of the match, Newquay were soon back in the game. Defensively they restricted Hocking in the circle and fewer goals were being converted. The 6 goal lead was soon forgotten as Newquay started to close the game out and level the scores.
Liskeard were disappointed to have lost their lead but were determined to not throw away the match. Possessional play would again be key as they knew Newquay would pounce on any loose balls. Both teams threw their all into the final 15 minutes; Newquay edged to a two goal lead and the scores matched goal for goal for much of the period. With two minutes to go, and two goals behind, the Tigers pulled together.
A turnover by Hastings was fed swiftly up the court for Hocking to close the score to just one point and then Player of the Match Amie Hoskin scored from Tigers’ final centre pass to give the home side a hard fought and well deserved draw.
The Tigers now need to prepare for another tough fixture, they travel to Truro on Thursday 5th April to face second placed Lastonet.
Pictures by Glen Rogers
TIGERS CONTINUE THEIR WINNING STREAK WITH AN AWAY VICTORY AGAINST ST AGNES
St Agnes 18, LNC Tigers 30
Liskeard Tigers travelled to St Agnes with the hope of continuing their winning streak and keeping their promotional chance alive. After suffering a one goal defeat at the home fixture in December and having never beaten St Agnes before, the Tigers only had one aim for this match.
Without centre Emma Dalton, Julia Eldridge again stepped up to fill the position, with a starting line-up of GK Lucy Smale, GD Vicki Hastings, WD Holly Lemon, C Julia Eldridge, WA Jo Glossop, GA Amie Hoskin, GS Sophie Hocking. Res. Kirstie Chappell, Lauren Finch & Debbie Drinkell
It was a tentative start by both teams but St Agnes opened the scoring and both sides began to settle into the game. Liskeard’s shooters struggled to find their feet against the strong St Agnes defence but they worked hard and with GK Lucy Smale and GD Vicki Hastings putting on the pressure at other end, Liskeard managed to edge out a small lead to finish the period 5-7.
Coach Britz needed to calm his rattled side and he encouraged them to play their slow, rehearsed game. Again St Agnes opened the scoring from a Liskeard centre pass but the Tigers fought hard. Smale and Hastings stuck tightly to their players and with some great interceptions from WD Holly Lemon the ball found the St Agnes circle just 3 times the entire quarter. Turnover balls were fed swiftly down the court and with GS Sophie Hocking getting her eye in she kept the team in front. Great circle play by C Julia Eldridge and WA Julia Glossop, with GA Amie Hoskin continuing the movement, Hocking was able to line up for some great opportunities and Liskeard won the quarter 9 - 3, ending the half with an 8 goal lead.
Liskeard continued to dominate in the 3rd with both Hocking and Hoskin finding their stride and working the circle well to extend the Tigers lead. Lemon and Hastings backed up play in the mid-court ensuring that Liskeard could maintain possession and with another solid performance in defence, St Agnes were again only able to add 3 to their score, compared to The Tigers’ 10.
Going into the final period 26-11 in front, Liskeard knew the long awaited win was all but theirs. Kirstie Chappell replaced Hocking at GS but St Agnes also made some key changes and came out fighting, determined to claw back the defecit. Liskeard struggled to get the ball anywhere near their shooting circle, whilst St Agnes threw everything at the game, intercepting any loose passes and feeding the ball down the court. Knocks to Hastings, Eldridge and Smale unsettled the defence but fortunately the side had already done enough and despite Aggie winning the final period, the Tigers took the match 30 - 18.
Lucy Smale was awarded Player of the Match by Britz for her persistence and hard work in defence.
COUGARS WORK HARD TO SECURE HOME WIN AGAINST STORM
LNC COUGARS 38, STORM [4] 32
Starting Line up: GK Lynn Webb, GD Debbie Drinkell, WD Louise Piner, C Siobhan Howe, WA Kerry Elliott, GA Emma Thomas, GS Vicky Ford. Res. Rachael Congdon, Amelia Bridges & Kirstie Chappell
Having narrowly lost their opening game to Storm 4, Cougars knew it would be a competitive encounter. After a nervy opening 5 minutes Storm pulled ahead capitalising on some Cougar handling errors. The home side settled toward the end of the quarter though and pulled the deficit back to within 2 goals to trail 6 - 8.
Rachael Congdon came on at GD at the start of the second period. Cougars upped their game but were matched by a determined Storm. It went goal for goal for most of the period but thanks to some superb long shots from GS Vicky Ford finding the net, Cougars won the quarter 10 - 7 to lead by 1 goal at half time.
Coach Rudi Britz was keen for the players to maintain their momentum going into the 3rd quarter and brought Kirstie Chappell on at GS and Amelia Bridges to GD. Cougars were quick to settle and WA Kerry Elliot and C Siobhan Howe worked around the circle with class feeding in quality balls to the two Cougar Shooters. It was Cougars’ best period of play with some excellent defending by WD Louise Piner cutting off the supply of balls into the Storm Goal third. Bridges and GK Debbie Drinkell reduced the visitors shooting options and the whole team worked hard to progress the ball up the court. Cougars won the quarter 12 - 6, giving them a 7 goal lead going into the last.
Lynn Webb came on at GK for the start of the final quarter and as expected Storm came out determined to claw back the deficit, challenging for every ball. The visitors pegged the lead back to 3 goals but GA Emma Thomas and GS Chappell kept their nerve and Cougars were able to close out the game winners at 38 – 32.
Britz was delighted with his team’s performance against a quality opposition, congratulating them for working hard at the set plays practised in training and awarding Player of the Match to Emma Thomas.
Pictures by Glen Rogers
TIGERS GET THEIR SECOND WIN OF THE WEEK AT HOME TO SAINTS
LNC Tigers 47, Saints [4] 27
Liskeard Tigers welcomed Saints 4th string to Lux Park for their second fixture of the week. The team were hoping to continue their winning streak but were aware that the young side could cause them a few problems.
Saints opened the scoring going two goals in front before Liskeard started to pull it back. Both teams matched goal for goal for much of the period before Liskeard found their stride and started to dominate. GD Vicki Hastings marked tightly to ensure the GA had just two attempts at goal which meant more opportunities for the Tiger shooters. Good circle play by GA Amie Hoskin and GS Sophie Hocking kept the Tigers in front, winning the quarter 11-7.
The strong Tigers side were somewhat flustered by their youthful opposition and needed to slow the match down in order to play their own game. An injury to Centre Emma Dalton at the start of the second period unsettled the side further, but they knew Julia Eldridge was able to step up to the task. Both WA Jo Glossop and Eldridge supported the shooters, and backed up by WD Holly Lemon, they kept possession and worked the ball into the circle. A flurry of shots from both shooters gave the side a 6 goal lead early on and with Hastings picking off all loose passes, the Tigers finished 10 goals in front.
The 3rd quarter was much stronger by Saints. They weren’t fazed by the Tigers and tried to disrupt the play throughout the court. GK Lucy Smale and Hastings defended strongly but the well-drilled shooters worked for the better chance at goal. Despite how well Liskeard have played of late, they struggled to focus on their game and found themselves chasing the ball. The sides drew the quarter 10 goals each.
Lauren Finch replaced Lemon for the final period and even with a 10 goal cushion the match felt it could still go either way. But Liskeard were ready to prove themselves and had a fantastic final period. More shooting chances and conversions kept Liskeard in the lead and possessional play throughout the court ensured Saints couldn’t take the quick turnover. Hastings all but eliminated the GA out of the game, just one attempt for the period, whilst Smale battled hard with the GS to force the long shots. A much better quarter by the team, with 4 goals on the bounce in the dying minutes, meant that Liskeard won the match 47-27.
Captain Lemon was pleased overall. “It was a much tougher match than we expected and felt a lot tighter than the final score suggests, so all credit to Saints for putting us under pressure. However, we stuck to our plan, and despite some scrappy moments I am pleased with the win.
Amie had a great game, again shooting at neary 80%, and Vicki displayed some fantastic defending, working hard to eliminate her player and deservedly being awarded Player of the Match.”