11/02/12
The first quarter began well with Gems and Saturn both taking a steady pace due to court/weather conditions. Gems managed to pull slightly ahead by the end of the first quarter. During the second quarter Gems were ready to widen the goal difference after some essential quarter time discussions. Speedy passing from Kelly Radford, linking well with Amy Witcombe enabled gems shooters to have a chance at goal. Once relaxed into the game, Hannah Clapp and Nic Hale made some great shots and Gems increased their lead. Kerry Hobbs worked hard throughout the game to pressure her GA and communicated well with Rachel Lawrence to force errors and gain possession of the ball. The last quarter showed small errors from Gems but they worked extremely hard to support and help each other to end the game winning 39 - 25. The player of the match vote was shared between Amy Witcombe and Danni Keirle.
21/01/12
Hovelands started stongly in the KO cup, forcing Gems to make errors in the early minutes of the game, however, Gems soon found their range and shooters Hannah Clapp and Justine Pearn to them ahead 11 – 8 at the end of the first quarter. Gems maintained the pressure during the second quarter with well timed interceptions from Amy Witcombe helping to keep the ball in Gems’ attacking end and to take the score to 20 – 15 at half time. A fantastic third quarter from all area of the court, saw Gems steam ahead. Great defensive play from Rachel Lawrence and Kerry Hobbs, with little tips and interceptions restricted Hovelands to just 3 goals, whilst Kelly Radford and Amy Witcombe found their shooters with well timed passes into good space. Gems had increased the lead to 36 – 18 going into the final quarter. Continued good team effort, with captain Danni Keirle leading the way with many interceptions, and the whole team pressuring every pass saw Gems move into the semi final with a well deserved 50 – 23 win. Amy Witcombe was voted player of the game.
14/01/12
Gems met Newton from Yeovil on Saturday, with both teams starting strongly with fast play and accurate shooting. Gems consistent play took them into the lead 11 – 8. Continued strong play from Newton disrupted Gems attacking play on occasions, however, well timed interceptions from Danni Keirle at WD and accurate forward passing from Amy Witcombe and Kelly Radford, put Gems in control as they extended their lead to 23 – 18 going into the third quarter. A great third quarter for Gems, saw Shooters Justine Pearn and Hannah Clapp score 18 goals, whilst defenders Rachel Lawrence and Kerry Hobbs restricted Newton to just 2 successful shots, taking Gems’ lead to 41 – 20. The final quarter saw Gems continue with fast and accurate play, and with a great team effort, Gems finished the game 52 – 24 ahead. Player of the match went to Kerry Hobbs
07/01/12
With a great start to the first quarter against Harlequins from Timsbury, Gems played strongly with good passing down the court and into Justine Pearn and Hannah Clapp in the circle. Both players were on great form, and the quarter ended 15 – 14 to Gems. The game progressed with great defence from Rachel Lawrence and Kerry Hobbs, giving restricted opportunity to Harlequins shooters and picking up rebounds well, to help Gems to a 30 – 26 lead. However, fortunes changed during the third quarter, with Harlequins stepping up their game, to which Gems had little reply. A tough 15 minutes of play, where Gems battled hard, but did not get the rewards, allowing Harlequins to move into a 7 goal lead 47 – 40. In the final quarter, Gems found their rhythm again, working strongly as a team and supporting and encouraging each other, they made great use of the well timed interceptions from Amy Witcombe, Kerry Hobbs and Danni Keirle, to move the ball forward. Kelly Radford found the shooters in great spaces, and as the score got closer, the team remained focussed on their task, to bring the score to a breathtaking draw 56 all, in a very fast and well played game. The player of the match vote was shared between shooters Justine Pearn and Hannah Clapp.
17/12/11
Sydenham Netball Clubs first team Gems, defeated their rivals Neptune of Bridgwater Netball Club in their last game of 2011. Both teams started slowly making errors throughout the early stages of the game, but Gems came out on top being slightly ahead at the end of the first quarter. Neptune’s defence were solid and Justine Pearn (GS) and Hannah Clapp (GA) found it difficult to outmanoeuvre them. However, continued hard work and effort from all attacking players, allowed Gems to control the game and for Kelly Radford (WA) and Amy Witcombe (C) to feed accurate passes into the shooters when the opportunities arose. The last quarter saw Gems play a confident game, with all members of the team linking well and playing strongly throughout the court. The defence, Kerry Hobbs (GD), Rachel Lawrence (GK) and Danni Keirle (WD) intercepted many passes into Neptune’s attacking circle allowing Gems to enhance their score and win convincingly 42 - 24. Kelly Radford (WA) received the team player of the match and Amy Witcombe (C) was awarded umpires man of the match.
10/12/11
Strong attacking play from the Babylon players meant that Gems defence had to work extremely hard to win possession in the 1st quarter. Gems managed to hold their own and keep the score even in the 1st quarter which ended 10 – 9 to Babylon. Kelly Radford worked hard at WA to push the ball into the shooting circle finding nice space for Justine Pearn and Hannah Clapp. The 2nd quarter saw gems more settled, Amy Witcombe moved well around the court in her centre position, and found good spaces coming down the court and fed well into the shooters. Accurate shooting helped Gems to move into the lead and lead 20 – 19 at half time. A disappointing start to the third quarter, where Babylon had made some changes, took its toll, and although Gems’ defence fought hard during this quarter, Babylon had retaken the lead to go into the final quarter 33 – 28 ahead. Kerry Hobbs and Rachel Lawrence adapted their play well in the defensive circle, reading their opponents’ quick passes and took advantage of the interceptions, linking well with Danni Keirle who put in a consistently good performance throughout the game. Gems closed the gap by a goal, but lost the fixture 39 – 42. The player of the match vote went to Amy Witcombe.
30/11/11
Gems met Jupiter in a thrilling mid week Cup game. A close first quarter produced great effort from both teams. Gems took an initial lead, but Jupiter soon brought the scores level, and the lead see-sawed between the teams, with Jupiter having a one goal advantage moving into the second quarter. Gems really moved up a gear during this quarter, with excellent work and pressure from defenders Rachel Lawrence and Kerry Hobbs causing Jupiter’s attackers into rushed shots. Gems shooters Nic Hale and Hannah Clapp were on great form and Gems moved into a 22 – 15 lead at half time. An even third quarter as both teams worked the ball well into their respective ends led to an exciting final quarter with Gems ahead by 8 goals. Jupiter’s defence worked hard to keep Gems shooters away from the post, and picked up many missed shots, which they played to great advantage down the court. With Jupiter’s shooters finding better space despite Gems’ defence strong work, Jupiter began to reduce the deficit. However, despite a 13 – 7 final quarter to Jupiter, they just could not quite reach Gems total, who won the game 36 – 34. Gems will now continue in the cup and Jupiter will play in the plate competition. Gems player of the match was shared between Danni Keirle and Rachel Lawrence.
19/11/11
Gems faced a tough and fast game against Galmington’s Trident, who had been playing netball in the Regional league until this season. Gems started off in positive spirit, turning over many of Trident’s centre passes, which enabled them to take an early lead. Amy Witcombe and Kelly Radford fed great balls into shooters Hannah Clapp and Nic Hale, who has been promoted to Gems, and both were on good form. Thoughout the quarters, Gems maintained great stamina, and with well timed interceptions from defenders Kerry Hobbs, Rachel Lawrence and player of the match Danni Keirle, Gems gave Trident a great game, which Trident won 57 – 41.
12/11/11
With four players unavailable for Gems match against local rivals Saturn, four Sapphires’ players rose to the challenge of playing two games. It was a slow start for Gems, who trailed by 10-12 at the end of the first quarter, however, the second quarter saw a more settled team, with more drive and determination. Saturn applied great pressure and at half time, Gems had managed to close the gap to one goal 19-20. The third quarter - often a difficult quarter - saw Gems work really well together, great passing that flowed from Rachel Lawrence at GK through the court to Justine Pearn at GS. Great tips from Amy Witcombe at GD and and the back up of Carly Martin at WD, helped to sway the game in Gems’ favour and they moved into the lead 36 - 27. During the final quarter, the attacking combination, with Katie Ball at C and Danni Keirle WA, worked really well together passing the ball around, coming forward and placing the ball well to the shooters. Accurate shots from both Gemma Thorne GA and player of the match Justine Pearn took Gems to a great win 49-33.
05/11/11
A slow start by Gems meant that local side Jupiter pulled away during the first quarter to lead 15 – 9 at the end of the first quarter. A well matched and more competitive second quarter, with great passing from Amy Witcombe and Katie Ball into the shooters that kept Gems in the game. Accurate shots from Nic Hale and Hannah Clapp, brought Gems into the lead at half time 22 – 20. Every player in Gems defended well, and worked together as a team. Rachel Lawrence and Kerry Hobbs made some vital interceptions and working strongly with Danni Keirle, moved the ball swiftly and accurately towards their attacking players. The final score was a 47 – 40 win for Gems, with a great team effort. Nic Hale received the player of the match and Danni Keirle the umpire vote.
29/10/11
Strong attacking play from the Vivary players meant that Gems’ defence had to work extremely hard to win possesion in the 1st quarter. Great interceptions from Carly Martin and Amy Witcombe in the centre third enabled Gems to get back into the game, however, Vivary held an 18 – 12 lead at the end of the first quarter. The 2nd quarter saw Gems more settled, Danni Keirle worked hard to feed into the circle, but despite accurate shooting from Nicola Hale and Hannah Clapp Vivary extended their lead to 29 – 20 at half time. Gems’ defence fought hard during the 2nd half of the game, great pressure from Karen Lewis, forced errors from the opponents, whilst Kerry Hobbs and Rachel Lawrence worked well together in the defensive circle. Their hard work paid off reducing the deficit to 6 goals as the teams went to the final quarter. Gems started in a most positive way, forcing errors and scoring well from the interceptions, to get within 3 goals of Vivary, however, the team was unable to maintain the pressure to the end of the game. The final score was 43 – 50 to Vivary, with Gems players of the match being Kerry Hobbs, Danni Keirle, Hannah Clapp and Amy Witcombe, proving it was a very good team effort all around.
15/10/11
Gems started strongly against a young Knights team, working together well as a team. Quick and accurate passing between Kelly Radford and Amy Witcombe into the circle, found the shooters in good positions. Both Hannah Clapp and Nic Hale were in good form, and their shots found the net taking Gems to an early 14 – 7 lead. Both ends of the court worked well during the second quarter, with defenders Kerry Hobbs and Rachel Lawrence restricting Knights shooters to just two goals, and with interceptions from Amy Witcombe and Danni Keirle, the ball was overturned giving Gems many opportunities to extend the lead to 32 – 9 at half time. Knights fought back during the second half of the game, but with consistent play from all the Gems players, they won the match 56 – 22. Amy Witcombe was voted player of the match, with Hannah Clapp receiving the umpire’s vote.
01/10/11
After a strong first quarter from shooters Kerry Hobbs and Hannah Clapp, gems held the lead 13 - 9. Paulton fought back in the second quarter, but strong defending from Beth Fella and Rachel Lawrence, meant the game remained close at 22 – 20 to Gems at half time. Team changes due to injury, brought Karen Lewis on at GD, who defended well . Together with consistent play from Danni Keirle, Katie Ball and player of the match Kelly Radford in the final nail biting quarters, Gems deserved the win. 41-40.
24/09/11
Gems had a tough second game of the season against last season’s league winners Hovelands of Galmington, and with several players unavailable, and the added unknown quantity, of playing indoors. Gems made a good start in the first quarter, keeping Hovelands on their toes, with well timed interceptions from Beth Fella and Rachel Lawrence, but Gems trailed 7 – 11 going into the second quarter. The centre court worked hard together, with Carly Martin and Karen Lewis both having played a full game, filling in and supporting Amy Witcombe well at centre. Well placed balls into the circle found Nic Hale – also playing her second game – who had a strong game, keeping Gems in touch throughout. Sue Bushnell replaced injured Beth Fella during the third quarter, and continued to apply pressure on Hovelands, but the Galmington side put their speed and skills into practice to pull away during the second half of the game, despite excellent centre and circle play by Kerry Hobbs who received the umpire vote and Amy Witcombe who received the team player of the match vote. The final score was 46 – 27 to Hovelands, but a well deserved point for Gems.
17/09/11
Gems had a great start to their season, winning their first game in the county’s premier league against opponents Newton from Yeovil. The newly formed team gelled well from the outset with strong passing into the attacking circle from Kelly Radford at WA and Katie Ball filling in at C. Consistent and accurate shooting from Hannah Clapp (GA) and Kerry Hobbs (GS) allowed Gems to lead 9 - 4 at quarter time. Newly promoted Newton fought hard, putting Gems under great pressure causing them to make mistakes in the second and third quarters, however, Gems continued to hold the lead 28 – 25 going into the final quarter. Rain in the last quarter caused both teams to make mistakes but the Gems defence Bath Fella (GD), Rachel Lawrence (GK) and Danni Kierle (WD) came out on top defending well, picking up loose balls and making excellent interceptions in the oppositions goal third. Positive and controlled play from Gems allowed them to secure their first win of the season 35 – 31. A great effort by all, particularly Beth Fella who received both the team and umpires man of the match vote.
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