After their heartbreaking last minute defeat on Saturday, Yorkshire Jets faced the toughest possible test 48 hours later with a Vitality Netball Superleague trip to table-toppers Hertfordshire Mavericks.
It was a game that was always going to be a struggle for the visitors and so it proved as they were beaten by 20 points, 54-34.
The game began badly for Jets with them taking five minutes to get their first points on the board by which time Mavericks had scored seven. Anna Carter’s side, unchanged from Saturday’s fixture, struggled to get the ball to the shooting circle and, when they did, struggled to convert.
15-8 down after the opening quarter, the second 15 minutes began better for Jets but one of the season’s major problems – an inability to score from opportunities – quickly reared its head again and the hosts pulled away. By the half-time buzzer, Mavericks were eleven in front and Jets had a shooting success rate of just 69%.
The second half continued as the first had ended with the hosts looking too strong, too determined and too good under the post to let their lead slip. Jets could only add nine points in the third quarter while Mavericks added 17.
In the final quarter, the contest continued in the same vein though it was a more evenly contested period. It was too late though to make any difference and the game ended in an emphatic win for Mavericks that took them to the outright lead of Superleague. Final score: Hertfordshire Mavericks 54 – Yorkshire Jets 34
There was one positive from the day for Jets – their NPL side, the competition for the best young netballers in the country, beat Mavericks 51-43 in Sheffield making it three wins in three days.
Back in Superleague, Jets now have almost two weeks until their next game when they’re on the road again to take on Celtic Dragons in their penultimate fixture on Saturday 16 April.
Quarterly Scores:
- Q1 – 15-8
- Q2 – 27-16
- Q3 – 44-25
- Q4 – 54-34
Starting 7s:
Yorkshire Jets
- GS – Alex Kirk
- GA – Maria Lutua
- WA – Jess Shaw
- C – Lydia Walker
- WD – Sophie Halpin
- GD – Stacey Francis
- GK – Bea Skingsley
Hertfordshire Mavericks
- GS –Georgina Fisher
- GA – Ella Clark
- WA – Michelle Drayne
- C – Sophie Carter
- WD – Samantha May
- GD – Layla Guscoth
- GK – Lindsay Keable
Report courtesy of the Yorkshire Jets
