Team Captains Share Insights on Thrilling Netball Matches
The National League continues to deliver exhilarating netball action as Round 2 showcased fierce competition, outstanding teamwork, and promising young talents. Here’s a closer look at the matches and insights from the team captains.
Match 1: Dunedin vs Edinburgh Accies
In a closely contested battle, Edinburgh Accies emerged victorious with a final score of 44-38. Accies’ Captain, Beth Weir, praised her team’s patience and the remarkable performance of their young players,
“I’m a really proud captain today to see some of our young fresh faces take the court in the National League making their debuts at this level.”
Weir adds that her focus before round 3 is on court fundamentals, “we will go back into training this week and focus on that relentlessness through the court and keeping it calm for that full 60.“
Netball Scotland National league Edinburgh Accies © Craig Watson
Dunedin’s Captain, Samantha Alexander, expressed pride in her team’s fighting spirit and highlighted their progress in sustaining pressure for the full 60 minutes. She also recognised the challenge of playing at this level and adapting to umpire decisions.
“I’m really proud of the fight we showed today, last year in National League we struggled but we were able to sustain that pressure today and bring to the court what we have been working on in training.”
“The next round isn’t that far away and it’s not a huge amount of time to fix things but for us we were really proud of what we did today so it’s just about sticking to the good stuff and eliminating our own errors.”
Match 2: Edinburgh Uni vs Glasgow Saltires
Edinburgh Uni dominated the match with a final score of 61-31. Saltires’ Captain, Shaunagh Gilchrist, commended her team’s determination and support for each other. She emphasised the importance of setting individual goals and playing as a cohesive unit.
“We wanted to keep going, keep the goals ticking over and keep trying to turn over balls. I’m happy overall with the performance today and lots to build on going into round 3.”
Netball Scotland National league and Media day
© Craig Watson
Edinburgh Uni’s Captain, Claire Maxwell, was delighted with her team’s performance and highlighted their strong circle defence in the last quarter.
“we had a bit of a slow start and had to adjust, they were playing a strong 2 on 1 in the circle against Georgia [Goddard] but Holly [Turnbull] worked her socks off and was probably my player of the match in terms of what she brought to the game at GA.“
She stressed the need to improve through-court attack and starting strongly in future matches.
“One of our main focuses was our through court attack, we weren’t really clinical in the previous game so this week we did increase it to 65% but we want to push on with that.”
Match 3: Strathclyde Uni vs Bellahouston
Bellahouston secured victory with a final score of 45-31 after a tight initial battle.
Strathclyde Uni’s Captain, Cerys Finn, highlighted the positive aspects of their first-time playing together, especially their impressive defence.
“Our defence was incredibly good today, we turned over so much ball and it was just a shame that we couldn’t always capitalise on that but our shooting end is young and inexperienced so they will grow throughout this competition.”
She acknowledged the need to work on eliminating minor errors in training and into their next match,
“I think our errors were just little things and easy things we can work on so, it’s just taking those learnings back into training and applying them to our next match.”
Bellahouston’s Captain, Rebecca Metcalfe, noted the game’s turning point in the third quarter, attributed to strategic changes and impactful substitutes.
“Initially it was a really tight game, we were going goal for goal, it took until the third quarter for us to open it up and that was down to those players that came on made a real impact.
We managed to open up our attack end and confuse their defence and that was the turning point in the game that got us the win.”
Netball Scotland National league
© Craig Watson
She emphasised their potential to push forward and learn from previous experiences.
As the National League progresses, the competition promises to intensify further. Teams are focused on refining their strategies, strengthening their young talents, and addressing areas for improvement.
League Standings
National League table standings after 2 rounds
Join Us and Show Your Support!
We invite all our members and netball enthusiasts to come out and support their local teams in the upcoming National League matches. Your cheers and encouragement make a significant difference in motivating our players.
Let’s fill the stands with enthusiasm and unity as we witness thrilling netball action together!
Stay tuned for Round 3, where the competition heats up even more. Your presence makes a world of difference to our teams.
National League Round 3 fixtures
