As Storm Eunice raged on, Burn FM took to the netball pitch to battle through the conditions in a match against BACAS. The first quarter was a victorious one as newcomer Seth Nobes as Goal Shooter and Saskia Hirst as Goal Attack worked hand in hand to sink ball after ball into the net, resulting in Burn FM finishing three goals up after the first five minutes. The brutal weather meant that each quarter was cut down to five minutes, but Burn did not let this deter them and returned to the court as fierce as ever.
The first half was definitely Burn FMs strongest as Cecilia Lockyer and Sadie Iddenden held firm on the court as Centre and Wing Attack, and worked swiftly to keep the ball safely in Burn’s end. With key member Jasmine Sandhar out for the count due to an inconvenient birthday related event, Evie Carter stepped into the role of Goal Defence and got the ball out of the opposition’s shooting third before they even knew what was happening.
Despite the conditions, which can only be described as arctic, Burn battled on and Nobes and Hirst sank a breezy four goals before the half time whistle was blown. A depleted team and freezing winds meant that bibs and positions were swapped frequently and Centre was played by Lockyer, Maddie Jelley, Ellie Reed, and Ella Kipling, respectively. Defence held firm and Lauren Frewin-Smith was quick on the rebounds, working hard to get the ball back out onto the centre court. Milo Glaister swapped on for the final quarter and proved himself a vital player keeping the ball in the D.
Energy and confidence wavered slightly in the final quarter as Burn battled through the slippery court and clung tightly to the wet ball. However, as expected, the team put in a good shift and held onto their goal advantage, proving once again that Burn is not a team to give up lightly.
Overall, Burn delivered yet another determined and victorious performance, but the magic was undoubtedly made in Burn’s goal quarter as Nobes and Saskia drove forward for every ball, caught those which seemed for certain to be lost causes, and dropped balls through the net with ease. Nobes walked away with a very well-deserved player of the match title. Storm Eunice did not get the better of Burn, and neither did BACAS this Sunday. Currently holding sixth place in the league, Burn are excited to get back out there next week to prove themselves once again.
