England Senior Korfball Squad compete in Belgium
The England senior korfball squad played two matches in Belgium last weekend.
by English Korfball Association
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English Korfball Association
The England senior korfball squad played two matches in Belgium last weekend, winning one and losing one. Cambridge City’s Carla Bennett became the first player from National League Division 1 to play for England, with the rest of the squad playing in either the Premier Division or for Dutch clubs; this is an outstanding achievement for her.
Saturday 3rd February: East Flanders - England : 10-7 (6-4)
England began strong and built up a 4-1 lead, but the loss of Otto Fabius to a twisted ankle had a serious impact on the game. Suddenly the Flanders pressure began to cause problems to get the English attack organised and, from then on, England struggled to score goals. After half-time this did not change, with England defending very well, but struggling in the attack in both sections.
Starting line up:
First Attack: Ross Bower, Dean Woods, Ella Wright, Nsemeke Ukpong
First Defence: Rob Williams (Captain), Otto Fabius, Carla Bennett, Jocelyn Hoffman
Reserves: Davesh Patel, Matt Brooks, Dave Synott, Robbie McDonald, Sarah Jane Hubbard
Sunday 4th February: Antwerp Brabant - England : 11-12 (3-7)
The scoreline gives the impression that is was a close game, but on the pitch it wasn't. England dominated their opponents in every aspect of the game. The scoring problem from Saturday was gone due to a shooting exhibition from Matt Brooks. England kept on going to dominate until and built up a 10-4 lead, but suddenly England stopped playing naturally and it appears that England were afraid of winning the game. Some refereeing decisions went in Antwerp Brabant’s favour to help them reduce the lead. With 7 seconds on the clock Antwerp Brabant scored to bring the final score to 11-12, but England held on.
Starting line up:
First Attack: Davesh Patel, Robbie McDonald, Sarah Jane Hubbard, Ella Wright
First Defence: Dave Synott (captain), Matt Brooks, Carla Bennett, Jocelyn Hoffman
Reserves: Dean Woods, Ross Bower, Rob Williams, Otto Fabius (injured), Nsemeke Ukpong
Due to last minute injuries, squad regulars Karen Sparrow and Al Knight had to withdraw from the squad. Davesh Patel stepped in at the last minute to substitute for Al, for which the England management are very grateful.