After the glowing success of a Lancaster whitewash in last years Roses, an enthusiastic away side looked to repeat the triumphs of the past year and cement their dominance over their York rivals. Certainly they lived up to such expectations; from the first to last whistle they exhibited fierce and fast play, demonstrating excellent shooting, superb court movement and unrelenting spirit to once again demolish York.
Indeed, from her first magnificent shot to her last, Goal Shooter Katie Adam was on fire, missing only two goals throughout the game. Aided by sharp passes and excellent movement around the circle from both centre court players, who seamlessly delivered the ball to the shooter to secure Lancaster’s first goal in under 2 minutes, Adams certainly earned her title as York’s Player of the Match. Whilst the first quarter proved to be the home side’s most fruitful, it was immediately apparent as to which team were superior. With their impeccable marking and swift interceptions, the Red Rose side provoked increasing aggressive- thus inaccurate- play in their opponents, resulting in three consecutive fouls and a corresponding three goals as the quarter drew to a close at a promising 9/6 to Lancaster.
As the game moved in to its second quarter imprecise play continued to blight York’s game which, when coupled with Lancaster’s continued pressure taking the form of outstandingly strong passes, flawless footwork and more excellent shooting- proved fruitful for the away side. In addition to this, highly effective set pieces utilized during centre passes and a number of well timed interceptions allowed Lancaster to continue to dominate, however, as York’s frustration continued to mount their perseverance seemed to pay off. Noticing what was perhaps a moment of complacency from the winning side, York took advantage of a well placed Goal Shooter to secure two goals in quick succession in order to bring the home side limping into double figures, with a solid score of 23/12 to Lancaster.
This momentarily lapse proved to be just that, as the Red Rose girls came back fighting in what was arguably the most exciting quarter of the match. Certainly, the game reached its peak in terms of intensity and skill as Lancaster showed no sign of tiring, executing passes with deadly accuracy and showcasing some of their most ambitious shooting yet. In their marking too, the away side stuck close to their players, intercepting and quickly moving the ball back to their own shooting circle with particularly perceptive interceptions from goal defence Anya Shahanzri.
By the final quarter a Lancaster win seemed inevitable with the away side leading by 12 goals from the outset. Despite their impending victory the Red Roses continued to play with all of their earlier spirit and aggression, continuing to dominate in terms of position and defence, remaining technically brilliant in the face of York’s flagging morale. With a final push, Lancaster cemented their victory with a further 5 goals in as many minutes to bring the final score to a convincing 41/23 win for the Reds. As a delighted Captain Anya Shahnazri put it “it was the best game we’ve ever played”.
