East London Netball beat Kent 35-26 at Sportsdock on Wednesday to keep their chances of winning the BUCS South Eastern Tier 8 league alive.
East London knew a loss would have a profound effect on their chances of winning their division, but cheered on by the youthful and excited crowd, organised by the East London Sport ‘For Your Future’ initiative, the team pulled away in the second half to take the victory.
East London now sit second in the table, three points behind Kent but with a game in hand.
Both Sides Proving Their Strength
There was little to separate the two teams in a highly energetic and physical first two quarters. The combination of Wing-Attack, Ellie Eaton and Goal-Shooter, Kim Lawrence proved fruitful in the early exchanges as East London raced into a 4-0 lead.
Kent, however, showed why they are top of the division as they reorganised quickly and began growing into proceedings. An aggressive display saw them score five of the last six points of an abrasive first quarter to narrow the gap to just one point.
The second quarter was an end-to-end affair with neither side able to force a notable advantage. A 14-14 score at half-time possibly flattered Kent who were able to take advantage of some missed opportunities from East London.
Unstoppable Second Half
Whatever captain Imogen Long said at half-time had a profound effect on the team, as the third quarter WAs when East London began to look a class above their opponents.
Long and Eaton provided the platform for East London to create opportunities with quick incisive passing, persistent intercepting, and Goal-Attack Claudia Mayisokele bared the fruits of their labour. Kirsty Nicholson, Teniesha Garner, and Princess Adeosun were all dominant in defence as East London opened up an unassailable eight-point lead after the third quarter.
Wary of a Kent comeback, East London were as persistent and tenacious in the fourth quarter as they were in the first as Kent began to look increasingly tired, and after some more fine finishing from the returning Lawrence, Kent were well beaten.
Big Visions For End Of Season
Long was delighted with her teams performance describing it as “by far our best of the season, so far.
“We all played really well individually, and as a team as well. That’s the best we have played as a team.
“The plan is to win the league, now. At the beginning of the year, it was to be the Most Improved Club, but we’ve seen now we can do it [win the league]. That’s our vision.”
