At the start of the academic year, East London netball were tiptoeing on a thin sheet of precarious ice.
The previous two seasons reaped just two wins. Back-to-back relegations followed, and the abolishment of a once competitive second team was the inevitable response to a lack of commitment. With this fresh at the forefront of their minds, the returning players were also to arrive back to university to discover they were to compete in the upcoming season without a recognised coach.
Goal Shooter, Kim Lawrence, and Center, Imogen Long were tasked with the unenviable job of turning around the fortunes of a club that for the previous two seasons had felt nothing but pain. The two were installed as co-captains, would run training sessions and try to encourage freshers to join the club.
What proceeded would have exceeded the expectations of everybody associated with the club.
A nervy win over Canterbury in the first game of the season exemplified a clearer attachment to the sport, as well as a mental fortitude perhaps missing in the two previous seasons; qualities that can be explained by the new energy brought to the team by the new additions, described by Long as “keen and excited to play.”
Demons
Having proved to themselves they were capable of competing when not at their best, the demons torturing the club for two years temporarily assuaged.
The next two games showcased a team free from muddled cognition; a formulated plan was coming to fruition. A plan centred around employing the relentless ball retention and passing accuracy of Center/Wing Attack, Ellie Eaton, in order to utilise Lawrence’s unyielding nerve under the net. Two convincing wins against UCL and Imperial meant that East London had three wins in succession – more than they’d managed in the previous two seasons.
Comic-book conventions teach us that the protagonist has to overcome adversity in order to prove to themselves they are worthy, and make no mistake, East London’s season is conveniently similar to the formulaic superhero origin story: the underdog destined for mediocrity, but, nevertheless, has an innate, unparalleled fortitude that when under the toughest scrutiny, does not relent.
When Anglia Ruskin arrived at the Sportsdock, East London were in-form and favourites… Ruskin crushed East London 61-30. This was the moment of adversity; a moment surely filled with self-doubt and insecurities.
‘Raring to go’
However, immediately after the game, Lawrence remained enthusiastic about the rest of the season insisting ‘everyone is still raring to go’ and promised the ‘team will work harder’ now they had lost a game.
Like being splashed by a car driving through a puddle when you are already soaked head to toe by the rain, East London returned to the league a month later having to entertain leaders Canterbury.
Observers would have been forgiven for not being able to tell who the league leaders were as East London combined their impressive mental fortitude with a commendable attacking mentality in their best performance of the season.
Another win followed away to King’s College, which left East London in the promotion places as they prepared for the Christmas break.
However, this was when the wheels loosened and threatened to come off entirely.
New player Eaton got injured over the Christmas break and back-to-back losses in their first two games back represented their poorest form of the season. Bogey team Ruskin once again dismantled East London, but the one-point loss the following week away to Canterbury would have been much more painful having led the game for large parts of it.
Hopes
All of a sudden, East London’s season threatened to peter out; East London would not be relegated again, but their hopes of completing a remarkable turnaround, by securing promotion were dwindling.
Further frustration manifested when the next two games were cancelled, so by the time they hosted King’s College, East London hadn’t tasted victory for nearly three months.
However, the history of comic books intrinsically train us to never write off the protagonist, despite how vulnerable then may seem.
And East London this season were no different to any title character penned by Stan Lee. They won their next three games convincingly, and after beating UCL 40-20 on March 11, were sitting comfortably above Kent in the promotion places.
However, the antagonist – Covid-19 – had other ideas: on the 18thMarch BUCS announced all activity was to be suspended due to the outbreak. Subsequently, they announced ‘promotion and relegation will be applied where possible’ depending on the feedback they receive by the institutions. Next season’s league tables will be announced on April 29th.
Whether or not East London are rightfully granted promotion is almost irrelevant; a club that looked dejected once again has a promising future.
