Netball: Jets battle back in front of record crowd

Team Jets 76.7% (43/56)

Sophie Holmes 100% (5/5)

Lynsey Pitman 78.3% (29/37)

Rebecca Forrest 64.2% (9/14)

Telstars 76.7% (43/56)

Scores, Q1: 7-15. Q2: 17-25. Q3: 31-34.

With over 350 supporters packed into Fort Regent to watch the Islanders’ first encounter against mid-table rivals Telstars – and a one-off home appearance for England international Serena Guthrie – late replacement Sophie Holmes sunk the crucial, match-levelling goal with less than ten seconds remaining in a nail-biting second half that was all about damage recovery.

An uncharacteristically slow start left Jets with a problem to overcome. Without Holmes in their starting seven (the shooter replaced 16-year-old player of the match Rebecca Forrest in the final quarter after rushing from the Airport arrivals hall), Linda Andrews’ side appeared sluggish in the opening 15 minutes and struggled to find easy passage through to the shooting circle. Telstars, in contrast, were direct and hustled well in defence to forge an early lead that looked ominous.

P W L D GAv Pts
Tameside 8 8 0 0 1.50 40
Kent County 8 6 2 0 1.18 32
Ryland 8 6 2 0 1.08 32
Worcester Reds 8 5 3 0 0.99 29
Grangetown 8 3 5 0 0.98 21
Premier Romans 8 3 5 0 0.93 21
Telstars 8 2 5 1 0.93 21
Clan 8 3 5 0 0.86 21
Team Jets 8 2 5 1 0.94 20
Thoroughbreds 8 1 7 0 0.75 13

A 10-10 second quarter didn’t help Jets’ cause as much as it might have as passes in the midcourt continued to go astray, but they were somewhat rejuvenated in the third period and a five-goal turnaround – helped by a trio of interceptions for captain Lauren Devine and one each for Josie Le Masurier and Guthrie – put them within striking distance.

With centre Jacy Brown chipping in with interceptions of her own, the hosts pounced with four unanswered goals at the start of the fourth to take the lead for the first time at 35-34. From there you would have backed the Caesareans to stride on and claim the win, but Telstars weren’t done, and they pelted high balls in the general direction of their 6-feet 4-inch-plus replacement-shooter for easy conversions – despite the best efforts of defenders Devine and Le Masurier.

Rebecca Forrest (right) was named Jets' player of the match

As the final claxon neared it was the visitors who looked set to be all-smiles, moving 42-40 ahead before a Brown centre-pass went straight out of play. The ball was quickly retrieved, though, and after pulling back to 43-42 a rushed final attack ended with Holmes finding the net.

‘It was a bit stressful out there, but we pulled it back well and we have to be happy with a draw, because we went down quite heavily in the first half,’ said Guthrie, who admitted slight disappointment at her own performance after replacing Georgia Hickey at wing defence in the second quarter.

‘They came out strong in the first quarter, and I’m not sure we quite expected that, but we knew we had to come out hard in the third quarter and the game turned when we started to challenge more balls and put them away.’

The world-ranked Northern Mystics professional added: ‘It was good fun, I enjoyed getting out there and being able to play with my friends again.’

Head coach Andrews, who praised debutante Forrest, said: ‘It was very nerve-racking. We were a bit hesitant in the first quarter and it just didn’t flow the same as usual, and then when we started to get on top of the game we let ourselves down with silly errors. But it’s a pressure situation, and Telstars played really well. They’ve only lost by small margins this season so we knew it would be tough, and they proved it.’

Defensive duo Lauren Devine (left) and Josie Le Masurier (right) keep tabs with Telstars' shooter Fran Plom

Lauren Devine, Josie Le Masurier, Ebony Troy, Serena Guthrie, Georgia Hickey, Jacy Brown, Jenna Meredith, Abbie Hazley, Rebecca Forrest, Rosie Tonner, Lynsey Pitman, Sophie Holmes.

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