THERE is clear daylight atop Netball South West’s Regional League 1, after Team Jets ran riot en route to a double-header success on the mainland over the weekend.
Serena Kersten’s side have now built an eight-point lead on Hucclecote Comets, with a 67-40 victory over Team Bath A, before a 66-24 rout of Galmington the following day.
The victories mark four straight for the Islanders, who aim to go one step further in their fight for promotion after an agonising defeat in last season’s Premier League 3 promotion play-off final and their head coach feels they “are more ready than ever” for a return to the Premier Leagues.
“They were always a pair of fixtures that I expected us to win,” said Kersten.
“But the manner in which we went about the games, especially against Galmington, was really impressive.
“They are a side at the bottom of the table with very little to lose, so those games can sometimes trip you up when the pressure is off your opponent.”
The former England captain stressed the importance of depth following last season’s play-off defeat and giving all of her squad adequate game time to be ready for when the play-offs roll around this campaign.
She added: “We got 14 girls out on the court across the two fixtures, so it was a real squad effort. When you have to contend with double-headers for a large part of the season, making sure everyone is fresh is vital.
“The depth of the squad is really recognisable and we are able to change personnel without feeling like the performance dips at all.”
Star goal shooter Leah Griffin was injured in the Islanders home game against Poole earlier this month, which dealt a potent Jets attack a massive blow.
However, with Griffin expected to miss more time, Kersten appears to have able replacements in the shape of Lynsey Pitman and Rosie Tonner.
The coach continued: “With Leah missing, we had to play slightly different down the shooting end, but we still have a very powerful attack with Lynsey and Rosie in this past weekend.
“It was great to give Emily Le Gros a chance, who earned her first couple of caps for us. She was excellent against Galmington especially. It is a great environment to come into. The team is improving and it certainly makes life easier for any newcomers to come in and settle within the side.
“We are expecting to find out a little more about the extent of Leah’s injury this week, but we don’t expect her to return to court in the next couple of weeks.”
Co-captain Jacy Brown has proved a key figure in Jets’ side this season, proving vital to her side’s flowing attack.
The centre echoed Kersten’s sentiments with their ability to adapt in attack.
“It was a great weekend with two solid wins,” she said.
“We knew that without Leah in the circle we lost height in attack, but we adapted really well and the attacking unit worked to our strengths, which was moving the ball fast and allowing options to open up in the shooting circle.
“Defensively, pressure was applied early up court and we set up a lot of long ball for our defence to pick off. The defence denied Galmington double figures at the half, which showed how relentless they were.
“Everyone took to the court and did their job well and periods where there is a slight lack of concentration are decreasing with each game.”
Brown was also very complimentary of the débutante Le Gros, adding: “Emily was great, you could tell she was nervous and putting a lot of pressure on herself but as soon as she relaxed and grabbed a couple of goals, she got better and better and offered some solid holds under post.”
Team Jets squad: Jacy Brown (cc), Rosie Tonner (cc), Becca Forrest, Lauren Devine, Kat Le Riche, Layla Dos Santos,Jodie Blampied, Taylor-Mai Dickson, Antonia Chaytor, Lynsey Pitman, Emily Le Gros.
Netball South West – Regional League 1
P W D L + – GA Pts
Team Jets 11 8 2 1 565 433 1.305 47
Hucclecote Comets 10 6 2 2 528 435 1.214 39
Wimborne Aquarians A 10 6 0 4 508 468 1.085 35
Mavericks Eagles 10 5 1 4 461 420 1.098 34
Poole 11 5 1 5 545 567 0.961 33
ENC Equinox 10 4 1 5 414 421 0.983 31
Titans Lightning 11 4 1 6 483 515 0.938 30
Premier Romans A 9 4 0 5 465 437 1.064 28
Team Bath A 10 4 0 6 498 555 0.897 26
Galmington 10 1 0 9 346 562 0.616 11
