Prem: Eagles 70 Ryland 41

Sunday 8th January 2023

This weekend Eagles took on Ryland, who had been a challenging match in the earlier stage of the season. It was a great performance from all being the first game back to Prem after the Christmas break.

The first quarter began with a bit of a slow start for the team however, Eagles iconic defensive sister duo, Tori and Katie Fisher were able to turnover ball to regain the lead for Eagles with the help of new addition Izzy Kaye at WD. The remaining time of the first quarter viewers saw some excellent partnership between both attack and defence, connected together by Sophia Shalabi at C, working together seamlessly to finish off the quarter 17-9 to Eagles.

The second quarter saw no changes as the team continued to build on this combination pulling away with a comfortable lead. In this time strong holds and circle rotations worked effectively, enabling the team to deliver the ball into the safe hands of Libby Burgess who shot 93% in this match. Summer Knight’s availability on centre pass was flawless, always providing options and linking the through court successfully. Meanwhile, the defence continued to work tirelessly, turning over ball after ball against Ryland’s strong attacking end. The second quarter ended 34-20.

Third quarter showed the true perseverance of Ryland as they continued to push the Eagles team. Izzy Kaye moved from WD to C and continued to repeatedly intercept what was thought to be unachievable, and the introduction of Charlotte Maxfield in at WD didn’t alter the connections of the defensive unit demonstrating the strength and depth of the squad. In addition to Charlotte Maxfield, Jemma Nightingale came on as WA withholding the strength on centre pass attack and showing some great defensive pressure through court. Later in the quarter, Georgie Maxfield came on as GA switching with Regan Peters, who shot 89% as GA. Georgie added a new dimension to the game, offering flawless feeds to the shooter under pressure. This quarter ended 51-29 to Eagles.

Final quarter saw the team succeed in maintaining their lead and great efforts from all players were displayed. Fantastic partnerships in defence and consistency in attack allowed Eagles to finish the game with a victory (70-41) to add to the table. Opposition’s player of the match went to GS Libby Burgess who was unstoppable in attack, demonstrating fantastic shooting and partnership with her players.

Prem: Leyton 42 Eagles 55

Sunday 11th December 2022

This Sunday saw the Eagles travel away to Leyton. The home side boasted a number of new players since our first meeting and the first quarter was goal for goal. Eagles found it difficult to find turnover in the opening stages, with some short and sharp play from Leyton’s C and WA. 

The second quarter saw a circle defensive circle change for Eagles and injection of Georgie Maxfield in GA, who provided strong punching drives in the attacking end. Complacency with the ball allowed Leyton back into the game and gain a brief lead. Eagles, eager to maintain their winning streak, made some further defensive changes which paired perfectly with attacking duo Jemma nightingale and Summer Knight. Both teams continued to battle hard and the half time score was 25-25. 

Eagles came out fighting in the second half, defensive turnovers lead to some exceptional passages of play with player of the match Libby Burgess being a strong target under the post. 

After a tightly contested and physical 60 minutes of play, the final score was 42-55 to Eagles.

Prem: Premier Romans 42 Eagles 69

Sunday 4th December 2022

The first week of December saw the conclusion of the first half of the season. Eagles travelled away to Premier Romans for a tightly contested match. The Eagles side was somewhat depleted due to NPL franchise commitments and injury therefore Sophia Shalabi, Katie Fisher and Jasmine Nightingale were unavailable for selection. This allowed ample amount of opportunity to test new combinations.

The first half saw a dynamic frontline capitalize on multiple deflections gained by Goal Keeper and Saracens Mavericks defender Tori Fisher. Accurate shooting from all combinations saw a 14 goal lead heading into the break.

The second half started with really strong defensive intent from the Premier Romans. The pressure created in the midcourt generated several turnovers however due to the tenacious efforts of Wing Defense and Captain Charlotte Maxwell, they struggled to capitalize.

The final score was 69-42 to Eagles. With the first half of the season now completed, Eagles remain undefeated and eager to continue their form leading into the second half.

Player of the match - Charlotte Maxwell.

Prem: Eagles 70 BSV Billericay 40

Sunday 27th November 2022

Eagles played BSV Billericay today who were 5th in the league, so they knew they would have to come out with a flying start to keep the consistency of their winning streak.

Eagles worked hard in the first quarter with a solid squad performance with some very slick passing from Tori, Leah and Charlotte and some great feeds from Sophia and Summer to get the ball into the shooting circle, where both the shooters, Libby and Regan maximised the opportunities and they ended the quarter 11 goals up.

In the 2nd quarter Jas came on with some fire in her belly and contested every opposition’s attacking play to get some turnovers. BSV Billericay fought back at us, making the quarter result a lot tighter with Eagles winning the quarter with a further two goals ahead making the score 37-24.

The third quarter saw a slight change to the defensive line-up with Katie moving into the GK position. The switch up saw the defence capitalise on interceptions leaving BSV Billericay struggling to adapt quick enough to these changes. Eagles started to turn the ball over quickly to stop BSV Billericay from feeding their accurate shooter so effectively. Eagles really managed to push on in this quarter with the introduction to Jem and Georgie and some amazing play from all ends of the court. The score being 56-29.

In the last quarter Eagles knew that all they had to do was maintain their lead and look after the ball. The whole squad showed some strong, confident, and accurate passages of play and worked hard to maintain goals from their centre passes, which is what they had been working on at training.

Well done to BSV Billericay for a very competitive game and a big thank you to our coaches and supporters for cheering us on and being the 8th player and for the umpires and technical table for doing a great job to help the game run so smoothly.

POM Eagles Regan Peters

POM BSV Billericay Megan McMahon

Prem: Norfolk United 37 Eagles 68

Sunday 13 November 2022

Eagles played Norfolk United which meant that is was the first of an overnight trip for the team. It was a top of the table clash with both teams coming with missing players.

The game started off goal for goal, with a few passing errors happening from both teams. But WA, Summer Knight, opened up our GS, Libby Burgess, with some confident long bombs and the defence trio of Charlotte Maxfield and Tori and Katie Fisher executed a dominant unit at the back. The first quarter ended 16-10.

The same effort was repeated at half time with Norfolk making five changes halfway through the second quarter with their defensive unit taking over in the shooting circle. The second quarter ended 33-17 to Eagles.

The third quarter saw a change with Georgie Maxfield coming on as WA and Eagles’s newest member, Izzy Kaye, entered the game half way through the 3rd quarter at WD. Both players slotted in with ease and the team continued their strong run.

The game eventually finished 68-37. Special shout-out to Norfolk for their excellent match teas. Thank you for hosting and see you next time. An amazing performance from Regan Peters the player of the match

Prem: TFC Leicester 44 Eagles 59

Sunday 06 November 2022

In the 5th round of premier 3 league, Eagles travelled to Loughborough to face TFC Leicester. Eagles started strong in the first quarter with Sophia Shalabi and Summer Knight taking the ball quickly through court and delivering well-timed and accurate feeds into the circle. Whilst at the other end, the defensive duo of Leah Middleton and Tori Fisher hassled the TFC attackers well, leading to a 17-8 lead for Eagles at the end of Q1.

There were no changes to the Eagles team at the start of quarter 2. TFC had settled into the game during this quarter, looking more confident and putting the pressure on Eagles throughout the court. Katie Fisher came on at GD and the first half finished with a score of 33-22 to Eagles.

Q3 saw fresh legs in the center court, with Jemma Nightingale on at WA and Jasmine Nightingale at WD. The increased speed in centre court helped Regan Peters and Libby Burgess to capitalize with consistent shooting. Georgie Maxfield took to court at GA in Q3 ending with the score of 51-32.

Eagles’ intensity dropped slightly in the last 15 minutes with TFC challenging them on their errors and winning the final quarter. The game ended with a final score of 59-44 to Eagles. Libby Burgess was Eagles’ player of the match and TFC’s player of the match was Meg Perry.

Prem: Eagles 68 Trafford 42

Sunday 30 October 2022

Eagles played host to Trafford, seeking to maintain their 100% winning record in Prem 3.

The game started well for Trafford as they raced into a 5-1 lead. Eagles, however, restored order by some fast and slick passing through the midcourt driven by the Nightingale twins and excellent defensive pressure by Leah Middleton, Charlotte Maxfield and Tori Fisher. This resulted in Eagles taking the quarter 19-13.

Eagles continued to keep the scoreboard ticking over in the 2nd quarter with accurate shooting from Regan Peters and Libby Burgess.

It seemed that Eagles would run away with the match in Q3, when Sophia Shalabi entered as centre, Summer Knight as WA and Katie Fisher as WD, resulting in several effective turnovers and Eagles stretching their lead to 53-27. Summer demonstrated her long passing skills to great effect during the quarter.

In the 4th quarter Georgie Maxfield supported the Eagles attack with incisive feeds into the shooting circle. Eagles GS left the court with an injury to the face and was replaced by Leah Middleton moving from GK - a task she accomplished with aplomb, scoring 3 out of 3! A late charge from Trafford, however, meant that the quarter was drawn 15-15. But Eagles had already done the damage and took the win 68-42.

Player of the match went to Jasmine Nightingale for a stellar performance as centre in the first two quarters.

Prem: Northants Storm 42 Eagles 61

Sunday 23 October 2022

Looking to hold on to their winning streak Eagles travelled up to Northampton where they face Northants Storm in their fourth game of the season. Eagles were coming into the game undefeated, so stakes were high. The game started well contested going goal for goal for the first quarter with some good patient play from the midcourt opening up the circle in attack.

Going into the second quarter eagles were 1 goal up. The second quarter saw the introduction of Katie fisher at GD, and the spirits of the team lifted. Defensive pressure through court was amazing forcing balls off court and great interceptions from Leah Middleton and Charlotte Maxfield alongside this was some quick midcourt transition and accurate shooting from Libby Burgess. Which had eagles 9 goals up going into half time.

The girls then carried their drive into the third quarter where the intensity picked up and they extended their lead to 45:33. The intensity carried on and Eagles continued to turnover and convert ball to extend their lead. Eagles ended up coming away with a 61:42 win. Player of the match went to Regan Peters for her consistent shooting and calmness under pressure in the circle.

Prem: Eagles 57 Thoroughbreds 30

Sunday 16 October 2022

Eagles went on court on the 3rd prem match, facing Thoroughbreds, who had previously played in 2 very close matches against the other newly promoted teams. Eagles started the match very strongly, with many passes being turned over in the centre court. The contesting in Eagles shooting circle didn’t put off the shooting duo of Regan Peters at GA and Libby Burgess at GS. From Thoroughbreds centre, Eagles defense put up a impenetrable wall, making it difficult for Thoroughbreds to get feeds into their shooting circle. With 2 and a half minutes to go, Eagles had a 14-0 lead before Thoroughbreds scored their first goal. The first quarter ended with an impressive score of 17-4.

We entered the 2nd quarter, with a change of the Nightingale twins, Jas and Jemma, coming on at C and WA. Both were working well with Charlotte Maxfield, with all 3 making strong drives through court to deliver the ball to the attack. With the Thoroughbreds doing a defensive double on Libby Burgess, Regan Peters worked hard to feed and shoot with her iconic long bombs. Thoroughbreds were now settling to play their game, finishing with a quarter score of 16-10, and a collective score of 33-14.

To start the 3rd quarter, we saw Summer Knight coming on at WA, the introduction of Katie Fisher to GD, and Surrey Storm Superleague player Leah Middleton being moved to GK. Her 3 foot mark and impeccable timing of her jump meant Eagles defense were turning over lots of ball. Coming back from a quarter off, Sophia Shalabi was quick at picking up loose balls, with beautiful feeds into the circle. The 3rd quarter ended with a score of 45-23 to Eagles.

Beginning the last quarter, Eagles were keen to finish off on a high. There was a swap of positions for Katie Fisher and Leah Middleton, and Georgie Maxfield was put on at WA. Eagles squad fitness and resilience saw them finish the match with a score of 57-30.

A big shoutout to Charlotte Simpson for her incredible commentary on the livestream, and congratulations to Regan Peters for getting Player of the Match.

Prem: Ryland 36 Eagles 57

Sunday 2 October 2022

Eagles faced their first away game against Ryland, one of our more local opponents, at Bromsgrove School. Off the back of last weeks win, we were on a high and ready to go with the starting seven lineup including the introduction of Surrey Storm’s Leah Middleton who made her Prem debut.

The game started well contested, goal for goal at either end with Eagles starting to pull away with a few turnovers in Ryland’s shooting circle which Eagles converted. We continued to build and finished the quarter with a strong 14-5.

Second quarter saw the introduction of Katie Fisher at GD and Leah move back to GK. We started the quarter strong but Rylands defensive shakeup and our complacency saw the game fall static and Ryland win the quarter by 1 goal so Eagles’ early lead was maintained.

The second half saw the introduction of Summer Knight and a defensive restructure to combat Ryland’s quick attack after their attacking changes made some disturbance. We found our second wind, the intensity picked up and we pulled away to have a strong quarter with some amazing mid court intercepts from Sophia Shalabi, finishing 42-28.

A confident start to the last quarter with the defence duo of Tori Fisher and Leah finding the ball left, right and centre. We continue to solidify our spot in the Prem League with a 57-36 win and player of the match was Libby Burgess for her consistent shooting.

Prem: Eagles 56 Leyton 30

Sunday 25th September 2022

Great match to start the season we started off a little slow with the start of the quarter playing a little frantic but towards the end of the quarter we began to settle. With the first quarter ending 14-9.

Feeling confident going into the next quarter after making a few changes in players with the twins Jemma and Jasmine Nightingale making a dynamic difference that worked great leaving us with a 13 goal lead at half time.

Second half became far more physical with players having to dig deep although we continued to maintain and gain lead as the physicality increased. Our defensive combo in the circle both being sisters Katie and Tori Fisher worked as a great unit and created a hard defence for the shooters. We took on a caution which meant we needed to change and adapt our game. Our youngest players of the team Regan Peters and Sophia Shalabi being only 16 stepped up meeting the physicality of the game making a major impact on the team.

The final quarter was a strong finish from both teams always pushing till the end with a final score of 56-30.

Eagles U16 v Thunderbirds

Tight game and we left it very late…
Thunderbirds 36 - 40 Eagles
26 January 2020

The girls got off to an impossibly slow start against a much improved Thunderbirds side. Sloppy passing, poor ball placement, silly errors were really the story throughout the first 2 quarters. Some flashes of the Eagles side which has competed well so far in this U16 league with strong diagonal runs from Georgia, Helena and Izzy, these 3 linking up well to get the ball into Grace who is shooting well. All the girls are displaying great skills and making silly mistakes, handing turnover after turnover to Thunderbirds who don’t hesitate to capitalise. With 2 quarters played Eagles trail 20-13, a big gap for them to pull back in.

So tough talk at half time and you can see on the girls faces they know they can do better. A tight huddle by the girls before they step back on court; support, teamwork, willing each other on…and it makes all the difference.

3rd quarter starts well; more aggression, fewer errors, the girls look like they want to play. Some great defending by Nya and Georgia give us the turnover and we score, then another straight from our centre…the gaps narrowing. Keira’s back doing her salmon impression, disrupting and intercepting. Grace and Sophie are getting well served by izzy and Helena and are both shooting well. Eagles are within 2 going into the final 15 minutes 29 - 27…

Both teams want to win this and our Eagles come out fast, fighting for every ball. A long range shot from Grace finally puts Eagles in the lead for the first time in the match with just 5 minutes to go. Nya, Georgia and Keira are defending furiously holding Thunderbirds to just 7 goals in the final quarter. Whilst Helena and Izzy are storming down the court linking up with Sophie and Grace who score 13 to extend the Eagles lead and the girls hang on for the win 36 - 40.

Player of the match for Eagles goes to Keira, well deserved.

The end result? Hppy Girls, proud Coach and some very smelly feet!!!

Eagles U16 v Finch Green

Spirits were high and the Eagles girls were eager for a win after a close game the last time they played Finch Green. A close, nail biting intense match.  Eagles fought hard.

Finch Green 33 – 24 Eagles
12 January 2020
Wellington College 

Q1 – Eagles took a few minutes to get into their stride but it wasn’t long before they found their rhythm and there was some great passing from Helena to Izzy to Lottie and to Grace who produced some great shooting.  Finch produced some great defence but Eagles put on the pressure and managed to drive the ball down the court into the D.  A great intercept from Kiera turned the ball around and produced another goal from Lottie.  However Eagles had a couple of penalties due to being too close to Finch players and Finch were then able to get the ball to their end finishing the first quarter 9 - 7 to Finch.

Q2 – There were no position changes going into the second quarter.  Eagles got off to a great start with a quick interception from Georgia, fast play from Helena to Izzy to Lottie and into the D and a great goal from Grace.  Followed by further great interceptions from Kiera and Lottie which resulted in 2 more goals.  Eagles managed to get the ball down the court but Finch’s defence was good and this proved difficult for Eagles to get it to the shooters.   Finch really put on the pressure and pulled forward with a quick succession of goals but Eagles didn’t let up and there was great defending from Nya and Georgia when the ball reached Finch’s end.  There were a few silly mistakes and Eagles made it hard for themselves.  End of second quarter Finch 16 – 13 Eagles

Q3 – Eagles came into this quarter fighting.  There were a couple of changes Lottie to WA, Izzy to C and Sophie GA.  To start there was some great fluid, precise play from Izzy to Lottie to Sophie and a goal from Grace.  Eagles kept up the pressure as Finch attacked strongly but with an interception from Kiera managed to get the ball back to the Eagles end and a great goal from Sophie.  Eagles found their feet and produced some excellent play with quick, sure passes down the court scoring 4 goals in quick succession, drawing 3rd quarter 22 – 22.  Hopes were high as Eagles had managed to push forward!

Q4 – A couple of changes with Helena back as C, Izzy back as WA.  This time Finch came into the quarter fighting and it was a quick start with Finch attacking hard and scoring 3 quick goals.  Tiredness and fatigue was showing on the Eagles side, with not as many subs as the Finch team, this caused some mistakes in ball placement and some high passing from Eagles enabled Finch to intercept and get the ball into their net.  Finch defended well and this made it difficult for Eagles to find players to pass to.  However, Eagles didn’t give up with Nya, Georgia and Kiera defending well and managing some great intercepts.  Eagles persevere but they really have to work hard to get the ball to the shooters and keep the pressure on but Finch manage to score 11 goals this quarter and Eagles 2 ending the quarter Finch 33 – 24 Eagles.

 All girls played an excellent game with confidence, great team work and perseverance.  Player of the match went to Georgia.

Eagles U16 v Newbury

A great contest and hard fought game. Newbury were tough competition but Eagles held their own.
Eagles 43 - 52 Newbury
Sunday 15th December 2019 
St George’s School Ascot

Q1 Eagles were quick to find their stride and once the first goal had been given away they soon begun to apply pressure at the centre pass with good defence from Georgia, Keira and Nya winning back the ball.
There were some great interceptions from Izzy feeding into the D leading to some strong shooting from Grace and then Sophie. 
There were some missed rebound opportunities and Eagles knew stronger passes were required.
Keira continued to provide strong interceptions leading to some positive drives down the court with some good movement from Sophie leading to further strong shooting from Grace.
It felt like Eagles were beginning to warm up.
Q1 Score: 8-16 Newbury 

Q2 Eagles had definitely found their feet for and Q2 proved to be their strongest.
Eagles applied plenty of pressure forcing errors from Newbury, with some great centre passes from Amelia driving the ball into the D and providing plenty of shooting opportunities for Grace and Sophie.
On the defence Nya and Keira provided more brilliant interceptions with strong feeding up court from Georgia. 
The quarter was feisty and combative with a few impressive falls and a dramatic toss up pushing the ball back into Eagles advantage.
The game certainly was gaining pace with a strong performance from Eagles 
Q2 Score: 20-25 Newbury. ( 12-9 to Eagles)

Q3 A strong start for Q3 with excellent centre passes from Helena being picked up by Keira with further interceptions. Good placement from Izzy and Lottie resulting in some easy goals for Grace and Lottie.
Unfortunately there were some careless passes losing the centre pass advantage and Newbury started pulling away driving their ball back to the D to score further goals. Newbury’s height advantage was apparent this quarter and Eagles missed opportunities to win the ball back in the D.
Q3 Score: 30-41 Newbury

Q4 Was a tight contest with good ball placement from Georgia driving goals. A careless launch ended surprisingly well for Eagles. 
Pressure continued on the centre pass and Helena drove the ball well but a few foot work errors were made and Eagles lost a few good opportunities to shoot.
Despite some great effort from Nya, Georgia and Keira in defence and some strong shooting Eagles struggled to narrow Newbury’s lead.
A fantastic battle and great end to the term for Eagles. A match they should be proud of.
Final score:  42-53 to Newbury

Congratulations to Keira for player of the match

Newbury’s player of the match was awarded to their Centre 

Post match comments:
Nice and controlled match
Good interceptions
Winning the second quarter!
Good contest and hard fought game.

Eagles U16 v Wokingham Red

On paper this was always going to be a tough match…this did not deter our girls…
Eagles 29 – 37 Wokingham Red
08 December Wellington College

On paper this was always going to be a tough match.  Wokingham Red were above us in the league and we were going into the match with no subs!  This did not deter our girls though and they went into the match determined to do their best and go for the win.

 Q1 - A great start from Eagles saw them applying pressure to Wokingham and forcing a held ball.  The girls made the most of this to score their first goal.  A second quickly followed despite some wild passing causing Wokingham to turn the ball over but strong defence from Nya and Georgia stopped them scoring and the ball was quickly down the court for Grace to score again.  It was clear from the off that this was going to be a fast paced game, with intercepts galore on both sides.   Every ball was hard fought for and with some strong defence on both sides the score was 7-5 to Eagles at the end of the first quarter.

Q2 - Wokingham came out strong in the second quarter scoring straight away.  It was turning out to be a very physical game and our girls were having to work hard to hold their ground.  A couple of unfortunate calls against us did not help but the girls kept working and their efforts paid off.  A great intercept by Keira led swiftly to Helena and Izzy to pass into the circle where some lovely movement within the circle by Lottie and Grace made space for them to score.   Wokingham were fighting back hard but the girls continued to hold their own and the quarter ended 17-16 to Eagles.

Q3 - With no subs and the game being played at a frantic pace the girls really had to dig deep in the third quarter.   Wokingham had really stepped up their game and some fantastic long passes into the circle were allowing them to build their score.  With our girls under pressure some sloppy passing and poor footwork crept in at times making their challenge even harder and, at times, undoing the good work they had done to turn the ball over.   A little bit of tiredness seemed to creep in and balls were not being passed as fast and as high as they should be allowing Wokingham to take the lead.  At the end of the quarter the score read 21–25 to Wokingham.

Q4 - The last quarter and our girls came out fighting scoring straight from the centre pass.  The girls appeared to have become more accustomed to Wokingham’s dummy throw tactic and were intercepting well.   Fantastic defence in our circle was making it harder for Wokingham to score and forcing them to make errors.   Helena, Izzy and Keira continued to work hard to get the ball down the court for Lottie and Grace to score.    The girls were clearly tired but determined to keep going.  The match ended 29 - 37 to Wokingham and our girls can be really proud of themselves.  They never gave up against some really tough, and at times very physical, opposition.  For most of the match they more than held their own.  Watch out Wokingham next time we meet!

A big thank you to Tina for stepping in and umpiring at the last minute.  Your wonderful coaching and words of wisdom on the sideline throughout the game were much missed.

And a big well done to Georgia for getting Player of the Match.

Eagles U16 V Thunderbirds 8

Our Best Result of the Season So Far….
Eagles 60 – 16 Thunderbirds 8
24 November Wellington College

Q1 - An intercept by Keira straight off the first centre pass of the match leads to our first goal and we are off.  A second quickly follows with some great passing down the court from Amelie to Izzy and into the circle for Grace to score again. The girls are fighting for every ball applying great pressure to the opposition. Nya, Georgia and Keira are really strong in defence, continually turning the ball over and sending it back down the court.   Some great movement in the circle by Sophie and Grace to get the balls means the goals keep coming and at the end of the quarter Eagles are 13-3 up.

Q2 - Lottie replaces Grace at GS and Helena replaces Amelie at Centre.
The girls again get off to a flying start with a goal from Lottie in the first 30 seconds of the quarter. Some silly mistakes and off sides mean at times the girls are making it harder for themselves than they need to but they continue fighting and the goals come again after a 5 minute baron patch.  Nya and Georgia, now aided by Helena, continue with some impressive interceptions in defence to prevent Thunderbirds from scoring and the girls work hard to make the most of the opportunities.  Lottie and Sophie work well together in the circle and despite some tight defence by Thunderbird’s GK and GD continue to score.  The quarter ends 25-6 to Eagles.

Q3 - Lottie moves to GA and Grace comes back on at GS.  Amelie comes back on at C and Helena moves to WD.
Some lovely fluid play off the first centre pass of the quarter sees the ball go straight down the court from Amelie to Izzy and into Grace to score.  A quick turnover of the ball and the girls score again.  Defence continues to be strong with all the team fighting for every ball and getting the intercepts, as a result the goals are mounting with Thunderbirds struggling to score for the first half of the quarter. The girls are making good use of all the court to change the direction of play and some great ball placement by Izzy and Amelie into the circle and lovely holding of positions by Lottie and Grace in the D, all result in more goals.  A superb flying intercept by Nya results in another goal and Eagles have their strongest quarter yet ending 44-10.

Q4 - Lottie moves to WA. Keira comes back on at GD and Sophie at GA.
Once again Eagles score straight from the off with a lovely goal by Sophie.  The girls have lost some of their focus though and are making hard work of things with some scrappy play and careless passing.  Keira and Nya work hard in the circle making Thunderbirds work hard for their first goal of the quarter.  A lovely intercept from Keira off Thunderbirds centre pass is wasted and the girls have to work to win the ball back.  This seems to focus minds and once again they are back on track with two quick goals in succession.  Continued pressure from all the girls and a return to some of the fluid play seen in previous quarters means the score begins to build again with Eagles looking to surpass their 52 of last week.  All the girls continue fighting to the end, some great intercepts by Helena in the last few minutes gets the ball back down our end for the girls to keep scoring.  
Final result Eagles 60 - 16 Thunderbirds

Our best result yet this season with every single member of the team working hard to secure the win. Keira is named Player of the Match.

Eagles U16 v Wokingham Blue

Very confident and exciting game which saw Eagles soaring to take the win.
Eagles 52 – 24 Wokingham Blue
Luckley House School

Q1) A very exciting and fast paced start to the first quarter. Great intercepts and play from the back leads to our first goal from Grace. Nya gets the rebound which leads to another goal from Grace in short succession. Eagles, applying pressure, they were focused with lots of great passes and finding space with a super, intercept from Lottie. A little bit of a wobble in the D leads to Wokingham Blue getting their first goal to bring the score to 9-1 mid way through the first quarter. Great defending, driving of the ball and super intercepts from Georgia, Nya, Keira and Amelia leads to many more goals in quick progression. Wokingham Blue’s C, W/A and GD put up a fight which leads to another goal from them but, we soon get another from Lottie resulting from great play between Amelia and Izzy. Score at the end of Q1: 19 – 6 to Eagles.

Q2) Wokingham Blue came back fighting which saw them getting the first goal this quarter and another soon after. Eagles refocus and we see an excellent play from Helena that leads to a goal from Grace; a brilliant pass from Keira leads to yet another. Wokingham Blue keep up the pressure- it seems to be working as we couldn’t quite get the right pass at times. Great defending holds wokingham score down and great balls in from Izzy bring a flurry f late goals and sees us finish Q2: 29 – 14 to Eagles. 

Q3) A great start to this quarter with great defending and passing, leading to a great goal from Sophie and then another very quickly from Grace. Seems like it may be a tough quarter with Eagles making a few bad decisions but, they soon bring it back with fantastic blocks from Keira. With Helena switching from C to WA, brings some excellent passes and great decisions. Wokingham Blue’s defence is strong and leads to a goal from them. A difficult quarter with both sides putting up a fight. The slippery floor was testing for the girls. The quarter ends 42 – 19 to Eagles.

Q4) A bit of an unsteady start from the girls but, fantastic defensive teamwork from Georgia, Keira and Nya that helped drive the ball up court leading to more outstanding goals. Eagles’ defence stop Wokingham Blue from scoring. Tiredness is evident which leads to a few Wokingham Blue goals but, the Eagles keep powering through. Some great intercepts from Izzy, Georgia and Keira but, Wokingham Blue keep up the pressure and win the ball leading to a few goals from them too. Eagles increase the pressure which sees them score 4 quick goals in 2 minutes from both Sophie nd Grace! Final Score at the end of Q4: 52 -24 to Eagles. 

Some fantastic decision making, and confidence shown today!  

Wokingham awarded Player of the Match to Nya which was very well deserved.

Eagles awarded Wokingham’s GD Player of the Match.

Eagles U16 v Windsor

Returning to the court after a two week break,
the Eagles team take on the U16 Windsor team in physical match. 
Eagles 49 - 24 Windsor
St. George’s School, Ascot

Q1. Windsor win the centre pass to start the game. Despite the difference in ages, the Eagles team match the Windsor team in passing and defending.  Eagles quickly find their rhythm and some great passing sets up Grace nicely to score the first goal for her team within the first 2 minutes of the game.  Georgia, Keira and Nya defend well and intercept Windsor’s passes to win the ball.  Izzy demonstrates fantastic attacking skills and consistently feeds the ball into the D for Grace and Lottie to convert to goals.  The confidence amongst the team appears to grow with each passing minute. They show some great movement, finding space and applying pressure to the Windsor team, closing down Windsor’s ability to pass to their team mates. Eagles win the ball through sheer determination and successfully pass the ball to the shooters. Eagles appear to quicken their passing up the court and some great ball-work from Helena helps the persistent attack on Windsor’s defence leading to further goals being converted.  Instructions from the coach from the side-line helps the girls focus and keep their form, leading to the Eagles winning the first quarter 12 – 9.

Q2. Team changes are Amelia as C from Helena, Sophia replacing Keira as WD and Sophie taking over from Lottie as GA.  The game starts quickly and the fast pace remains through the entirety of this quarter. Windsor opens the quarter with an early goal and the energy on court is outstanding with Windsor applying much pressure on the girls. Eagles have to work hard to get the ball to the shooters.  Windsor’s GD is proving to be rather formidable and the Eagles own defence, Georgia, Nya and Sophia are stepping up and defending brilliantly.  Sophia is unstoppable and tenacious in her attempts to intercept, defend and win the ball and her linking with Amelia and Izzy help create opportunities for the Eagles to pass the ball to Grace and Sophie.  Grace is finding space well within the D, supported brilliantly by Sophie.  Eagles soon command the quarter and again, show their strength and determination to win, with good pressure being placed on the opposition.  Eagles win this quarter with a further 12 goals compared to Windsor’s 6, ending with a score of 24 – 15 to the Eagles.

Q3. Team changes are Sophia swapping WD for GD and Keira returning to WD.  The pace from the previous quarter remains and Keira appears to have springs in her trainers as she jumps to win the ball from the opposition throughout the quarter.  Her linking with Sophia, Izzy and Amelia helps the fluidity of the game with some great passing to Sophie and Grace around the D.  Sophie wins the ball to convert to a goal, and the two shooters work well to support each other throughout.  Nya, along with Keira and Sophia defend well, preventing the Windsor team from getting the ball into their D.  Eagles passing is precise and strong much of this quarter and the girls are finding space and able to pass the ball quickly to their shooters.  Despite this being the 3rdquarter, the girls energy remains high and they increase their lead by 13 to end this quarter 37 – 22 to the Eagles.

Q4. The final quarter sees the team make their final changes; with Georgia replacing Nya as GK, Izzy resting for Lottie to come on as WA and Amelia making way for Helena as C. Eagles open this quarter with a goal within a few seconds of play and their perseverance and unrelenting pressure on Windsor pays off as they widen the gap scoring goal after goal.  There is such good communication between the girls and the movement around the D enables them to feed the ball to the shooters. The Eagles defence remain strong with Georgia making some fantastic defensive moves as GK.  The game ends with Eagles defending and attacking brilliantly that Windsor managing to only score 2 goals in this quarter.  Final score 49 – 24 to the Eagles.

Despite two weeks off, the girls showed tenacity and determination.  Their ball skill, pace and team-working was very good and each player warrants recognition for their play today. Congratulations to Keira who Windsor voted Player of the Match. The Eagles voted Windsor’s GD as the Player of the Match. Thanks to Windsor for a great game.

Shooting Stats; Grace – 78%; Sophie – 69%

Another great performance by our U14’s in the U16 Berkshire league
beating Windsor 49 - 24.

Eagles U16 v Finch Green

Close exciting game saw Finch pinch it in the final quarter.
Eagles 25 - 31 Finch Green
Wellington College
20 October 2019

The last match before the half term break saw an exciting, intense, fast-paced match against a focused Finch side, testing the young Eagles team on all fronts. The final score does not reflect the closeness of this hard fought match, with each side separated by only one goal in the first three quarters. Finch pulled away in the dying minutes of the game following some unlucky misses on goal and careless passes from a tired Eagles team but nonetheless this was a very exciting match, with lots to take away and work on in training over the break.

The first goal of the game was a great shot from Grace, which was then followed up by some disciplined play and great interceptions from Georgia and Keira. The Eagles set pieces took the ball well down the court via good passing into space from Helena and Izzy, but outstanding defending from Finch made it difficult to get the ball into the shooters and on to goal. The quarter ended 4 -3 to Eagles.

The second quarter started as the first, with a terrific goal from Grace and more confident play from the Eagles team. Great shooting from Lottie took Eagles clear, but Finch fought back to even as Eagles lost a bit of confidence in the middle of the court. It wasn’t long until Keira took one of her trademark interceptions and the game was back on. Outstanding pressure from defenders Georgia and Nya kept the score at the end of the quarter 12-12 with all to play for.

Two excellent goals from in-form Sophie gave the team confidence at the start of the third quarter. Unfortunately some sloppy passing and unforced errors cost the team dearly as Finch fought back getting 4 goals in a row. Excellent shooting and team play followed from Sophie and Grace bringing Eagles back into the game and ending the quarter 21-22 to Finch.

A nail-biting final quarter saw some excellent, fighting play from Helena and Izzy to land the set pieces up to the goal circle. This Eagles team was not giving up, but a short lapse in confidence saw Finch pull away, scoring 5 goals in a row with 5 minutes left to play. One last goal from Eagles in the dying seconds was not enough to bring the game back, as the game finished 25-31.