Netball Preview

Fri, 13 Nov 2015

Premiership

There is a battle near the bottom of the Simcocks Blue Eagles face Route 1 Turbos. A win for the Eagles could see them leap frog Turbos, but a win for Turbos could see them pushed in to the mid table. Turbos are scoring two more goals per game on average and conceding three less, so it could be quite a close affair and we should see some great netball from these two.

 

Route 1 Connections are currently in second place in the league and they will be playing fourth placed Thompson purple. Route 1 have won all but one of their five matches whilst Thompson have won just two. With injury problems in the Thompson camp this should be Route 1’s game but Thompson will be battling for those all-important half points!

 

SMP Ballasalla A will be taking on Browne Craine Toomraiders this week. Last season it was Toomraiders who almost knocked Ballasalla out of the cup in the semis with the game going to extra time, but this year Toomraiders haven’t had the best start to the season. In fact they were beaten by Balla’s second team earlier this year. With stats saying Balla are scoring 16 more per game and conceding 24 less, the odds are definitely with Balla, although Toomraiders shouldn’t be underestimated and could still cause an upset.

 

SMP Ballasalla B are playing PWC Manx Gem Rubies who have yet to get a win under their belt. If Rubies want a chance of getting off the bottom of the table they will need to work their socks off this match. Balla have won 2 of their games and currently they are scoring on average 13 more goals per game than their opponents. Balla have a real asset in Marg McGee who has tons of experience and gives direction whether on court or the side line. This should be Ballasalla’s game.

 

The only undefeated team left in the division Simcocks Red Eagles will take on Missfits A this week. Simcocks will be riding high after beating rivals Balla A in their last league match, but they can’t be complacent as Missfits A can be a force to be reckoned with. Missfits have lost to the second and third placed teams in the division though they’re currently caught in a three way tie on points in the middle of the table so they will be looking to edge higher in the table.

 

Division One

After an unexpected loss to Farmers in the third week of the season, Team DQ have picked themselves up and had some cracking wins. This week they will be playing fifth place Fencibles who have won two of their six matches compared to DQ winning all but one of their seven games. When these teams met last season Fencibles won both times but they have had some changes in their team and DQ are looking strong. DQ are scoring more but Fencibles are conceding less so this could be a great battle.

 

Ninth placed PWC Emeralds will be facing seventh placed Castletown Pink. Castletown have had two consecutive league wins whilst Emeralds have lost their previous two league encounters. Both teams have some great accuracy and experience in their shooting circle, and they are very evenly matched here with Castletown scoring just one goal more per game on average. This could be a close affair and the win will be going to the team who can keep their calm under pressure.

 

Marbree Motors have settled in to this division in their second season, the impact of the return of Sammy Bowden is definitely being felt. Simcocks White haven’t had the best start to the season, securing one win from six games, so they will be looking for a win here. Both teams have great defence, but Marbree are scoring about 7 more goals per game and their GA Christie Morgan isn’t afraid to shoot from anywhere in the D. Should be a feisty match and I think Marbree may have the edge.

 

Thompson White remain the only unbeaten side left in this division and hoping to challenge that this week will be Manx Glass Saints. These ladies may be all smiles off the court but they are fiercely competitive once the step on. Saints always show great strength and athleticism and they always make their opponents work hard. Thompson will need to stay focussed and make sure they keep errors to a minimum if they want this win and play a strong defensive game.

 

Current leader leaders Young Farmers will be playing The Spaniards who are in fourth place. This should be an interesting match as these pair are almost goal for goal in terms of their scores, the Spaniards ladies are conceding a couple more per game though. Spaniards are a resilient side and have got some wins even without fielding a full team. Sara Collister as their GA is a huge asset to them. Farmers are determined though and they will be relentless in trying to get those three points in this match! 

 

Division Two

Fourth placed Thompson Lilac will be playing 8^th placed Missfits B this week in what should be an interesting fixture as only 3 league points currently separates these two teams. Thompson have won 4 of their 6 matches compared to Missfits who have won 3 of there. They are conceding pretty much the same number of goals on average but Thompson are scoring a whopping 13 goals more. Providing they can field an injury free team this should be Thompson’s match.

 

Lilac’s sister team Thompson Fuchsia will be playing second placed Route 1 Sparks who have won all but one of their matches. Sparks are scoring more and conceding less but the Thompson ladies are in with a great chance if they can stay focussed and play a consistent game while slowing the fast pace Route 1 are known for.

 

Thompson Violet will be facing Fenicbles B this week! These teams are in ninth and tenth place respectively and the Violet ladies should be feeling confident after getting their first win in their last league match. Fencibles are well oiled machine though and train both in and out of school. Both teams will be eager for this win so they can edge in to the middle part of the table, but neither team will give up easily.

 

Another bottom of the table clash as twelfth placed Missfits C take on 11^th place Castletown Navy. Both teams are still finding their feet, both being new to the league this year, but if they want to shift away from the bottom of the table they are going to have to play with some steely determination. Missfits are conceding more goals on average but they are about level on scoring. Should be a close affair.

 

Top of the table and currently undefeated SMP Ballasalla C will be taking on third place Route 1 Reactors. At the start of the season no one could have guessed Route 1 would end up in second and third place given both the sides finished in the bottom half of the table last season. Reactors are the biggest scorers in this division but Ballasalla have conceded the fewest, so they may just have the defence to shut down Route 1.

 

PWC Sapphires will be facing Simcocks Green Eagles. The Simcocks ladies were unfortunate in their last match to lose to Route 1 Sparks by just one goal, when Sapphires played sparks they failed to get half points. Both teams will really benefit from this win, so they are really going to have to fight for it and play some amazing netball. I think this one should see three points for the Simcocks girls.