by Ben Jones & Nathan Parker
USW 3rd side took the bragging rights as they defeated their counterparts USW 4th 45-17 at the Sport Park in Treforest.
Both teams came into the game off the back of heavy defeats in their previous encounters. It didn’t take long for either side to get going however, with a goal for each coming within the first minute.
USW 3rd then went on a run that put them several goals to the good. A quickfire series from goal shooter, Sophie Donaldson, meant that they raced into a 5-1 lead.
Further goals were added by the 3rd goal attacker, Stacy Haines, meaning that the 4th deficit was a resounding 12-1. The 4th would restore some pride with a goal of their own before the first quarter whistle blew, meaning the score was 15-3 in the threes favour.
The second quarter mirrored much of the first. The threes, obviously the better team, were ruthless in their goal scoring. Substitutes got in the act, with Megan Juer, the new GA, added to the fours tally, along with Paige Lloyd at GS. The fours would better their first half score through new GS, Ashley Russell, by adding four to make it 24-7 at the half.
The USW 3rd continued in a dominant fashion at the start of the third quarter with Stacey Haines grabbing a quick-fire double either side of another Donaldson spree. USW 4th didn’t give up though and made a fight of it with three goals in three minutes shared between Ashley Russell and Suzie Tomlin.
As the partnership between Donaldson and Haines grew stronger though, the further the 4th side fell behind as the pair scored a further 10 goals to inflict more pain on their USW counterparts. With the Jennifer Novis and Rebecca Haf Jones overrun in the centre of the court, there was much work to do in the final quarter with the score at 38-12 to USW 4th.
Having arguably been USW 3rd star player, Ashley Russell went to goalkeeper in an unusual move by the coaches. However, substitute Megan Warren more than made up for Russell’s loss with a hat-trick, leaving many thinking the goal-shooter could have possibly started the match with the in form Russell.
Even with the presence of Warren upfront, USW 4th side were unable to keep their opponents at bay as Sophie Donaldson bagged her 19th and 20th goals of the match. Suzie Tomlin did manage to finish the match with a flurry of neat finishes though, but the late act came in vain as USW 3rd came out on top 45-17.
Having scored 20 of her side’s 45 points, Sophie Donaldson was delighted with their performance. “The game went really well as we expected it to be tough game as we play the girls every week. But, we brought our all and came away with the result.”
Having played against opposition she knows really well, Donaldson commented on the uniqueness of playing against the same university her side represents: “It is a little strange, but the intensity in the game was definitely there. It was really nice to have a proper game against them though.”
Her side make the trip to the University of Gloucestershire in two weeks’ time whereas USW 4th face Bath Spa at home in next week’s must-win BUCS fixture.
