SHARKS SINK IN SHEFFIELD'S PONDS
Posted by Nobody on 20 May 2016
Despite outscoring their South Yorkshire hosts in a gutsy second half tussle, Leeds Sharks ladies ended Thursday night in deep water – and it wasn’t just the Ponds Forge diving pool.
With a handful of past and present representative players, Sheffield Ladies were expected to present a depleted Sharks side with the toughest challenge yet in the new Wakefield League tournament.
Though a sequence of lightening fast early breaks saw the hosts leading by two unanswered goals within as many minutes, the Sharks held their nerve thanks to some heroic defence by Selene Chew, Georgina Dutton and Ellie Wilson, and found themselves still in contention at the end of the first quarter.
Sheffield’s depth took its toll in a lively second quarter, and despite cleverly-worked goals from Shevonne Lowth and Selene Chew, the Sharks had slipped behind by 8-2 at the half way mark.
Thanks to excellent displays of skill and guile by Sheffield’s busiest pair; Linzi Gaywood and temporarily-returned-to-base Newcastle University star Sarah Poyntz, the hosts increased their lead to 9-2 before Minnie Gale launched the Sharks’ best spell of the night.
A startling display of speed and dexterity by Miriam Ridha and crafty goals from Selene Chew, Leanne Pochin and Hannah Patchett, had Leeds within four points when the third quarter drew to a close with a scoreline of 11-7.
Despite a clever one-two manoeuvre from Ellie Sowerby and Jenny Worrell that set up a great opportunist shot from Ellie Wilson, Leeds struggled to withstand wave after wave of rotation from a strong Sheffield bench, and ended the night winning the second half battle by 7-6, but the losing the war by 14-9.
