Sarnians give the young Nerine B girls a lesson

AFTER the clean sweep of the previous week, it was not such a good couple of days for Sarnians in the latest round of Condor Group League games. Of their three sides Sarnians One were the only successful team, securing a significant Division One win against Nerine Trust B.

Sarnians experience was very much in evidence against a Nerine team who have several younger players in their line-up this season.

An early goals-push from the established Sarnians threatened to unsettle Nerine, but they responded immediately.

This reply was shortlived, however, and Sarnians utilised C Sarah Hoskins as the vital link between a solid defence to get the ball to the ever-reliable GS Zoe Batiste.

By half time the score stood at 23-12 and despite a change around and some great interceptions, Nerine could never get back into the game.

Sarnians' GA Bridget Yabsley proved just as useful at the net and helped push the score to 49-20 by the final whistle, denying Nerine a consolation point.

Nerine Trust C edged out their D team.

In a closely-fought, low-scoring match, the windy weather conditions did little to help things along and by the end of the first quarter, the combined score of both teams was a paltry three.

The match continued in the same vein with every ball hotly-contested and the score staying almost level.

The final moments saw some great passes between C Becky Warren and GA Kerri Brown to edge Nerine D out by just three goals.

Nerine Trust E also tasted victory against Ship & Crown in a relegation battle.

This was their second meeting this season and sadly for Ship & Crown they could field just six players at the start and this gave Nerine the chance to build a big lead before their seventh player arrived.

Ship & Crown never gave up the fight though and played with good spirit despite missing out on a consolation point by just one goal.

In Division Two, Heritage One emerged victorious against K&R Flooring, Nerine Trust F beat Abacus and P&J Conservatories ruined Sarnians' night by outscoring them by a single goal in the closing moments of their match.

In Division Three, Autumn Gold were clearly out to prove themselves against table-toppers Sarnians Three and they didn't disappoint.

Despite a relatively slow start, Autumn Gold piled on the pressure and made good use of every loose ball, denting Sarnians confidence with devastating effect.

It wasn't all bad for Sarnians, though; the third quarter proved to be their best, with Chloe Herve coming into the game at WD and making an instant impact.

A flurry of goals lifted their morale but their luck ran out in the last quarter with injuries further hampering their chances.

Autumn Gold were quick to capitalise and extended their lead to win and close to within three points of the championship leaders.