Rezzers Green play Trump card to end Blaze A’s run

The reigning champions extinguished Blaze A’s two-month unbeaten run on Tuesday night in a Grammar School clash that, despite not being a must-win in the strictest sense, had a major bearing on their title bid.

Rezzers’ 46-39 victory means they have regained level footing with Lightning A, the team they face next Tuesday in what now looks a straightforward winner-takes-all match – it could otherwise have come down to bonus points allocated through in-game goal difference.

Tiff Gervaise-Brazier’s side showed how much they wanted Tuesday’s win as their attackers – especially player-of-the-match Anna Trump – stepped up superbly to fill the big boots of Verona Tomlin (injured) and Clare Henry (work commitments).

In contrast, Blaze captain Nena Copperwaite admitted ‘I don’t think we had that fire in us’ after the third-placed team’s challenge faded decisively in quarter three.

It was anyone’s game until then.

Rezzers GS Trump was on fire throughout but relied on the prowess of her teammates, starting with some handy tips and turnovers out back from GK Abby McCracken.

McCracken had also joined forces with GD Gemma Batiste to pile pressure on Blaze’s threatening GS Zola Saunders and GA Abbie Greening, impacting their usually impeccable shooting accuracy.

But Saunders still showed strength in the circle, and Greening did enough to eventually earn POM, with Blaze playing solidly in all thirds to limit Rezzers’ quarter lead to 11-10.

Rezzers brought on teenager Harriet Savident at WA to link with basketball starlet GA Emma Sykes and, alongside Blaze’s starting WD Lillie Cochrane, there was plenty of promising youth to support the experienced seniors.

Both teams had their moments in a tight second quarter that ended with Rezzers leading 24-22.

Blaze were still in touch and returned with a few changes, including introducing a previously-unavailable Hannah Blondel to complement Amy Fallaize and Ella Staples in defence.

But Rezzers kept a level head and excelled as a team to create a comfortable cushion in quarter three – which they finished 38-29 up. That ultimately won them the match.

Losing tall and impactful shooters Tomlin and Henry has been a blow for Rezzers, but captain Gervaise-Brazier credited a patient approach for this very welcome victory.

‘With Anna and Em, we’ve got two moving shooters, so we need to be patient and we’ve taken four or five games to do that and it paid off,’ she said.

‘I just think we worked really hard across the court, made a couple of mistakes but it was a really good team effort today – right through attack and defence.

‘Abby and Gemma always work really well together and they put a lot of pressure on Zola and Abbie, but credit to Blaze, it was a nice game.’

As for that dominant third quarter? Again, Gervaise-Brazier put it down to patience.

‘Emma and Anna’s shooting was really high-accuracy,’ she added.

‘I think we just capitalised on a few turnovers really and were patient with it in attack.’

Copperwaite admitted Blaze being outside the title race – their overall 2022 excellence could not patch up their slower start to the season – may have impacted them on the night.

‘It was almost like we knew we couldn’t win the league and we just didn’t have it,’ she said.

‘We had some really good patches when we released the ball quickly and we were giving it to Zola in the first second.

‘But when we got flat, we stayed in that hole for too long before we brought ourselves back out.’

Lightning A, led by a POM performance by captain and impressive GS Donna Brehaut, had triumphed 71-18 over their own B team just beforehand.

WD Louise Pinchemain took the honours for Lightning B.