TAMESIDE vs GRANGETOWN

Grangetown Netball Club recorded their first ever away win in National Prem 1 with an outstanding 50-44 victory against Tameside on Sunday.
 
To put the result into some sort of context, and to give some indication of how far this Grangetown squad has progressed, their last visit to Tameside was in 2015/16 (Tameside’s Prem 2 promotion season), when Grangetown were comprehensively beaten 70-29…
 
Tameside finished fourth in last season’s top division, and yesterday’s result not only consolidated Grangetown’s recent 74-28 success against Premier Romans, it gave the strongest indication yet that Vicky Rees and her squad are more than capable of being competitive in what is a high-quality league.
 
The depth of that squad was tested at Tameside as Grangetown were without Brie Grierson and Abbie LeBrocq; but despite losing the second and third quarters, Grangetown still had the strength, belief and ability to dominate the final period. The player of the match award was given to Alice Currie, who replaced Abbie at goal shooter and produced an outstanding performance on her Grangetown Prem 1 debut.
 
After four games, Grangetown currently lie fifth in the table, their two victories following defeats in the two opening rounds. It is interesting to note that those losses came against Academy and New Cambell, two of only three sides with a 100% record – the third being last season’s champions, Oldham.
 
The girls are back in action this Sunday, when they play host to Worcester Reds, who claimed their first win of the season with a 64-46 victory over Premier Romans over the weekend. The Reds have had a tough start to the campaign, losing heavily to Viper 10 Blades on the opening day and then having to face Oldham and Academy.
 
Academy and Premier Romans therefore provide some indication of the respective form of the sides that will clash this Sunday. The losses to Academy were by almost identical scorelines, but Grangetown’s 46-point winning margin over Bristol-based Romans was far more emphatic than the Reds. That said, the Romans may have been able to put out a stronger squad against Worcester, after being without a number of regular players for their trip to Teesside.
 
Everything therefore points to a fascinating encounter when elite women’s team sport returns to Grangetown Youth and Community Centre this Sunday. Can the home side make it three wins on the trot, or will Worcester’s greater experience at this level be enough to secure the points..?
 
Why not come along and find out? The game starts at 12:30, and admission is free!