Winning Start for the Swifts
The Penrith Swifts set their intentions for this season right from the get-go during their Tuesday night match-up with Meerkats 4. The first quarter saw the Swifts take an early 14-2 lead against the relatively young Meerkats 4 team, who took a while to settle into their rhythm. The Blackburn/Holme shooting duo took a fantastic run of 11 back-to-back goals before their opponents netted a first. The second quarter brought another surge of energy for Penrith Swifts as they put another 14 goals on the board, compared to the Meerkats’ six. The Swifts entered onto shaky ground in the third quarter however as they were swept up into a netballing whirlwind, giving away a number of passes in the process. The Penrith Swifts took home their highest quarter score yet to finish strongly in the fourth and final eleven minutes, further pushing their lead over Meerkats 4. Overall, it was a great opener to the 2023-2024 season for the Swifts who hope to build upon previous winter and summer league successes. They also added a new name to their roster, Zoe Heathcock, who joins the club this season. Congratulations to Zoe on her league debut, but also to Cara Watson who was named Player of the Match in this first outing. Our thanks go to the umpires and scorers for the evening, and we look forward to seeing the Swifts back out on the court on 03 October when they take on Harraby 1.
Juniors bring their A-Games in Carlisle
Our Junior 1s faced the Carlisle-based Meerkats U11 & U13 teams at Trinity School last Saturday, and truly brought their A-games. The U11s ultimately lost their game, with a close 5-4 finish but dispalyed some brilliant netball up and down the court. The J1s coach, Eleanor Holme, said that “everyone put in a great effort and worked together as a team really well – they should all be proud of themselves!“ The U11s Player of the Match was Abi – well done! Our U13s team came away with a hard-earned victory, ending 16-14 to Penrith. This was a fast and furious game, with lots of to-and-fro from end to end. There was similarly lots to be proud of in the U13 game too, especially in the mid-court which flowed well to move the ball to goal. The U13s Player of the Match was Rosie – very well deserved! Our thanks go to the umpires for the day, as well as Meerkats Netball Club for organising such a great morning! We hope to see you again soon!
Winter League Standings Announced
The Carlisle Netball League’s Winter 2022 running is now concluded. Our thanks to all organisers, umpires and scorers this season. Thanks also to all the other teams for bringing their A-games and pushing us the whole way. The final standings are as follows: A full breakdown of results, player caps and match scores can be found on the CNL Winter 2022 page.
Swifts and Lakers in Round Seven
Penrith Swifts On Tuesday, Swifts played fifth-place Meerkats 3, coming away with a 40-31 win following an intense four quarters of netball. Despite losing the first quarter 8-9, their mighty efforts were rewarded with an unbroken run of six goals in the second quarter, making the half-time score 20-16 to the Swifts. The Meerkats managed to tighten the scoreline throughout the second quarter, but constant pressure from Penrith Swifts paid off and landed them a nine-goal advantage at full-time. The Swifts Player of the Match was Ekeanor Holme. Penrith Lakers Penrith Lakers also put in a fantastic effort in their match on Tuesday evening. During their game against fourth-place Mavericks, the team faced two on-court injuries in the second half. However, it did not faze the squad, and their perseverance earned them wins in the third and fourth quarters. Sadly, this didn’t boost them enough for the overall win, but this does not fully reflect the close contest provided by the Lakers. The Lakers Player of the Match was Katy Aris. The teams next take to the court on Tuesday 31 January (Penrith Swifts v Meerkats 4) and Tuesday 07 February (Penrith Lakers v Stewartry).
League Halftime Round-Up
We’ve now reached the halfway point of this season’s Carlisle Netball Winter League and have our round six games under our belts too. Since our last update following round two, there’s a lot to catch up on! PENRITH SWIFTS Rounds 3, 4 and 5 saw the Swifts take on Meerkats 4, Mavericks, and Stewartry. The first two matches resulted in convincing wins for the Penrith side, who led each game early doors and continued to build upon it right until the final whistle. Round 5, however, brought the Swifts their first defeat of the season so far as they faced off against a so-far undefeated Stewartry team. A slow start in this game gave the Scottish side an early lead, and despite a huge fourth-quarter effort, it wasn’t quite enough. Round Scores/PoM Round 3: Swifts v Meerkats 4 – WIN (38 – 20), PoM: Katie Blackburn Round 4: Swifts v Mavericks – WIN (43 – 27), PoM: Katie Blackburn Round 5: Swifts v Stewartry – LOSS (43 – 30), PoM: Charlotte Ecroyd PENRITH LAKERS The Lakers had a mixed experience in rounds 3-5 of this season’s competition. Their Stewartry game in mid-November brought a strong start which sadly abated in the second quarter against a tough opponent, and a lack of momentum in the match against Meerkats 4 was not at all reflective of the abilities in this team. The Meerkats 3 game in round five was much more in keeping with the Lakers’ skills, and despite ending in a tight three-goal loss, there were multiple points at which Lakers overtook on the scoreboard. At their next meeting in round ten, it is likely this result will flip and give Lakers a well-earned win. Round Scores/PoM Round 3: Lakers v Stewartry – LOSS (27 – 10), PoM: Lucy Peile Round 4: Lakers v Meerkats 4 – LOSS (7 – 29), PoM: Lucy Peile Round 5: Lakers v Meerkats 3 – LOSS (25 – 28), PoM: Katy Aris ROUND SIX: SWIFTS v LAKERS The most recent match on 10th January brought the two Penrith teams head-to-head again, and as per usual it was a cracker game. At their last meeting in October 2023, Lakers took the early lead, only to be overtaken in the final half, but a different story was told this time around. Swifts started well and maintained a very close winning margin through to the final whistle. Lakers didn’t make it an easy job for them by any means, and fought every step of the way, equalising at various points throughout the game. Final score: Swifts 35 – Lakers 31 Swifts PoM: Victoria Baker Lakers PoM: Lucy Peile
Mixed Bag for Penrith in Round Two
Both Penrith Swifts and Lakers have played their second-round matches of the Carlisle Netball League’s winter season, with Swifts taking a win against Carlisle-based Meerkats 3 followed by a loss for the Lakers with the smallest of margins. PENRITH SWIFTS During their Tuesday night game, both Swifts and opponents Meerkats 3 took their time to get into the groove. Lots of back-and-forth play, interceptions and fumbles resulted in a very low-scoring 8-4 first quarter and 16-11 second, both to Swifts. The motivational half-time talk must have done the trick as Penrith came storming out of the blocks to keep Meerkats to only five goals in the third quarter whilst netting themselves 12. The final score was stretched further, ending 40 – 22 to Swifts. Penrith Swifts’ Captain, Eleanor Holme, wrote “I was really impressed with everyone during this match; everyone put in such great efforts. We were able to settle into the game through the first two quarters which really paid off in the second half.” Swifts Player of the Match: Millie Coates PENRITH LAKERS Despite the mightiest of efforts during their game, Penrith Lakers were pipped to the post by Mavericks to take a one-goal loss. Despite Mavericks initial seven-goal lead, Penrith were able to not only catch up, but overtake at several points during the third and fourth quarters. This eventful game brought injury to a couple of Penrith players and led to a quick exchange of bibs. In the dying minutes of the game, both teams upped the ante, going goal-for-goal, but it was Mavericks who finally beat the buzzer to win 18 – 19. Lakers co-captain, Nichola Jackson, said “The team had a slow start, but once we got our heads in the game, we started to work as a team to get the ball down court. Some great interceptions and well-drilled play were had by all.” Lakers Player of the Match: Nichola Jackson Thanks are extended to the umpires and scorers for both games. The next game for both teams will be 15 November: Penrith Swifts v Meerkats 4 at 6pm, followed by Penrith Lakers v Stewartry at 7pm.
Penrith Teams Launch Winter League Campaign
The evening of Tuesday 18th October saw the two newly-named Penrith netball teams, Swifts and Lakers, take each other on in round one of the Carlisle Netball League’s winter competition. A hard-fought game ultimately saw Penrith Swifts take the win with a final score of 32-23. Both teams took time to settle into the game in the first and second quarters. The excitement of playing against their usual teammates left everyone flustered as shown by the small, unforced errors that peppered the first two halves. Lakers were able to compose themselves ahead of their opponents and, boosted by their incredible Jackson/Aris shooting duo, they ended with a lead of one goal at the half-time whistle. A change of personnel in the third quarter lifted both teams, Swifts especially. Although Lakers kept the pressure on to start, Swifts hunkered down and took a win in the quarter of nine goals to three, pushing the score line to 22-17 with only 11 minutes to go. Still not a cut-and-dry game for either side. The final quarter saw both teams power on and fatigue in equal measure; the latter more noticeable in the final five minutes. After going goal-for-goal for a short while, Swifts were able to build upon their five-goal lead, extending it to nine by the time the final whistle blew. Special mention must go to the Players of the Match for each team – Jo Richards (Penrith Swifts) and Lucy Peile (Penrith Lakers). Thanks are also extended to the umpires and scorer for the evening. Penrith Swifts take to the court in two weeks’ time as they face Carlisle-based Meerkats 3, and Penrith Lakers follow the week after (8th November) against Mavericks.
Penrith Take the Win in Round Four
Following the postponement of their third round match before Christmas, Penrith’s Seniors team were clearly raring to go for their fourth round face-off against Harraby 3s on 11th January. Happily, the evening’s contest brought winning start to the year for Penrith as they came away with a 27-20 victory. A strong start in the first quarter of the game gave Penrith the confidence to develop an 11-5 lead by the time the first whistle was blown. The combined shooting abilities of Katie Blackburn and Eleanor Holme in both the first and second quarters allowed Penrith to finish with a solid 15-7 lead going into half time. The strong defence and swift mid-courters took advantage of turnovers and unforced errors to push the score line up too. Penrith seemed to wane somewhat after half time allowing Harraby to take the bull by the horns to come away with a win in the third quarter. This brought the score line to a much tighter margin as both teams approached the fourth and final quarter, with Penrith leading by only three goals. Not to be beaten at the last minute, Penrith rallied for a fresh campaign in the closing minutes, pushing through the fatigue to come a way with a well-earned win. Kudos must go to the opposition for creating problems for Penrith and forcing a handful of errors throughout the game. Penrith Team Captain and Head Coach, Caroline Tyson, said “it was an amazing team effort and everyone did their bit during the match to come away with the win.” She also gave congratulations to Penrith’s Player of the Match, Katie Blackburn, and these well wishes are also extended to Grace, Harraby 3s Player of the Match, as well as our umpires for the evening. Penrith will face Mavericks in their fifth round match on 25th January at 7pm.
