Match reports 2016/17 Season
23rd April - Isis 1 vs Farnborough 2 (13-18)
Team: Nicola, Paul, Debbie, PeteS, KatherineM, Frances, Ellie, Venetia, DanF, MattC
Scorers: Nicola (4), Paul (4), Debbie (2), PeteS (2), KatherineM
The last step can be the hardest and despite paper expectations we knew this was going to be a hard match, based on the tight result in the first leg. They came fully prepared, knowing they had to win to avoid relegation playoffs and they threw everything at us (including a good number of first team players). We started badly – we couldn’t create good looking attacks and in defence we kept conceding ‘cheap’ goals resulting from lack of concentration and individual mistakes. Before and during the match we kept stressing the importance of concentration, communication and team play in defence and preventing the feeds as well as stopping easy passes from feed to runners, but they were just too good for us on the day. Our heads dropped and it took time to improve the attack; the score was too one-sided for players to believe in a win which was a mistake since in the second half after massive improvements we came not far to equalising (3 goals down about 10 minutes to go). The attacks looked much better, there was more urgency in them and more directness which we lacked so much at the beginning. We gave everything but the goal difference was too big for the amount of time left, we kept conceding and it was just not possible this time – but few more minutes of the same tempo and I’m sure we would have won. This leaves us in 8th place in the league, one place behind promotion, but the first team’s season has been tremendous. An improvement from a joint 11th place last season! We should be proud for the way we played and the mental strength and team spirit that helped us so much in many of the matches.
Opponent’s MVP: KatherineM
Coach's MVP: Frances
9th April - Isis 3 vs City 3 (1-9)
Team: Diana, Alison, Helena, Ellie, CatherineB, Andrew, Chris, Edd, Carlos, John
Scorers: Ellie
Match report to come.
Opponent’s MVP:
Coach's MVP:
9th April - Isis 2 vs Abingdon 3 (13-6)
Team: AnnieB, CatherineB, Debbie, Katherine, Venetia, MattC, DanC, Joe, John, Marcus, DanF
Scorers: DanF (3), DanC (2), Marcus (2), Joe, MattC, CatherineB, John, AnnieB, Venetia
Another great game against Abingdon! They kept some of the same good players but generally weren’t too difficult to beat. Like the first team, our defence was good but we do still need to watch out for the feeds and running in shots to further limit their goals. We had good movement in attack creating a lot of opportunities. It was great to see so many of the team score (and well done to Dan F for his second hat trick of the day!) My MVP is Marcus for scoring a great penalty (despite “not being able to do them”!) and being very strong in his division in attack and defence. A brilliant last game of the season for Isis 2!
Opponent’s MVP: DanC
Coach's MVP: Marcus
9th April - Isis 1 vs Abingdon 2 (17-3)
Team: AnnieB, Frances, Katherine, Debbie, Venetia, DanF, MattM, Nicola, Paul, Pete
Scorers: Paul (6), MattM (4), DanF (3), Frances (2), Pete, DanC
What an exciting game! We had a bit of a slow start as we found our confidence but soon started scoring goals. Our defence was strong as ever, although they did get a number of running in shots past us which we need to watch for. As always with Abingdon it’s a game of attitude and we just about managed to be the calmer team! MVP is Paul for his amazing 6 goals and being an all-round star in attack and defence. This win gives us a chance for promotion if we win our last game against Farnborough 2!
Opponent’s MVP: ?
Coach's MVP: Paul
2nd April - Isis 1 vs Abingdon 1 (17-16)
Team: AnniT, Frances, Katherine, Venetia, CatherineB, Alice, DanF, MattC, MattM, Paul, PeteS
Scorers: Paul (5), MattM (4), AnniT (3), Pete (3), Frances (2)
A thriller from start to end found the opposition team surprised by the level of defiance shown by us. We didn’t let ourselves be pushed down by excellent long shots neither by trickery around the post resulting in penalties. Instead, we played our own way and had faith that it will bring the deserved results. The level of mental strength on our side was tremendous and the score kept fluctuating around a draw, although we won the first half 12:10. Nearer the end we conceded more than we scored and we were trailing by one not long before the end. But the equaliser was almost as thrilling as the long shot from Paul at the end which turned out to be the winning goal. AnniT deserved an MVP from the opposition probably because she outplayed their best player on the pitch and scored some amazing shots under pressure. My MVP is Matt Moore who not only scored lots but his switch to the other division to support Paul against the trickery of his opponent and provide cover worked very well. This was a great team effort from everyone on the pitch (and on the bench!) and one of the victories to remember for a very long time.
Opponent’s MVP: AnniT
Coach's MVP: MattM
2nd April - Isis 2 vs Didcot 1 (8-19)
Team: Andrew, DanC, Joe, John, Carlos, DanF, Alice, Katherine, Venetia, Debbie, CatherineB
Scorers: DanC (3), DanF (2), Alice, Carlos, CatherineB
A tough game for Isis 2 against the very experienced Didcot 1. We played mostly well, showing some good defence and scoring 8 great goals, including yet another hat trick from Dan C! We struggled with their tight defence, often finding it difficult to make good passes, causing us to lose the ball often. We also had a tricky referee and felt like many decisions weren't going our way. But this happens - next time we need to remember to keep our heads up and keep fighting the whole game with passion! We shouldn't feel too down about this defeat, they are a strong side and we should be proud to have kept them down to under 20 goals. My MVP is John for great work in collect, excellent defence stopping feeds and for playing really well after an excellent performance in the previous 3rd team game. Also shout-out to Carlos for scoring in his second team debut!
Opponent’s MVP: Alice
Coach's MVP: John
2nd April - Isis 3 vs Abingdon 3 (7-3)
Team: Andrew, Carlos, Chris, Joe, John, Venetia, CatherineB, Diana, Ellie, Susie
Scorers: John (3), Carlos (2), Diana, Joe
It was superb to watch so many new faces play in such a confident and organised manner, sticking to the plans and creating lots of chances. First of all, our defence was excellent as we were ensuring each player was marked well and under full concentration, while we tried to front defend and stop the feeds. The communication worked well too, with players calling shots and feeds. In attack we stuck to the plan of keeping the attacking angles wide, players well spread out and offering options while not hanging around the post too much. It is fantastic to see the determination in players who are so new to korfball and this will get them very, very far. To name a few players, John scored an excellent hat-trick, Diana scored from a beautifully timed and balanced shot and both Susie and Carlos were tremendous in collect. This victory moves us two places up the table into the seventh place and chances are we will stay there, which is great considering this team didn’t exist a year ago. Well done guys!
Opponent’s MVP: Carlos
Coach's MVP: Susie
19th March - Isis 1 vs Southampton Uni 1 (12-23)
Team: Becca, Chiya, DanC, Frances, Debbie, MattC, DanF, CatherineB, Joe, Katherine, Andrew
Scorers: DanC (3), Chiya (2), Pete (2), DanF (2), Frances, MattC, Becca
Match report to come.
Opponent’s MVP:
Coach's MVP:
Milton Keynes Friendlies (Isis 3)
The first match against Milton Keynes was very thrilling. The opponents had more experience than us, an we started losing by a few goals, but then we really improved a lot during the game; Carlos made a very good defense in the second half against a strong opponent, Chris did a lot of feeds, Ellie and Diana were really dynamic. In the end we won by 1 or 2 goals!
The second game (against the Buckingham korfball family) was a bit more confused, with the opponents having some very good shooters and some very inexperienced players. As a consequence we conceded more than in the first game, but we also scored more. We ended up a bit tired and lost something like 12-16. Catherine scored 4 goals, congrats!
12th March - Isis 1 vs Farnborough 2 (13-11)
Team: AnniT, Becca, Debbie, Frances, Venetia, DanF, MattC, MattM, Nicola, Paul
Scorers: Paul (4), AnniT (3), MattC (3), Debbie, Frances, MattM
This tight and nerve-wracking game must have been enjoyable for neutrals but for us the enjoyment came only with the final whistle. We started badly and had to score a few just to come level again and this took us a lot of energy and best part of the first half. The opposition fielded some physical boys and pacey agile girls and they all had a good shot. We found it hard to defend at times when their slow, composed and generally harmless passing turned into a shockingly direct runner. Our quality and experience prevailed and got us a good lead 10 minutes before the end, but we couldn't avoid passing mistakes resulting from lack of movement and insisting on passing to players who just weren't free. But our great defence kept robbing them of the ball very quickly and saw us bring the game to a victorious end. Thumbs up to so many players who did so well and it's hard to pick one or two, but Marcus showed so needed composure and calmness while the MVP goes to Frances who had to switch divisions to mark their best girl and did so heroically well.
Opponent’s MVP:
Coach's MVP: Frances
5th March - Isis 2 vs City 3 (8-8)
Team: Alice, Debbie, KatherineM, CatherineB, Becca, DanF, DanC, Joe, MattC, Nicola, DanT
Scorers: Alice (2), DanF, DanC, Katherine, Becca, Matt C, DanT
This was such a close game. Throughout, we went from leading to drawing to leading again, only for City to draw level with us again in the last minute of the game. But we must not be disheartened by the frustrating ending! Our defence was fantastic throughout - frustrating City and stopping them from scoring running-in shots from a feed again and again. Our attack has also massively improved with most of the team scoring, and many of the goals were fantastic - especially Matt C’s brilliant runner and the first ever goal for Dan T.
In terms of improvement, we need to learn to control the game and remain calm - particularly when we are in the lead. This means being careful with our passing, only passing when we are sure it will be received by our team mate, and slowing the pace slightly in attack, making sure we are passing the ball in a good 4-0 formation and not rushing shots.
My MVP is Debbie who played with energy and enthusiasm for the whole second half, showing some particularly brilliant defence. Well done everyone!
Opponent’s MVP: Alice
Coach's MVP: Debbie
5th March - Isis 3 vs Didcot 1 (7-31)
Team: Alison, Barbara, Chloe, Diana, Helena, Sade, Susie, Veronika, DanC, DanF, Joe, MattC, PeterW, DanT
Scorers: DanC (3), Joe (2), Helena, Susie
This was always going to be a difficult match for our third team packed with newbies, but had fun playing it and it was a great experience for everyone. For some it was a first ever competitive game (Barbara, Tim) while for others it was one of the first matches (Alison, Peter, Susie, Chloe, DanT). For Helena it was a first ever match in our colours after coming down from St Andrews University. We didn’t find it easy to mark very experienced fast players of Didcot’s side, but our defence was improving as the match progressed, and the frequency of conceding goals was getting lower and lower. Our attacks were getting better by a minute and we could hold dynamic attacks with a number of shots for considerable amounts of time. It is very hard to name anyone now as everyone played so well, but Susie and Helena recorded their first ever goals for the club, and Barbara receives the MVP for the amazing defence against their strongest girl. Well played everyone!
Opponent’s MVP: DanT
Coach's MVP: Barbara
26th February - Isis 2 vs Bucks Royals 1 (13-27)
Team: Alice, AnnieB, Debbie, Katherine, Venetia, DanC, DanF, Joe, MattC, Nicola
Scorers: DanC (3), DanF (2), Alice (2), MattC (2), Joe (2), Katherine, Annie B
WOW what a game! Buckingham are an incredibly experienced side so it was always going to be a tough game but we played brilliantly. We started slow, seeming to lack confidence and conceding 8 goals very quickly. But we soon settled down and started to show some excellent defence, particularly from the likes of Venetia who always stayed with her girl, stopping her running in.
Our attacking game was the best I have seen from this team - 13 goals is an excellent achievement against such a good side. If we play like this against any other team in the league we will surely beat them!
So many good players to choose from, but my MVP is Dan C for always being there to receive the ball when passing out of defence, being a great defender and scoring a brilliant hat trick!
Opponent’s MVP: Not given
Coach's MVP: DanC
26th February - Isis 1 vs Ox City 2 (14-8)
Team: AnnieB, AnniT, Becca, Debbie, Frances, DanF, MattC, MattM, Nicola, Paul, Pete
Scorers: Paul (4), Becca (2), Pete (2), MattM (2), Nicola (2), DanF, MattC
The best match so far from the firsts was full of energy, directness and focus on getting the job done early on. Our front defence stopped them from what they know best which is 2-2 attack and our ability to do it under full concentration, tightly but without committing fouls was extraordinary. All we did in attack was aimed at scoring goals quickly and our agility paid off, helping us get a strong lead after the first half. We didn't pass the ball for the sake of passing, instead we tried to combine to get people scoring chances. We controlled the second half well and didn't give them any hope. DanF deserves a special praise for his restless display full of passion but my MVP goes to Becca who marked her girl extremely well and when in attack, scored two beautiful goals and was always there offering space and passing options including dynamic feeds and collects. The video of the match can be found on our Facebook Group page.
Opponent’s MVP: Pete
Coach's MVP: Becca
18th February - Isis 1 vs Southampton City 2 (16-10)
Team: AnniT, Becca, Debbie, Katherine, Venetia, Joe, Nicola, MattM, Paul, Pete
Scorers: AnniT (5), Paul (5), MattM (3), Pete (2), Becca
It was time to get a win for our first team and we could smell the opportunity well ahead of the match. The fact that they only found 3 girls to play wasn’t making it easy for us – it was actually quite difficult to play against four against three. These three were always willing to take chances to collect the ball and limit our possession which was on its own threatened by the use of shot clock. After a nervy beginning our looked more promising and the pressure was largely in this match on the division 4 against 3 to score goals and retain possession which could be only achieved by lots of movement and engaging defenders, playing close to being defended, strong passing and choosing good shots. It was this division which scored vast majority of goals, but also conceded 8 or 9 goals. The division of 4 against 4 had to spend most of the time in defence but showed a great deal of concentration. For me, AnniT is the MVP as not only she scored 5 goals against their best girl, but also limited her to zero goals (according to the match form). Well done Anni!
Opponent’s MVP: Paul
Coach's MVP: AnniT
12th February - Isis 3 vs Ox Uni 2 (6-13)
Team: AnnieB, CatherineB, Diana, Venetia, Veronica, Carlos, DanT, John, Peter, DanF
Scorers: Carlos (2), DanF (2), AnnieB, Veronika
Our thirds had a tough match against an opposition which traditionally improves most from all teams and their athleticism and surprisingly good shooting were hard to play against. However our game had all the attributes we want to bring in – dynamics, passing looking for a player, good dynamic collects, energy an very good concentration in defence. We played one of our best matches this season, but Uni’s shooting was too good and the score was getting more in their favour especially in the last 15 minutes when we lost the energy. DanT got injured early on which was very unfortunate and we wish him a quick recovery. John is named MVP because his level of concentration and reliability in defence was second to none. This is where we need to get every player – being able to read the game and know where the ball is but always keep track of their players and only leave this player when it is safe to intercept or collect the ball. Great game everyone!
Opponent’s MVP: Carlos
Coach's MVP: John
12th February - Isis 1 vs Ox Uni 1 (12-14)
Team: AnniT, AnnieB, Debbie, Frances, Venetia, DanF, MattC, MattM, Nicola, Paul, Pete
Scorers: Nicola (3), Pete (3), Paul (2), Frances, AnniT, MattC, MattM
Our first team lost closely against Uni1 at the beginning of the season and with Uni’s form going steeply up since, we definitely weren’t the favourites. But what a game we gave them! We were level or just ahead most of the match and the excitement was incredible. We played definitely the best match of the season especially given the fact that they used a Czech international boy and a very skilled Dutch girl. Their speed and movement stretched us to the limit but we kept on fighting to get the most deserved win. It was great to see dynamic feeds and collects and runs into the feed which ended up being penalties for us. On a more negative note, we missed too many penalties, our energy level went down towards the end again, and we made unnecessary defensive and passing mistakes in the last minutes costing us the deserved win. The intensity was so high we sustained two facial injuries (Frances, Nicola) and we wish you no black eyes! This was the first match for Matt Moore who did, as expected, brilliantly, but the MVP goes to MattC who gave plenty of energy and action to his division causing havoc in Uni’s defence but stayed very reliable and composed when defending.
Opponent’s MVP: ?
Coach's MVP: MattC
5th February - Isis 3 vs Oxford City 4 (3-10)
Team: AnnieB, CatherineB, Chloe, Diana, Veronika, Alison, Carlos, Chris, DanC, DanT, John, PeterW
Scorers: AnnieB (2), PeterW
Isis 3 started very strong in this game with some really good attacking play - lots of shots, and lots of collect allowing us to recycle attack.
As the game went on we struggled in defence to stop their feeds and to defend against their running-in shots. They were also marking us tightly - we need to work on stepping round the player to make a pass so that we can keep the ball moving. Some great play from the new players including Peter who scored and Dan T who had really high energy, always getting hold of the ball.
Opponent’s MVP: AnnieB
Coach's MVP: DanT
5th February - Isis 1 vs Oxford City 1 (3-23)
Team: AnniT, AnnieB, CatherineB, Chiya, Debbie, Frances, DanC, DanF, Joe, MattC, Paul, Pete
Scorers: Frances, DanF, MattC
We went into this knowing it would be a tough game - City 1 are a strong side with regional and international players in. Overall we played well, with a strong defence blocking them from scoring for periods in the game and we kept the energy up in attack throughout. We made lots of mistakes in passing which we need to work on - carefully passing within the defense half up to the line before passing into attack (especially important when playing with a shot clock) and generally not rushing passes. We also needed to be smarter in attack, using feeds more when tightly defended and looking around for the free player who is available to shoot.
Opponent’s MVP: Frances
Coach's MVP: Alice
29th January - Isis 1 vs Southampton City 2 (7-11)
Team: AnniT, AnnieB, Becca, Frances, Venetia, DanF, MattC, Nicola, Paul, Pete
Scorers: Pete (4), Paul (2), Annaliese
We had a tough match against a resilient opposition which showed a good collecting skills and extremely good shooting. On paper we were a tad better but the match didn’t go our way since our shots, however many, were bouncing out of korf. It was a bit stressful experience as we had a lot of good shots from relatively close but our shooting was well below our average. We played otherwise well especially when we felt we had the power to change the result around and had the energy to do so. Once demoralised and tired, our system didn’t look convincing and lots of passes went wrong. There are two main things we need to improve – our shooting accuracy and our fitness. We will try to get a wider team out this time so that everyone on the pitch has lots of energy to take on their defenders and make a difference.
On a more positive note, PeterS showed up in this match with a very good form and his experience and toughness was clear to see gaining him MVP. Also AnnieB and Venetia showed that they are at the same level as other first team girls and it’s great to have the width which we need so much. We’re travelling to Southampton in 6 weeksfor a re-match and I’m sure we will scoop up all four points!
Opponent’s MVP: ?
Coach's MVP: Pete
22nd January - Isis 3 vs Bucks Royals 1 (8-25)
Team: Alison, AnnieB, CatherineB, Diana, Becca, Andrew, Carlos, Chris, DanC, Joe, John, PeterW
Scorers: AnnieB (4), Diana, Becca, Alison, Carlos
This was going to be the toughest of fixtures for our beginner-packed third team as they faced the leaders of the division, unbeaten team full of players of regional league experience. We troubled them really badly at the start when we went to lead by two goals to zero, and we continued in the great tempo of the previous game. Their experience showed with time but we stayed positive, trying to play good moving korfball with everyone being a scoring threat. 8 goals is fantastic for the third team especially given the fact that Buckingham concedes only 6 on average (and most teams are above Isis 3). AnnieB was fantastic, worked very hard and fully deserved her 4 goals. Another positive thing is that as many as 7 goals were scored by the girls (not so positive for the boys!) It was the first ever match for Alison and PeterW who were incredible – Alison scored a beautiful goal from the back line under pressure while Peter got his MVP for his superb fighting performance.
Opponent’s MVP: AnnieB
Coach's MVP: PeterW
22nd January - Isis 2 vs Didcot 2 (7-10)
Team: AnnieB, Becca, CatherineB, KatherineM, Andrew, DanC, Joe, John, Marcus
Scorers: KatherineM (2), AnnieB, DanC, Marcus, Joe, John
It has been a very long time since Isis 2 beat Didcot 1 but we’re getting stronger and despite Didcot’s side featuring their best boys, we looked strong from the start although we lacked a bit of control in attack. We must ensure we shoot when all defenders are busy and this is achieved by being on the move when the ball is being shot by someone else. Our defence worked very well but we lacked the goals – 2:7 down at the half-time. Then we improved the movement and control in attack and that helped us win more collects which in turn led to more goals – and our defence was even better, front marking the players with a high level of concentration. We won the second half 5:3 and although we lost overall, we deservedly took home one point for a close loss. To name a few players, Katherine presented the accuracy of her shooting and nose for goals; Joe put in a tremendous shift working hard to win collects in both halves and to make life of his opponent as hard as possible. Annie’s goal in the last minute meant we did just enough to get that important point.
Opponent’s MVP: Joe
Coach's MVP: KatherineM
22nd January - Isis 1 vs Farnborough 1 (5-20)
Team: Becca, CatherineB, Debbie, Diana, DanC, DanF, Joe, PeterS
Scorers: Pete (2), DanF (2), Becca
Isis 1 were missing 4 first team players on Sunday, but we were fortunate that Joe, Catherine, Diana, and Dan C. were available. The plan was to frustrate Farnborough by getting lots of possession and slowing down their attacks. Also we forced them to shoot rather than run, so were able to get a lot of good collects. For the first 15 minutes this worked really well, but we had a short patch where the passing deteriorated so we ended the first half 9 - 2 down, but that was still a decent start.
We began the second half pretty well and there was a period of 10 minutes where we dominated the collects in both attack and defence with Joe and Catherine outplaying their opponents strongly to get the ball. Unfortunately Debbie then got injured - managing impressively to damage both her foot and head in the same incident. Fortunately it wasn't as serious as it looked at the time.
We then continued with 7 players for the last 20 minutes, with the division of three (Dan C., Dan F. and Catherine) scoring at least once against 4 opponents which was impressive. The final result of 20 - 5 would have been better if we'd had 8 players for the entire match, but it was great opportunity for the players playing up to see that the first division level isn't so far above the 2nd division.
Players of the match are Catherine and Diana for slotting into the first team despite having very little experience and marking experienced opponents really well. I could have included Joe as well, but he's already been playing for the first team when needed this season, so is already playing at that level.
Opponent’s MVP: Pete
Coach's MVP: Catherine & Diana
15th January - Isis 3 vs Didcot 2 (5-17)
Team: AnnieB, Catherine, Diana, Andrew, Carlos, Chris, DanT, John
Scorers: AnnieB (2), John (2), Diana
This was tough match against a strong and experienced Didcot team, and we were a player light with one division only having three players in it. Despite that we made a strong start moving the ball quickly and scoring the first goal. However, throughout the rest of the first half Didcot made their experience count and used the extra player cleverly to create and take a number of scoring chances. The second half was much closer, with our passing being more accurate, our defence more controlled and Didcot being put under more pressure, we also took a few more of our chances and ended the game strongly. Throughout the whole game everyone played with great enthusiasm and athleticism, with the division of three having to work particularly hard, and it was great to see Diana score her first goal and Chris to take charge of his first match as captain.
Opponent’s MVP: John
Coach's MVP: John
15th January - Isis 1 vs Southampton City 1 (5-40)
Team: Alice, Annaliese, Becca, Debbie, Venetia, DanC, DanF, Joe, Paul
Scorers: Annaliese (2), DanF (2), Paul
It was a very difficult match as the score suggests with most of the players never having experienced this level of play. Their players play in an amalgamated team that plays the regional and promo league and some of them have played or have potential to play at the top league in England. For us it was a long and quite painful learning experience as they were good at punishing even the smallest of mistakes, being able to quickly pick a player who wasn’t defended too closely or who was defended too closely. Our position when we are doing front defending needs to have a look at so that we can steal and prevent their passes, make their feeds difficult, put our bodies in their way but at the same time not be too close to them allowing them to run past us. We conceded goals when we were slow in switching from trying to win the collect to trying to stop their collect person shoot. Their movement was great too allowing to win them lots of static and dynamic collects and set up their usual 2-2 attack. Their shooting was excellent having scored 5 of their first 5 shots, many of them coming from the lines and corners. We had to keep on concentrating which was hard at times and the energy left us well before the end which is why we conceded more goals in the second half than in the first one. However, we got some goals in (1 in the first half, 4 in the second half) and as their best players said after the match, unlike most teams similar to us coming down and conceding many, we didn’t let our heads drop but fought to the best of our abilities and stayed positive. We have to play to the best of our ability and with maximum concentration in every training and every match and the results will come.
Opponent’s MVP: Paul
Coach's MVP: DanF
8th January - Isis 3 vs Isis 2 (5-10)
Isis 2 team: Andrew, DanC, DanF, Matt C, Marcus, Katherine, Venetia, Debbie, Becca
Isis 3 team: AnnieB, Catherine, Diana, Caroline, Carlos, Chris, Dan T, John
Isis 2 scorers: Katherine (3), DanC (2), Venetia, Debbie, Becca, DanF, Marcus
Isis 3 scorers: AnnieB, Caroline, Catherine, Carlos, Chris
The much awaited ‘Clash of titans’ was for all players the first chance to touch the korf-ball in 2017 but you couldn’t tell from the quality that was on show. The seconds were easily the favourites in the game, but the thirds have shown fantastic moves and kept more of possession in the first half. The pressure was building up on the seconds to show what they’re made of and this pressure was even higher towards the end of the first half when the thirds brought the score to level 4-4. The thirds played a very physical movement based korfball which cost them a lot of energy and in the second half they were unable to continue in this tempo, often bringing the dynamic moves to a halt. Having to restart the action drew a lot of energy, physical and mental, and this gave the opportunity to the seconds to go back into lead. The shot conversion rate of the seconds was better as the experience of the players started to show more and more. It was fantastic from the seconds to show the character and keep on improving as the game progressed, believing in themselves and their shots, but the thirds showed a great attitude and promise.
It was a debut match for DanT in the third team and his game understanding, technical skills and physical presence were second to none which gave him a MVP for his team. Venetia was chosen as MVP for the second team for providing the movement and speed in her division as well as an important goal. Katherine scored a nice hat-trick and became second team’s second best scoring player of all times. DanC scored two and DanF scored one and that means that now they share the first place in goal scoring this season across the club’s three teams. The second team now occupies the second place in their league table.
*the number of times I used the word ‘second’ – 12.
Isis 2 MVP: Venetia
Isis 3 MVP: DanT
11th December - Isis 2 vs Didcot 2 (10-8)
Team: AnnieB, Catherine, Katherine, Becca, Debbie, Andrew, DanC, DanF, Marcus, MattC, Joe
Scorers: DanC (3), Marcus (2), Debbie (2), DanF, Becca, MattC
A great game against a strong Didcot team. We really went out fighting this week, believing we could win and we did!
We had some really nice movement in attack with great goals and good control. Our defence was also good, leaving Didcot frustrated by their lack of scoring chances, and forcing them to make silly errors.
The last 15 mins saw us 2 ahead, then only 1 ahead, then finishing 2 ahead again which led to a very nervous ending! Next week we just need to keep the calm, good strong passing and team work until the very end.
My MVP is Dan C who scored a hat trick! And he was picked by Didcot as their MVP too!
11th December - Isis 3 vs Oxford City 3 (3-12)
Team: AnnieB, Caroline, Catherine, Veronika, Andrew, Chris, Edd, Joe, John
Scorers: Edd (2), AnnieB
Our main focus was improving our defence which is something we've been training for as a club in the last month. We have been applying mostly front defence and it worked very well, limiting the opponents to only 12 goals which was very good indeed. We showed the capabilities of athleticism, focus, decision making and team spirit all needed to defend well and these are a big promise for the future. In the new year our attention will focus back on the attack but we need to keep in mind all that we've learnt in defence and apply the same pressure in the defence half in each future match. As the attack wasn't the priority, we only scored three but we had many good chances and the dynamics and agility in attack were exemplary. Just to name a few players, Catherine marked their (and OKA's) most experienced girl extremely well by keeping the right distances; Chris has shown once again his talent having only joined us a few weeks back; AnnieB's determination and focus was tremendous and Edd's vast experience proved to be one of the keys in our performance. It has been great working with this team in 2016 and I'm looking forward to 2017 - Merry Christmas everyone!
Opponent’s MVP: AnnieB
Coach's MVP: Edd
4th December - Isis 2 vs Oxford City 4 (6-16)
Team: Alice, AnnieT, Katherine, Venetia, Debbie, Andrew, DanF, DanC, Marcus, Joe, MattC
Scorers: Alice (2), DanC, Andrew, Annie, Debbie
Another tough game against an experienced team who we still couldn't quite beat. We did get our heads down and again were frustrated by a brand new ref's decisions so it was not an enjoyable game for all!
However some positives - we were much stronger, we shot way more than last week and our passing out of defence was fantastic - we took our time and didn't throw away the ball which was perfect.
Now we just need to focus on our two winning opportunities next weekend and go in feeling strong and believing that we can win (because we can!)
Opponent’s MVP: AnnieT
Coach’s MVP: DanC for always getting himself free for shots and scoring a great goal.
4th December - Isis 3 vs Oxford City 3 (3-20)
Team: AnnieB, Catherine, Diana, Chloe, Venetia, Andrew, Carlos, Chris, DanF, DanC, John, Marcus
Scorers: DanC (2), AnnieB
It was a touch match against a very good team with some of their players hardly missing any shot. It was important to stay confident and do our best despite the goals going against us – and we never stopped fighting and kept the concentration high throughout. This is what I really like about this team – the attitude and fighting spirit and heads never going down. Each match we get better and better and this one was against a very strong opposition so lessons were learnt and we could move on – and, oh my, so we did – read below…
Opponent’s MVP: Carlos
Coach’s MVP: Diana
4th December - Isis 3 vs Abingdon 3 (12-4)
Team: AnnieB, Catherine, Diana, Venetia, Andrew, Chris, Carlos, DanF, John, MattC
Scorers: AnnieB (4), Chris (2), Carlos (2), MattC (2), Catherine, DanF
When I said before this match that it is one we can win and we have to believe in it first, I could see sparkles in players’ eyes together with appetite for four points, determination and willingness to prove something to ourselves. Full of energy again, we started very well and kept on improving dramatically over the course of the match with the score looking nicer and nicer each minute. With the match going only one way we all continued to improve, move better, were more hungry to win collects and score goals, and we hardly ever lost the ball on the way out from defence or while passing it in attack. Loopy inaccurate passing were a thing of the past. It was great to see everyone playing so well and the speed of passing and movement was first class. In the second half we moved onto our famous 8-person aggressive front defence which further increased our time in attacks and gave us more goals. Fantastic game from everyone!
Opponent’s MVP: AnnieB
Coach’s MVP: Chris
27th November - Isis 3 vs Didcot 2 (8-18)
Team: Andrew, Carlos, Chris, Joe, John, Catherine, Diana, Katherine, Venetia, Caroline
Scorers: Katherine (3), Chris (2), Joe (2), John
As we look more comfortable in attack with each match, the main focus of this match was improving the defence and not conceding easily preventable goals. We also wanted to stop making passing errors, and in all these points we managed to improve to some extent but a long-term work is needed. After the first half we weren’t satisfied with our scoring situation having scored only one but we improved massively in the second half and scored enormous 7 goals! The second teamers playing down helped massively but the thirds are getting a better hold of their matches now and take over more responsibility in attack and defence, illustrated by the fact that Carlos marked their best boy down to zero goals. We all have to try to put our trained skills from training sessions into matches more, in particular front defence and dynamic feed which still only very few people try in matches.
Opponent’s MVP: Katherine
Coach’s MVP: Carlos
27th November - Isis 2 vs City 4 (4-14)
Team: Alice, Caroline, Catherine, Katherine, Venetia, Andrew, Dan F, Marcus, Joe, Matt C
Scorers: Venetia, Katherine, DanF, Andrew
A disappointing loss. Oxford City 4 are a much stronger team than the "4" would suggest, with lots of experience players and a solid playing tactic that we weren't prepared for (they play slow, classic korfball with lots of feeding). We had an inexperienced ref who wasn't calling the contact that was happening, and the missed calls caused us frustration in how the game was going down. The first half was strong and ended 4:3 to City, but they outplayed us in the second half.
But we shouldn't get downhearted! We're playing them again on Sunday with a strong second team squad so we're ripe for revenge. If we shoot more and focus on defending against their feeds the game will be a different story.
My MVP is Venetia who was incredible in defence against their best player and also scored a goal.
Opponent’s MVP: DanF
Coach's MVP: Venetia
20th November - Isis 3 vs Didcot 1 (7-21)
Team: Caroline, Catherine, Diana, Veronika, Venetia, Andrew, John, Chris, Carlos, DanF
Scorers: Carlos (2), Andrew (2), Veronika, Chris, DanF
We played much better in attack than in the previous match and the fluency and speed was getting better as the match progressed. Seven goals is really good for the third team at this time of the season considering how many new or newish players we have. Didcot are a very, very experienced team (one of their girls is the second most experienced girl in the entire OKA) and know how to score goals. There are things we can improve on in defence where concentration needs to be higher. We must never stop watching our attacker and always adjust our distance, body position and speed in relation to their movement. If we also improve the passing and avoid giving the ball for free, the result will be a lot closer than this time even if we don’t improve in anything else (which I’m sure we will). But as I said the attack was fantastic and if we keep improving the way we have been, it will carry us to new heights each following match.
Opponent’s MVP: Carlos
Coach’s MVP: Chris
13th November - Isis 1 vs Abingdon 2 (24-8)
Team: MattC, Nicola, Chiya, Frances, Pete, DanC, Paul, Debbie, Katherine, Venetia
Scorers: MattC (4), Nicola (4), Chiya (3), Frances (3), Pete (3), DanC (2), Paul (2), Debbie, Katherine, Venetia
The priority before the match was to play dynamic korfball close to the post with everyone chipping in with dynamic feeds and collects. I also wanted us to give players who are ‘attracted’ to the post like Nicola and Matt easy shots after their own feeds. The attacking ends were meeting when the ball was on the other side of the pitch to plan the first action of the next attack and often this found the opposition unprepared. This was something we can and should do in each future match. After the first half the score was 10-4 which didn’t quite reflect what was going on the pitch; we were having lots and lots of shots, I’m guessing 200 in the entire match.
In the second half we focused on feeds finding targets ‘behind the back’ and further improved the planning of the first attack which gave us free running-in shots and close range shots. After 10 minutes of the second half I wanted us to try the ‘total defence’ which is the most aggressive form of defence consisting of front-defence all over the pitch with players covering for each other, stopping every shot regardless of distance and aggressive team collects. This worked fantastically well and we should use easy matches for trying various things to get us better prepared for more difficult encounters. We won the second half 14-4. It was a very tiring and fast-paced game but everyone gave everything to be part of it as it was such fun.
Everyone scored and it was a fantastic match especially for our novice Matt C who scored amazing 4 and Nicola whose cheeky shots around the post and lots of feeds and collects gave him MVP from the opposition and another 4 goals to the tally. My MVP would be Chiya as she collected an incredible number of shots both in defence and attack, played superbly well and scored a hat-trick.
Opponent’s MVP: Nicola
Coach’s MVP: Chiya
6th November - Isis 3 v Oxford Uni 2 (3-1)
Team: AnnieB, Diana, Catherine, Venetia, Chloe, Claire, Edd, Joe, John, Andrew, Marcus, Matt C
Scorers: MattC (2), AnnieB
This was a match that was never going to be high scoring, and we knew Uni were going to be extremely athletic, quick, with long arms, intercepting passes, collecting shots and marking very, very tightly. The only way out of this was making sure we play close to the basket, don’t receive ball into attack too far out, move after we make a pass right to the post to get closer and closer and try dynamic feeds and side-fed running-in shots. It was also a test of the more basic skills such as one-handed flat passes with step-through, shooting under pressure, movement and making most use of a very few chances we were given. It took us time to get these things right but we were constantly improving and towards the end we were a lot better team. It was fantastic to see the determination of our players, the fantastic reliability in defence and the never-give-up attitude. It was the first ever match for Chloe and only second for Claire while many others hadn’t played that many matches either – Catherine, Diana, John and others. It was very helpful to have the experience of Edd, Andrew and Venetia on and off the pitch which made a huge difference. AnnieB deserves the MVP for being an example in determination and willingness to fight and take home all four points.
MVP: AnnieB
6th November - Isis 2 v Bucks Royals 1
Team: Alice, Annaliese, Caroline, Katherine, Catherine, Debbie, Andrew, Dan C, Dan F, Marcus, Edd
Scorers: DanF (2), Edd, DanC, Annaliese, Catherine
A very tough game against the team at the top of the league who are made up of very experienced players, some of them regional. We played so well against them - our defence was solid, causing them to get very frustrated with the game and particularly if their shots didn’t go in. We were better at passing the ball out of defence, too, choosing carefully when to pass. Our attack was also much more controlled and we’re starting to collect the ball after shots - more of this will give us even more shooting opportunities!
Opponent's MVP: Annaliese
Coach's MVP: Dan F - for strong defence against tricky boys and 2 goals, one from a great free pass
30th October - Isis 2 vs Ox Uni 2 (15-1)
Team: Alice, Annaliese, Caroline, Catherine, Venetia, Andrew, Dan F, Dan C, Marcus, Joe
Scorers: Annaliese (4), Alice (4), Marcus (2), Andrew, DanC, DanF, Joe, Debbie
A thrilling match! We went in very confident after beating them last week and again had a convincing win. We still need to work on our passing out of defence as we were throwing the ball away a lot and our attacks need to be calmer and more organised, with everyone taking responsibility for collecting so that we recycle the ball and maximise our chances. We’ve got a tough game on Sunday against Buckingham so let’s bask in the glory of our unbeaten record while we can :) Opponent’s MVP and my MVP was Alice who scored 4 goals and was invaluable in her division, always being there to receive the pass out of defence and really pushing her division along.
MVP: Alice
30th October - Isis 3 vs Bucks Royals 1 (2-21)
Team: Catherine, Diana, Venetia, Veronika, Chris, DanF, Edd, Joe, John
Scorers: Venetia, Edd
It was always going to be a tough fixture – Buckingham on the top of the division with three easy wins and their team packed with very experienced players, ex-student korfballers and players who even played regional league for years. We were much less experienced and paid a price when often individual mistakes led to running-in shots and unmarked shots from close which are two types of shots that we must not allow. But we were improving a lot during the course of the game with fewer goals scored against us and more chances and possession created in our attack end. It was very good to see flowing korfball despite the defensive pressure from them. It was a debut for Chris who got the MVP and Claire who only played only for about 3 minutes. Experience means everything in korfball and we got tons of it from this match so we’re looking forward to our re-match against them in 3 months’ time.
MVP: Chris
23th October - Isis 2 vs Ox Uni 2 (11-3)
Team: Katherine, Alice, Catherine, Caroline, Becca, Andrew, Marcus, DanF, MattC
Scorers: Marcus (3), MattC (3), Katherine (2), Andrew, DanF, Alice
What a great game! We were up against a young, inexperienced (but quick!) uni side and used all our experience to our benefit to a comfortable win. We moved well round the post, keeping the ball moving and taking shots when we could, with tight defence really limiting their shots.
We slowed down in the second half, going for 15 mins with no goals being scored. This was due to tight defence meaning the opponents never shot - so we couldn’t collect loose balls, and a slightly disorganised attack with rushed shots and not enough feeding. However after a quick team talk we pulled it back and scored 5 more.
Opponent's MVP was Matt - likely due to his excellent hat-trick, good defence focussing on his player and generally keeping the ball moving in attack. My MVP is Marcus. He, too, scored a fantastic hat-trick and proved what a good, experienced player he is - solid in attack and defence, and an all-round good team player.
MVP: MattC
16th October - Isis 1 vs Ox Uni 1 (9-10)
Team: Nicola, Pete, Paul, DanC, Joe Becca, Debbie, Venetia, Chiya, Catherine
Scorers: Nicola (3), Pete (3), Becca, Debbie, Paul
Uni came up with a traditional very good tight front defence and it was not easy to find space for chances but we pressed very hard every attack and took lots of shots. But it wasn't our lucky day in terms of scoring as so many shots came off the basket - it was quite frustrating watching it from the side line. We fought really hard and needed just a bit of luck. In the second half we started to slow down a bit, which forced us away from the post which in turn caused difficulties in creating chances and moving the ball. A linking person running into feed more often could bridge the gap but we need to work on this more at the training sessions and everyone has to chip in with this in matches. Nicola had a superb scoring day (scored 3 from 4 shots I think) but he found it hard to stay more outside and take shots as he is such a great player at the post providing chances to others. Joe proved once again he is a fantastic player being very versatile and also winning a lot of collects; Venetia had another great game marking the hardest of players so well and Dan C settled in well too in his first team debut. Everyone deserves a lot of praise for matching the game rhythm of a very experienced Uni side which played one division up last year - I'm sure the re-match will bring us all points!
MVP: Chiya
9th October - Isis 1 vs Basingstoke 1 (9-23)
Team: Andrew, DanF, Joe, MattC, Nicola, Paul, AnnieB, Becca, Debbie, Frances, Venetia
Scorers: Becca (3), DanF (3), Venetia, MattC, Paul
We had a great start to the match and went ahead first. When Basingstoke turned the score, we equalised and remained close most of the first half. The experience prevailed and the very good regional side that won the local league a number of times found a way of getting a comfortable win. We slowed down a bit after we realised we weren’t going to win it, and in dynamic korfball it’s all about the pace and optimism, which is why they could extend the gap. It was a debut in the first team for AnnieB, Joe and DanF who all played extremely well, Venetia deservedly got an MVP from the opposition and DanF scored a quick hat-trick. Overall it was good to see that we could play so well with the strongest of opponents and if we didn’t have to play the second match, we would definitely fight until the end. Also great to see that players who played last season or still play in the second (third) team scored vast majority of goals in both matches.
MVP: Venetia
9th October - Isis 1 vs City 2 (5-5)
Team: Andrew, DanF, Joe, MattC, Nicola, Paul, AnnieB, Becca, Debbie, Frances, Venetia
Scorers: Paul (2), Venetia, Becca, DanF
We started already very tired but maintained a good tempo throughout the match against the pacey young side City2 is. Our defence worked incredibly well, massively helped by our ability to collect and limit their attacks to one shot. Although the possession was largely on their side, we didn’t make mistakes and forced them to choose unfavourable shots. Our goals dried up too a bit but theirs were drier and they didn’t score for nearly entire half of the match. Our passing out of defence wasn’t good at all so we changed the system but it’s important to learn from this and practice gaining balance, stand up upright and choosing the recipient of the pass with cool head. Given we had to play a second match in a row and lots of the first teamers were missing, we achieved a very good result and can realistically look at winning the division 1B this season.
MVP: Paul
2nd October - Isis 2 vs Isis 3 (13-5)
Isis 2 team: Alice, Venetia, Debbie, Becca, Chiya, Pete, Dan F, Marcus
Isis 3 team: Caroline, Catherine, Veronika, Susie, Diana, Dan C, Joe, John
Isis 2 scorers: Alice (4), Becca (4), Debbie (2), Venetia (2), Chiya
Isis 3 scorers: John (2), DanC (2), Joe
(Martin - Isis 3 coach)
Competitive but friendly match saw the second team girls taking advantage of their experience and scoring all the goals(!), showing periods of dominance and moments of pure class. Aggressively looking for shots and trying to sink a goal before anyone else does, they taught a lesson in defence to the new players in the third team, who learned extremely fast and showed a great promise. The start was in fact a bit slow for the seconds when they allowed the thirds to score three goals in a row and equalise, but the years of practice paid off. The fact that half the third team have never played a competitive match before is hard to believe considering how well they did. Everyone playing in this match including the third team boys who managed beautiful goals under pressure deserves a lot of praise.
(Frances - Isis 2 coach)
A great game played by all, especially considering each team only had 3 boys, meaning the divisions with only one boy in had to work extra hard.
We had a good start to the game with some early goals, but Isis 3 were really working us hard with their energy and movement. We were only one goal up at half time which really added to the pressure (I think this is when Martin decided he'd be the permanent 3rd team coach!)
But we didn't lose heart and picked up again in the second half leading to a strong win.
My MVP is Alice, who was also nominated as MVP by Isis 3. Despite time off from playing, Alice is a very strong player, kept her half moving well (even though there were only 3 of them) and scored an impressive 4 goals!
Well done to Becca, too, who also played brilliantly and got 4 goals herself.
Isis 2 MVP: Alice
Isis 3 MVP: Diana
Team: Nicola, Paul, Debbie, PeteS, KatherineM, Frances, Ellie, Venetia, DanF, MattC
Scorers: Nicola (4), Paul (4), Debbie (2), PeteS (2), KatherineM
The last step can be the hardest and despite paper expectations we knew this was going to be a hard match, based on the tight result in the first leg. They came fully prepared, knowing they had to win to avoid relegation playoffs and they threw everything at us (including a good number of first team players). We started badly – we couldn’t create good looking attacks and in defence we kept conceding ‘cheap’ goals resulting from lack of concentration and individual mistakes. Before and during the match we kept stressing the importance of concentration, communication and team play in defence and preventing the feeds as well as stopping easy passes from feed to runners, but they were just too good for us on the day. Our heads dropped and it took time to improve the attack; the score was too one-sided for players to believe in a win which was a mistake since in the second half after massive improvements we came not far to equalising (3 goals down about 10 minutes to go). The attacks looked much better, there was more urgency in them and more directness which we lacked so much at the beginning. We gave everything but the goal difference was too big for the amount of time left, we kept conceding and it was just not possible this time – but few more minutes of the same tempo and I’m sure we would have won. This leaves us in 8th place in the league, one place behind promotion, but the first team’s season has been tremendous. An improvement from a joint 11th place last season! We should be proud for the way we played and the mental strength and team spirit that helped us so much in many of the matches.
Opponent’s MVP: KatherineM
Coach's MVP: Frances
9th April - Isis 3 vs City 3 (1-9)
Team: Diana, Alison, Helena, Ellie, CatherineB, Andrew, Chris, Edd, Carlos, John
Scorers: Ellie
Match report to come.
Opponent’s MVP:
Coach's MVP:
9th April - Isis 2 vs Abingdon 3 (13-6)
Team: AnnieB, CatherineB, Debbie, Katherine, Venetia, MattC, DanC, Joe, John, Marcus, DanF
Scorers: DanF (3), DanC (2), Marcus (2), Joe, MattC, CatherineB, John, AnnieB, Venetia
Another great game against Abingdon! They kept some of the same good players but generally weren’t too difficult to beat. Like the first team, our defence was good but we do still need to watch out for the feeds and running in shots to further limit their goals. We had good movement in attack creating a lot of opportunities. It was great to see so many of the team score (and well done to Dan F for his second hat trick of the day!) My MVP is Marcus for scoring a great penalty (despite “not being able to do them”!) and being very strong in his division in attack and defence. A brilliant last game of the season for Isis 2!
Opponent’s MVP: DanC
Coach's MVP: Marcus
9th April - Isis 1 vs Abingdon 2 (17-3)
Team: AnnieB, Frances, Katherine, Debbie, Venetia, DanF, MattM, Nicola, Paul, Pete
Scorers: Paul (6), MattM (4), DanF (3), Frances (2), Pete, DanC
What an exciting game! We had a bit of a slow start as we found our confidence but soon started scoring goals. Our defence was strong as ever, although they did get a number of running in shots past us which we need to watch for. As always with Abingdon it’s a game of attitude and we just about managed to be the calmer team! MVP is Paul for his amazing 6 goals and being an all-round star in attack and defence. This win gives us a chance for promotion if we win our last game against Farnborough 2!
Opponent’s MVP: ?
Coach's MVP: Paul
2nd April - Isis 1 vs Abingdon 1 (17-16)
Team: AnniT, Frances, Katherine, Venetia, CatherineB, Alice, DanF, MattC, MattM, Paul, PeteS
Scorers: Paul (5), MattM (4), AnniT (3), Pete (3), Frances (2)
A thriller from start to end found the opposition team surprised by the level of defiance shown by us. We didn’t let ourselves be pushed down by excellent long shots neither by trickery around the post resulting in penalties. Instead, we played our own way and had faith that it will bring the deserved results. The level of mental strength on our side was tremendous and the score kept fluctuating around a draw, although we won the first half 12:10. Nearer the end we conceded more than we scored and we were trailing by one not long before the end. But the equaliser was almost as thrilling as the long shot from Paul at the end which turned out to be the winning goal. AnniT deserved an MVP from the opposition probably because she outplayed their best player on the pitch and scored some amazing shots under pressure. My MVP is Matt Moore who not only scored lots but his switch to the other division to support Paul against the trickery of his opponent and provide cover worked very well. This was a great team effort from everyone on the pitch (and on the bench!) and one of the victories to remember for a very long time.
Opponent’s MVP: AnniT
Coach's MVP: MattM
2nd April - Isis 2 vs Didcot 1 (8-19)
Team: Andrew, DanC, Joe, John, Carlos, DanF, Alice, Katherine, Venetia, Debbie, CatherineB
Scorers: DanC (3), DanF (2), Alice, Carlos, CatherineB
A tough game for Isis 2 against the very experienced Didcot 1. We played mostly well, showing some good defence and scoring 8 great goals, including yet another hat trick from Dan C! We struggled with their tight defence, often finding it difficult to make good passes, causing us to lose the ball often. We also had a tricky referee and felt like many decisions weren't going our way. But this happens - next time we need to remember to keep our heads up and keep fighting the whole game with passion! We shouldn't feel too down about this defeat, they are a strong side and we should be proud to have kept them down to under 20 goals. My MVP is John for great work in collect, excellent defence stopping feeds and for playing really well after an excellent performance in the previous 3rd team game. Also shout-out to Carlos for scoring in his second team debut!
Opponent’s MVP: Alice
Coach's MVP: John
2nd April - Isis 3 vs Abingdon 3 (7-3)
Team: Andrew, Carlos, Chris, Joe, John, Venetia, CatherineB, Diana, Ellie, Susie
Scorers: John (3), Carlos (2), Diana, Joe
It was superb to watch so many new faces play in such a confident and organised manner, sticking to the plans and creating lots of chances. First of all, our defence was excellent as we were ensuring each player was marked well and under full concentration, while we tried to front defend and stop the feeds. The communication worked well too, with players calling shots and feeds. In attack we stuck to the plan of keeping the attacking angles wide, players well spread out and offering options while not hanging around the post too much. It is fantastic to see the determination in players who are so new to korfball and this will get them very, very far. To name a few players, John scored an excellent hat-trick, Diana scored from a beautifully timed and balanced shot and both Susie and Carlos were tremendous in collect. This victory moves us two places up the table into the seventh place and chances are we will stay there, which is great considering this team didn’t exist a year ago. Well done guys!
Opponent’s MVP: Carlos
Coach's MVP: Susie
19th March - Isis 1 vs Southampton Uni 1 (12-23)
Team: Becca, Chiya, DanC, Frances, Debbie, MattC, DanF, CatherineB, Joe, Katherine, Andrew
Scorers: DanC (3), Chiya (2), Pete (2), DanF (2), Frances, MattC, Becca
Match report to come.
Opponent’s MVP:
Coach's MVP:
Milton Keynes Friendlies (Isis 3)
The first match against Milton Keynes was very thrilling. The opponents had more experience than us, an we started losing by a few goals, but then we really improved a lot during the game; Carlos made a very good defense in the second half against a strong opponent, Chris did a lot of feeds, Ellie and Diana were really dynamic. In the end we won by 1 or 2 goals!
The second game (against the Buckingham korfball family) was a bit more confused, with the opponents having some very good shooters and some very inexperienced players. As a consequence we conceded more than in the first game, but we also scored more. We ended up a bit tired and lost something like 12-16. Catherine scored 4 goals, congrats!
12th March - Isis 1 vs Farnborough 2 (13-11)
Team: AnniT, Becca, Debbie, Frances, Venetia, DanF, MattC, MattM, Nicola, Paul
Scorers: Paul (4), AnniT (3), MattC (3), Debbie, Frances, MattM
This tight and nerve-wracking game must have been enjoyable for neutrals but for us the enjoyment came only with the final whistle. We started badly and had to score a few just to come level again and this took us a lot of energy and best part of the first half. The opposition fielded some physical boys and pacey agile girls and they all had a good shot. We found it hard to defend at times when their slow, composed and generally harmless passing turned into a shockingly direct runner. Our quality and experience prevailed and got us a good lead 10 minutes before the end, but we couldn't avoid passing mistakes resulting from lack of movement and insisting on passing to players who just weren't free. But our great defence kept robbing them of the ball very quickly and saw us bring the game to a victorious end. Thumbs up to so many players who did so well and it's hard to pick one or two, but Marcus showed so needed composure and calmness while the MVP goes to Frances who had to switch divisions to mark their best girl and did so heroically well.
Opponent’s MVP:
Coach's MVP: Frances
5th March - Isis 2 vs City 3 (8-8)
Team: Alice, Debbie, KatherineM, CatherineB, Becca, DanF, DanC, Joe, MattC, Nicola, DanT
Scorers: Alice (2), DanF, DanC, Katherine, Becca, Matt C, DanT
This was such a close game. Throughout, we went from leading to drawing to leading again, only for City to draw level with us again in the last minute of the game. But we must not be disheartened by the frustrating ending! Our defence was fantastic throughout - frustrating City and stopping them from scoring running-in shots from a feed again and again. Our attack has also massively improved with most of the team scoring, and many of the goals were fantastic - especially Matt C’s brilliant runner and the first ever goal for Dan T.
In terms of improvement, we need to learn to control the game and remain calm - particularly when we are in the lead. This means being careful with our passing, only passing when we are sure it will be received by our team mate, and slowing the pace slightly in attack, making sure we are passing the ball in a good 4-0 formation and not rushing shots.
My MVP is Debbie who played with energy and enthusiasm for the whole second half, showing some particularly brilliant defence. Well done everyone!
Opponent’s MVP: Alice
Coach's MVP: Debbie
5th March - Isis 3 vs Didcot 1 (7-31)
Team: Alison, Barbara, Chloe, Diana, Helena, Sade, Susie, Veronika, DanC, DanF, Joe, MattC, PeterW, DanT
Scorers: DanC (3), Joe (2), Helena, Susie
This was always going to be a difficult match for our third team packed with newbies, but had fun playing it and it was a great experience for everyone. For some it was a first ever competitive game (Barbara, Tim) while for others it was one of the first matches (Alison, Peter, Susie, Chloe, DanT). For Helena it was a first ever match in our colours after coming down from St Andrews University. We didn’t find it easy to mark very experienced fast players of Didcot’s side, but our defence was improving as the match progressed, and the frequency of conceding goals was getting lower and lower. Our attacks were getting better by a minute and we could hold dynamic attacks with a number of shots for considerable amounts of time. It is very hard to name anyone now as everyone played so well, but Susie and Helena recorded their first ever goals for the club, and Barbara receives the MVP for the amazing defence against their strongest girl. Well played everyone!
Opponent’s MVP: DanT
Coach's MVP: Barbara
26th February - Isis 2 vs Bucks Royals 1 (13-27)
Team: Alice, AnnieB, Debbie, Katherine, Venetia, DanC, DanF, Joe, MattC, Nicola
Scorers: DanC (3), DanF (2), Alice (2), MattC (2), Joe (2), Katherine, Annie B
WOW what a game! Buckingham are an incredibly experienced side so it was always going to be a tough game but we played brilliantly. We started slow, seeming to lack confidence and conceding 8 goals very quickly. But we soon settled down and started to show some excellent defence, particularly from the likes of Venetia who always stayed with her girl, stopping her running in.
Our attacking game was the best I have seen from this team - 13 goals is an excellent achievement against such a good side. If we play like this against any other team in the league we will surely beat them!
So many good players to choose from, but my MVP is Dan C for always being there to receive the ball when passing out of defence, being a great defender and scoring a brilliant hat trick!
Opponent’s MVP: Not given
Coach's MVP: DanC
26th February - Isis 1 vs Ox City 2 (14-8)
Team: AnnieB, AnniT, Becca, Debbie, Frances, DanF, MattC, MattM, Nicola, Paul, Pete
Scorers: Paul (4), Becca (2), Pete (2), MattM (2), Nicola (2), DanF, MattC
The best match so far from the firsts was full of energy, directness and focus on getting the job done early on. Our front defence stopped them from what they know best which is 2-2 attack and our ability to do it under full concentration, tightly but without committing fouls was extraordinary. All we did in attack was aimed at scoring goals quickly and our agility paid off, helping us get a strong lead after the first half. We didn't pass the ball for the sake of passing, instead we tried to combine to get people scoring chances. We controlled the second half well and didn't give them any hope. DanF deserves a special praise for his restless display full of passion but my MVP goes to Becca who marked her girl extremely well and when in attack, scored two beautiful goals and was always there offering space and passing options including dynamic feeds and collects. The video of the match can be found on our Facebook Group page.
Opponent’s MVP: Pete
Coach's MVP: Becca
18th February - Isis 1 vs Southampton City 2 (16-10)
Team: AnniT, Becca, Debbie, Katherine, Venetia, Joe, Nicola, MattM, Paul, Pete
Scorers: AnniT (5), Paul (5), MattM (3), Pete (2), Becca
It was time to get a win for our first team and we could smell the opportunity well ahead of the match. The fact that they only found 3 girls to play wasn’t making it easy for us – it was actually quite difficult to play against four against three. These three were always willing to take chances to collect the ball and limit our possession which was on its own threatened by the use of shot clock. After a nervy beginning our looked more promising and the pressure was largely in this match on the division 4 against 3 to score goals and retain possession which could be only achieved by lots of movement and engaging defenders, playing close to being defended, strong passing and choosing good shots. It was this division which scored vast majority of goals, but also conceded 8 or 9 goals. The division of 4 against 4 had to spend most of the time in defence but showed a great deal of concentration. For me, AnniT is the MVP as not only she scored 5 goals against their best girl, but also limited her to zero goals (according to the match form). Well done Anni!
Opponent’s MVP: Paul
Coach's MVP: AnniT
12th February - Isis 3 vs Ox Uni 2 (6-13)
Team: AnnieB, CatherineB, Diana, Venetia, Veronica, Carlos, DanT, John, Peter, DanF
Scorers: Carlos (2), DanF (2), AnnieB, Veronika
Our thirds had a tough match against an opposition which traditionally improves most from all teams and their athleticism and surprisingly good shooting were hard to play against. However our game had all the attributes we want to bring in – dynamics, passing looking for a player, good dynamic collects, energy an very good concentration in defence. We played one of our best matches this season, but Uni’s shooting was too good and the score was getting more in their favour especially in the last 15 minutes when we lost the energy. DanT got injured early on which was very unfortunate and we wish him a quick recovery. John is named MVP because his level of concentration and reliability in defence was second to none. This is where we need to get every player – being able to read the game and know where the ball is but always keep track of their players and only leave this player when it is safe to intercept or collect the ball. Great game everyone!
Opponent’s MVP: Carlos
Coach's MVP: John
12th February - Isis 1 vs Ox Uni 1 (12-14)
Team: AnniT, AnnieB, Debbie, Frances, Venetia, DanF, MattC, MattM, Nicola, Paul, Pete
Scorers: Nicola (3), Pete (3), Paul (2), Frances, AnniT, MattC, MattM
Our first team lost closely against Uni1 at the beginning of the season and with Uni’s form going steeply up since, we definitely weren’t the favourites. But what a game we gave them! We were level or just ahead most of the match and the excitement was incredible. We played definitely the best match of the season especially given the fact that they used a Czech international boy and a very skilled Dutch girl. Their speed and movement stretched us to the limit but we kept on fighting to get the most deserved win. It was great to see dynamic feeds and collects and runs into the feed which ended up being penalties for us. On a more negative note, we missed too many penalties, our energy level went down towards the end again, and we made unnecessary defensive and passing mistakes in the last minutes costing us the deserved win. The intensity was so high we sustained two facial injuries (Frances, Nicola) and we wish you no black eyes! This was the first match for Matt Moore who did, as expected, brilliantly, but the MVP goes to MattC who gave plenty of energy and action to his division causing havoc in Uni’s defence but stayed very reliable and composed when defending.
Opponent’s MVP: ?
Coach's MVP: MattC
5th February - Isis 3 vs Oxford City 4 (3-10)
Team: AnnieB, CatherineB, Chloe, Diana, Veronika, Alison, Carlos, Chris, DanC, DanT, John, PeterW
Scorers: AnnieB (2), PeterW
Isis 3 started very strong in this game with some really good attacking play - lots of shots, and lots of collect allowing us to recycle attack.
As the game went on we struggled in defence to stop their feeds and to defend against their running-in shots. They were also marking us tightly - we need to work on stepping round the player to make a pass so that we can keep the ball moving. Some great play from the new players including Peter who scored and Dan T who had really high energy, always getting hold of the ball.
Opponent’s MVP: AnnieB
Coach's MVP: DanT
5th February - Isis 1 vs Oxford City 1 (3-23)
Team: AnniT, AnnieB, CatherineB, Chiya, Debbie, Frances, DanC, DanF, Joe, MattC, Paul, Pete
Scorers: Frances, DanF, MattC
We went into this knowing it would be a tough game - City 1 are a strong side with regional and international players in. Overall we played well, with a strong defence blocking them from scoring for periods in the game and we kept the energy up in attack throughout. We made lots of mistakes in passing which we need to work on - carefully passing within the defense half up to the line before passing into attack (especially important when playing with a shot clock) and generally not rushing passes. We also needed to be smarter in attack, using feeds more when tightly defended and looking around for the free player who is available to shoot.
Opponent’s MVP: Frances
Coach's MVP: Alice
29th January - Isis 1 vs Southampton City 2 (7-11)
Team: AnniT, AnnieB, Becca, Frances, Venetia, DanF, MattC, Nicola, Paul, Pete
Scorers: Pete (4), Paul (2), Annaliese
We had a tough match against a resilient opposition which showed a good collecting skills and extremely good shooting. On paper we were a tad better but the match didn’t go our way since our shots, however many, were bouncing out of korf. It was a bit stressful experience as we had a lot of good shots from relatively close but our shooting was well below our average. We played otherwise well especially when we felt we had the power to change the result around and had the energy to do so. Once demoralised and tired, our system didn’t look convincing and lots of passes went wrong. There are two main things we need to improve – our shooting accuracy and our fitness. We will try to get a wider team out this time so that everyone on the pitch has lots of energy to take on their defenders and make a difference.
On a more positive note, PeterS showed up in this match with a very good form and his experience and toughness was clear to see gaining him MVP. Also AnnieB and Venetia showed that they are at the same level as other first team girls and it’s great to have the width which we need so much. We’re travelling to Southampton in 6 weeksfor a re-match and I’m sure we will scoop up all four points!
Opponent’s MVP: ?
Coach's MVP: Pete
22nd January - Isis 3 vs Bucks Royals 1 (8-25)
Team: Alison, AnnieB, CatherineB, Diana, Becca, Andrew, Carlos, Chris, DanC, Joe, John, PeterW
Scorers: AnnieB (4), Diana, Becca, Alison, Carlos
This was going to be the toughest of fixtures for our beginner-packed third team as they faced the leaders of the division, unbeaten team full of players of regional league experience. We troubled them really badly at the start when we went to lead by two goals to zero, and we continued in the great tempo of the previous game. Their experience showed with time but we stayed positive, trying to play good moving korfball with everyone being a scoring threat. 8 goals is fantastic for the third team especially given the fact that Buckingham concedes only 6 on average (and most teams are above Isis 3). AnnieB was fantastic, worked very hard and fully deserved her 4 goals. Another positive thing is that as many as 7 goals were scored by the girls (not so positive for the boys!) It was the first ever match for Alison and PeterW who were incredible – Alison scored a beautiful goal from the back line under pressure while Peter got his MVP for his superb fighting performance.
Opponent’s MVP: AnnieB
Coach's MVP: PeterW
22nd January - Isis 2 vs Didcot 2 (7-10)
Team: AnnieB, Becca, CatherineB, KatherineM, Andrew, DanC, Joe, John, Marcus
Scorers: KatherineM (2), AnnieB, DanC, Marcus, Joe, John
It has been a very long time since Isis 2 beat Didcot 1 but we’re getting stronger and despite Didcot’s side featuring their best boys, we looked strong from the start although we lacked a bit of control in attack. We must ensure we shoot when all defenders are busy and this is achieved by being on the move when the ball is being shot by someone else. Our defence worked very well but we lacked the goals – 2:7 down at the half-time. Then we improved the movement and control in attack and that helped us win more collects which in turn led to more goals – and our defence was even better, front marking the players with a high level of concentration. We won the second half 5:3 and although we lost overall, we deservedly took home one point for a close loss. To name a few players, Katherine presented the accuracy of her shooting and nose for goals; Joe put in a tremendous shift working hard to win collects in both halves and to make life of his opponent as hard as possible. Annie’s goal in the last minute meant we did just enough to get that important point.
Opponent’s MVP: Joe
Coach's MVP: KatherineM
22nd January - Isis 1 vs Farnborough 1 (5-20)
Team: Becca, CatherineB, Debbie, Diana, DanC, DanF, Joe, PeterS
Scorers: Pete (2), DanF (2), Becca
Isis 1 were missing 4 first team players on Sunday, but we were fortunate that Joe, Catherine, Diana, and Dan C. were available. The plan was to frustrate Farnborough by getting lots of possession and slowing down their attacks. Also we forced them to shoot rather than run, so were able to get a lot of good collects. For the first 15 minutes this worked really well, but we had a short patch where the passing deteriorated so we ended the first half 9 - 2 down, but that was still a decent start.
We began the second half pretty well and there was a period of 10 minutes where we dominated the collects in both attack and defence with Joe and Catherine outplaying their opponents strongly to get the ball. Unfortunately Debbie then got injured - managing impressively to damage both her foot and head in the same incident. Fortunately it wasn't as serious as it looked at the time.
We then continued with 7 players for the last 20 minutes, with the division of three (Dan C., Dan F. and Catherine) scoring at least once against 4 opponents which was impressive. The final result of 20 - 5 would have been better if we'd had 8 players for the entire match, but it was great opportunity for the players playing up to see that the first division level isn't so far above the 2nd division.
Players of the match are Catherine and Diana for slotting into the first team despite having very little experience and marking experienced opponents really well. I could have included Joe as well, but he's already been playing for the first team when needed this season, so is already playing at that level.
Opponent’s MVP: Pete
Coach's MVP: Catherine & Diana
15th January - Isis 3 vs Didcot 2 (5-17)
Team: AnnieB, Catherine, Diana, Andrew, Carlos, Chris, DanT, John
Scorers: AnnieB (2), John (2), Diana
This was tough match against a strong and experienced Didcot team, and we were a player light with one division only having three players in it. Despite that we made a strong start moving the ball quickly and scoring the first goal. However, throughout the rest of the first half Didcot made their experience count and used the extra player cleverly to create and take a number of scoring chances. The second half was much closer, with our passing being more accurate, our defence more controlled and Didcot being put under more pressure, we also took a few more of our chances and ended the game strongly. Throughout the whole game everyone played with great enthusiasm and athleticism, with the division of three having to work particularly hard, and it was great to see Diana score her first goal and Chris to take charge of his first match as captain.
Opponent’s MVP: John
Coach's MVP: John
15th January - Isis 1 vs Southampton City 1 (5-40)
Team: Alice, Annaliese, Becca, Debbie, Venetia, DanC, DanF, Joe, Paul
Scorers: Annaliese (2), DanF (2), Paul
It was a very difficult match as the score suggests with most of the players never having experienced this level of play. Their players play in an amalgamated team that plays the regional and promo league and some of them have played or have potential to play at the top league in England. For us it was a long and quite painful learning experience as they were good at punishing even the smallest of mistakes, being able to quickly pick a player who wasn’t defended too closely or who was defended too closely. Our position when we are doing front defending needs to have a look at so that we can steal and prevent their passes, make their feeds difficult, put our bodies in their way but at the same time not be too close to them allowing them to run past us. We conceded goals when we were slow in switching from trying to win the collect to trying to stop their collect person shoot. Their movement was great too allowing to win them lots of static and dynamic collects and set up their usual 2-2 attack. Their shooting was excellent having scored 5 of their first 5 shots, many of them coming from the lines and corners. We had to keep on concentrating which was hard at times and the energy left us well before the end which is why we conceded more goals in the second half than in the first one. However, we got some goals in (1 in the first half, 4 in the second half) and as their best players said after the match, unlike most teams similar to us coming down and conceding many, we didn’t let our heads drop but fought to the best of our abilities and stayed positive. We have to play to the best of our ability and with maximum concentration in every training and every match and the results will come.
Opponent’s MVP: Paul
Coach's MVP: DanF
8th January - Isis 3 vs Isis 2 (5-10)
Isis 2 team: Andrew, DanC, DanF, Matt C, Marcus, Katherine, Venetia, Debbie, Becca
Isis 3 team: AnnieB, Catherine, Diana, Caroline, Carlos, Chris, Dan T, John
Isis 2 scorers: Katherine (3), DanC (2), Venetia, Debbie, Becca, DanF, Marcus
Isis 3 scorers: AnnieB, Caroline, Catherine, Carlos, Chris
The much awaited ‘Clash of titans’ was for all players the first chance to touch the korf-ball in 2017 but you couldn’t tell from the quality that was on show. The seconds were easily the favourites in the game, but the thirds have shown fantastic moves and kept more of possession in the first half. The pressure was building up on the seconds to show what they’re made of and this pressure was even higher towards the end of the first half when the thirds brought the score to level 4-4. The thirds played a very physical movement based korfball which cost them a lot of energy and in the second half they were unable to continue in this tempo, often bringing the dynamic moves to a halt. Having to restart the action drew a lot of energy, physical and mental, and this gave the opportunity to the seconds to go back into lead. The shot conversion rate of the seconds was better as the experience of the players started to show more and more. It was fantastic from the seconds to show the character and keep on improving as the game progressed, believing in themselves and their shots, but the thirds showed a great attitude and promise.
It was a debut match for DanT in the third team and his game understanding, technical skills and physical presence were second to none which gave him a MVP for his team. Venetia was chosen as MVP for the second team for providing the movement and speed in her division as well as an important goal. Katherine scored a nice hat-trick and became second team’s second best scoring player of all times. DanC scored two and DanF scored one and that means that now they share the first place in goal scoring this season across the club’s three teams. The second team now occupies the second place in their league table.
*the number of times I used the word ‘second’ – 12.
Isis 2 MVP: Venetia
Isis 3 MVP: DanT
11th December - Isis 2 vs Didcot 2 (10-8)
Team: AnnieB, Catherine, Katherine, Becca, Debbie, Andrew, DanC, DanF, Marcus, MattC, Joe
Scorers: DanC (3), Marcus (2), Debbie (2), DanF, Becca, MattC
A great game against a strong Didcot team. We really went out fighting this week, believing we could win and we did!
We had some really nice movement in attack with great goals and good control. Our defence was also good, leaving Didcot frustrated by their lack of scoring chances, and forcing them to make silly errors.
The last 15 mins saw us 2 ahead, then only 1 ahead, then finishing 2 ahead again which led to a very nervous ending! Next week we just need to keep the calm, good strong passing and team work until the very end.
My MVP is Dan C who scored a hat trick! And he was picked by Didcot as their MVP too!
11th December - Isis 3 vs Oxford City 3 (3-12)
Team: AnnieB, Caroline, Catherine, Veronika, Andrew, Chris, Edd, Joe, John
Scorers: Edd (2), AnnieB
Our main focus was improving our defence which is something we've been training for as a club in the last month. We have been applying mostly front defence and it worked very well, limiting the opponents to only 12 goals which was very good indeed. We showed the capabilities of athleticism, focus, decision making and team spirit all needed to defend well and these are a big promise for the future. In the new year our attention will focus back on the attack but we need to keep in mind all that we've learnt in defence and apply the same pressure in the defence half in each future match. As the attack wasn't the priority, we only scored three but we had many good chances and the dynamics and agility in attack were exemplary. Just to name a few players, Catherine marked their (and OKA's) most experienced girl extremely well by keeping the right distances; Chris has shown once again his talent having only joined us a few weeks back; AnnieB's determination and focus was tremendous and Edd's vast experience proved to be one of the keys in our performance. It has been great working with this team in 2016 and I'm looking forward to 2017 - Merry Christmas everyone!
Opponent’s MVP: AnnieB
Coach's MVP: Edd
4th December - Isis 2 vs Oxford City 4 (6-16)
Team: Alice, AnnieT, Katherine, Venetia, Debbie, Andrew, DanF, DanC, Marcus, Joe, MattC
Scorers: Alice (2), DanC, Andrew, Annie, Debbie
Another tough game against an experienced team who we still couldn't quite beat. We did get our heads down and again were frustrated by a brand new ref's decisions so it was not an enjoyable game for all!
However some positives - we were much stronger, we shot way more than last week and our passing out of defence was fantastic - we took our time and didn't throw away the ball which was perfect.
Now we just need to focus on our two winning opportunities next weekend and go in feeling strong and believing that we can win (because we can!)
Opponent’s MVP: AnnieT
Coach’s MVP: DanC for always getting himself free for shots and scoring a great goal.
4th December - Isis 3 vs Oxford City 3 (3-20)
Team: AnnieB, Catherine, Diana, Chloe, Venetia, Andrew, Carlos, Chris, DanF, DanC, John, Marcus
Scorers: DanC (2), AnnieB
It was a touch match against a very good team with some of their players hardly missing any shot. It was important to stay confident and do our best despite the goals going against us – and we never stopped fighting and kept the concentration high throughout. This is what I really like about this team – the attitude and fighting spirit and heads never going down. Each match we get better and better and this one was against a very strong opposition so lessons were learnt and we could move on – and, oh my, so we did – read below…
Opponent’s MVP: Carlos
Coach’s MVP: Diana
4th December - Isis 3 vs Abingdon 3 (12-4)
Team: AnnieB, Catherine, Diana, Venetia, Andrew, Chris, Carlos, DanF, John, MattC
Scorers: AnnieB (4), Chris (2), Carlos (2), MattC (2), Catherine, DanF
When I said before this match that it is one we can win and we have to believe in it first, I could see sparkles in players’ eyes together with appetite for four points, determination and willingness to prove something to ourselves. Full of energy again, we started very well and kept on improving dramatically over the course of the match with the score looking nicer and nicer each minute. With the match going only one way we all continued to improve, move better, were more hungry to win collects and score goals, and we hardly ever lost the ball on the way out from defence or while passing it in attack. Loopy inaccurate passing were a thing of the past. It was great to see everyone playing so well and the speed of passing and movement was first class. In the second half we moved onto our famous 8-person aggressive front defence which further increased our time in attacks and gave us more goals. Fantastic game from everyone!
Opponent’s MVP: AnnieB
Coach’s MVP: Chris
27th November - Isis 3 vs Didcot 2 (8-18)
Team: Andrew, Carlos, Chris, Joe, John, Catherine, Diana, Katherine, Venetia, Caroline
Scorers: Katherine (3), Chris (2), Joe (2), John
As we look more comfortable in attack with each match, the main focus of this match was improving the defence and not conceding easily preventable goals. We also wanted to stop making passing errors, and in all these points we managed to improve to some extent but a long-term work is needed. After the first half we weren’t satisfied with our scoring situation having scored only one but we improved massively in the second half and scored enormous 7 goals! The second teamers playing down helped massively but the thirds are getting a better hold of their matches now and take over more responsibility in attack and defence, illustrated by the fact that Carlos marked their best boy down to zero goals. We all have to try to put our trained skills from training sessions into matches more, in particular front defence and dynamic feed which still only very few people try in matches.
Opponent’s MVP: Katherine
Coach’s MVP: Carlos
27th November - Isis 2 vs City 4 (4-14)
Team: Alice, Caroline, Catherine, Katherine, Venetia, Andrew, Dan F, Marcus, Joe, Matt C
Scorers: Venetia, Katherine, DanF, Andrew
A disappointing loss. Oxford City 4 are a much stronger team than the "4" would suggest, with lots of experience players and a solid playing tactic that we weren't prepared for (they play slow, classic korfball with lots of feeding). We had an inexperienced ref who wasn't calling the contact that was happening, and the missed calls caused us frustration in how the game was going down. The first half was strong and ended 4:3 to City, but they outplayed us in the second half.
But we shouldn't get downhearted! We're playing them again on Sunday with a strong second team squad so we're ripe for revenge. If we shoot more and focus on defending against their feeds the game will be a different story.
My MVP is Venetia who was incredible in defence against their best player and also scored a goal.
Opponent’s MVP: DanF
Coach's MVP: Venetia
20th November - Isis 3 vs Didcot 1 (7-21)
Team: Caroline, Catherine, Diana, Veronika, Venetia, Andrew, John, Chris, Carlos, DanF
Scorers: Carlos (2), Andrew (2), Veronika, Chris, DanF
We played much better in attack than in the previous match and the fluency and speed was getting better as the match progressed. Seven goals is really good for the third team at this time of the season considering how many new or newish players we have. Didcot are a very, very experienced team (one of their girls is the second most experienced girl in the entire OKA) and know how to score goals. There are things we can improve on in defence where concentration needs to be higher. We must never stop watching our attacker and always adjust our distance, body position and speed in relation to their movement. If we also improve the passing and avoid giving the ball for free, the result will be a lot closer than this time even if we don’t improve in anything else (which I’m sure we will). But as I said the attack was fantastic and if we keep improving the way we have been, it will carry us to new heights each following match.
Opponent’s MVP: Carlos
Coach’s MVP: Chris
13th November - Isis 1 vs Abingdon 2 (24-8)
Team: MattC, Nicola, Chiya, Frances, Pete, DanC, Paul, Debbie, Katherine, Venetia
Scorers: MattC (4), Nicola (4), Chiya (3), Frances (3), Pete (3), DanC (2), Paul (2), Debbie, Katherine, Venetia
The priority before the match was to play dynamic korfball close to the post with everyone chipping in with dynamic feeds and collects. I also wanted us to give players who are ‘attracted’ to the post like Nicola and Matt easy shots after their own feeds. The attacking ends were meeting when the ball was on the other side of the pitch to plan the first action of the next attack and often this found the opposition unprepared. This was something we can and should do in each future match. After the first half the score was 10-4 which didn’t quite reflect what was going on the pitch; we were having lots and lots of shots, I’m guessing 200 in the entire match.
In the second half we focused on feeds finding targets ‘behind the back’ and further improved the planning of the first attack which gave us free running-in shots and close range shots. After 10 minutes of the second half I wanted us to try the ‘total defence’ which is the most aggressive form of defence consisting of front-defence all over the pitch with players covering for each other, stopping every shot regardless of distance and aggressive team collects. This worked fantastically well and we should use easy matches for trying various things to get us better prepared for more difficult encounters. We won the second half 14-4. It was a very tiring and fast-paced game but everyone gave everything to be part of it as it was such fun.
Everyone scored and it was a fantastic match especially for our novice Matt C who scored amazing 4 and Nicola whose cheeky shots around the post and lots of feeds and collects gave him MVP from the opposition and another 4 goals to the tally. My MVP would be Chiya as she collected an incredible number of shots both in defence and attack, played superbly well and scored a hat-trick.
Opponent’s MVP: Nicola
Coach’s MVP: Chiya
6th November - Isis 3 v Oxford Uni 2 (3-1)
Team: AnnieB, Diana, Catherine, Venetia, Chloe, Claire, Edd, Joe, John, Andrew, Marcus, Matt C
Scorers: MattC (2), AnnieB
This was a match that was never going to be high scoring, and we knew Uni were going to be extremely athletic, quick, with long arms, intercepting passes, collecting shots and marking very, very tightly. The only way out of this was making sure we play close to the basket, don’t receive ball into attack too far out, move after we make a pass right to the post to get closer and closer and try dynamic feeds and side-fed running-in shots. It was also a test of the more basic skills such as one-handed flat passes with step-through, shooting under pressure, movement and making most use of a very few chances we were given. It took us time to get these things right but we were constantly improving and towards the end we were a lot better team. It was fantastic to see the determination of our players, the fantastic reliability in defence and the never-give-up attitude. It was the first ever match for Chloe and only second for Claire while many others hadn’t played that many matches either – Catherine, Diana, John and others. It was very helpful to have the experience of Edd, Andrew and Venetia on and off the pitch which made a huge difference. AnnieB deserves the MVP for being an example in determination and willingness to fight and take home all four points.
MVP: AnnieB
6th November - Isis 2 v Bucks Royals 1
Team: Alice, Annaliese, Caroline, Katherine, Catherine, Debbie, Andrew, Dan C, Dan F, Marcus, Edd
Scorers: DanF (2), Edd, DanC, Annaliese, Catherine
A very tough game against the team at the top of the league who are made up of very experienced players, some of them regional. We played so well against them - our defence was solid, causing them to get very frustrated with the game and particularly if their shots didn’t go in. We were better at passing the ball out of defence, too, choosing carefully when to pass. Our attack was also much more controlled and we’re starting to collect the ball after shots - more of this will give us even more shooting opportunities!
Opponent's MVP: Annaliese
Coach's MVP: Dan F - for strong defence against tricky boys and 2 goals, one from a great free pass
30th October - Isis 2 vs Ox Uni 2 (15-1)
Team: Alice, Annaliese, Caroline, Catherine, Venetia, Andrew, Dan F, Dan C, Marcus, Joe
Scorers: Annaliese (4), Alice (4), Marcus (2), Andrew, DanC, DanF, Joe, Debbie
A thrilling match! We went in very confident after beating them last week and again had a convincing win. We still need to work on our passing out of defence as we were throwing the ball away a lot and our attacks need to be calmer and more organised, with everyone taking responsibility for collecting so that we recycle the ball and maximise our chances. We’ve got a tough game on Sunday against Buckingham so let’s bask in the glory of our unbeaten record while we can :) Opponent’s MVP and my MVP was Alice who scored 4 goals and was invaluable in her division, always being there to receive the pass out of defence and really pushing her division along.
MVP: Alice
30th October - Isis 3 vs Bucks Royals 1 (2-21)
Team: Catherine, Diana, Venetia, Veronika, Chris, DanF, Edd, Joe, John
Scorers: Venetia, Edd
It was always going to be a tough fixture – Buckingham on the top of the division with three easy wins and their team packed with very experienced players, ex-student korfballers and players who even played regional league for years. We were much less experienced and paid a price when often individual mistakes led to running-in shots and unmarked shots from close which are two types of shots that we must not allow. But we were improving a lot during the course of the game with fewer goals scored against us and more chances and possession created in our attack end. It was very good to see flowing korfball despite the defensive pressure from them. It was a debut for Chris who got the MVP and Claire who only played only for about 3 minutes. Experience means everything in korfball and we got tons of it from this match so we’re looking forward to our re-match against them in 3 months’ time.
MVP: Chris
23th October - Isis 2 vs Ox Uni 2 (11-3)
Team: Katherine, Alice, Catherine, Caroline, Becca, Andrew, Marcus, DanF, MattC
Scorers: Marcus (3), MattC (3), Katherine (2), Andrew, DanF, Alice
What a great game! We were up against a young, inexperienced (but quick!) uni side and used all our experience to our benefit to a comfortable win. We moved well round the post, keeping the ball moving and taking shots when we could, with tight defence really limiting their shots.
We slowed down in the second half, going for 15 mins with no goals being scored. This was due to tight defence meaning the opponents never shot - so we couldn’t collect loose balls, and a slightly disorganised attack with rushed shots and not enough feeding. However after a quick team talk we pulled it back and scored 5 more.
Opponent's MVP was Matt - likely due to his excellent hat-trick, good defence focussing on his player and generally keeping the ball moving in attack. My MVP is Marcus. He, too, scored a fantastic hat-trick and proved what a good, experienced player he is - solid in attack and defence, and an all-round good team player.
MVP: MattC
16th October - Isis 1 vs Ox Uni 1 (9-10)
Team: Nicola, Pete, Paul, DanC, Joe Becca, Debbie, Venetia, Chiya, Catherine
Scorers: Nicola (3), Pete (3), Becca, Debbie, Paul
Uni came up with a traditional very good tight front defence and it was not easy to find space for chances but we pressed very hard every attack and took lots of shots. But it wasn't our lucky day in terms of scoring as so many shots came off the basket - it was quite frustrating watching it from the side line. We fought really hard and needed just a bit of luck. In the second half we started to slow down a bit, which forced us away from the post which in turn caused difficulties in creating chances and moving the ball. A linking person running into feed more often could bridge the gap but we need to work on this more at the training sessions and everyone has to chip in with this in matches. Nicola had a superb scoring day (scored 3 from 4 shots I think) but he found it hard to stay more outside and take shots as he is such a great player at the post providing chances to others. Joe proved once again he is a fantastic player being very versatile and also winning a lot of collects; Venetia had another great game marking the hardest of players so well and Dan C settled in well too in his first team debut. Everyone deserves a lot of praise for matching the game rhythm of a very experienced Uni side which played one division up last year - I'm sure the re-match will bring us all points!
MVP: Chiya
9th October - Isis 1 vs Basingstoke 1 (9-23)
Team: Andrew, DanF, Joe, MattC, Nicola, Paul, AnnieB, Becca, Debbie, Frances, Venetia
Scorers: Becca (3), DanF (3), Venetia, MattC, Paul
We had a great start to the match and went ahead first. When Basingstoke turned the score, we equalised and remained close most of the first half. The experience prevailed and the very good regional side that won the local league a number of times found a way of getting a comfortable win. We slowed down a bit after we realised we weren’t going to win it, and in dynamic korfball it’s all about the pace and optimism, which is why they could extend the gap. It was a debut in the first team for AnnieB, Joe and DanF who all played extremely well, Venetia deservedly got an MVP from the opposition and DanF scored a quick hat-trick. Overall it was good to see that we could play so well with the strongest of opponents and if we didn’t have to play the second match, we would definitely fight until the end. Also great to see that players who played last season or still play in the second (third) team scored vast majority of goals in both matches.
MVP: Venetia
9th October - Isis 1 vs City 2 (5-5)
Team: Andrew, DanF, Joe, MattC, Nicola, Paul, AnnieB, Becca, Debbie, Frances, Venetia
Scorers: Paul (2), Venetia, Becca, DanF
We started already very tired but maintained a good tempo throughout the match against the pacey young side City2 is. Our defence worked incredibly well, massively helped by our ability to collect and limit their attacks to one shot. Although the possession was largely on their side, we didn’t make mistakes and forced them to choose unfavourable shots. Our goals dried up too a bit but theirs were drier and they didn’t score for nearly entire half of the match. Our passing out of defence wasn’t good at all so we changed the system but it’s important to learn from this and practice gaining balance, stand up upright and choosing the recipient of the pass with cool head. Given we had to play a second match in a row and lots of the first teamers were missing, we achieved a very good result and can realistically look at winning the division 1B this season.
MVP: Paul
2nd October - Isis 2 vs Isis 3 (13-5)
Isis 2 team: Alice, Venetia, Debbie, Becca, Chiya, Pete, Dan F, Marcus
Isis 3 team: Caroline, Catherine, Veronika, Susie, Diana, Dan C, Joe, John
Isis 2 scorers: Alice (4), Becca (4), Debbie (2), Venetia (2), Chiya
Isis 3 scorers: John (2), DanC (2), Joe
(Martin - Isis 3 coach)
Competitive but friendly match saw the second team girls taking advantage of their experience and scoring all the goals(!), showing periods of dominance and moments of pure class. Aggressively looking for shots and trying to sink a goal before anyone else does, they taught a lesson in defence to the new players in the third team, who learned extremely fast and showed a great promise. The start was in fact a bit slow for the seconds when they allowed the thirds to score three goals in a row and equalise, but the years of practice paid off. The fact that half the third team have never played a competitive match before is hard to believe considering how well they did. Everyone playing in this match including the third team boys who managed beautiful goals under pressure deserves a lot of praise.
(Frances - Isis 2 coach)
A great game played by all, especially considering each team only had 3 boys, meaning the divisions with only one boy in had to work extra hard.
We had a good start to the game with some early goals, but Isis 3 were really working us hard with their energy and movement. We were only one goal up at half time which really added to the pressure (I think this is when Martin decided he'd be the permanent 3rd team coach!)
But we didn't lose heart and picked up again in the second half leading to a strong win.
My MVP is Alice, who was also nominated as MVP by Isis 3. Despite time off from playing, Alice is a very strong player, kept her half moving well (even though there were only 3 of them) and scored an impressive 4 goals!
Well done to Becca, too, who also played brilliantly and got 4 goals herself.
Isis 2 MVP: Alice
Isis 3 MVP: Diana
2016 Summer Tournaments!
14th - 16th May - North Sea Tournament, Holland
Written by Katherine
It was an early start for 11 sleep deprived yet enthusiastic korfers on a cold dark Friday morning. Despite a slight delay, due to Carlos having a leisurely cup of tea and forgetting the much emphasised 4.30am meetup arrangement, we made it to the ferry port in plenty of time – even had time for a cheeky McDonalds breakfast en route.
The 6 hour boat journey flew by what with a mini game of boat korf, further carb loading, sunburn, rehydration and a deep discussion of what we had learnt in training and how we would apply these tactics to the weekend ahead ;-)
Finally we made it to Holland, Lisette and friends kindly met us at the ferry port where we were transported to the tournament, where we were made to feel very welcome by the organisers. Tents were erected, more carbs were consumed, a beer race was fought, which to our surprise we lost, despite an amazing effort from Dan F, Dan C, Becca and Carlos. Turns out the Dutch drink beer like they play korfball…fast!! Then we all planned to get a relatively ‘early’ night in view of our full day of korfing the next day. Well, that was the plan, turns out Dutch korfballers don’t sleep, EVER, but that’s another story!
So back to business… the korfball. Saturday saw us play 4 matches:
Match 1 against ‘Valto’. We lost by a lot, I think it was 8-0. However, this was just our warm up game and we were all very tired from getting ‘not 1 wink of sleep all night’ quote Debbie.
Our next game saw us play our local rivals Oxford City + local Dutch amazing korfball boy who scored at least 2 goals for City, without him I think the score line would be a little more favourable to us! Final score 6-3 (Scorers: Andrew, Dan C, Matthew)
Match 3 was against ‘Return of the Cock’, yes that’s right, Return of the Cock! We lost 14-4 but we’re pretty sure this team were all on drugs so I don’t feel this score needs to be justified! (Scorers: Frances, Matthew x2, Andrew)
Match 4 ‘Spareribs Honing’. By this point the rain was coming down, the wind like our luck was not blowing in our favour. Despite taking an early lead, we lost 10-4. (Scorers: Frances, Katherine, 2 x Dutch players who were keen to lend us their assistance for 10 minutes)
Saturday night saw us feast on more meat, bread and beer, then we partied hard, well not as hard as the Dutch but we came close! Sunday allowed us to have a bit of a rest and watch some top korfballers from Belgium and Holland play against each other. Sunday night witnessed some more amazing food in the form of a BBQ and more beer, followed by a live band and DJ Jellybean!!
Monday was the final day of the tournament, and following a further night of sleep deprivation and the camping novelty well and truly worn off, morale was at a bit of a low. However, as the sun rose so did our spirits. Following a no nonsense team talk from Frances…‘we shoot, we soar, we score’ our final game against ‘Hok’t Zoldertje’ saw us win 3-1 (Scorers Chris, Becca, Matthew). We did have one further game on Monday but we had to miss it as it clashed with our ferry. City kindly played it for us, but I’m pretty sure we would have won this one as well!
On that high note we packed up our belongings, and made our way to the ferry port for yet another fun filled, action packed 6 hour journey. This time consisting mainly of sleeping, and a few more carbs, before safely making it back to English soil, to be met by our lovely taxi driver Daz, who did feature in a Carlos selfie!
Safe to say this trip had it all…good times, hard times, sunshine, rain, food, drink, wins and losses, but it really was a fantastic weekend and I would encourage everyone to go and experience it! Thanks to Becca for organising the trip, Fran and Dan F for pretty much keeping us alive, lending money, camping gear, and providing us with kit e.g. illuminous green bibs! Special mention to Northern Dan for surviving the weekend despite not bringing money, any warm clothes whatsoever, and pretty much spending 3 whole days hungover! Huge shout out to Mary, who soldiered on with very little complaint despite a very painful knee. Oh and thanks to Deb and Fran for refereeing flawlessly ;-) Thanks to everyone for coming and making it so brilliant and for being so efficient in your payments…same time next year, whose in?
14th - 16th May - North Sea Tournament, Holland
Written by Katherine
It was an early start for 11 sleep deprived yet enthusiastic korfers on a cold dark Friday morning. Despite a slight delay, due to Carlos having a leisurely cup of tea and forgetting the much emphasised 4.30am meetup arrangement, we made it to the ferry port in plenty of time – even had time for a cheeky McDonalds breakfast en route.
The 6 hour boat journey flew by what with a mini game of boat korf, further carb loading, sunburn, rehydration and a deep discussion of what we had learnt in training and how we would apply these tactics to the weekend ahead ;-)
Finally we made it to Holland, Lisette and friends kindly met us at the ferry port where we were transported to the tournament, where we were made to feel very welcome by the organisers. Tents were erected, more carbs were consumed, a beer race was fought, which to our surprise we lost, despite an amazing effort from Dan F, Dan C, Becca and Carlos. Turns out the Dutch drink beer like they play korfball…fast!! Then we all planned to get a relatively ‘early’ night in view of our full day of korfing the next day. Well, that was the plan, turns out Dutch korfballers don’t sleep, EVER, but that’s another story!
So back to business… the korfball. Saturday saw us play 4 matches:
Match 1 against ‘Valto’. We lost by a lot, I think it was 8-0. However, this was just our warm up game and we were all very tired from getting ‘not 1 wink of sleep all night’ quote Debbie.
Our next game saw us play our local rivals Oxford City + local Dutch amazing korfball boy who scored at least 2 goals for City, without him I think the score line would be a little more favourable to us! Final score 6-3 (Scorers: Andrew, Dan C, Matthew)
Match 3 was against ‘Return of the Cock’, yes that’s right, Return of the Cock! We lost 14-4 but we’re pretty sure this team were all on drugs so I don’t feel this score needs to be justified! (Scorers: Frances, Matthew x2, Andrew)
Match 4 ‘Spareribs Honing’. By this point the rain was coming down, the wind like our luck was not blowing in our favour. Despite taking an early lead, we lost 10-4. (Scorers: Frances, Katherine, 2 x Dutch players who were keen to lend us their assistance for 10 minutes)
Saturday night saw us feast on more meat, bread and beer, then we partied hard, well not as hard as the Dutch but we came close! Sunday allowed us to have a bit of a rest and watch some top korfballers from Belgium and Holland play against each other. Sunday night witnessed some more amazing food in the form of a BBQ and more beer, followed by a live band and DJ Jellybean!!
Monday was the final day of the tournament, and following a further night of sleep deprivation and the camping novelty well and truly worn off, morale was at a bit of a low. However, as the sun rose so did our spirits. Following a no nonsense team talk from Frances…‘we shoot, we soar, we score’ our final game against ‘Hok’t Zoldertje’ saw us win 3-1 (Scorers Chris, Becca, Matthew). We did have one further game on Monday but we had to miss it as it clashed with our ferry. City kindly played it for us, but I’m pretty sure we would have won this one as well!
On that high note we packed up our belongings, and made our way to the ferry port for yet another fun filled, action packed 6 hour journey. This time consisting mainly of sleeping, and a few more carbs, before safely making it back to English soil, to be met by our lovely taxi driver Daz, who did feature in a Carlos selfie!
Safe to say this trip had it all…good times, hard times, sunshine, rain, food, drink, wins and losses, but it really was a fantastic weekend and I would encourage everyone to go and experience it! Thanks to Becca for organising the trip, Fran and Dan F for pretty much keeping us alive, lending money, camping gear, and providing us with kit e.g. illuminous green bibs! Special mention to Northern Dan for surviving the weekend despite not bringing money, any warm clothes whatsoever, and pretty much spending 3 whole days hungover! Huge shout out to Mary, who soldiered on with very little complaint despite a very painful knee. Oh and thanks to Deb and Fran for refereeing flawlessly ;-) Thanks to everyone for coming and making it so brilliant and for being so efficient in your payments…same time next year, whose in?