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First Team

Bec v Kwiek

The first match of the New Year, after the Christmas break and snow-in pitted a Kwiek team looking to get their first win in some 4 games against BEC at Aylesford. With a longer than expected rest over Christmas thanks to the snow coach Donald Forrester was hoping that BEC were coming back well rested and ready to win.

The first half was a close nervy affair with Kwiek scoring the first goal through a long shot from Luke Francis followed closely by a well worked medium range shot by Tonya. The next few minutes proved a early preview of what most of the match would be like with Kwieks’ attack of Becca, Adam C, Vicky and Adam H searching for a goal against a resilient BEC defence of Karen, Jeroen, Tonya and Dinos. They eventually got the breakthrough in the form of Adam C but BEC pulled back through the attacking presence of Dav. A good period of attacking by Kwiek saw them pull away to a 6-3 lead with the only goal from BEC coming again from Dav. But then the best attacking phase of the game saw BEC attacking well and pulling it back to 6-5 with Jeroen scoring the best goal with a great drop off shot from behind the post off a superb pass from Karen. Kwiek scored a couple of their own with Becca and Kieron proving just how deadly they can be. Dinos scored BECs’ sixth goal with a quick runner just before the end of the half. 8-6 halftime score to Kwiek.

BEC had to come out fighting and start scoring the chances that they had been squandering in the first half and lock down Kwieks attack, especially the crossing move that Kwiek love to use to infinitum but had been proving effective in parts. This was proved when Adam C again used this move to good effect by scoring a swift goal. After this passage of play BECs’ defence of Dinos, Karen, Jeroen and Tonya locked down with Jeroen providing some great back up for Dinos whenever there was even a sniff of a chance for Kwiek who were now finding it hard to score with their crossing move being consistently shut down. A cheap free-pass saw Becca score a simple goal to go 10-6 ahead. BECs’ dwindling hopes were rekindled through a good double from Dinos; a runner and holding his nerve to score a penalty after scoring a runner which was ruled out and brought back for the foul by Adam C just before. This unfortunately for BEC proved to be a false dawn as these two goals proved to be the only goals of the half BEC managed to score. Obviously at any level scoring 2 goals in a half just will not cut it, and the impotent second half scoring from a BEC team that had been scoring freely before the break must be addressed in the two weeks that BEC have before their next game, against a struggling Norwich Knights side. Congratulations must go to Kwiek who proved that in Kieron Hicks and Becca Clements they have two potent attackers who are scoring freely at the moment.

Scorers: Dinos 3, Dav 2, Vicky 1, Jeroen 1, Tonya 1.

Bec 1 v Nomads 1

This Sunday saw BEC1 play Nomads 1 at Epsom College. After back to back home victories BEC were confident, but, as always, anticipated a tough match against a promoted Nomads side.

BEC lined up unchanged from the victory against Knights, with Dinos, Karen, Mark and Tonya lining up in attack, and Dav, Heidi, Tom and Vicky lining up in defence. The sides traded goals for the first 20 minutes or so with scores remaining level. With some nice long shooting from Dinos and Dav. In the confined space of Epsom both BEC divisions struggled to re-create the attacking flow and flair from the previous game, meanwhile defensive errors were converted by Nomads from free passes and the penalty spot, as well as some accurate mid to long range shooting from their male players. With neither side dominating the 1st half finished 7-7.

The second half saw Stuart replace Mark, for his first 1st team minutes this season after recovery from a pre-season injury. Bec struggled in the opening minutes of the second half, with some missed opportunities and bad passing gifting Nomads back the ball. Accurate Nomads shooting saw them stretch to a 11-7 lead after scoring 4 on the bounce. Bec rallied with some good shooting from Karen, Stu and Dav to bring the score back within 1. The last 15 minutes saw a spirited effort from BEC to draw level, with Ruth coming on to replace Vicky with 5 minutes to go. But Nomads held their nerve and put the BEC fightback to rest with some good long shooting in last few minutes. Final score 17-14 to nomads.

Scorers:

Karen (4), Dav (3), Heidi (2) Dinos (2), Tonya (1), Tom (1), Stu (1).

After the first league win last week it was time to face Norwich Knights at home. Last year this had proven to be a tough challenge for BEC.

However BEC were ready for the challenge... more than ready as the first BEC attack of Dinos, Tonya, Karen and Mark (starting in place for the injured Jeroen) were able to score twice within the space of 90 seconds. The other division with Tom, Dav, Heidi & Vicky continued the show by scoring the third less than 2 minutes later. An interesting fact was that at this point Knights weren't able to put up a single shot. At 3 -1 BEC were able to build on this lead, allowing Knights only a limited number of chances. Dav was all over his opponent allowing Tom to score 3 drop-off shots. Heidi only needed little gaps to run her girl, and in the other division Mark’s strong collecting allowed Dinos, Karen and Tonya to create chance after chance. This resulted in BEC scoring 16 goals come half time. Were Knights still on the pitch you may wonder. Yes they were, but you could see the pressure they were under with numerous shots going up without a collect. By scrapping some penalties Knights went in to half time with 7 goals.

Halftime 16 – 7. Job done for BEC you would say…

Early in the second half, Ruth replaced Karen, who started the game with a slight injury and Ian replaced Dav 10 minutes later due to another injury. This gave Knights some hope in their dark times and BEC struggled to find the form and concentration from the first half. With penalties aplenty for Knights (and I have to admit some good shooting), Knights kept going. This resulted in a great fight back, however Heidi & Dinos stepped up to the occasion and BEC were able to hold on to their lead.

Final score, 21 – 17. Another game with 20+ goals and two points in the bag!

Bec v Kwiek

The 4th game of the season saw BEC entertain a young Kwiek side who they had beaten 3 times the previous season. Kwiek though weaker on paper this season have been proving that they will be giving every team in the league a tough test of their true mettle. Despite this the BEC ‘massive’ went into the game fully expecting a positive result and those so far elusive two points.

The game started off with BEC slightly slow out of the blocks as with the Nottingham game the previous week. Fortunately unlike the 5 goal head start gifted to Nottingham, BEC did not let Kwiek gain any such foothold. So far this season BEC have proved that they are no wilting flowers, and stormed back with a quick penalty and then tough medium shot from a nicely flowing move both by Dinos. The other section not to be outdone joined in on the act meaning that in a 6 minute spell of play BEC scored 6 goals taking a lead of 6-2. Kwiek not to be outdone, grab the initiative back with some good distance shooting and defensive lapses on BECs’ part, and entered the half just one goal down with the score 10-9 to BEC.

The second half started with BEC and Kwiek again trading quick fire goals. With Dav in particularly effervescent attacking form from long range schooling a young Kieron Hicks, who from BECs’ point of view was proving a slightly too apt a pupil, scoring well on an ageless Tom Brady.

BEC have had a problem so far this season with holding onto and then building upon any leads that they have had in games. This game proved that such mistakes are being learnt from and expunged, as the lead that was taken into half time was built upon, and though put under severe pressure by Kwiek was never relinquished.

A spirited and gumption filled Kwiek continued to battle and shoot well from distance with a fifteen minute passage of play seeing BEC and Kwiek trade goal for goal. Throughout this passage of play Heidi and Karen continued to look dangerous and proved this by both scoring 3 in the game. Indeed Karen decided that perhaps the rest of the section wasn’t fulfilling their potential and decided to play a one-two off the post to herself from the half way line and then score the resulting shot. Showing that though korfball is undoubtedly a team game sometimes if you want things doing you’ve just got to do them yourself!

It should also be noted that Dinos would like to thank Jeroen ‘Rooney’ Suijker for the executing to perfection, of the ‘missed penalty medium shot goal’ play that they had planned out prior to the game!!

With the final score of 20-17, BEC proved that scoring goals should no longer be considered a problem and that they can now be confident in themselves whatever the situation. Be they in the lead or behind this BEC team is proving to be a serious contender. A fact that more and more people seem to be acknowledging.

With the goals being shared out around the team (Dav- 6, Dinos- 3, Karen- 3, Jeroen- 3, Heidi- 3, Vicky- 1, Tonya- 1) special mention goes to Heidi who ostensibly took home the accolade of MVP through her ‘strong defence and excellent support play and ability to score goals in her new role’.

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A slightly delayed report from me - but Sunday was definitely yellow - with some more great results, including first wins of the season for Bec 1 and Bec 5:

Bec 1 recorded their first win of the season against a young and talented Kweik 1 team who came 2nd in the league last season.

Our attacking was excellent for long patches of the game, and spectators and coaches alike enjoyed the inventiveness, interplay and excellent shooting of the team. However, there was a lack of the strong defence we are used to and despite going 4 goals up twice we never killed off the game. Some of the credit for this should go to Kweik - who never gave in and had some excellent individual performances - but our team can improve on this performance. That is no bad thing. It is not often a Bec coach has seen his team score 20 goals but still felt that they could significantly improve on their performance... we've yet to see just how well the current first team can play, but the signs are very encouraging. MVP: Heidi, for her all-round performance in defence and attack". - Donald

Final score 20-17 to Bec.

Bec take on Nottingham

Bec 1 took on a strong Nottingham team that look to be one of the top contenders for the league this season. As that did not seem enough of a challenge we then gave them a 5-goal start in the first 10 minutes before really beginning to play. From that point on Bec were far the better team, and for long periods Nottingham looked to have run out of attacking options and have no answer to the goal threat of Karen, Davesh and Dinos - ably supported by the rest of the team. Bec slowly caught up, drew level early in the 2nd half and then edged into the lead. A lack of composure and confidence set in and there were a nervy 7 minutes in which we first gave up our lead and then let Nottingham go 2 goals up, before first Dav and then Dinos showed that they have ice in their veins when the pressure is on and brought us level.

Most of the those involved might have settled for a point before the match - but having out-played Nottingham there is also a sense that we can and should have won the game. It is really good that people feel that way - as it shows our ambitions are rising. However, the most important thing is the level of performance we put in. The team stepped up another level and look able to compete with anyone in this league. Jackie said it was the best performance she has ever seen from a Bec team. Jackie's been around a while, so that says a lot. The next challenges are to make sure we keep up the level of performance and turn performances into points. MVP: Karen Sparrow - she scored 5 (4 from open play and 1 free pass) - often twisting her player up completely - and her player did not get a single shot. Awesome". - Donald

Final score 16-16.

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This week Bec faced a strong Nottingham team tipped for a top two finish the season. A combination of nerves, over defending and penalties concessions handed Nottingham a 5-0 lead with just 10 minutes played.

Despite this disappointing start Bec continued with it's attacking game plan, making the necessary adjustments needed to slowly reclaim the 5 goal lead.

From then on Bec were far the better team. We drew level before half time, and then did not turn our dominance into the goals that we should have. For long periods in the second half Nottingham looked to have run out of attacking options and have no answer to the goal threats posed by Karen Sparrow and Davesh Patel. Karen in particular seemed able to score at will and with 7 minutes left to play Bec had clawed back the deficit to take the lead 14-13. A lack of composure and confidence then set in and following another penalty award coolly taken by Hannah Lorrimor Nottingham drew level.

There then followed a tense 5 minutes as both teams searched for that winning goal. Nottingham were first to find that space as 2 long shots in quick succession found the basket. With 2 minutes left on the clock Bec were 17-15 down and it seemed that we had run out of time. Again Karen Sparrow stepped up to the challenge and scored immediately. This was quickly followed by Dinos Tritsarolis confidently putting away a shot under the basket just before the final whistle to draw the match 17-17. Bec very nearly succeeded in a league upset in this match by taking all 3 points, but instead will have to accept the 1 point this time. We are looking forward to the rematch and the rest of the season with much deserved confidence.

Tonya

Mitcham 1 – Bec 1

In the 2nd game of the National League Premier Division season, Bec 1 played Mitcham 1 away. Both teams had drawn their opening match and the scene was set for a potentially season defining battle. Mitcham badly needed to assert their customary superiority and prove to themselves and others that they are not a spent force despite a mass exodus of players over the summer. Bec needed to build on the point earned at Kingfishers and attempt to establish themselves as real contenders for a top 4 place.

Both teams were unchanged from the week before with the Bec division of Davesh Patel, Jeroen Suijker, Karen Sparrow & Tonya Richards-Clark starting in attack. The game started briskly with both teams able to move the ball well. The teams traded early goals until at 3 -3 the goals dried up for a long period as the division of Heidi Terrington, Abi Cook, Dinos Tritsirolis & Tom Brady struggled to score despite enjoying a lot of possession. Patel’s division defended valiantly giving up very few clear cut chances however it was Mitcham who broke the deadlock and finished the half more strongly to take a lead of 6-4.

The half time break opened up the game a little with both teams coming out and scoring more freely however it was Mitcham who enjoyed the better spells with King and Bower finally starting to score. Bec fought strongly at times but found themselves 7 goals down within 15 minutes of the restart. Bland replaced Cook as Bec went searching for a come back and the team rallied to reduce the deficit to 15 -10 by the final whistle.

Mitcham celebrated with more gusto than they have sometimes shown in winning the league in past years. For Bec, it was a painful loss but there was plenty of encouraging signs for the coaching partnership of Forrester and Miles and plenty for everyone to learn from and takeaway from the game. Bec’s disappointment at the loss reflects the optimism in the squad about the team’s potential this year and will leave the squad more determined to build themselves into a team that can beat anybody in the league.

Goals: Patel 4, Tritsirolis 2, Brady 2, Suijker 1, Richards-Clarke 1.

Referee: Dave Bond

Bec Fight the 'Final Fifteen Fade'

So the season started with an away trip to face a team who had got the upper hand over Bec on both occasions last season… Kingfishers! With a mammoth pre-season we were damned if we were to let this happen again!

Despite the arctic atmosphere and slippery surface Bec started strongly with shots aplenty. This was epitomised by the first attack of Heidi, Abi, Dinos and Tom who had an extremely long attack thanks to Tom’s faultless ‘Bear’ performance and was sweetly capped off with a goal. Despite the numerous shots going up opportunities went begging, which combined with unusual lapses of concentration in defence around the post allowed Kingfishers to stay in touch with both teams almost always within one goal of each other.

The second half continued in much the same vein with Bec creating chances almost at will and forcing Kingfishers to work for their goals. With about 15 minutes remaining Kingfishers were one up and Bec were entering the stage that proved their Achilles' heel over past seasons, aptly named by coach Forrester as the ‘Final Fifteen Fade’. Having worked on our fitness to fight this demon it showed that our hard work was paying off as we suddenly found our scoring boots, as did Kingfishers. We both teams exchanging goals it was a tense finish to the game. With a few minutes remaining Kingfishers were one up and instead of them trying to push for a two goal margin they opted for the ‘time wasting’ tactic. Would this come back to haunt them… The division of Dav, Jeroen, Karen and Tonya continuously peppered the korf but the ball just didn’t want to drop. However with about 5 seconds remaining, and testament to the saying ‘persistence overcomes resistance’, Mr Suijker did what Dutch korfers do best… score under pressure. Final result 15-15!

Having dominated the match Bec will be disappointed that they didn’t come away with the 2 points, but they can take heart from the final fifteen minutes. With the last quarter having been a struggle for Bec last season compared to Kingfishers who always won the last quarter last season, Bec showed the physical AND mental strength needed if they are to be title contenders.

Special mention should go to our MVP Dinos who showed by scoring his last 3 shots when we really needed them that the unleashed Tritsarolis is a force to be reckoned with!!!

Goals: Dinos (4), Karen (3), Jeroen (3), Tom (2), Heidi (1), Abi (1) & Dav (1).

Introductory Session

At last I can confirm that we will be having a introductory session in the new hall (for squad training next year) - but due to exams the day has had to be changed. The session will now be on:

Wednesday 15th July 7.30pm to 9.30pm

The session will be open to anyone who wants to try out for the First or Second teams next year. It will be relatively high tempo, and will also involve matches to look at potential combinations of players, and so it would not be appropriate for new players. But anyone interested in trying out for the squad should come along.

At the end I will be outlining information about selection, preseason preparation, my aims and expectations of players. The session will also be an opportunity to welcome new players , as well as players who might be joining or coming back to Bec.

It should also be a chance to meet the new squad Assistant and 2nd team coach.

This session is an open one, so if you have friends who have played korfball before and are thinking of joining Bec, they would be very welcome. However, could you let me know if you are bringing anyone along.

If you have any questions about the session do let me know. I am really looking forward to seeing everyone there!

All the best

Donald

How to get there: The new hall is in Charter School, Herne Hill/Dulwich (on old maps referred to as Dulwich School).

You can find a map here or here:

The entrance is on Red Post Hill. As you come out of North Dulwich station you go right and the entrance is on the right after less than 100m. The school shares an entrance with James Alleyn's Girls school (JAGs). However after 20 or so metres Charter is to the left (JAGS is straight on) (it is signposted).

Follow the road around the school and it will take you to the Sports Hall. There is parking in the school, and the hall is 5 minutes walk from North Dulwich station (a 15 minute journey from London Bridge and in zone 2).

Bec 1 face Cambridge City in 2nd Round of Cup

The first team travelled to Cambridge for the 2nd round of the EKA cup to face Cambridge City. With last week’s defeat at the back of everyone’s minds Bec 1 set about their campaign to go through to the 3rd round.

Stu, Ian, Jana and Ruth started off in attack and Stu set the standard high with a superb long shot but city soon responded with an equaliser. With a quick change over Bec took the lead again going 2-1 up but again City fought back to make it 2-2. In the next change over, Bec stepped into the next gear with Stu, Ian, Jana and Ruth attacking with confidence and recycling the ball well which resulted in two goals taking us to 4-2, it was at this point the goals started dropping for both divisions. This resulted in City becoming more frustrated and they began to commit fouls, Bec used this to their advantage with Heidi scoring a free pass and Stu scoring a penalty to take the scoring to 7-2.

City were able to get one goal back but Dinos responded with a long shot and shortly after Jackie took advantage of her defender over committing and scored a runner from the side. In the remainder of the first half city went on to score two more goals but Ruth increased Bec’s lead with a lovely mid range shot in her first team debut. Half time score 10-5.

The half time talk was full of positives with captain Dav instructing his team to continue with the structured korfball and confident shooting we had displayed in the first half. On court, the few words Dav said at half time was enough to keep spirits high and Dinos kicked off the scoring in the second half with a sneaky goal under the post. Ian then made his way onto the scoring sheet with a well deserved long shot, taking us to 12-5.

The next attacks Dav found his spot behind the post scoring a drop off shot and followed this up with a mid range shot. City was able to reply with 2 more goals but Jana picked up a goal under the basket and Heidi scored a running in shot. The final 5 minutes saw goals exchanged between both teams with Stu, Dinos and Dav scoring for Bec left the final score at 20-10. A great team performance with all players making the score sheet. Let's take the team spirit from this game into the Mitcham fixture next weekend and show them what Bec are capable off.

Nottingham 1

This Sunday saw Bec 1 continue its run of away games with a visit to Nottingham. With it being two weeks since our victory over Kwiek and a snow interrupted training schedule in the interim, the team were eager to perform to their full potential against a Nottingham team whom we had only just lost out to in our previous meeting.

The Team this week saw Heidi back in the starting line up in a division with Dav, Dinos and Vicky; after much success in the previous match up this game saw Dav again line up against Joe Bedford, who was spearheading the Notts first attack with Al knight. The Bec first attack was a division unchanged from the previous match: Jana, Tonya, Stu and Jeroen. After several defensive interceptions from both teams in the first minutes, two Notts goals saw the home side move ahead 2-0.

In attack, the division of Dav, Dinos, Vicky and Heidi struggled to move the ball around effectively against the strong front defence of Notts; and, despite strong defence from the Bec Division which saw the speed and fire power of both notts girls reduced by the dogged defence of both Jana and Tonya and strong defensive collections from Stu and Jeroen, Notts took their opportunities with some accurate shooting and went ahead 4-0. After another Notts goal (probably an Al Knight long shot) Jana opened the Bec account with a good runner to make it 5-1. Two more Nottingham goals were scored whilst the other division struggled in attack to take it to 7-1.

After a Bec time out, in which Coach Tom Brady tried to install calm in a team 5 goals behind, the team regained some focus. Jana worked her girl well and scored a short shot, and then with some smooth passing from Stu and Jana a penalty was won, which Stu put away to take the score to 7-3.

 Captain Dav asked his division to make things simpler after the change around and a well worked 2-2 resulted in a good running shot from Heidi, 7-4. And not while after a running shot from Dav made it 7-5.

The Bec revival however, never got closer than within 2, as the Nottingham continued their accurate shooting to keep us at bay. With the score moving to 11-6.

After half time, Bec struggled to find the same momentum from the end of the frist half, as they continued to struggle to pass the ball as effectively as in previous matches. A good pass from Heidi saw a runner from Vicky which took the score to 11-7.

A substitution with 15 minutes left saw Jackie come in for Vicky which improved the divisions movement and Bec continued to press well in defence and make some improved moves in attack, but Notts never looked like surrendering the lead in the second half as they continued to take their shots and moved away to a final score of 15-10.

The team fought hard until the end, with goals in the final quarter coming from a Stu won penalty, a classic Tonya mid-long range shot and a Dinos drop off.

Goals Stu (2), Dinos (2), Jana (2), Dav (1), Tonya (1), Heidi (1), Vicky (1).

Victory against Kweik

This Sunday saw us travelling to Kent to meet Kweik who we had beaten at the home fixture earlier in the season. Although confidence had been buoyed by the Knights win the team knew that this would be a hard game against a young talented team.

The line up was unchanged from the Knights match. Davesh again lined up against James Woolmer with instructions not to give him too much space to use his very accurate shot. Although Kweik were first to score Bec worked hard and played together to make sure that a lead was not opened up. With Jana (2) set free to attack and Dinos (3) and Jereon (3) both shooting well by half time the score was 6-5 to Bec.

The second half saw the return of Heidi (1) to the team. She immediately made her presence known by scoring her first shot. Confidence in each other and the team spirit was high but Kweik were determined and were able to bring the score back to 8-8 and then briefly take the lead. Goals from Jackie (1), Dinos (3) and Jeroen (3), Stuart (2) and strong defence from Tonya, Davesh and Stuart on Kwiek’s keys goal scorers meant that we were able to establish a 2-goal lead with 15 minutes left to play.

Again victory seemed in sight. Then Stuart leapt for the ball in defence and landed on the floor with a crack. After playing on a few minutes problems with the usual springiness meant that Stuart was unable to play on and Tom took to the pitch. A switch to rebound meant that Tom was able to take full advantage of his height and also give time for the attacking section to score. An increasingly ragged Kweik struggled to cope with this change and Bec finished strongly with a 12-10 win a further 2 points in the bag and full of confidence to meet our remaining premiership opponents.

Points in the bag...

On Sunday 11 January 2009 Bec 1 continued its premiership campaign with the first of 5 away games.

The first challenge was Norwich Knights, with the team very keen to remedy the heartbreaking 10-13 defeat in the last game before the Christmas break. Injury meant that Bec had a new line up with Jackie stepping up to replace Heidi.

It was a tense game with Bec struggling to adapt to size of the unfamiliar hall. Although Knights took an early lead at 4-1 they were unable to pull away as all the Bec players worked together and supported each other to keep in contention and eventually take a lead 6-5 shortly before half time. Norwich were quick to reply and took a two-goal lead 8-6 by the half time break.

Undeterred the team continued to work as a unit and with aggressive attacking and goals from Vicky (4); Davesh (3); Dinos (2) and Jeroen (2); contributions from Jackie (1); Tonya (1); Stuart (1) and aggressive defence from Tonya and Stuart on 2 of Knight’s main attackers the team were able to open up a 3 goal lead with only around 5 minutes left to play. Again Knights responded almost immediately to cut this lead to 2 goals.

With victory in sight nerves began to get the better to Bec’s attack as possession was repeatedly lost. A time out was called to steady nerves despite 1 further goal for Knights the team held on to win 14-13. An excellent team performance with players sharing the goals and everyone contributing to a crucial win for the team.

Trojans 1 .v. Bec 1

So 2009 began with a game against the current league champions. One might think that this would have been the worse possible way to start off a new year. But you would be wrong to think so, for Trojans are a team who Bec consistently runs close. Would 2009 show a shift in balance with Bec ending up on the right side of the score line…

After last seasons domineering performance against Jo Adams, Jana lined up against her once more. So first attack was Stu’s division. The game started well with the attack moving the ball around at the right tempo. With Tonya taking control of the post, the attack had much possession and were effective in taking the right scoring opportunities. Although the ball didn’t drop, the Bec defence were once again holding their own, making it nigh on impossible for Trojans to string together a decent attack. Two minutes later… at 0-0 Jo fell to the ground and was to take no more part in the game…Jana 2 – Jo 0 ;). The game re-started after a 5-10 minute interval and Bec opened their floodgates going 0-3 up courtesy of a long from Stu, a runner from Jana and a pen from Dav (created by Dinos). At 1-4 up, Trojans started to get into the game a bit more and scored the next 4 goals to take a lead of 5-4. A timely long goal from Jeroen stopped the resurgence from Trojans as half time was drawing closer. With about a minute on the clock, Bec once again took back the lead with a drop off from Dav, after a sweet pass from Vicky that bisected two Trojan hands. Half time 5-6 Bec.

The second half saw both teams trading goals with neither team able to open up more than a two goal lead at any stage. With 10 minutes remaining and the scores level at 11-11… another Bec goal… another Trojan injury. This time Kathryn Goodridge. The person to blame (according to Nora)… yep you guessed it, none other than our resident bully, Dav (yeah right – believe that and you’ll believe anything). With about 2 minutes to go the scores were tied at 13-13 and yet another injury. Our very own pocket rocket, Heidi. Ankle injury… again!!! You would have thought she’d learnt by now – obviously wasn’t one of her new years resolutions =) After resumption Trojans scored consecutively to take the lead for only the second time in the match and there was to be no comeback from Bec. Final score 13-15 against.

So no shift in balance this time, but there is another opportunity this season so watch this space. Bec can take heart from this performance as they showed The Spirit (I advise you not to watch that film – see what I did there) and desire that somewhat deserted us at the end of 2008. Bec need to take this belief into the next game which is going to be our time to take revenge!

The Dark Knight – Why so serious…

After a good run of two winning games, Norwich Knights were next to face the yellows.

BEC had a flying start and took the lead 3 – 0. After this BEC continued to master the pitch, however the first signs of a very long afternoon were shown… Not the best of BEC’s korfball, however heaps of turnovers, run in shots, long shots, shots from the back, be it boy or girl they came from everywhere…only no goals. This gave the knights the opportunity to come back into the game 3-2.

It wasn’t all misery though, BEC stepped up a gear and with a runner from Jana and a drop of shot from Dav managed to take the lead at half time: 5-3. The second half started like the first, a wonderful shot from Tonya predicted a good end result, however the knights slowly came closer. Till 8 – 6 BEC still looked confident and were able to cover the very low shot %. However this was about to drop even further…

With BEC struggling and the knights smelling a result the game changed and with 2 minutes to play knights finally equalised with a score of 10 – 10.

This broke something within BEC and with two easily given penalties the game was over… the last goal came as salt in our wounds. Final score 10 –13.

A massive blow for BEC in their surge for the fourth place, however it isn’t over till the fat lady sings!!! If we manage to get our shot % a little higher I’m sure we will have a winning strike in 2009!

Bec 1 against Croydon 1

For a pleasant change this game started on a late Sunday afternoon. We knew we had to win as for once we were going into a game as strong favourites. With the buoyant feeling in the camp after recent performances everyone knew that we would win, it was just a matter of how big the goal margin would be… With Tom keeping his place as a player we had the pleasure of Donald coaching again. We started the game easily, scoring the first two goals in quick succession. After the initial strong hold, there was a period of 10 minutes where we lost control taking our foot off the pedal, allowing Croydon to come back and make it all square at 4-4. A timely time out from Croydon allowed us to regroup and we were soon back in control of our game. The second half was a one sided affair with as clinical a performance as you are likely to witness. Bec went into the 2nd half with the energy as though we still had 60 minutes ahead of us. With a flurry of goals a more than sizeable gap opened up between the two teams and it’s fair to say that Croydon crumbled. This was evident as Dinos had so much possession of the ball coming from the Croydon hands that you had to wonder what colour shirt he had on. The all round team effort was evident from the fact that everyone scored at least one goal. With a total of 20 to 9 against Croydon we finally had another victory in the 1st half of this season. So 3x hip hip hooray!!!;)

Bec do battle against Kwiek.

On a snowy Sunday morning (8.50am!!!!) Bec did battle against Kwiek, in what may later be looked on as a vital game. With Bec having lost all three games so far this season a loss would have been like panda baiting… suicidal in terms of aim for the 4th place and the playoffs.

Steve Green the Kweik coach seeing this as a must win game in terms of Kwieks’ 4th place challenge, had appealed a yellow card that would have seen him miss the game. This meant that a full strength Kwiek faced up to a Bec side missing two first team regulars (Jeroen - who was on a stag weekend and Jana - who was feeling worse than the early morning weather) with Jackie keeping her place after a strong performance against Nottingham the previous week and coach Tom Brady coming in for Jeroen it was a new look Bec who started the game.

With coach Tom Brady playing, the task of pulling his hair out and providing words of wisdom from the sideline fell to Donald Forester. The start was not the way Bec had hoped for with flashbacks to the Mitcham game as they fell behind to 4 Kwiek running-in shots. But unlike the Mitcham game this was stopped with all alacrity as Donald called a time out and decided that with the Bec boys being so dominant around the post that they should go to rebound (which proved to be a masterstroke and if you have an hour to spare I’m sure Donald will be more than pleased to regale you with why!!!). Having changed tactics Bec soon had the Kwiek players struggling to put a single coherent move together.

The first half ended with Bec in the ascendancy with Bec scoring first, through Tom Brady who showed that with age may come gray hair, but also experience, as he put away a three metre shot as Steve Green stood helplessly under the basket having dropped off. This was followed by a flurry of Bec goals from Stu, Dav and Dinos. But Bec ended still behind by two at 7-5 down.

During the half time team talk, all that was called for was the same intensity and commitment that had been shown for all but 10 minutes of the first half. This was shown immediately as Davesh Patel chased down a ball and ended up scoring a 7.5 on the judges’ cards as he sailed over the Kwiek bench in hopes of retrieving the ball.

The second half is what Bec can call total domination as with the rebounding boys still proving to be possibly the strongest in the league, Kwiek were limited to the roulette of one shot attacks as they failed to deal with the Bec boys dominance around the post. This meant that with the girls scoring and the boys finding their touch around the post Bec managed to be leading by at least 4 for long periods of the game, with Kwiek sliding ever further into the abyss of defeat.

A change of tactics that perhaps should have come sooner than the final 8 minutes saw league and Kwiek top scorer James Woolmer score two in quick succession! But Bec would not be denied their first win of the season and maintained their lead, which was finished emphatically with a long shot that didn’t touch the sides from Dinos with the final whistle blowing immediately afterwards.

This win was a much needed fillip for Bec who can go into the two games before Christmas on a high against the two teams below them in the league. If Bec keep up this sort of performance, with the same kind of intensity and passion then the rest of the league better beware that a black and gold tide is coming!!!

Bec take on Mitcham 1

Mitcham started the game firing on all cylinders. They took advantage of some naïve defending by Bec 1 – particularly failure to deal with collects by Mitcham that led to a feed and a quick running-in shot – and charged into a 6-0 lead within 12 minutes. A time out focussed on cutting out these simple goals, and the rest of the match was a different story. Bec’s defence became formidable – challenging for the ball all over the pitch without over-committing – and moving the ball around nicely in attack (though struggling to finish off attacks with a goal). Eventually a well worked team goal led to Davesh scoring. The score at half-time was 8-1. The half-time team talk focussed on what the team were doing right. Jackie in particular emphasised how well the team were playing, and the big improvement over the previous week. The team focussed on winning the second half.

The second half was a great advert for British korfball. All the players in both teams were completely committed and focussed. Davesh provided Dave Synott with some of the stiffest competition he will have all season. Dinos made numerous interceptions and dominated his player. Vicky and Kitman moved the ball well around their section and kept tight to two very difficult Mitcham girls. Stuart defended Ross superbly and Tonya took Aimee out of the game, while with Abi and Jeroen the section began to gel as a unit, move the ball around smoothly and create chances in attack. Special mention should go to the supporters – who made lots of noise throughout. Bec won the 2nd half 5-4 in a great display, but lost the match 12 – 6. This was a match we lost, but there were some real positives about it. Our defence (save for a few basic errors at the start) was excellent and our attack protected and moved the ball well. We created enough chances to have pushed Mitcham closer than the final score suggests.

Most importantly the fighting spirit from beginning to end, the teamwork and the positive attitude of everyone made this defeat a platform for future success, not a cause for disappointment. Every player came off the pitch knowing they had done their best, and having enjoyed the game. If we take the same passion and skill into future games, Bec 1 have a great season to look forward to.
 

Tom Brady to Remain as Head Coach

Bec are pleased to welcome back Tom Brady as Head Coach after his first successful season coaching the first and second teams last year – Bec 1 achieved a credible 5th place in the National Premier league and will be looking to better it this season.

Bec do the Double Over Croydon

Confidence has also spread to existing players with John Bracey leaving his usual place at the post to score 2 successful hat-tricks. This week Bec 1 took on Croydon 1 with the last tie finishing closely 11-8. Bec 1 were more dominant this time round with Dinos scoring 5 goals throughout the game. A spell of repeat fouls saw Croydon come close through several penalties, but Bec 1 went in final winners 16-10