U11 & U9 Football and Netball v Spratton

Netball v Spratton Hall

Witham U11A wins 8-3

This was a tough game in horrid conditions where some players found it tough to keep warm however hard they worked. The Spratton girls made up a very able and athletic team who pressed the Witham team every minute of the game. It was difficult to find any great flow such was the quality of the defensive work from Spratton: however, the Witham girls showed great heart and determination and stuck with the task. Frequent interceptions from Ella Johnsrud and Isabella Simmonds gave us plenty of opportunities to attack but getting the ball into the ‘D’ proved problematic. However, shooters Amelia Manara and Sophie Burnett (shooting debut) made it count when it mattered whereas the Spratton shooters found it difficult to convert their chances. Electra Winter made an excellent start to A team play as GK and made many interceptions. A tough, but well-earned win.

Witham U11B loses 5-12

After a long bus trip to Spratton Hall the last thing the Under 11B team wanted to do was play 40 minutes of netball in the wind and rain. Unfortunately there was no getting out of it now! The 1st quarter started with rather low motivation from the team and the precise shooting of the Spratton hall GS kept the girls in low spirits. Hence, the first half left Witham trailing 3-9. Shooters Clara Hallam scored 2 and Georgia Williams scored 1.
The 3rd quarter was similar to the first two: however the quick passes between the Witham players slowed down the opposition. The forceful winds didn’t help the Witham shooters, and unfortunately they were unable to catch up to the 12 goals against them.
Finally in the 4th quarter, after packing on a few more layers, the Witham girls woke up. Clemmie Figgis and Georgie Hakney intercepted many a pass, the girls made accurate passes of their own and stopped Spratton from scoring any more. New team mate and GA for the day Hattie Grace won the final quarter for Witham scoring 2 fantastic goals. Well done to the Issy Hobbs, Jenna Lloyd and Hattie Grace who showed tremendous commitment and spirit on the Witham Side.

Witham U11 C wins 8 – 1

It was wet and windy – certainly not ideal for a game of netball, however the team did not let the weather affect their ability to play well. Once again the girls maintained their brilliant team work and skills, resulting in another marvellous win. WA – Sophie Smith and GA – Maria Morris snatched the ball after each of Poppy Chatterton’s strong centre passes, getting the ball down our end of the court. Annabel Tollemache showed an outstanding shooting technique, receiving the ball from Poppy or Sophie Smith. Chica Maitland showed excellent intercepting in the centre third and Catherine Swanston continued to mark the ball and send it down the court accurately. Rapid movements of dodging, especially by Clo Farmer, kept the girls in front, without letting Spratton steal the ball away. Sophie Wass did a good job at GK.

Witham U11D wins 2-1

The girls took to the courts on a wet and windy afternoon to play against Spratton U10B team. The girls got off to a fantastic start with a good first centre pass from Captain Harriet Cadman to GD Leonie Fraser. Spratton fought back fiercely and with lots of quick passing got the ball down to their end of the court swiftly. Amelia Britton played well in the D to keep intercepting balls and stopping any shooting chances. The game was quite evenly matched for three quarters, with lots of attempts on goal for both teams. Harriet Darley and Olivia Burnett successfully intercepted many balls during this time. By the end of the 3rd quarter though Spratton had managed to score a goal. In the final quarter the girls stepped their game up and with some fantastic team work between Isabella Manara, Harriet and Leonie around the goal; Isabella scored the first goal for Witham. Quickly afterward Chloe Sharman scored the second and Witham won 2-1. A very tense match!

Football v Spratton Hall

Witham Colts A loses 0-5

The Colts A's match at Spratton was worryingly similar to their midweek performance against Bedford Modern.  Despite reaching the interval with the score at 0-0 after a keenly contested half of football, Witham capitulated in the second half, conceding five unanswered goals.  Increased levels of mental strength and determination will be needed for our next matches.

Witham Colts B loses 0-4

It was another away challenge for the Colts B at Spratton Hall this week. The game started brightly, both sides creating chances. Spratton took the lead in the first half, but Witham had chances to equalise. The second half was largely dominated by Spratton. The Witham boys seemed to lose their fight and despite creating some chances, no goals came their way. A more determined Spratton team took charge and soon started scoring. The final score was 4-0. On another day, Witham could have had a few goals and maybe won this game. The boys learned today that it is not always about having the skills, but sometimes more about the determination to win a match.

Witham Colts C wins 4 – 0

A most welcome win away at Spratton visibly lifted spirits on a damp and windy afternoon. The Colts played well, displaying determination and grit at the back with Henry Saunders Watson and Kit Maitland tackling hard and denying Spratton all afternoon. However, the “clean sheet” was entirely due to the stalwart efforts of Will Larter who made some fine saves and deserved the Man of the Match plaudit from the crowd.

The first half was fairly even with the ever-athletic Finn Chatterton stretching and turning in a smartly taken goal after the keeper parried a driven shot. A single goal was not a comfortable margin to take into the second half, however what followed was really pleasing; Witham took control and passed the ball intelligently around with Toby Sumner, Fraser Hakney and Harry Thompson linking well to provide Finn and George East with plenty of ball. Finn slotted home another after George scored early in the second half but Spratton threw everything at Witham and Will was called into action  several times in a frantic five minutes as Spratton made a bid to get back in the game.

However, in the final quarter Witham then turned the screw forcing Spratton to play in their own half as their grip on the game tightened and George’s super strike from twenty yards really finished off the afternoon on a jubilant note. Well done boys, our first win!

Witham U9A wins 4-1

Witham’s U9A Football team once again put on a fantastic show for the spectators as they beat Spratton Hall 4-1. Spratton came out firing at the start of the game controlling not only possession but also the territory. Witham’s tackling and interceptions kept a fierce Spratton side on zero. Witham found their footing seven or eight minutes into the game, with Joe Fox scoring the opening goal of the game. From here on Witham dominated. Superb control of the ball as well passing into space saw Witham extend their lead, as they scored just before half time. After the break Witham quickly took a 3-0 lead and extended it to 4-0 half way through the second half. Spratton never let the score line deter them as they threw everything they had at Witham time and time again, eventually scoring in the dying minutes of the game to make the final score 4-1 (Goal scorers: Joe Fox, Orlando Thain, William Chandler and James Tattersall)

Witham U9B loses 0-1

The Under 9 boys were part of another enjoyable and exciting match on Saturday. It was encouraging to see them keep good shape again, and in particular to see the back three keep their positional discipline. Our defence was strong and included some vital tackles and long clearances from Frankie Atkinson. Archie Smith-Maxwell and Oscar Fowler created several chances up front again. The result was always going to be close and it finished as a 0-1 defeat. Well done, boys.