Match Reports 2008/09

Outside it may have been Bonfire night, but the inside of Gosling Sports Hall was lit up by a dazzling pyrotechnic display as Hornets rocketed to a resounding 3-0 victory against Vale Volleyers. The season may have started as a damp squib, but last night Hornets lit the blue touch paper to deadly effect. Iain and Alex rose like Roman Candles to dominate the middle, whilst Guy and Sylvester set off explosive hits for Lynne and Steve. Fiona buzzed around the back like a firecracker. And Guy was on fire….

OK, enough of the Bonfire Night cliches, I’ll leave those to the professional journalists. What was really good about last night’s performance was that we started thinking and playing like a team. Guy had a game plan with us each having a job to do, and he stuck to it. There was a large proportion of good first balls getting to the setters, which meant that Guy (and to some extent Sylvester) could choose hitting options. This was due in no small measure to Fiona’s confident and effective performance as Libero. This also led to Iain and Alex being able to come on refreshed for another round of blocking and hitting at the net. Serving was more consistent and we had strong runs of serves from Lynne, Steve and Sylvester. Of course, we did make mistakes and Vale did run us close in the middle of the first set and for much of the final set. The point is, our heads didn’t go down, we played for each other and rekindled some of that elusive Hornets spirit to come out on top. If we continue to improve at this rate, we could do ourselves justice and give most teams in the division a run for their money. Go Hornets!

- Sylvester

The Hatfield Honeys gave Watford ladies a scare last night. Our ladies took the first set convincingly with very controlled, organised and steady play. Amanda and Junko did a great job of setting when front court. There were no weak rotations as everyone knew what they were doing. Despite a couple of great blocks in the middle from Fiona, Watford took a 5 point lead at the start of the second set which proved decisive. There were, however, some long rallies that displayed great team work and commitment from our ladies. Also, some good hits from Helen, Fiona and Lynne. So, with the score now level, the third set provided even more drama: Junko unfortunately bent her thumb back whilst desperately trying to reach up for a ball close to the net. This made it too painful for her to set anymore, so setting duties had to be taken on by the others for the rest of the set. Watford duly took advantage with some good serves and spikes of their own to claim the third set. The fourth set necessitated a change in line up, with Stacey capably stepping up to the mark to set. It was thrilling stuff with a real possibility, at 17-17, of the match going to a deciding fifth set. Eventually, Watford prevailed with a run of hard hit serves to take the match 3-1 in nearly two hours.