Nick Wright previews this weekend's clash between York City Knights and Hull FC
Alex Reid looks at whether the once ever-present appearance of English clubs in the later stages of the Champions League is set to become a thing of the past
Craig Dobson looks at QPR's decision to sack Neil Warnock and replace him with Mark Hughes
James Tompkinson reviews an excellent pre-season victory for the York City Knights against Yorkshire rivals Leeds Rhinos
York women's 1sts proved that they were a team to be reckoned with in their domination of Leeds Met last week.
Co-written with Beckie Doodson
With 1sts keeper Christiana Hambro out of action, Amy Marsh stepped into the goalie kit and onto a lacrosse pitch for the very first time. Although nervous beforehand, Marsh showed her quick relflexes and natural ability for goalkeeping, only letting in one goal during the entire match and making some incredible saves. One Leeds Met player was heard to say how amazing the York goalkeeper was, refusing to believe that this was not only her first time in goal, but also her first competitive match.
York maintained a strong defence throughout, double-teaming Leeds Met players and gaining back possession whenever they were unable to win the centre draw. Midfield and defence players maintained an aggressive level to their tackling skills, leaving Leeds Met scrabbling for ground balls. Although Leeds Met increased the pace of their game in the last quarter, this was no match for the strong stick skills that York maintained throughout.
The transition of the ball from goalkeeper Marsh to the defence and up the pitch to attack was a noticeable improvement for York, as sloppy passes had let them down on this in the past. In this match they proved that dedicated time spent training with temporary coach Georgie Davis had massively improved their work in the centre of the pitch. Elsie Blackshaw, Rose Morrison, Beckie Doodson, Lauren Menzies and Vicky Eagle were able to maintain a strong unit in midfield, which Leeds Met found hard to match.
Although some of the set plays York had planned to use in attack were difficult to pull off due to Leeds' players marking York's Sophie Close-Smith closely behind goal, York managed to settle the ball well in attack, with some good cuts through the fan by Helen Streeter and Emily Lingard. Goals came from across the attacking players, testament to the team game played by York.
The match also saw a debut for first-year Sophie Pickup, who added to the widening scoreline after only a few minutes on the pitch, much to the delight of her team mates who ran to congratulate her.
This was the last BUSA match for third years Sophie Close-Smith, Lauren Menzies, Rachel Cooper, Sarah Saywell and Beckie Doodson. They will all miss playing for York Lacrosse, and the friendships they have made with the girls on the team. The match against Leeds Met was a definite high to leave on, and was also a great last BUSA game for captain Kate Moss and vice-captain Elsie Blackshaw, who was awarded woman of the match
All in all, York played the best they have played all season, demonstrating the huge improvements in their attacking and defensive play, stick skills and transition work up the pitch. York women's are most definitely a team to watch in Roses this year; Lancaster will find the improvements made this year difficult to contend with.
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