The Yorker brings you the action live from the Varsity sport competition between York St. Johns and the University of York.
York dominated the varsity swimming from the off, winning comfortably 67 - 43 to take an eighteen point overall lead into tomorrow's fixtures.
York opened up with their strong zone defence, one that has seen them through all their home games this season, along with good passing on offence and a hefty block from Marta Marščionkaitė. Quickly establishing their lead, York would remain in control of the game throughout. York did misfire several times on offence but did not seem troubled by this. Their well disciplined defence, Jun Wern Soohu’s aggressive hustle, and St. John’s lack of thereof (and a lot more) led to the quarter finishing 10 – 3 in York’s favour.
The second quarter belonged to one player and one player only. Although the women as a whole played well Daphne Barkshire outscored the combined totals of her team-mates, netting ten points, along with three steals and a rebound. There was one dramatic moment during the quarter when a St. John’s player tripped over the trailing leg of a York player and fell badly. In considerable pain and shock the player was unable to move with tears streaming down her face, but thankfully referee Mark Lister was able to carry her to safety - to communal admiration from both teams - and allowed the game to continue. The quarter finished with York leading 29-5.
If the second quarter belonged to Barkshire then the third belonged to Ana Arteche. With a drive that a lot of seasoned basketball players would be envious of, Arteche scored ten points during the quarter, outscoring her team mates in similar fashion to Barkshire. York also managed to grab a combined nine steals during the quarter and three offensive rebounds, completely disrupting St. John’s defence, and the quarter finished York 46 – St. John 6. In ten minutes of game play St. John only managed to score a single point.
The final quarter was more even, in terms of player performances, with Barkshire, Arteche and Smith playing impressively. Arteche and Barkshire both stole the ball four times, and the team as a whole brought the game to its inevitable conclusion. All the women played well, whether scoring points, stealing the ball, or simple focused determination to disrupt the opponents as much as possible. The women, and this reporter, really hope they are promoted this year so they no longer face the teams they’ve been playing. That said, York St. John’s are in the league above them, so it might be a while still before these women meet their match.
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