Hertfordshire Mavericks travelled to Hull to face FNSL newcomers, Yorkshire Jets, in front of a packed crowd in the Bonus Arena.
Coach, Karen Atkinson, has said that she wants her players firing right from the first whistle, and she must have been delighted to see a score line of 16-7 in Mavericks favour after the first quarter.
The Mavericks mid-court of Rose Morgan-Smith, Sasha Corbin and Camilla Buchanan showed excellent control from the first whistle in a fiercely competitive contest in which turnovers came in abundance.
Mavericks started the game with an immediate turnover which was converted by the lively Vicklyn Joseph, and with continued pressure all over the court they forced Jets into conceding easy possession, this saw the Mavericks race into an 11-5 lead after the opening exchanges. By the end of the first quarter, Mavericks had extended their advantage to nine as Vicklyn was frequently found under the post by Sasha Corbin and Alice Ewer. Despite strong work by the Jets defence they could only restrict the deficit to 16-7 at the end of the first quarter.
Mavericks continued their momentum as they instantly converted a turnover to pull further clear. The game became untidy with the turnover count increasing rapidly and the whistle being used more often by the umpires as some intense contesting of the ball was witnessed. As the quarter continued Jets attack gained impetus but any miss in the shooting area was scooped up by the Mavericks defence of Lindsay Keable and Josie Huckle. At the half time interval Mavericks went into the break with a 27-19 lead.
Another rapid start to a 3rd quarter saw Mavericks pull further ahead. The physical encounter continued as both sides were unrelenting with their pressure on each other. The direct route to Vicklyn was still reaping rewards for Mavericks, and Alice Ewer was continuing to work hard for Mavericks as she regularly found helping out in mid-court as well as performing her duties excellently in the circle, Mavericks maintained their lead, 39-29 heading into the final quarter.
The last quarter started with Jets making several changes in the shooting circle, but Mavericks remained unchanged from their starting line up. With vital interceptions Jets pulled to within five goals with three minutes remaining. However, Alice Ewer was cool under pressure and with a vital score in the closing stages silenced the crowd by going on to win the match 48 – 41 to record a victory.
In round three the Mavericks now head off to Cardiff next Thursday 2 February for their clash with Celtic Dragons.
