In addition to moaning about weekend warriors, spanners at petrol stations and enjoying my man’s cooking, working full time and Twittering, I also run a netball team called Eldapoint B. We are in Division 5 (newly promoted from Division 6 as Winners for Winter Season) of the league run by South Essex Thurrock Netball Association, and there are 72 teams in total.
Eldapoint B was formerly Island Wedding. We changed our name at the end of last season to join up with another team as their ‘B’ team. The idea was to provide them with a pool of players to play up if needed (they always struggle to get a team out) and to give my players additional game and higher division experience, which I felt would benefit the team.
At the halfway mark we were in second place, which was very good, considering we have only just gone up! However, we have lost a number of games since then due to negativity on court and struggling to put a team out. Even with eleven players signed up, we have struggled! Still, while I would love for the team to be placed in the top two, if we finish mid division I would be equally happy as well.
In future any blogs for the team and the games they play will be on http://eldapointb.blogspot.com/ You can also follow Eldapoint B on Twitter @eldapointb
Anyone who runs a team of any kind will tell you, it is incredibly frustrating, stressful and hard work. They will also tell you, there are random moments which, however minor to others, also make it rewarding and worth it. One of these moments, however small, can wipe out months of stress and frustration.
Eldapoint B played K O Engineering A last night. They had a rough game, the team they played was very aggressive and there was a lot of contact and late interceptions, which bordered on dangerous, but we did expect that. It wasn’t a nasty or bitchy game, just really rough.
This picture was taken last night. It’s funny because in the photos I have taken of the team before the games they look like they are being lined up to be shot, but in the interval team photos they look a lot happier, despite being hot, sweaty and out of breath!
Unfortunately they lost last night, but I was really pleased with the game and the team. Two reasons. One, the team played as a team and there was no negativity or criticism of each other, of which there has been a lot in recent times, and it is so destructive! Secondly, the umpires awarded player of the match to a player who hasn’t had a lot of game time over the last two seasons and is very inexperienced. This is one of those random moments I mentioned earlier.
This player is always there, but unfortunately because of the number of players available and the types of teams we have played (lot of rough teams!), I have hesitated about putting her on court a lot, which I freely admit (and do regret), has not been fair to her.
Running a team is an absolute headache at times, no matter what you do, it always puts someone’s nose out of joint. In order to ensure we have had enough players, I have signed up more, and then you end up with players spare, and I have lost a player over it, who wanted to play 24/7. The problem with that was, she wanted guaranteed full on game time, but wasn’t prepared to commit herself. Commitment works both ways unfortunately, in everything. You get what you give.
Anyway, returning to the Player of The Match last night. Despite all that she has put up with over the last two seasons and the criticism I don’t doubt she has been subjected to by other players on court (even on a netball court, girls/ladies/women still find time to be bitchy!), she doesn’t complain and she is a lovely natured lady, who, when she plays, gives it everything she can and does not give up. She has had two full games in a row, there is so much improvement, it’s fantastic, and it is lovely to watch.
I’ll give you some examples. Last week, she went in for a loose ball against her opponent, and got a toss-up out of it, because she followed through and didn’t give up. This week, she was calling for passes and the rest of the team were making use of her. Getting that confidence from other players is a difficult thing, as I know from my own experience.
In those few moments before she got that toss-up, she finally tapped into the competitive spirit she needed to move forward, and because of it, she is getting immersed in the game and the basics are falling into place more easily for her. Footwork doesn’t come easy to her when it comes to passing and some of the passes the rest of the team use are a bit brutal for her at the moment, but it will come with time.
There was a photo I took last night of this player, which regrettably wasn’t very good quality, really blurred, and I won’t post it on here. However, it clearly identifies her, and you could see her determination in it, it is written in her expression, her posture, everything. They say a picture paints a thousand words, and clichéd though that is, my word it is true.
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