Sleaford Barge Hurricanes storm back to beat Lincoln City

A tight match was expected from the much-anticipated clash with Lincoln City, with both sides beating each other last season, and as with all derby games, it was a physical and highly competitive contest.

Hurricanes made a flying start by breaking Lincoln’s first two centre passes and quickly took a 3-0 lead.

Good defence from Katie Clarke, Carla Baker and Sarah Brinkworth made it difficult for Lincoln to accurately feed their shooters, and Sleaford picked up several turnovers as they ended the first quarter 12-8 up.

Despite good movement and accurate shooting from Emma and Anne Sharpe, Lincoln fought back and edged in front, 21-20, at half-time.

Sleaford made changes at the break, bringing Beth Davys and Ellie Wilson on for their Division One debuts, and they played very well, bringing a renewed energy and pace to the game.

The pivotal third quarter is always the one teams want to dominate, and Sleaford did just that with a run of seven unanswered goals and excellent mid-court turnovers, giving them a 36-31 buffer.

The centre court duo of Shannon Boothright and Lily Chow continued to work hard, and when things started to heat up Sleaford played some smart netball to remain in control.

Every player worked hard to get the result as Sleaford won 48-41.

Player-of-the-match was Lily Chow who was not only strong in attack, but didn’t give up in defence to earn some crucial turnovers.