Ribble Valley put in their best performance of the season so far against Chester NC in a feisty North West Premier match.

Chester, whose team featured Celtic Dragons NSL star Sophie Morgan, had won their first two games of the season whereas Ribble were still looking for their first win. With Elisha Priestley and Jemma Holden unavailable, Ribble handed a debut to new signing Emma Dobson and welcomed back Anja Haworth from injury.

It could have been argued that Ribble weren’t expecting much from the game but it was the East Lancashire side that took control of the first quarter.

There were a lot of early turnovers from both sides as neither team took the ascendancy, but resolute defending from Kate Asbridge, Eleanor Jorgenson and debutant Dobson allowed Ribble to compose themselves and eventually assert their dominance.

Jordan Balazs and captain Sophie Layfield were slick with their passes in attack as the Chester defence looked to have no answer at that stage, Balazs in particular impressing against her quality opponent Morgan. Clinical shooting in the latter stages of the quarter from Freya McDermott-Dean and the impressive Hannah Fletcher took Ribble into a six goal advantage, Ribble leading 12-6 at the end of the quarter.

Chester came out with a much improved start in the second quarter and scored three times quickly. Fletcher continued her fine game to stem the tide briefly with two outstanding goals from difficult distances and angles.  However the pressure of Chester’s quality mid-court began to tell and they harried Ribble into some rushed passes and interchanges that led to turnover opportunities and Ribble’s lead by half way was cut to 19-16.

The third quarter saw the return of 15 year old Haworth who had been sidelined the last couple of weeks due to a back injury and the Manchester Thunder pathway player, replacing Balazs at centre, was as impressive as ever.

Ribble started well, going 6 clear again, but Chester came out with an ultra competitive approach and started to grow more and more into the quarter. A dominant period saw them score seven times on the bounce to take the lead briefly for the first time. An injury change for Ribble saw Balazs return to court for the skipper Layfield who was feeling the effects of an ankle injury and hard work all round saw Ribble manage to regain a slender 28-26 lead going into the final quarter.

Yet the biggest talking point of the third came as it was just about to end. A Jorgensen interception for Ribble saw them move the ball quickly down the court and with all eyes following play Kate Asbridge sadly found herself on the wrong end of an elbow leaving her visibly distressed and struggling to breath.

The 25 year old bravely tried to carry on into the fourth quarter but quickly succumbed, later requiring hospital treatment.

The substitution of Asbridge denied the Lancashire side a key player and forced changes in personnel and positions across the court. Maya Nelson came on to join Hannah Fletcher in attack with McDermott-Dean moving to her Leeds Rhinos position at GK.

The changes disrupted Ribble and, with 6 minutes to go of the 60, Chester took the lead for just the second time in the game. Captain Layfield, returning to court despite ongoing discomfort, did her best to rally her troops but a streetwise home side were allowed to physically impose themselves on the game and in the end Ribble went down in the final few minutes by a mere two goals.

​This was without doubt Ribble’s best performance of the season and a lot of positives were taken having played against a side who qualified for the national league play-offs last year.

Ribble next entertain Oldham this weekend (12/10) at Oakhill with a 12.30 start in what promises to be another great game.

Report by Nathan Bailey

Ribble Valley lost the second game of the season against Warrington, despite a courageous second half comeback.

This was Ribble’s first home game of the season and a hasty change of venue meant that the match was to be played at the same venue used in the 2018/19 season, rather than Oakhill college due to a small leak from the bad weather.

Ribble were up against Warrington who lost their first game of the season by just the one goal so a tough test was to come.

15-year-old Anja Haworth was ruled out due to injury and Ella Barton was unavailable so Ribble included débutante Issy Taylor and 16yr old Maya Nelson joining Beth Tomlinson on an inexperienced looking bench.

Kate Asbridge overcame an ankle knock picked up in the warmup and once again showed her maturity, experience and skill playing in her usual position of GK with her defensive partners Eleanor Jorgensen and later Jemma Holden providing top support.

Both teams started brightly in the first quarter and straight away there was a sense this was going to be a feisty game.

Hannah Fletcher found herself in a physical battle with the Warrington GD and GK but it was hers and Freya McDermott-Dean’s slick circle interchange that kept Ribble on the tail of their counterparts.

After the first quarter Warrington had a slender lead of 12-10.

The second quarter saw Warrington come firing out of the blocks and score four quick goals on the bounce after successful turnovers.

Despite great defensive efforts from Ribble, Warrington’s shooting was faultless and that took them into a commanding 26-16 lead at half time.

At the break, Fletcher had to be substituted after injuring her back and was replaced by youngster Nelson who came on at the unfamiliar position of GA, but the teenager took her chance with both hands and played her part in a quarter which saw Ribble score 14 times!

Both Nelson and McDermott-Dean, who had a great game at GS, showed composure under pressure as the tough visiting defence forced a physical battle for every feed into the circle.

The reliable middle trio of  Jordan Balazs, Elisha Preistley and captain Sophie Layfield, who was voted player of the match by Warrington, found a new gear as they reasserted themselves on the Warrington centre court and showed patience and skill when in possession of the ball.

There was a moment of worry as a nasty collision saw McDermott-Dean come down head first after a high ball ended with her and the visiting goal defence colliding. Thankfully though, she bravely picked herself up and continued to play, sinking the resulting penalty from distance.

Going into the final quarter Ribble had cut the lead to 38-30.

The final quarter saw neither side take a clear ascendancy and the quarter became somewhat niggly as the East Lancashire outfit pushed to close the gap and Warrington battled hard to maintain their cushion. There was a Warrington player cautioned for delaying play, a series of toss ups as the umpires looked to decipher the rolling battle between Nelson, McDermott-Dean and the visiting defence and a few stern words for the Ribble bench as passions bubbled up.

Despite outscoring Warrington again in the final quarter it wasn’t quite enough and Ribble finished on the losing side, 45-38 the final score.

In true netball style the on court contest was instantly forgotten in a warm and friendly post match refreshment break and both sides will look forward to the return fixture in the new year.

Ribble travel to Chester this weekend, hoping for a first win.