Today it tipped it down until mid afternoon; for those of us who didn't pack waterproofs, the day was even wetter! The locals told us they hadn't seen rain like this for a very long time. However we decided to make the most of our morning and head into Bridgetown, the capital of the country. Our first Bajan public bus journey was somewhat interesting and cramped. In Bridgetown we did a spot of shopping. The boys’ purchases were very different to the girls- water guns and clothes- I will leave the rest up to you to work out.
On our return we learnt that the girls' netball game had been cancelled due to the weather, so everyone went to watch the boys’ hockey game.
HOCKEY-Barbados U21s 5-1 Adams' Grammar SchoolAfter our initial defeat against the U21 squad we thought that our opponents couldn't get any stronger. However, to our surprise, we arrived to see many familiar faces from the day before. It was soon realised that it was the same U21 squad after the weaker players had been removed. Tough opposition indeed! However we had the advantage of home support from the netball girls, who generously volunteered to come and watch the match, as their match had been cancelled due to the weather.
After our vigorous warm-up, the slightly different starting lineup stepped on the pitch for push back. Being cloudier than the previous day, conditions seemed better to play in. Push back was taken and the game was underway. After the first 10 minutes we were on the back foot as the opposition attack were relentless. The strength of the opposition slowed once again after they scored from a short corner. Undettered we kept going, straight from push back, we saw a brilliant aerial from Nick up to the opposition D. The unexpected defenders were left awe-struck as Widdows bought the ball under control and scored what would be described as our best goal of the tour so far.
So it was now half time and we were only losing by 2-1. This is a great improvement considering that the day before we were losing 5-0 to a weaker team. After discussing our weak points, we were ready to start the second half.
We were now playing the half court press to try and change our game plan. This proved to be an effective strategy; however it required a much higher work rate, which meant players were getting more tired and de-hydrated. About halfway through the second half us had a period of poor communication where we only had 10 men on the pitch for about two minutes. Nick was not happy. So after quick counter attack they scored another goal, and despite this our heads did not drop. Everybody was working really hard to keep up with the play, even Pete Grech was slide tackling their players. However they scored another goal to make it 4-1 and our hopes were starting to fade. The final score was 5-2. Despite the lose everyone agreed that we had put up an excellent performance especially compared to outré last match. Player elected by the opposition coach was Olly, Scriven and Nick.
Day 4
After a heavy night of rain, we woke to glorious sunshine. Today we went to 'The Boatyard' which is a private beach/restaurant in Bridgetown. With the sun gleaming we all enjoyed a day on the water trampolines, iceberg and rope swing in the sea. After catching a few rays we headed back to the resort to get ready for the girls' netball match against the Silver Raiders at 5pm. Today was the Boys' rest day, which judging by the redness of some of their backs, was probably a good thing.
NETBALL- Silver Raiders 15-14 Adams' Grammar School 1st
After the disappointment of being rained off in their previous game- something more common with the game of cricket- Adams' 1st VII travelled to an interesting neighborhood to play against silver raiders. After a tough first game the girls were fired up to reward their first victory of the tour.
The game started at a rapid pace and only a few seconds in Adams' found themselves a goal down. However they hit back immediately with some quick and precise play and a good finish from Hannah Nicholls- something that continued throughout the match. The fast tempo was sustained for the first quarter.
With no sign of the play slowing, Miss Jones gave a few choice words to make sure the girls carried on the way they were. And it worked: Jess Martin was a stallwapt in defence. Not being intimidated by their excellent shooter, she made several interceptions and broke a lot of the previous play with some timely tips. In attack the combination of Charlotte Gammon, Harriet Grandfield, Katie Russell and Steph Wood was often too hot to handle and this helped to put Adams' one goal up on the raiders at half time.
Adams' were particularly on top from the restarts. Their very structured and well rehearsed phases of play were often too good for the home side and ensured Charlotte Gammon and Hannah Nicholls could continue popping them in.
As Darkness fell on the court, the dominance of Lucy Bratton became more and more evident. I feel she was instrumented in all of Adams' play, often starting attacks with brilliant interceptions and finding a pass quickly to relieve pressure. Her passion was matched by her were rate and this rubbed off on the others, a sign of a good captain. In particular Harriet Grandfield played hard all game to chase no end of the previously thought lost causes. Steph Wood also was inspired and despite some vicious opposition, she gave as good as she got.
As the end of the match drew close Adams' were up by one. However some great play by the Raiders and some extremely casual shooting took the Bajans' victory by one goal. Adams' played exceptionally well and should count themselves unlucky not to have at least tied this game. I’m sure if they continue to play this manner they will defiantly be picking up wins soon. A brilliant effort the girls can be proud of.
Just a quick message from the 1st netball Girls:
We would like to thank Nick for writing the match report for us and also thank the boys for their support on the sidelines, it helped a great deal.
Despite the cuts, heat and vicious opposition we were determined to put up a great fight. The 3 ‘Newbies’ to the 1st team had an outstanding game and fitted in perfectly. Every single ball was fought for by every player on the Adams’ side showing sheer determination. The ball was worked well around our attacking D with many options available making it hard for the opposition to compete. Our work rate was extremely high, we had even made the opposition sweat. It was defiantly one of the most outstanding and well fought matches the Adams’ 1st VII had had all year. A well deserved pat on the back to everyone.
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