Cardiff City Cyclones and Mavericks teams both started their 2012-13 campaigns in the Welsh Korfball League with convincing wins.
Mavericks take a convincing lead against Cardiff Uni 2 at the Talybont sports hall
The Cyclones started the defence of their title with potentially two of the toughest games of the season against Cardiff Dragons firsts and the newly formed Gokorf Raptors.
First up for Cyclones were Dragons 1 who were a formidable test despite losing their main goal scorer of recent years, Remco Broekhuis. The first half was a close affair with both teams trading goals. Cyclones’ defence was proving solid and in attack they had a good structure which pleased new captain Julie Prosser. Through some good goals from across the team and Cyclones’ determination to win every ball, the match finished 14 – 6 to the defending champions.
Next up were the newly formed Gokorf Raptors who were an unknown quantity with a mixture of Welsh internationals and beginners. The first 15 minutes proved close with the scores level at 2-2 until captain Prosser called a time out to remind the team to keep calm and play their own game. The effect of the timeout was instantaneous with two quick goals from the Cyclones. After that Cyclones focused on their own game and pulled away to a 19-2 win. Special mention goes to Vicky who was making her Cardiff City debut.
The Mavericks followed the lead of their City colleagues by putting in an impressive display against Cardiff University second team (Uni 2). New captain Cheya Tyson used her knowledge and skills gained from the recent Europa Cup trip to lead from the front and continually encouraged her team to play the controlled korfball practiced in training.
Uni 2 were fielding many of their new recruits who were new to the sport and showed real promise for the season. Mavericks controlled the first half by dominating under the post and it wasn’t long before the goals started to drop. Rebounding was key as the Maverick males picked up almost every loose ball allowing the girls to convert the chances. By half time it was 12-1 to the Mavericks team.
In the second half Mavericks lost some of their structure and composure which had been so vital in the first half but patience and persistence by the whole team soon paid off, beginning with a long shot from MVP Tom Cockayne. The game was an excellent example of great team performance by the Mavericks and show that they are a force to be reckoned with this season.