Write-up by Josh

Unsurprisingly, given the big step up in class, the Dragons debut in the BKA Cup saw them eliminated at the first hurdle, but they put on an excellent display against some much more experienced opponents.

First up were the Milton Keynes Bucks, another fairly new team, but one with several players who had played a high level of korfball at former clubs, and a team that had swiftly become a dominant force in the Oxfordshire League. The first half was a little scrappy, with Dragons putting up more shots and showing good control around the post, but the Bucks managing to get past their markers more regularly. MK took the lead, a long shot sailing past Josh, before Sian equalised. Dragons again fell behind, only for Chris to level, but then saw 2 consecutive goals against them as the Bucks utilised their captain for 2 running in shots. Josh’s runner narrowed the gap to 4-3 at the half.

At half-time, Dragons made 2 substitutions, Angharad replacing Kat and Ian coming on for an under the weather Rob. With both new players contributing well, Dragons began to establish a stranglehold on the game. Although Milton Keynes were again able to re-establish a lead after Pam equalised, Sian soon brought the scores back to level, and then Josh produced another runner to give the Dragons their first lead. After another Bucks goal, Remco found his range to nail two long shots, and Cardiff deservedly lead 8-6. A rattled Bucks team took a time-out, and it clearly worked as they resumed much more threateningly. They swiftly reduced the deficit through ex Cardiff Uni player, John Howey. Dragons responded well, Chris seizing on a loose ball, stepping away from his marker and scoring from mid-court. But in the last few minutes, MK put the home defence under huge pressure, first grabbing a running in shot and then a penalty to go level. Both teams saw shots drop wide in the final seconds, but the game finished 9-9.

The game was to be decided on a sudden death penalty shoot out. Remco scored first for Dragons, MK equalised, and then Josh missed. Up stepped Katie for MK, and having seen her score 19 consecutive penalties in a summer tournament, hopes of her missing were not high. She duly did score, and sealed victory. It was the sort of game where both teams probably feel they should have won it, but after an excellent second half performance, Dragons can certainly feel a little unlucky.

The Dragons then got to sit down and watch as Milton Keynes played the 3rd team in the triangular knock-out, Bec. Bec had won promotion to the National League Premier Division last year, and their team was clearly a class above their opponents. Their speed of passing in particular consistently kept the Bucks off balance, and saw regular goals from close in, or from the penalty spot. In an unfamiliar hall, Bec’s long shots didn’t drop too often, but as they had near total dominance of the post, that made little difference. Milton Keynes battled bravely, but the pressure created by having so little of the ball saw them squander the few chances they were able to create and they were held scoreless. Bec’s control of the game translated into 8 goals in each half, for a 16-0 victory.

The Dragons made 2 changes to their starting line-up for the final game, Ian and James coming in for Rob and Josh. If the team was nervous about facing such tough opposition, it wasn’t evident as a couple of early chances were created, as Bec initially struggled to recapture the fluency of the last game. It couldn’t last however, and the goals soon started to come for the National League team, as they established a 3-0 lead. But Sian was giving a real captain’s performance, as well as developing good understanding with Remco, and after a couple of near misses she found the basket to huge cheers from the Dragons support. Her marker put her face in her hands, aghast at having conceded against us. But she wasn’t to be the only one in that situation for long, as Chris produced a perfect veer off Pam’s feed to make it 5-2. Although the Dragons continued to pose a threat for the rest of the half, they were unable to prevent Bec’s steady flow of goals. At the half, it was 8-2 to the London side.

Again, Dragons used the interval to make changes. Josh came on for Ian, and Donna was replaced by Amy, for only her second proper match, against rather tougher opponents than Cardiff Uni 2. Initially the second half followed a similar pattern to the end of the first, with the Dragons competing well, but steadily falling further behind, as Bec extended their lead to 11-2. But then came their best period of the match. First Sian’s pass narrowly eluded an attempted interception, allowing Josh to hastily improvise an underarm shot from the sidelines, which brilliantly (or luckily depednding on whether you are the author or reader of this report) found the basket. Then Pam made a great break to score a runner. Bec replied with their 12th goal, but then Josh landed a long shot to close the gap to 12-5. Stung, Bec tightened up their game, and Dragons never seriously threatened another goal, despite Helen’s belated introduction, while two more were scored at the wrong end.

A final score of 14-5 highlighted both the gulf in class and experience between the two sides, but also the strong performance that Cardiff had produced. In particular, composure and discipline was maintained throughout, with very little ball thrown away unnecessarily.

This was the best Dragons performance yet, against top class opposition, the team’s strength in the collect meaning they were able to keep Bec’s scoring in check. The most impressive thing was how quickly the team learnt, swiftly realising that they would get little joy with a 2-2 formation, and managing to speed up their passing and movement to create shooting chances in a 3-1. They also defended strongly throughout, forcing Bec to stretch themselves to find a way past, and keeping easy chances to a minimum.

Thanks to everyone who played, particularly those who didn’t get much time on court and to Gwen and Jude for their support. Thanks also to Milton Keynes and Bec, who were both excellent opponents and to Jackie and Graham for reffing us.

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