Today we all went on a bicycle trip to Giethoorn (the Venice of Holland). It was a very cold bike ride! But we survived. The team walked along the Canal until we found a nice restaurant that served us some warm drinks. The sun came out and everyone was feeling much better. We took a relaxing ride on the boat around the Canal before biking home again. The instructions were then for everyone to rest and prepare for our game that evening.
Boat ride on the Canal
Game 1: NZ v AVO - pre-tournament
Warming up for the game.
Our lovely host families drove us to Assen so we could compete in our first game since arriving on European soil. Our opposition was the U19 squad from the AVO club. When we arrived, suddenly, the team were very nervous.
Before the game Coach Rosa announced that Sam Bennetts would be our Captain for the remainder of the tour and Chelsea Ruiz would be our vice. Congratuations to these two, this is a well deserved honour.
We played in three blocks of 20 minutes. It was clear from the very beginning that this match was a major step up from the games we have been used to back in New Zealand. The ball speed was fast and the opposition movement on court was relentless. We started the game with a few mistakes, due to nerves and we were punished on the scoreboard. However, this did not last long. Suddenly, our players shook off the cobwebs and found their stride. We ended the first third only 11-7 behind and everyone in the stadium was impressed with our side's performance. Points were scored by: Sam C (1), Chelsea (1), Juliet (1), Sam B (4).
In the second third, we made some substitutions to try out some new and different combinations. AVO, after being surprised by how strong our first third was, came out firing and we were on the back foot for a while. We had a bit of a dry-spell for scoring for a while, but things came right toward the end as the players found some confidence. We ended the second third 25-12. Points were scored by: Olivia (1), Kennedy (1), Aylah (1), Sam B (2).
In the final third, we stepped things back up. Following some words from the coaches advising everyone to put closer pressure on them in defence, the opposition attacking players had to work really hard for their goals. There was a very special moment in the first minute of the third where Calib pulled out a trick pass to Boris who nailed the shot. This moment lifted everyone's mood and we continued the game on a positive high. The final score was 35-21. But looking just at the final third, it was 10-9, showing that the teams were very evenly matched. Points were scored by: Matt (1), Boris (2), Chelsea (2), Juliet (4).
Positive points to note from the game:
- There were several times when our defensive pressure caused shot-clock violations for the opposition.
- Our girls were strong - scoring the majority of the points
- By the end of the game, everyone was thoroughly enjoying themselves and there were smiles and pride beaming through the stadium. Everyone could recognise where we could make improvements, but overall, our confidence was lifted, as we all knew that we had put on a positive display.
- We were proud of how well our team represented the Silver Fern, especially Calib who impressed everyone with his positive attitude and pride in the jersey.
Before the game Coach Rosa announced that Sam Bennetts would be our Captain for the remainder of the tour and Chelsea Ruiz would be our vice. Congratuations to these two, this is a well deserved honour.
We played in three blocks of 20 minutes. It was clear from the very beginning that this match was a major step up from the games we have been used to back in New Zealand. The ball speed was fast and the opposition movement on court was relentless. We started the game with a few mistakes, due to nerves and we were punished on the scoreboard. However, this did not last long. Suddenly, our players shook off the cobwebs and found their stride. We ended the first third only 11-7 behind and everyone in the stadium was impressed with our side's performance. Points were scored by: Sam C (1), Chelsea (1), Juliet (1), Sam B (4).
In the second third, we made some substitutions to try out some new and different combinations. AVO, after being surprised by how strong our first third was, came out firing and we were on the back foot for a while. We had a bit of a dry-spell for scoring for a while, but things came right toward the end as the players found some confidence. We ended the second third 25-12. Points were scored by: Olivia (1), Kennedy (1), Aylah (1), Sam B (2).
In the final third, we stepped things back up. Following some words from the coaches advising everyone to put closer pressure on them in defence, the opposition attacking players had to work really hard for their goals. There was a very special moment in the first minute of the third where Calib pulled out a trick pass to Boris who nailed the shot. This moment lifted everyone's mood and we continued the game on a positive high. The final score was 35-21. But looking just at the final third, it was 10-9, showing that the teams were very evenly matched. Points were scored by: Matt (1), Boris (2), Chelsea (2), Juliet (4).
Positive points to note from the game:
- There were several times when our defensive pressure caused shot-clock violations for the opposition.
- Our girls were strong - scoring the majority of the points
- By the end of the game, everyone was thoroughly enjoying themselves and there were smiles and pride beaming through the stadium. Everyone could recognise where we could make improvements, but overall, our confidence was lifted, as we all knew that we had put on a positive display.
- We were proud of how well our team represented the Silver Fern, especially Calib who impressed everyone with his positive attitude and pride in the jersey.