Issue 155

Welsh Cup failure

08th May 2007

Before the Easter holidays, Swansea faced a challenging tie against Cardiff in the quarter finals of the Welsh Cup. After encountering each other in the final last year Swansea were the team taking the cup home but Cardiff were not to be defeated for a second time as they produced a strengthened side in their attempt to conquer the reigning Welsh Champions.

Swansea presented a changed line up from the previous round of the cup in which they whitewashed a bewildered Aberystwyth side. Vicki Williams returned from injury but took up an unusual position in defence and Laura Thomas making her debut for the first team in attack. Despite the changes Swansea were confident they could be successful in their attempt to beat their biggest rivals in retaining the Welsh Cup.

Cardiff attacked hard from the first centre and were soon 5-1 up. The unfamiliar Swansea side looked tense and uneasy with the team changes but soon settled into their pattern of play.

A number of key interceptions from Catrin Jones at Goal Keeper and Vicki Williams at Goal Defence meant Swansea were able to capitalise on the few mistakes that Cardiff made. A superb display of shooting from Liz Northcott at Goal Shooter and Laura Thomas at Goal Attack which was aided by accurate feeding from Zanni Fildes at Wing Attack and Nikki Maycock (Captain) at Centre meant that at the end of the first quarter Swansea were only down by three goals.

For the second quarter both Swansea and Cardiff stuck to the same line up as both had been working well. It was physical play from the whistle as Cardiff's Captain Becky Oatley at Goal Defence went down injured which allowed for a quick breather and re-group for both sides.

Once back on her feet the game continued with both teams competing hard for possession. Again Swansea were attacking hard with Nic Murray providing valuable backup for the shooters from Wing Defence but Cardiff were still putting more balls in the net. The score at half time was Swansea 16 Cardiff 24.

Half time changes were made on both teams with Jess Davies moving to Centre, Nikki Maycock moving to Goal Defence and Victoria Williams moving to her more familiar position of Goal Attack for Swansea. The Swansea side again took time to settle into their new formation while Cardiff continued their hard-hitting offence but with more experience in the shooting circle and with fresh legs at Centre Swansea continued to score. Cardiff also made changes in centre court and defence at half time but maintained their pattern of play well to ensure their lead at ¾ time was retained.

Swansea went into the final quarter ten goals down and more team changes were made. Vicki Williams went back to Goal Defence allowing Laura Thomas to come back on at Goal Attack, while Nikki Maycock moved to her regular position of Wing Defence. Cardiff pulled away, led by captain Becky Oatley who made many interceptions of careless passes by Swansea. Swansea persisted in their attack with Nikki Maycock and Vicki Williams supporting from defence and good play between the centre court and shooters but consistent pressure from the strong Cardiff defence broke down Swansea's play allowing them to score on the break.

At the final whistle the score was Swansea 30 Cardiff 45. The score reflected Cardiff's strong side but Swansea were unlucky not to come closer. Swansea captain Nikki Maycock was very pleased with how well Swansea played but obviously disappointed in being knocked out of the cup, "With people playing out of position today the team did well as a whole to gel as well as they did under immense pressure from this tough Cardiff side. Our passing let us down but that can be blamed on the team not having played together before. Overall I'm proud of the fight we put up and we'll be back to challenge for the Cup again next year!"

The girls now turn their attention to the Varsity fixture. Go to the centre pages to see the match report to see how they got on against rivals Cardiff.

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