Academy NPL Season Complete – U17 & U19 Crowned Champions
Last weekend saw all U17, U19 and U21 Academy squads descend upon Nottingham for the final matches of the 22/23 season. The U17s and U19s completed undefeated season and were crowned U17 NPL South Champions and U21 National Champions. The U21s unfortunately lost their final match but have much to be proud of this season.
Read our match reports for each season finale below
U17 Match report by Brogan Bostock
London Pulse 54 – Seven Stars 38
Pulse went into their last U17 NPL match against Seven Stars with confidence, previously having a well contested game against Saracens Mavericks the round before. The team had been working hard in training and were keen to capitalise on the opportunity to win the U17 NPL South League Gold Medal. The match took place at David Ross Sports Village at the University of Nottingham with Pulse displaying solid improvements as a squad whilst facing a challenging Seven Stars U17 team.
Starting Line Up:
GS – Coco Williams
GA – Sadie Clemence
WA – Daisy Beer
C – Brogan Bostock
WD – Ella-Rose Bloomfield-Bowmaker
GD – Ellie Sadler
GK – Zaneya Cunningham
Bench: Azara Wilmot, Rae Nelson, Ella Christopherson, Alette Ganyushin, Katie Ford
Pulse didn’t have the start they wanted with Stars gaining a slight lead. However, by pushing Stars to the sidelines, Pulse got a throw-in and used the opportunity to reduce the lead that Stars had. Despite the strong defensive skills from Stars, Pulse remained calm and patient in their attack, resulting in a high success rate for the centre passes to goal. The impressive defence from Ella-Rose Bloomfield-Bowmaker, Ellie Sadler and Zaneya Cunningham from the Pulse team led to multiple interceptions, allowing them to secure a 13-9 win in the first quarter.
No changes for the start of Q2:
After the quarter break, Pulse started with great momentum, winning turnovers and safely converting them into goals, resulting in a further lead. Pulse’s strong defence put pressure on Stars, forcing them to make errors and create more opportunities for Pulse to increase the lead they had. In an excellent shut down from Pulse defence and attack on Stars centre pass, Daisy Beer secured an attacking intercept. Additionally, Coco Williams impressive shooting stats of 100% contributed to a Pulse lead of 28-17, and their win in the quarter with a score of 15-8.
Changes for Q3:
Alette Ganyushin to WD
Throughout the second half, Pulse remained dedicated and hardworking. Their impressive through-court defence, starting from the GS down to GK, resulted in Sadie Clemence securing an attacking interception, while Daisy Beer gained two more. Despite continuously winning turnovers, Pulse struggled to convert some of them into goals due to the pressure from Stars defence, which forced Pulse into making unnecessary errors. In the middle of the quarter, Katie Ford entered the game as WD for Pulse, earning an attacking contact. Ella Christopherson came on court at GA and Ella-Rose Bloomfield-Bowmaker came back into the game. Unfortunately, the Pulse errors allowed Stars to win the third quarter 11-10, but Pulse still had the overall lead of 38-28.
Changes for Q4:
Ellie Sadler to GD
Ella-Rose Bloomfield-Bowmaker to WD
Sadie Clemence to GA
Pulse came out strong after the quarter break, applying the advice given by the coaches. Pulse continued to still win countless amounts of balls and this time Pulse were safe and converted most to goal. During the quarter, Rae Nelson came on at GK, getting an intercept with her strong pressure of arms over her player. Also, Coco Williams moved out to GA allowing Azara Wilmot to enter play at GS who got her first shot not long after. Pulse won the quarter 16-10 and won the game 54-38!
Player of the match went to Daisy Beer for not only her hard-attacking drives and smart decisions, but also her great defence throughout the court. Coaches player of the match went to Sadie Clemence for her strong drives to open up space and for her smart entry around the circle edge.
The team were very proud of their win, receiving gold medals as the undefeated champions of the U17 NPL South League and making history for the club winning gold. Pulse were also happy to know that their hard work in training had paid off!
Thank you to Seven Stars for a well contested match. Also, a big thank you to the team, coaches, team managers, umpires, officials and supporters for helping Pulse U17s achieve their gold medal.
U19 Match report by Izzi Phillps
London Pulse 55- Leeds Rhinos 36
After a weekend off Pulse continued training in campaign for the league title. Yet to lose a game, pulse once again faced the pressure of expectation to put out a strong performance and take home the gold.
Starting seven
GS- Hannah A
GA- Hannah G
WA- Hannah K
C- Sophia S
WD- Amani K
GD- Izzi P
Gk- Tami F
Bench- Claudia B, Ronnie T, Indi O, Jess S, Sasha H
First quarter
Pulse knew there was a big task at hand and started the game how they wanted to continue by immediately applying scoreboard pressure and sinking the first goal. However, it was not smooth sailing as a series of turnovers from both teams meant Pulse only ended the quarter with a narrow 10-8 lead which didn’t leave them in the clear.
Changes for second quarter: Claudia B to WD
Second quarter
Pulse knew they had to dig their heels in to secure this win and defensively we came out with a whopping 10 intercepts with the attacking unit able to cherish and convert 8. We also saw a debut from Claudia B who entered the court with a bang, turning over the first centre pass. The whole team were clinical in all areas of the court with just one missed shot that quarter. At the end of quarter 2 the score was 28-16
Changes or 3rd quarter: positional switch- Hannah K to C and Sophia S to WA, mid court change- Ronnie T to GA
Third quarter
Pulse had now built a healthy lead and wanted to press on to other targets such as bringing on the full bench. We saw Ronnie T take to the court to provide fresh legs and tenacity at GA. Pulse’s through court attack and ball speed was a real strength as they were able to bring ball down quickly and effectively from live turn over.
Fourth quarter- Indi O to WD and mid quarter change Amani to WD and Hannah G back on as GA
Fourth quarter
With a healthy lead built up through the game Pulse had the chance to enjoy the last 15 minutes of the NPL league season. We saw Indi O enter the game and Amani K reintroduced . Leeds still had fight left in them and were not going down with out a fight but Pulse brought the intensity and flare to the final quarter to go out in style with a 55-36 win.
Player of the match– Hannah A
Coaches player– Sophia S
Overall this was a great game and show case of talent allowing the U19’s to take home the trophy as champions of the league. It was a full squad effort and could not have been done with out the grit and determination of the full squad and the backing of the coaches. Pulse look forward to defending the title at the NPL tournament in summer!
Thank you to the umpires and a huge thank you to Leeds Rhinos for a well contested match.
U21 Match report by Ebiso Whyte
Leeds Rhinos 65 vs London Pulse 40
Starting 7:
GS – Emily Gillies
GA – Freya Henshall
WA – Beth Long
C – Ellie Chambers
WD – Ebiso Whyte
GD – Jade Poopola
GK – Isla May
Bench: Matilda Smyth, Suzie Hunt, Jess Symonds, Indy Oyindamola
This Saturday, London Pulse U21s headed up to Nottingham for NPL closing weekend to challenge Leeds Rhinos and fight for a 4th place finish in the league. Rhinos strong attacking unit and their, rangy through – court defence would prove an intense and exciting match up for the Pulse squad, forcing us to be more creative and calculated with our movement and decision making.
The first quarter proved exactly that, with the two sides going back and forth in goals within the early minutes of the game. The work of Poopola and May in the circle proved extremely effective as they turned over Rhinos first attempts at the post but bringing the ball through court, against the arms and zonal play of Leeds was Pulse’s first challenge of the game. We adapted quickly by the end of the quarter, which ended in an early lead of 11-14 to the home side.
Q2 changes: GS – Jess Symonds, GD – Isla May, GK – Jade Poopola
The objectives of defence quarter 2 were to turn over more ball in the centre third and saw Isla move out to GD to assist that and a switch to doubling on the Leeds nimble WA. Although Pulse’s attacking end picked some unlucky calls in the shooting third and were under great defensive pressure, they remained strong and quick, with great strength from Jess and Freya and some impressive long range shots. Ellie continued leading the charge in attack, whilst turning over lots of ball in the centre third. In need of an injection and fresh challenge to the Leed’s attack, Indy came on at WD. Rhino’s began to extend their lead and the quarter ended 32-23 but Pulse remained confident and ready to fight.
Pulse settled into the game and began to gel in their units in the third quarter as there were no changes made. The Pulse attacking side were especially strong this quarter, with real patience and well placed feeds into the circle and were nicely supported by Indy in the centre third. This was a much stronger quarter and was evident in the scoreline of 46 – 36.
Q4 changes: GD – Jade Poopola, GK – Isla May
In the final quarter , the team came out fighting and really stepped the play up a level. Rhinos matched this increased intensity, their score line began to extend. However, this did not throw Freya off her game as she sunk all her shots. Jade and Isla were consistently hustling and turning over ball and Ebiso returned to WD as a mid quarter change. The squad did an incredible job to keep fighting and the game ended 65 – 40 to Leeds
Player of the Match was awarded to Vice – captain, Freya, for her amazing play making skills and her accuracy and composure in the shooting circle. A massive thank you to Leeds Rhinos for an challenging game and to the umpires and officials. We look forward to returning to Nottingham for the NPL Tournament in July!