The home game against Sheffield Hatters U14s was of huge significance in that the outcome would decide the order of the top 3 sides. A win for us would see us crowned as Northern Premier League Champions. A win for Sheffield would guarantee them second (or first if they beat us by more than 17 points and we then lost our final fixture away to Newcastle.) Birmingham would move up from third to second above Sheffield if we were victorious.

To add to the drama, we had been hit by injuries to key players. Christiana (knee), Emmy (knee and finger), Elsa (ankle) plus Zoe (on holiday) would all be sorely missed! We did receive something of a boost when Elsa declared herself fit enough to ‘give it a go.’ This only lasted for the first 8 minutes of the encounter but was to prove crucial in the eventual outcome. Her defensive prowess went a long way to helping us to a stunning first quarter display which gave us an almost unbelievable 25-6 lead. Despite being one of the best U14 sides in the country, Sheffield could not cope with Mystics’ stifling team defence or potent offense with outstanding contributions from Adele, Emmanuela, Darcie and Chichi, all of whom deserve huge credit.

With such a commanding lead I was able to be more liberal with substitutions for the rest of the game. Even so, we narrowly won quarters 2, 3 and 4 to round off a highly impressive 72-46 victory. All those who came off the bench played their part, particularly at the defensive end.

Aila’s all out effort was there for all to see and it is incredible how far her defence has improved this season. Alycia again showed she can be relied upon to give all she has got by being first back and first up the court on changes of possession. Her short corner shot is a useful addition to our offensive arsenal. Morgan has developed a nice medium range shot which she is never shy to use and I am so pleased that she now realises the value of playing defence. She can be proud of the way she played yesterday. 

Maisie W is another all-action competitor. Her speed and willingness to put in all out effort again showed why she has become a valuable member of the team. A similar tag can be placed on Olivia. We saw why speed and athleticism are dangerous weapons at both ends of the court and her beautiful left-handed Eurostep basket late on in the game should be featured on Sky Sports! To complete the set, our 2 back up point guards, Maisie I and Gabby again showed they can be relied upon to advance the ball without any problem and both possess a nice medium range shot when open which they were once or twice during the game. 

All in all, this was a highly commendable team performance from an ever-improving team whose wonderful team spirit shone through once again. Many thanks to James and Annmarie and to parents for your support as well as to the games officials, all of whom were excellent.

Best wishes, 

Jim