FACTOR 21 produced a convincing performance against Reading Juniors, but were denied an extra Reading District League point at the death as they triumphed 48-23.

Juniors enjoyed the brighter start and scored the first goal, but Factor 21 settled into the game with Tracey Cox leading the attacking line and Jo Pittman supporting the circle well.

There was some encouraging court play from the Juniors (pictured below) with Jasmine Patel, Lauren Blight, Hannah Mulligan and Molly Underwood all combining effectively and creating lots of attacking space.

However, despite some excellent defending by Juniors’ player-of-the-match Molly Robinson-Murray and Bex Worth, Factor pulled ahead as the contest went on.

Some lovely passing between Pittman and Cox and some excellent feeding into the circle from wing attack Jo Anderson and centre Charlotte Maskell – her side’s star performer – meant Factor maintained their lead.

Factor defenders Ann Geater and Millie Thompson made it difficult for shooters Louise Lambert and Natalie Hill, who got onto the scoreboard nonetheless, netting some fine goals.

The last quarter saw Juniors rally to score 12 goals, but Factor 21’s wing defence Phoebe Thomas chased every loose ball which helped them run out comfortable winners.

  • NEXUS edged Panthers 59-53 in a close encounter which featured two very evenly-matched sides.

Nexus went into the game having previously lost against the Panthers at the start of the season. They started on the front foot to lead the first quarter 17-8 largely thanks to goal attack Natalie Tucker, who showcased some impressive centre court play, picking up loose balls and making a huge impact in dictating the game.

Panthers (pictured above) made some changes to their defence in the second quarter and cut the gap to seven, but Nexus rallied and led by 13 by the end of the third stanza. This was despite Panthers’ star player Nicola Mans being in fine shooting form.

The final quarter saw sharp and accurate passes from the Nexus wing attack converted into goals, but Panthers battled until the end to narrow the scoreline. Ultimately, however, it was not enough.