17/11/11…..Solid Thame hold on against courageous Crendon (Contributed by Bradley Rose)

THAME Hurricanes netball team returned to their winning ways against Crendon yesterday, mainly due to a superb performance from Lyn Hopwood and fantastic defending throughout.

However a sloppy start found Thame 3-0 down early on. But, they began to find their way into the game and eventually scrambled on to the score sheet following a piercing pass from Lynn Palmer. However, Thame failed to make any real impact after that and trailed 8-5 after the first quarter.

Changes were made at the break and Thame gradually got themselves back into the game. After a few missed chances, they once again found their play and a strong finish to the quarter meant they went in at half time all square and on the front foot.

The third quarter was a fast paced end-to-end game with several goals for both teams. However, Thame’s dominance began to show as they moved the ball about quicker than their opponents and gained a three-goal lead with one more quarter left to go.

The final quarter was very tense, right up until the final bell. Crendon never let Thame get too far ahead as they battled their way back into contention. Thame held on for a narrow but well deserved win as the final score ended 23-22.