The University of Gloucestershire Netball 3’s team concluded their BUCS season with a hard-fought 33-49 loss to Bournemouth in their final game on Wednesday.
Despite the defeat, team captain Olivia Clinkard shared her pride in the team’s performance, calling it one of their best displays of the season.
“The performance against Bournemouth on Wednesday was amazing,” Olivia reflected.
“Despite the loss, I think it’s the best game we’ve ever played as a team together. The vibes were high, the energy was good, and I think that’s all we needed really.”
Clinkard believes that the game was challenging due to the home-court advantage of Bournemouth. “Bournemouth had home team advantage; away games are always hard. Their supporters were there, and we didn’t have as many fresh legs as they did,” she explained.
“We weren’t able to make as many tactical changes, and their coach made some adjustments at half-time that really paid off for them.”
However, Olivia emphasized the positives the team could take from the game. “The biggest positive was the energy we had, and the communication through the court. That was really good and something we can build on in training,” Clinkard reflects.
“We were up at half-time, and we were leading in all three of the quarters, but unfortunately, we lost it in the final one. Still, the fact that we managed to maintain our intensity for the majority of the game shows the progress we’ve made.”
The team’s performance in the Bournemouth game reflected the growth they’ve shown throughout the season. The 3’s Captain acknowledged the significant improvements her squad has made since the beginning of the season.
“The Bournemouth game wasn’t what we wanted to end our BUCS season with, but we’ve come on leaps and bounds this season. We had two new players join us in January, which has been amazing,” she said.
@uognetballclub UOG Netball take on shooting outsdie the ‘D’ 💫#netball #uog #uognetballclub #shooting #skills ♬ original sound – UOG Netball Club 💙
“We just want to keep on fighting and playing as one team together because that’s what we’re all about—teamwork and having fun with netball.”
One area Clinkard believes her team has particularly improved on is communication. “Key lessons this season have definitely been about communication,” she explained.
“Whether it’s on the court game days, off court in training, or during our Friday skill training sessions, we’ve really learned how to communicate well with each other. We’ve learned how to give constructive criticism and how to build each other up as teammates.”
Looking to the future, there’s a highlighted importance of refining team dynamics, especially as they have a large squad. “We’re a big squad, a squad of fifteen, which means we have a lot of players, and only twelve get to play on game day.
So, unit-wise, we need to focus on our set plays and figure out what works best within the units,” she reflects. That’s something we’ll be looking at moving forward.”
Although the final result was not what the team hoped for, Clinkard is confident that the growth and improvements they’ve made this season will set them up for success in the future.
“We’re all about teamwork, having fun, and getting away from the stresses of university work. This season has been a great foundation, and we’re ready to build on it.”
