Dragons deny Leeds a fairy tale ending

Joseph Fitzpatrick

Leeds Carnegie succumbed to an in-form Celtic Dragons team 55-52 on Saturday in what was a great advert for the Fiat Netball Superleague. The loss means Leeds remain in seventh place, two points ahead of rivals Team Northumbria.

The first quarter was an even affair with neither team being able to prevent the other from scoring. Carnegie were missing three key players from their starting line up due to injury, and their personnel problems were made worse by replacement WA Francesca Marshall spraining her ankle just minutes into the game. Dragons tested Leeds' depth in the second quarter, and on several occasions they threatened to run away with the lead, their 6'6 Goal Shooter Lottysha Cato proving to be an intractable thorn in Carnegie's side. However, Leeds showed a resilience that has been conspicuously absent this season and managed to maintain a competitive score line, trailing 32-25 at half time. 

The third quarter reflected the first, Cato, with the aid of some favourable officiating, kept bundling the ball in the net for Dragons despite the best efforts of Goalkeeper Lauren Potter, whilst Leeds' new GS Krista Enziano impressed the buoyant home crowd and ensured there was no increase in the deficit.

 Going into the final 15 minutes, with Leeds trailing by seven and unable to prevent Cato from scoring, the result appeared all but settled. This proved not to be the case. Carnegie, spurred on by their vociferous home support, maintained their accurate shooting, and at the other end of the court 18 year old Potter thwarted Cato again and again, on the way to restricting the GS to not only her joint lowest attempts tally in a quarter this season, but also an entire game.

Carnegie's youth and inexperience eventually caught up with them, and despite having the opportunity to snatch a result mistakes and missed shots in the dying minutes condemned them to a defeat that perhaps contained more positives than negatives for the Yorkshire team. 

Celtic Dragons head coach, Melissa Hyndman, who ahead of the game had spoken abrasively of Leeds' defensive capabilities- especially their ability to stop Cato, after the game said: "They [Leeds Carnegie] did their homework and I was impressed with how they played as a team."