Blow for Gibraltar Under 17's as Isle of Man grab important win against them

A fast-paced start between Gibraltar and Isle of Man set the tone for what was to be an exciting encounter between the two Under 17s sides in the Europe Netball Challenge. With both sides having won their opening matches, it was important for both to try and aim to take full points from this match. Gibraltar started the ball rolling, scoring first before the Isle of Man leveled. Gibraltar scored their second, but the scoring rate in this match was already slower than most others. Such was the pace and nerves on the court in what was a high tension match for both. The Isle of Man leveled at 2-2 and soon went ahead, making it a two-point lead with nine minutes of the first quarter to play. The Isle of Man added to their lead, taking it to 6-2 as Gibraltar faltered with nervy play while the visitors settled quicker into their game. Some good combinations and interceptions saw Gibraltar regaining their ground but halted by foot infringement as they started to reduce the gap. The Isle of Man led 7-3 with six minutes left of the first quarter. Gibraltar faltered in minor infringements although providing some patient movement with good passing. The Isle of Man, who were more clinical in their approach, added to their tally to make it 9-3 within five minutes left. Gibraltar grabbed their fourth, but the Isle of Man had a grasp of the match by this point which allowed them to open the gap further. The Isle of Man grasped their lead and extended it to 14-5 by the end of the first quarter, a blow to Gibraltar's confidence.

Gibraltar tried to regroup in the second quarter, but the minor errors were costing them dearly. They struggled to close the gap, scoring twice before the IOM scored their own. However, this was not enough as the visitors pressed on them and pinned Gibraltar back in their half, unable to find the pass forward. The patient build-up, although ending with Gibraltar scoring, left Gibraltar at 8-15 behind with nine minutes of the second quarter still to play. Gibraltar started to find their feet in the game, reaching an 11-18 scoreline with five minutes before halftime. Gibraltar not only matched the Isle of Man for the better part of the quarter but at one time outscored the Isle of Man. Only a change in formation midway through play as Gibraltar grew in confidence unsettled the flow and saw the Isle of Man regain ground. With three minutes left before halftime, the match stood at 21-12 in favor of the Isle of Man. Unforced errors still played a major role in Gibraltar's ability to regain ground, often impacting negatively.

The Isle of Man went into the halftime break with a 24-14 lead. With a ten-point cushion, the Isle of Man walked into the third quarter with some confidence, driving the score ahead to 28-14 before Gibraltar responded with their first points of the quarter. Gibraltar's hopes of taking the title were fast disappearing as they saw the gap widen in what had been a crucial match. Gibraltar, still to play Northern Ireland, would now need to wait for the Isle of Man match against Northern Ireland and secure a victory against Switzerland to enter the final day with any chance of being among the top two at least. Gibraltar brightened up in their play as they reached the midway mark of the quarter with a good string of passes and some important intercepts. However, they still struggled to get that final ball for a shooting chance, which saw the Isle of Man hold a sixteen-point lead at 32-16 as they arrived in the final five minutes of the third quarter. Gibraltar, with some sporadic good displays, continued to lack the consistent efficiency and fluidity they had shown the previous day. The pressure of playing one of the tougher teams in the division in front of their home crowd, and with the pressure of Gibraltar hosting a Youth World Cup upon them, saw Gibraltar playing a nervous game, which saw them finish the third quarter at 35-19 in favor of the Isle of Man. The latter opened the scoring in the fourth quarter, going to 41-19 before Gibraltar responded.

Numerous misses under the hoop at both ends resulted in a slow-scoring quarter. The Isle of Man was more clinical, although missing a number of chances. Gibraltar did not score until well past the halfway mark of the quarter. With five minutes left, Gibraltar was 41-20 behind and still needing at least one point to be within 50% of their opponents' score to get a match point. Gibraltar added that important point, making it 41-21. Gibraltar's objective now was to maintain that margin, while their opponents' objective was the direct opposite. The Isle of Man needed to ensure that the points difference was as big as possible in case it came down to goal difference. Gibraltar went on to make it 23-44 with 18 seconds left, ensuring that Gibraltar met this one objective to be within 50% of their opponents' score and grabbing something out of the match. Gibraltar, who had the bigger break having played the previous evening while the Isle of Man had played earlier in the day, still saw the host team looking tired, something which will concern observers as they look at Gibraltar's preparations for next year's World Netball Youth Championships. The defeat against the Isle of Man, although a major blow to their aspirations for the division title, still left Gibraltar with a chance if they could get positive results in their next two matches and if Northern Ireland were to beat the Isle of Man this Saturday.

In other matches in the Challenge division played this Friday evening, Switzerland and Israel came face to face at Europa. It proved to be a tighter contest for Switzerland than they might have hoped. Israel, heavily beaten by both Gibraltar and Northern Ireland, turned on the gas and pushed Switzerland. At halftime, Switzerland, although with a comfortable enough lead at 27-16, did not quite have the ease and flow of play as they would have hoped. Switzerland continued to extend their lead, but halfway through the third quarter, Israel had gone past the twenty-point mark and were behind by 37-21. This was not the convincing win Switzerland had hoped for after seeing both Gibraltar and Northern Ireland walk away with big scorelines. Israel managed 24 points to Switzerland's 44 by the end of the third quarter. Switzerland upped their game and went to a 56-27 lead with seven minutes left in the match. Switzerland reached the sixty-point mark as they arrived into the final four minutes. Notably, Israel came up with their own milestone, scoring their thirtieth point of the match with a minute of play left. The match finished with Switzerland winning 60-30, with Israel scoring a very important target of keeping the scoring ratio at one for every two scored by their opponents, unlike in previous matches.