Hertfordshire Mavericks continued to show their squad's depth with a sound performance against Leeds which ended in a 28 goal difference between them and their league table neighbour. Although the opposition may say the score did not reflect the match, from the Mavericks perspective this was a great game.

The match was not smooth going from the start as Leeds came out strong and took an early lead 0 - 4. There were moments of slick play all over the court from Mavericks and even though they did not make the most of these opportunities, they remained calm and confident. Louisa Brownfield was cool headed and with fantastic timing helped make the passing into the circle look positively easy on occasions. As Leeds battled away, Mavericks refused to be rattled and they managed to stay controlled.

With only three goals difference in the score line going into the second quarter 14 - 11, each team wrangled to strike dominance over the other. Mavericks attack stuttered slightly in their third and Leeds used high balls to feed and between the shooters. Defensively the Leeds GK Afrika Morris was getting lots of attention from the umpires, but Leeds had enough pressure throughout the court to compensate for the penalties. With ten goals each, the match looked like it would close until the final whistle.

The half time brought two changes for Mavericks as Vicklyn Joseph took the GS position moving Louisa Brownfield moved out to GA and Naida Hutchinson put on the GD bib. Rose Morgan Smith and Karen Atkinson continued to work at a high rate outside the circle and as the space to pass in opened up, they made some impressive feeds fly into the shooters. Suddenly the timing came together and Mavericks stepped up a gear. They seemed to be feeding off each other's energy and with the successful shooting and interceptions they pushed further and further forwards. Despite a Leeds injury (well timed in the midst of a Mavericks run of five goals) the focus was not lost and the flow of the ball and intensity of the marking, which was being professionally directed from Amanda Newton at the back, continued with another five. As Leeds changed their tactics through injury substitutions the Mavericks players maintained their form, they were steaming through the quarter, slotting goal after goal into the net. Acting Head Coach Jo Webb said "I never had any doubt they would step up and take the game, even at half time with such a small margin - however I don't think anybody expected the strength of the surge that took place!" The score line had bounced from 24 - 21 to 44 - 28 in just 15 minutes.

The fourth quarter continued with similar impressive tips and interceptions from Rose Mogan-Smith marking back down the court and Amanda Newton repeatedly taking clean balls. Naida Hutchinson kept her dominance of the areal passes and at the attacking end the ball was pinged around until they were ready to penetrate. Georgia Schmidt switched effectively to close down spaces to go for challenging interceptions. With five minutes left of the clock Karen Atkinson went down with a minor twinge and Denika Cambell-Lee made her debut in the CNSL. As if playing for Mavericks was not daunting enough, she stepped on court against Anna Newell, the Leeds Carnegie Head Coach. Another 18 goals versus 6 from Leeds ended the game on 62 - 34.

This was a sound squad performance both on and off the court which is definitely going towards the consistency that teams aim for. If they can maintain this level of performance it bodes well for the rest of the season. "This match is a result of the entire season's work and shows individual and team developments;" said Jo Webb "we all look forward to continuing this form."