It was the match our Pandas needed tonight scoring a 59-21 victory over St Agnes 3 at Richard Lander Sports Hall, Truro.
Having opened the season with two intensely fought wins over Newquay and CSM the Pandas took full advantage of their early lead against St Agnes pushing ahead in the first quarter 15-4 playing their own game and dominating from the start.
Having the opportunity to compete without the highly fuelled pressure came as a complete respite for this Panda team suffering with injury and illness.
And taking advantage of their 30-7 lead at half-time Sarah Medlin took a sensible decision to rest her own injury moving Emily Enterman into centre; Megan Hampton up to goal defence; Ashley Hogg to wing defence and bringing on super-sub Niki Bellenger as goalkeeper.
And with shooters Sophie Tucker and Hannah Steadman bang on target highlighted by their selection as joint players of the match by opposing umpire Clinton Thomas this was a wise move.
We increased our lead after the third quarter to 45-16, giving Deannah Jayne the welcomed chance to recover on the bench with Sarah back for the final quarter. Deannah Jayne came off court having left every inch of fibre behind her fighting off a chesty cough and still making some incredible centre court interceptions.
There were so many highlights with Emily Enterman playing a blinder and our defence stepping up growing in confidence with every outing.
Spirit is what this Panda team have in bucket loads and as a reward our final score of 59-21 told the story. Sarah Medlin's strategic planning had paid off in dividends and rested vital players for our home match against Falmouth on Friday.
Well done to the Pandas - your tight knit teamwork is a pleasure to watch and you deserved this convincing victory.
Much thanks to St Agnes 3 for a great match and of course to our scorer Jackie Carr; umpire Jackie Walker and chauffeur John Carr.
Kathryn Pearn - Chair