Surrey doesn't seem to be the hardest word for Chichester

With only seven players to Chichester’s full squad of 12, Surrey were at a disadvantage from the very start.

As Chichester began to play it was clear they planned to take full advance of Surrey’s lack of substitutes and play a fast-pace game from start to finish.

The game started strongly for Chichester whose tough defence had Surrey playing a frantic game within seconds.

Chichester’s more experienced players were able to take full advantage of this, driving effectively towards the basket to cause Surrey to foul three times in two minutes.

Yet it took Chichester longer than expected to truly benefit from their advantage.

Club president Katie Doubleday added the first points to the board with a free throw, just less than three minutes into the game.

But with a basket came momentum and Chichester began to block nearly every attempt Surrey had at an attack.

Although Surrey moved the ball well across the court, it was clear they had very few players who felt comfortable driving with the ball.

Falling short to Chichester’s relentless defence, Surrey’s seemingly more timid and hesitant approach allowed Chichester to end the first quarter with an impressive scored of 12-0.

With a 12-point lead and a clear sense of dominance, the second quarter allowed Chichester the chance to let some of their 
less-experienced players take control of the court.

Maintaining the strong defence and game intensity, Chichester impressively continued to keep Surrey from scoring a basket for most of the quarter.

Although Surrey continued to try, Chichester repeatedly stole their rebounding shots to make the score 23-4 with just less than three minutes of the quarter to go.

But with all of Chichester’s dominance, Surrey refused to give up and with two fast breaks and a free throw they were able to bring the score up to 23-9 by the end of the quarter.

Chichester came back on to the court after half-time with a sense of determination.

Pushing their lead to 31-11 after a quick session of fast breaks and steals caused Surrey to call a time out just two minutes into the third quarter.

With less than five minutes to go, Chichester were 
already on team fouls, allowing Surrey the opportunity to play against a less-defensive Chichester, ending the quarter 41-16 up.

By the fourth quarter, Surrey’s lack of players and therefore substitutions was beginning to show.

As their pace began to dwindle so did the skill behind their previously-impressive passes.

Although Chichester continued to control the game, their pace noticeably slowed, scoring only once in the last three minutes of 
the game.

Surrey continued to push Chichester, even in the face of defeat.

The points difference was just too much and Chichester walked away with a dominating final score of 53-23 for their first win of the season.

Chichester team captain Meg Martinez said: “Everyone had a good attitude and was ready to fight from start to finish; it was awesome to get our 
first win.

“However there is plenty to work on, for the games against our tougher opponents.”

Vice-captain Abby Swieton added: “We played a good game. Although I feel we are yet to show our full potential, I’m confident this will shine through in our next game.”

Even after their first win, it is clear Chichester are still looking for ways to improve and will hope to demonstrate this against Kingston University next up.