THE Deutsche Bank Winter Netball League has started strongly, with great team performances, close battles and a high standard of play – which is set to continue throughout the season.

Reigning champions Convent A, currently leading Division I after six matches, remain unbeaten with a nine-point advantage.

Captain Laura Beaston said: ‘It’s been a very good start for us.

We’re fielding a young team that could be said to lack experience but the team has gelled, with new player Serena Guthrie settling into the squad well’.

Their closest rivals, clubmates Convent B and St Clement’s A, are matched on points and both look set to continue strongly.

Convent B, led by Jane Le Feuvre have, she says, had a good start.

‘We’re playing well as a team and are now looking towards a top three finish’.

Zoe Hotton, captain of third-place St Clement’s A, is ‘extremely pleased with the team’s performance so far.

We’ve had to re-adjust following the loss of a few players, but young Zoe Hewlett is coping really well at the higher level, improving with every game – and Jenna Meredith has also had a great start.’ St Lawrence A are not far behind the leaders and are positioned well in the league.

Captain Laura MacFarlane said of their start: ‘We’ve got a really strong team, and the season is going well for us’.

St Clement’s B team, in fifth, have also experienced changes within their squad but are finding their feet just in time to face the top teams in what captain Tammy Fage describes as a tough part of the season.

Aside from the disruption caused by the weather, the team, Tammy says, are really enjoying their matches, with Holly Webster in GD having a fantastic season.

St Brelade have also been plagued with continuous weather disruptions resulting in them having only played half as many matches as leaders Convent.

However, they showed promise against the leaders, losing by only eight goals, and therefore still lie in a strong position if they win their games in hand.

Team captain Sue Dougherty said: ‘We’ve brought Lisa Avery into the team from a lower division which for some, can be a big step up.

But she has settled in well.

The loss of one of our strongest players of last season resulted in a slight re-shuffle within the team, but it has been a positive start and we had a great performance against Convent A.’ St Ouen A have not had the best start to their season, captain Karen Kurys admitting that they are ‘struggling to compete with the youth and skills of the new players flooding into the top teams’.

Again, changes within the squad have left the team feeling unsettled, but Kurys says: ‘We have some very talented youngsters coming through and we will be concentrating on developing them with the support of more experienced players over the next year or two.’ Finally, St Lawrence B are holding up the table in a battle to stay in Division I that should prove just as exciting as the action at the top.

Although bottom, team coach Jackie Nelson said: ‘They’ve had a fabulous start to the season, giving some of the stronger teams a scare with some close results.

Their team spirit is superb and this year the top division is the most competitive it’s ever been, leaving it impossible to predict any match’.