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Brunel Hurricanes Aussie Goal Attack Lara Welham.
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Lara's Diary - Player Diary December and January's issue
Aussie Lara Welham joined the Brunel Hurricanes squad from down under in September 2007 and has quickly established herself as a talented and skilful shooter. Lara updates us on the comings and goings in the Hurricanes camp throughout December and January.
Hello everyone!
Over the last few weeks we have got back on track and are determined to reach the final series. At training we have upped the tempo and working hard on many full court strategies so we work more as a whole unit. We are still getting drilled by Dave Coleman, our strength and conditioning coach every Monday night at Brunel University with an hour of sprints then our coach Denise Hollands takes over. She is still working hard on making us concentrate for the full sixty minutes and her technical sessions have been very effective and position specific.
The first half of the season was disappointing as we were hoping for a top four position, but the last few road trips have been successful; a draw against Northumbria and wins against Leeds and Celtic Dragons have put us in positive spirit.
Our away trips are never dull with Naida having the whole bus in stitches, Vicklyn’s contagious laugh and a massive array of lollies (sorry ‘sweets’!!).
Before I arrived in the UK I was a tad scared to meet the girls. After looking at the picture gallery on our fabulous website Naida, Cam and Sonia looked rather daunting. However, I was welcomed in to the squad with open arms – literally!! I had never meet Naida but the within the first minute of meeting her I was given a bear hug from her and an update regarding the team in twenty seconds. It was also nice to come to my first training session and catch up with a fellow Aussie - Kate Mahony. Kate and I played with and against each other since we were 14 so it was good to see a familiar face.
Vicklyn Joseph has improved out of sight. She has been on target and starting to move extremely well. Hopefully she will carry on her great form because coming into the finals she is a great target in the circle. Another shooter that has come along way is Rhianne McHale. Congratulations to her and Samantha Dick on making the English University team.
Cam and Nat have also been working well together with brilliant speed and passing. Our defensive unit has also been on fire. They are turning over plenty of ball and causing many turnovers. The combination of Naida Hutchison and Kate Mahony has been lethal over the past few weeks. Kate has been playing out of her skin since coming back from injury. She has great reflexes and a great ability to get in the GA’s way and making her change path.
Sonia Mkoloma was back for a few weeks then we lost her again to other commitments. She will return to us shortly and congratulations to Sonia on getting picked by the New Zealand franchise Pulse to play in the new professional ANZ Championships. I’m sure she will have a major impact in the Trans Tasman Competition.
Netball in England is only slightly different to Australia. The ball and players move down the court differently as well as their passing style but there are many similarities such as passion, great girls and a strong competition. The one major difference is the netball jargon. Katie Nichols still laughs every time Kate Mahony does the Australian warm-up drill ‘surprises’. There are many other phrases Kate and I get stuck with, but the girls have got used to us just standing there looking confused!
On a personal note it is great not to be living out our backpacks. For the first two and a half months my boyfriend Brad and I were living in a few different places but now we have finally got an apartment in South West London.
The first weekend we arrived I did all the “touristy things”. The weekend was jammed packed with sites such as Tower Bridge, The Tower of London, Piccadilly Circus, Buckingham Palace, Big Ben and The London Eye.
Brad and I are taking full advantage of Brunel’s away games. We have been seeing the country by staying on in every city we play. I think one of our favourite places we have visited would have to be York after the successful Leeds game. Kate Mahony stayed on with us and we toured the city over the weekend. After the Superleague final series I am planning more trips and can not wait to head over to visit the European countries.
Over the Christmas and New Year break I celebrated the festive season in Edinburgh with friends from back home (Newcastle, Australia) and we went on a road trip into the unbelievable Highlands of Scotland.
Another way I been seeing the city is through running along Thames. I have been running from my home in SW London to Waterloo to meet Brad then catch the train home. The journey at the moment is about six to seven miles and I am amazed every time as I run along The Thames Path past The Houses of Parliament, Big Ben and the London Eye... although running at home along the Break wall at Nobby’s Beach or along Merewether and Bar Beach is not bad scenery too!
Finally, make sure you come out to see us in our last home game of the season. Our fans have been great so far this season, always making lots of noise and spurring us on. We are playing Northern Thunder on the 24th Feb at 5pm at Guilford Spectrum. Then we head into two crucial games which we must try to win to make the finals.
See you on the 24th, bye for now!
Lara x
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