It was a stunning pair of performances at Applemore Health & Leisure by the New Forest Ladies as they continued their charge up the table with convincing victories against Cardiff Tigers and Team Southampton.

Based upon the previous encounters earlier on in the season, two hard fought 3-2 victories, Forest were fired up ready for battle. However, what threatened to be two very tight matches, turned out to be a very comfortable day in the end for the New Forest Ladies. New signings Jenny Aougah, Una Upmane and Catherine Dimmock went straight into the match day squad keen to impress coach Nfor.

First up were furthest travellers Cardiff Tigers. Having made the arduous journey through heavy rain and strong winds, Tigers could be forgiven for their shaky start to set 1. Forest full of adrenalin stormed into an 11-3 lead through Lanes' strong hitting and 5-point service run...she was certainly up for it! Following a tigers time-out, Forest continued to pull away as strong serving from all ensured the Tigers pass was put under pressure. A tiny Forest wobble then ensued due to some fantastic serving from Cardiff MVP Stoll. This forced Nfor to call a time-out, however order was restored shortly after as Forest closed out the set 25-14...1-0 Forest!

Set 2 produced a poor start from Forest as the lack of concentration reared its ugly head once more, Cardiff racing into 6-1 lead. Again it was Stoll who was causing the problems with her armoury from the baseline and Forest knew they had to wake up quick. Cwikla and Upmane (on for Forest Captain Fargher) were first to step up to the plate and fired in some powerful attacks to relieve some of the pressure. Newstead then rose to the challenge too with some canny services - catching the Tigers receiving unit off guard in a 5-point service run. This put Forest in front for the first time in the set and they never looked back; 25-17...2-0 Forest!

Into set 3 and Forest welcomed back popular team member 'Panger' into the fold as setter, giving the impressive Moore a well earned rest ready for match 2. Immediately Cardiff were on the back foot like set 1 as Aougah proved why Forest were so delighted with her signature, powering in 4 terrific serves...4-0 Forest. With all Forest hitters now firing, Tigers were struggling to keep up...not through the lack of trying mind, some full length pick ups were a delight to watch! More strong serving and powerful attacks, in particular from MVP Cwikla, pushed Forest into a 21-11 lead. This saw the introduction of Dimmock on for Upmane and although a little nervous, Dimmock didn’t put a foot wrong. Forest closed out the set and match 25-8...3-0 Forest!

The atmosphere was electric for the final game of the day, which saw local neighbours Team Southampton take on Forest. Similarly to Forest, Southampton were also boasting 3 new signings and everyone knew it was going to be a right ol' ding-dong! Set 1 saw Southampton take the early spoils as they led 10-5. A few stern words from Nfor soon did the trick as Forest regained composure and took the lead for the first time at 16-15. Again it was the impressive Moore who was grabbing the game by the scruff of the neck as she delivered pin point sets to her hitting unit combined with a 3-point service run. At 23-18 Forest, then came the turning point in the set. A dubious line call was judged in from a Southampton attack, which left the Forest players fuming to say the least. Southampton MVP then seized on the moment to pile in some beautiful serves and as Forest began to lose their composure, soon followed the set 23-25...1-0 Team Southampton!

The game was now going to go one of two ways...either Southampton would pile on the pressure with Forest heads low, or Forest would turn things around...it was clear to see what the spectators were thinking. Remarkably, it was to be the latter as Forest refused to lay down and knowing they had just gifted Southampton the set, they came out fighting. Leads of 9-4 and 18-9 to Forest were down to a fantastic squad effort. Service runs from Moore (3-points & 5-points) and Lane (4-points) put Forest in complete control. Still fuelled by the line call in the previous set, Cwikla was striking the ball with venom and Southampton had no answer. Forest captain, Fargher, was now swinging well as she found the line with an exquisite turn down the line whilst in mid air. There were no mistakes this time as Forest strolled to the line 25-17...1-1!

It was now game on and Southampton had been stunned by the Forest fightback. Another strong start from Forest put them into a 6-1 lead. Outside hitter Jones was now back on court and powered 2 delightful shots down the line to keep the points ticking over. Southampton were battling back and using their bench extensively to stay in touch with Forest. However at 15-9 up, Forest never looked in any danger as they continued to pull away. An astonishing 10-point service run from Fargher showed great levels of tactical play, as her serve variance bamboozled the Southampton defence. Forest saw off the set 25-13...2-1 Forest!

Into set 4 and the question was could Forest keep this level of intensity up? Well, yes they could! 12-7 Forest was already looking pretty comfortable and with Moore now finding her hitters with ease, Forest looked unstoppable. Cwikla (MVP again), Fargher and Lane were pounding the ball into the Southampton court largely thanks to some great back-court play for the team. Aougah was now finding her hitting range and came up with 2 stuff blocks in one rally! Fargher then played 3 outrageous defensive shots in one rally that she had no right to pick up. The highlight saw her smash the ball as she was falling backwards onto the floor...great defence! Two final changes from Nfor saw a double substitution with Upmane and Dimmock return to the court to see the game out. It wasn't long in coming either...25-14...3-1 Forest!

A great day for Forest, they really showed professionalism, grit and determination and now move up to 6th in the league. They currently have the 2nd best form in the league and with impressive débuts from Aougah, Upmane and Dimmock...Forest will be looking forward to locking horns with the two Bristol sides in 2-weeks time!