YWCA Bury gave themselves too much to do as they went down 48-43 at second-bottom Trafford in the North West Netball League Premier Division.

The side had started the year in fine style with an impressive victory at second-placed Blackpool but failed to capitalise as they went into break at Trafford trailing 31-17.

Following a strong senior debut in the first game of 2016, Elia McCormick retained her place at goal keeper and was partnered in the defensive circle by Tyrene Karim.

Despite the Bury defence enjoying an obvious height advantage, the hosts started strongly, with some impressive feeds into their own tall goal shooter.

Added pressure by the Trafford defence meant shooting opportunities for Clare Morley and Katie Myers in the Bury attacking circle were limited, and the visitors were down 14-6 after the first quarter.

The second quarter saw trainer Ruth Moreno introduce Lois Pearson and Sascha Eady to goal attack and wing defence, respectively, but Bury still failed to find any consistency.

They were down by 14 points at half time and 10 points after the third quarter before fighting back in the final 15 minutes.

A change in tactics to move Karim into attack at goal shooter saw a galvanised Bury capitalise on some tired play by Trafford to limit the hosts to just five goals, while racking up an impressive 16 goals themselves. Eady, Jenny Cross and player-of-the-match Lucy Lucketti worked well throughout the quarter to move the ball quickly from defence to attack, targeting Karim with longer balls and Morley tidied up any shooting penalties.

While the final push did not reverse the result, the final scoreline did at least earn the visitors a bonus point as they remain third in the table.