Ready for challenge

CONTESTED BALL: Gisborne Girls’ High School goal defence Aroha Brown (left) tries to dispossess Horouta goal attack Logan Aston-Whaitiri. Picture by Paul Rickard

GISBORNE Girls’ High School and Farmlands Ngatapa will face the challengers this week to defend their premier-grade status, following the final round of netball grading on Saturday.

YMP (1) retained their unbeaten record through grading with a strong showing against the other previously unbeaten team IMS High School Old Girls.

YMP won 36-28 and led the contest throughout to finish grading on the maximum 24 points.

Horouta Gold secured the two wins they needed to avoid any chance of a bottom-two finish in the top grade.

Horouta snuffed out any chance Ngatapa had of avoiding the challenge round with an all-the-way winning performance.

They were ahead by just one goal at the end of the first quarter but pulled away to win comfortably 38-31.

Horouta overtook Whangara Old Girls to secure fourth spot on the table with a nine-goal win against Gisborne Girls’ High School.

Claydens Waikohu pulled off the surprise result of the final round when they beat IMS HSOG 40-37.

It was even through the first period but Waikohu piled on the pressure in the second quarter to jump out to a 26-15 lead at halftime.

HSOG finished strongly to pick up a bonus point but it was Waikohu’s day and a huge encouragement for them looking ahead to the main competition.

Goal differential was needed to separate the top two A Grade teams who will challenge this week for the right to play in premiers.

Taiki and Whalis completed the round on the same points but Taiki had the better goal differential and finished in top spot.

Those teams will meet Girls’ High and Ngatapa in the first challenge round on Wednesday night in the YMCA. At 6pm GGHS Sen A play Taiki and at 7.30pm Farmlands Ngatapa meet Whalis.

The second round of premier and A Grade challenge games will be played on Saturday.

There were some close results in the other grades as well at the weekend, which sets up fascinating rounds of lower-grade challenges.

High School Old Girls collected the Tattersall and Bayley Cup for best-presented club in the colourful march-past of teams on Saturday.

Results, grading points —

Premier: YMP1 36 IMS HSOG 28; Horouta Gold 34 GGHS Snr A 25; Whangara Old Girls 36 Farmlands Ngatapa 33*(bonus point); Horouta Gold 38 Farmlands Ngatapa 31; Claydens Waikohu 40 IMS HSOG 37*(bonus point).

End-of-round points: YMP1 24, IMS HSOG 17, Claydens Waikohu 16, Horouta Gold 15, Whangara Old Girls 1 12, Farmlands Ngatapa 5, GGHS Sen A 0.

A Grade: Whalis 33 Lytton Snr A 29; Campion Snr A 30 GGHS 2 15; McLeods Concrete HSOG 37 Lone Star HSOG 18; Taiki 30 YMP2 16; Gisborne Glass Ngatapa 21 Campion Sen A 13; Lytton Snr A 28 GGHS 2 21; Lone Star HSOG 32 YMP2 21; Taiki 31 McLeods Concrete HSOG 19; Gisborne Glass Ngatapa 25 Whalis 22*(bonus point).

A Reserve: Rangatira 36 YMP Masters 36; Tatapouri Sportsfit 47 Whangara Old Girls 21; Te Aowera 32 Whatatutu 25; Horouta Taimana 33 Waikohu 2 27; Whatatutu 32 Whangara Old Girls 27.

Top-of-the-grade Tatapouri Sportsfit and Te Aowera will challenge YMP2 and GGHS 2.

First Grade: Pirates 25 Fred Tate Wools Ngatapa 21; Thistle Spirit 50 Lytton Jnr A 16; Rovers 37 GGHS Magic 21; Tatapouri Sportsfit Social 35 Allwood Enterprises HSOG 27; Thistle Spirit 49 Fred Tate Wools Ngatapa 19; GGHS Magic 28 Allwood Enterprises HSOG 27*(bonus).

Top-of-the-grade Thistle Spirit and Rovers will challenge Whangara Old Girls 2 and Waikohu 2.

First Reserve: Lytton Snr B 19 GGHS 10A 15; Tawhiti 19 YMP Manawanui 12; Ngai Tamanuhiri 37 Ballance Agri Nutrients Ngatapa 6; GGHS 9A 32 GGHS Rockets 9; Lytton Snr B 25 Tawhiti 20; GGHS 9A 32 Ballance Agri Nutrients Ngatapa 8.

Top-of-the-grade Ngai Tamanuhiri and Tawhiti will challenge Lytton Jnr A and Allwood Enterprises HSOG.

Second Grade: Innes St Panel Beaters HSOG 15 Rimurapa 15; OBM Masters 30 Buccaneers 14; Thistle Rebels 24 GGHS Pounamu 21*(bonus).

Top-of-the-grade OBM Masters and Innes St Panel Beaters HSOG will challenge Balance Agri Nutrients Ngatapa and YMP Manawanui.