Tough task for Gisborne school sides

GRADING BATTLES: Netballers take the Victoria Domain courts tomorrow in the first round of grading. Contests such as this — with High School Old Girls wing attack Courtney Stubbins (centre), Lytton wing defence Ruby Westrupp (left) and centre Georgia Teneti all going for the ball — will abound. Picture by Paul Rickard

NETBALL

HIGH school teams face two of the form sides when the Pak’nSave netball premiership launches into the second round at the YMCA tomorrow night.

Lytton Senior A take on Taste One High School Old Girls at 6pm and Gisborne Girls’ High School Senior A play Whangara Old Girls at 7.30pm.

It promises to be a testing opening to the competition proper for the students.

Neither HSOG nor Whangara can take their opposition lightly tomorrow night.

HSOG defeated Lytton 27-19 in grading, but the students were competitive throughout.

“We expect Lytton will come out firing, like every other team is going to,” HSOG coach Tanya Owen said.

“I think Wednesday night’s games will be an indication of where all four teams are at.”

The games will be played over the usual hour-long championship format.

“My girls are prepared to play for an hour and they are looking forward to tomorrow night,” Owen said.

“There are still some things we have to work on, but we are happy with where we are sitting right now, and it’s early days.”

Lytton coach Ronnie Martin said she expected it would be a good start to the premier grade championship for her team.

“They are not playing the top of the grade to start with, which is a good thing. I think it’s going to be a game they can cope with.

“I hope to see them turn the result around from last time they played High School Old Girls.”

Martin said the students still needed a bit of time but she has been happy with their progress.

Her other team, Whangara, front Girls’ High in the second match.

“Girls’ High are not a team to be taken lightly this season,” Martin said.

“They have been improving with every game.

“I want to see consistency in our shooting and in our ball movement through court.”

In grading, Whangara Old Girls belted Girls’ High 34-19 but that was on the first weekend of play.

Girls’ High have come a long way since then, with some good wins, and their fourth place in the seedings says a great deal.

After two wins on their final day of grading, coach Irene Takao said her charges were making good progress.

She said they were determined to be a different team from last year.

So far, their results show that clearly.

Ronnie Martin said all the premier grade teams were established sides this year.

“That is going to make for an interesting season.”

On Saturday at the YMCA, defending champions YMP (1) open their account against Claydens Waikohu (1) at 9am, and Taste One HSOG take on Horouta Gold at 11am.

The seedings for the second round of the competition are, from top to bottom: YMP (1), Whangara Old Girls, Taste One High School Old Girls, Gisborne Girls’ High School Snr A, Lytton Snr A, Horouta Gold and Claydens Waikohu (1).