Waikohu have big chance to move up

BATTLING FOR POSSESSION: Waikohu’s Arahia Ruru (left) and YMP’s Raiha Campbell try to secure the ball during a premier game. Waikohu play Lytton High School at the YMCA tomorrow night. Picture by Paul Rickard

WAIKOHU have a golden opportunity to move into outright fourth position in the Pak’nSave premier-grade netball competition when they take on Lytton Senior A at the YMCA tomorrow night.

Heading into tomorrow night’s two games the top five teams are: YMP Sunshine Brewery (40 points), Taste One High School Old Girls (33), Whangara Old Girls (23), Gisborne Girls’ High School and Claydens Waikohu (both 18).

Waikohu went within a whisker of knocking over YMP in another strong performance as they continue to build.

The students from Lytton could find them a handful from 6pm tomorrow night.

“It has been a win apiece this year between those two teams,” netball commentator Sherrill Beale said.

“Add in the pressure of making the top four, and this will be a closely contested game.

“Lytton will be on a high after their one-goal win against Girls’ High, and Waikohu will be confident after nearly beating top-of-the-table YMP on Saturday.”

Waikohu coach Cheryl Te Rito expects the students to come at them hard.

“We can’t take them lightly,” she said.

“We’ll go into it with the same attitude we took into the YMP game.

“And I’m hoping we get back on track with our game plan.

“We’re going to go out there and do our best. We need to win to stay where we are on the table.”

Lytton coach Ronnie Martin said her girls were expecting a tough game.

“We will be missing a couple of players, too, so that will make it harder.

“But we have our key players available and I hope to see the girls play consistently and well.”

In the second match, at 7.30pm, Taste One HSOG take on Whangara, who go into it off the back of one of their best performances of the season last week — a two-goal loss to YMP.

Whangara coach Ronnie Martin said the result showed the team had the ability to stay in the top four. That was their aim.

Beale said that with a win apiece this year in games between HSOG and Whangara, it should be another competitive game.

“Both teams are near the top of the grade (HSOG are second and Whangara, third), and both have also just played close games against Waikohu.”

HSOG coach Tanya Owen said she wanted her players to stick to what they had been doing.

“Play with intensity, be consistent and keep the error rate to a minimum.

“We expect a hard game, and the girls are up for it.”