Whangara pull off big victory

KEEPING IT CLOSE: YMP goal defence Sydney Rore grasps the ball as Whangara Old Girls goal attack Miriata Callaghan reaches forward in premier-grade netball on Saturday. Picture by Paul Rickard

Whangara Old Girls pulled off their win of the season to date when they ground out a hard-fought victory over YMP to move to the top of the premier-grade netball points table on Saturday.

Whangara took the lead early in their PAKn'SAVE competition match and were up 7-5 after 10 minutes.

They maintained that buffer with a halftime score of 14-12, jumped out further in the third quarter to lead 22-16, and held on to win a fierce contest 29-23.

As a result of the win, Whangara sit on top of the table with 36 points.

They, YMP Sunshine Brewery and Taste One High School Old Girls had all been locked up on 32 points before Saturday.

YMP and High School Old Girls remain on 32, but the matches this weekend could leave the top of the table all locked up again.

Whangara will have to repeat their heroics of the weekend to stay out in front because they come up against HSOG, who had the bye at the weekend.

YMP will play Gisborne Girls' High School Senior A and would be heavily favoured to win the four points.

In other matches from Saturday, Girls' High Senior A led all the way against Horouta Gold and won the match 30-24.

The quarter scores were all close, though — 8-7, 13-12 and 22-19 — before the students pulled way a bit in the final 10 minutes.

Credit goes to Horouta for the way they stuck to their guns and made it a tight game.

Claydens Waikohu (1) beat Ritana Snr A 40-18 and made no race of it. The quarter scores tell the story — 14-3 to Waikohu after 10 minutes, then 23-9 and 33-12.

Waikohu remain fourth on the table on 19 points. Girls' High are next, on 15, Ritana have nine and Horouta, three.

Two more rounds will be played before the semifinals on September 19, when the top-placed team will play No.4 and two will play three.

So, the battle for the top-four seedings is still very much on.

Claydens Waikohu Masters 39 Tatapouri Sportsfit 18, YMP Masters 36 Gis Fluid and Machinery HSOG 25, Claydens Waikohu Masters 30 Gis Fluid and Machinery HSOG 14, Horouta Taimana 20 Old Girls Whangara 17* (*=bonus point), IMS HSOG Masters 32 Taiki 12.

Tapuae 49 Gis Denture Clinic HSOG 16, Farmlands Ngatapa 24 FarmCare HSOG 13, Claydens Waikohu (2) 19 Campion Snr A 17, Whalis 17 YMP TimberPro 14*, FarmCare HSOG 17 Claydens Waikohu (2) 13.

Steve Craill Builder Ngatapa 26 GGHS Snr B 22, The Stingerz 23 Uawa Ngarangikahiwa 37, GGHS Jnr A 33 Thistle Storm 19, Uawa Ngarangikahiwa 31 GGHS Snr B 15, OBM Blue 27 Tyre General Ngatapa 24*.

Ritana Toa 37 Thistle Phoenix 10, Gis Glass Ngatapa 26 Ritana Toa 10, OBM Red Social 9 Uawa Kahukuraiti 33, Tata Sportsfit Social 21 YMP Manawanui 16, GGHS TSA 29 Kotahi Aroha 19.