NETBALL - Clinical Marist come from behind to win

It was the collision of the two most experienced sides Hora Hora and Marist Combined which shaped up to be the game of the day in Whangarei Premier Netball on Saturday with Marist coming out on top 50-47.
Hora Hora were strongest out of the blocks, taking an early advantage and holding on to it with some determined play despite Marist coming back.
It was in the third quarter that things began to get difficult for Hora Hora with Marist's now signature through-court pressure forcing Hora Hora into what turned out to be costly errors. Marist's Nicky Taylor again brought ample confidence to her side, slotting the bonus possession into points.
In the fourth quarter Marist's level-headed approach and consistency through court belied any late comeback from Hora Hora to take the match with a clinical performance and hold top spot in the competition after two rounds.
In the other match played on Saturday, new kids on the block Fideliter made it two from two with a huge comeback to draw with Takahiwai 51-all.
Takahiwai's Ramarie Pirihi was again a standout for her side in an impressive performance at goal attack. Pirihi marshalled her troops effectively and is clearly a key dictator in the side.
This is not to take anything away from her team mates, with youthful goal shoot Morgan Taurua looking comfortable slotting the points and standing her ground against the athletic Fideliter defence.
Fideliter held a slender advantage at the end of the first quarter but looked out of sorts with Takahiwai controlling the pace of the game. In the second quarter Takahiwai grew in confidence and started to look relaxed, particularly through the midcourt where center Kerry Woodman had a strong match.
At half time Fideliter made some changes to their midcourt line-up, hoping to increase the pressure through the mid third a take back some momentum, after the deficit climbed to 8 points.
It wasn't until the final quarter that Fideliter really hit their straps and began to force errors through court, with Renee Mason moving to centre in a key change. Mason was the pick of the bunch and more than delivered for her side with excellent defensive pressure and deft touches in her feeding on attack. Also Lauren Eagle in goal defence found a little more room to take some spectacular intercepts.
In a titanic comeback a flurry of activity saw the sides draw even and Fideliter secured their second draw in a row, with Takahiwai, despite being disappointed at letting their advantage slip away, showing their ability to take control of any match in this round.
And the final premier match of this round was actually played mid-week with Whangarei Girls High School notching up a win over Marist 46-40.
WGHS player Kimberley Ruth had an excellent match in both wing attack and centre with a particularly strong defensive effort against her more experienced opposition.
Marist were out of sorts and although they didn't play well as a unit, WGHS showed you can't afford to turn up half prepared to play against any side in this year's competition.
Premier netball now breaks for the school holidays, with championship matches resuming on July 21.