Active Refrigeration Fideliter 1 squeaked home over a spirited Potter Electric Onerahi side by 40-39 in their Educare North premier netball clash.
In what was a low-scoring and strongly-contested game, Onerahi won the first quarter by three goals before Fideliter won the second quarter to lead by four goals at the half. With the third quarter drawn, Onerahi won the final quarter to come within a goal and earn them a bonus point in the process.
For Fideliter 1 on Friday night, Rowena Davis Cooper at goal defence dominated throughout the game grabbing a number of intercepts and turnovers. Ajay Young and Hayley Tipene in the mid-court delivered good ball to the shooters.
Cassey Cooper at goal attack drove well and fed Kate Te Whata well at goal shooter. For Onerahi 1 it was a whole team effort and everyone worked hard on attack and defence.
The other close and low-scoring game was between Active Refrigeration Fideliter 2 and WGHS 1, where Fideliter 2 won 39-37.
There were long periods of several minutes where no goal was scored due to the defensive effort of both teams.
For Fideliter 2, Harono Te Iringa at goal keep and Jessica Hita at goal defence later in the game combined well and put good pressure on to gain turnover ball. Different mid-court combinations were tried throughout the game. Danielle Kirby, Tina Cachemaille and Jessica Hita all in the mid-court provided timely intercepts. Trina Henare, player coach, directed play at goal attack then wing attack to feed shooters Jess McClintock Maihi and Nane Maru.
For WGHS 1, Renee Hoani at wing defence and Shannon George at goal forced errors. Jacinta Matson at centre was outstanding in the mid-court but overall the aggressive Fideliter defensive effort was too strong.
In the inter-club clash between Manawanui Red and Manawanui White it was the younger team that came out the victors, with White winning 73-49.
Red won the first quarter but after that Manawanui White won the remaining three quarters with only the final quarter another close one.
For Manawanui Red, Hayley Thompson at goal keep showed good elevation and constantly hunted the ball. Marion Evans at centre had a great defensive game and Gail Shepherd at goal attack made herself available.
For Manawanui White, Jaelyn Walker at goal shoot converted some nice shots. Kelsey Power on at wing attack at half-time combined well with Larissa Hona at centre to change the tempo of the game and to mix up the feeding into the circle to good effect.
Northland Coastal Development Whangaruru had a slow start over Treewise Marist before coming out on top 64-47.
For Whangaruru, Reanon Hetaraka Sadler at goal keep was good on defensive and consistently went after the ball and was rewarded for her efforts. Lettica Shelford at wing defence also assisted with the defensive effort. Jude Campbell at goal attack had a strong performance and shot well. Sophie Tua, player-coach on at wing attack in the second-half directed play into the shooters.
For Marist, Helen Francis at goal defence played a consistent game and Harmony Kingi at wing defence also had a strong defensive game. Tamia Ross, at centre, then goal attack had a strong start, feeding good ball.
Educare North Premier Results, August 2.
Northland Coastal Development Whangaruru vs Treewise Marist, 64-47.
Manawanui Red vs Manawanui White, 49-73.
Active Refrigeration Fideliter 2 vs WGHS 1, 39-37.
Active Refrigeration Fideliter 1 vs Potter Electrical Onerahi 1, 40-39.