Harcourts receive big wake-up call

Gary Caffell
Harcourts player-coach Kelly Sargent wasn't looking for excuses after her team's 62-48 defeat by PIC 2 in their opening regional super league netball division two match, played at Porirua on Saturday.
Rather she said it was simply a case of Harcourts struggling to get the ball through court against the physicality of the PIC 2 defence and being punished for turning over possession on a regular basis.
"Quite honestly it was a real wake up-call for us," Sargent said. "When you play at this level you have to protect the ball and do the basics well and we didn't do that. We weren't nearly consistent enough, that's all there was to it."
Harcourts did, however, compete strongly through the first quarter which ended with them having a slender 14-12 lead. However, by halftime PIC 2 had assumed command at 30-25 and they increased their lead to 46-35 by the end of the third quarter.
Sargent said fitness did become an issue for Harcourts as the match progressed with PIC playing the game at a pace far greater than what they were used to and they also struggled to come to terms with the referees being quite liberal in their interpretation of the contact rule.
"We have to learn to play to the whistle, to not try and anticipate what the referees will call and what they won't," she said.
Pleasing for Harcourts, however, was that when they did get the ball into shooters Sargent and Geraldine Carroll they invariably converted their scoring opportunities into goals.
"It wasn't all bad news, there were some positives too," Sargent said. "We certainly know we can do better and now we understand what we are up against I'm sure we will."
Harcourts will be at home to Wellington Girls College next Saturday. The final series of first round matches in Netball Wairarapa's premier one competition were completed on Thursday and Friday nights at the Genesis Recreation Centre with results being very much as anticipated. Gladstone All Blacks had an early 12-2 advantage whittled back to just one goal going into the final quarter of their game against Wairarapa College but they recovered their composure to win 36-30. Celtic secured a comfortable 53-38 win over Kuranui College, Harcourts bowed out of premier one play to concentrate on the regional superleague with a 62-32 defeat of Fagan Motors Hot Shots and St Matthew's Collegiate beat a Carterton Sports Arena side playing with six players 52-29.
LOWER GRADE RESULTS:-
Premier two: Greytown Yellow 21, Makoura prem 16; Pioneer Blue 35, Carterton Legends 31; Gladstone Powershop 23, Carterton Red 22; Trevs 1 26, Wairarapa College B1 15.
Premier three: Wairarapa College B2 26, Carterton Mama Mias 19; Wairarapa College Intermediate A 27, Eketahuna 26; Trevs 2 28, Carterton White 24.
Premier four: St Matthews Junior A 21, Kuranui Blue 18; Chanel Sensat 22, Wairarapa College B3 9; Pioneer Red 31, Greytown Red 18; Nga Iwi 22, Kuranui Junior A 16.
Senior A: St Matthews Sapphires 26, Kuranui Junior B 11; Solway 1 23, Makoura Red 21; Chanel Senior A 29, Wairarapa College Junior A 28; Featherston 30, St Matthews Intermediate A 9.
Senior reserve: Chanel Junior A 19, Makoura White 15; Carterton Blue 19, Mangan Graphics Hot Shots 12; Wairarapa College Senior Reserve 1 17, Wairarapa College Intermediate B 13; Masterton Flames 26, St Matthews Junior B 10.
Senior B: Wairarapa College Senior Reserve 2 14, Wairarapa College Junior B 10; Kuranui Junior C 12, St Matthews Junior C 2; Wairarapa College Senior Reserve 3 28, Kuranui Red 14; St Matthews Diamonds 13, Greytown Black 5.
Senior C: Wairarapa College Ihugz 16, Chanel Junior B 3; Chanel Senior B 18, St Matthews Intermediate B 6; Solway 2 24, Wairarapa College Jewelz 7.
PRIMARY GRADE RESULTS WERE:-
Grade one: St Matthews Primary A 13, MIS Year 7A 4; MIS Year 8A 17, Opaki Jets 5.
Grade two: MIS Year 8B 23, St Matthews Primary B 2; Hadlow Ferns 13, Chanel Gold 9; MIS Galaxy 14, MIS Year 7B 8; MIS Matariki 18, Greytown Gold Ferns 8.
Grade three: Te Kura 10, Alfredton 9; MIS Sapphires 15, Chanel Silver 7; Featherston Flyers 23, Opaki Aces 2.
Grade four: Lakevew Rebels 13, MIS Gems 7; Lakeview Tactics 25, Hadlow Pixies 2; MIS Comets 15, St Matthews primary Bronze 9; St Matthews primary Silver 9, Solway Magic 3.
Grade five: St Pats Shakers 4, Carterton Bronze 3; DPS Pulse 8, St Pats Saints 4; Carterton Silver 15, MPS Sting 2.
Grade six: Lakeview Magic 6, MPS Wasps 5; Wainuioru Wildcats 11, Lakeview Pulse 10; Greytown B 12, DPS Tactics 2; Tuhirangi 17, DPS Steel 1.
Grade seven: Greytown C 27, Opaki Stars 1; Solway Rockets 9, Carterton Yellow 5; Featherston Ferns 7, Hadlow Rockers 0.
Future ferns: St Pats Stars 4, St Pats Shimmers 1; DPS Magic 7, Solway Ferns 7; Lakeview Ferns 28, Wainuioru Junior Wildcats 0; DPS Mystics 9, Carterton Pink 0.