St Matthew Collegiate team to give best shot

Coach Jo Booth has set a simple objective for her St Matthew's Collegiate team when they contest the finals of the New Zealand secondary schoolgirls netball tournament in Timaru next week.
Just 12 schools have qualified to play off for the national title and with formidable opposition sure to be met in each and every game Booth has stressed the necessity of her players giving 100 per cent effort every time they take to the court.
"We want to come out of each match being able to say we gave it our best shot regardless of the result," Booth said. "You can't ask for anything more than that."
St Matthew's made it through to the Timaru tourney by finishing fourth at the lower North Island qualifying event and not long afterwards they beat Celtic Marist in the final of the Wairarapa premier one inter-club competition.
Not surprisingly then Booth has been delighted with the progress her side has made in 2004 but she speaks from first hand experience when she says next week's assignment will be their toughest of the season.
In 1998 and 1999 Booth was coach of the Matamata College side which finished sixth and fitfh respectively at the national finals and she recalls the high standard of play there.
"There are no easy games???every side is a quality team," she said. "Consistency of performance is everything, you can't have an off day and expect do well."
Section play in Timaru gets under way on Tuesday with St Matthew's being drawn in the same section as New Plymouth Girls, Roncalli College, Hillcrest High, Massey High and Verdon College.
Of those teams New Plymouth is the only one of which Booth has any knowledge in terms of their playing strengths and weaknesses.
They won the lower North Island qualifier and looked a powerful unit in doing so.
Booth says St Matthew's will adopt an attacking philosophy at the national finals, something which they have done all season.
"We do best when we play a free-flowing style of netball and that's what we will aiming to do," she said.
" You can't let the opposition dictate at this level of the sport, you have to trust your own structures and game plan and not worry about what the other team is doing."
Two sets of sisters will be part of the St Matthew's line up- Harriet and Ashleigh Somerville and Sophie and Haley Ross- and others making the trip south are Julia Biggs, Rosie Mahoney, Amber Arkell, Kate Monaghan, Renee Scarlett and Jacqui Sharp.
The draw for St Matthews is:-
Tuesday: v New Plymouth Girls at 1.20pm, v Massey High at 7.10pm.
Wednesday: v Roncalli College at 11am, v Verdon College at 4.50pm.
Thursday: v Hillcrest High at 1.20pm.
Making up the other section are Rangi Ruru Girls, Auckland Girls Grammar, St Orans, Inglewood High, Lincoln High and Mt Albert Grammar.
The first of the cross over games will be played on Thursday afternoon and the play offs for final placings will be completed on the Friday.