Wairarapa rue their slow start

Netball

Missed opportunities in the first half cost Wairarapa dearly in their Wellington regional super league netball match with Ulalei of Hutt Valley on Sunday.

Wairarapa came out of the first half with a 27-goal deficit but after being outscored by just the one goal in the third quarter and having a two-goal advantage in the fourth, there was more merit in their 76-50 defeat than the result would indicate.

Coach Dayle Clarkson said her team were guilty of not having their minds completely on the job in the first half and consequently had struggled to make the adjustments necessary to counter their opposition.

However, that situation changed for the better in the second spell.

Wairarapa lifted their performance several notches and kept Ulalei honest in every department.

"The reality is netball is a fast- paced game where goals are scored every 20 seconds, if you lapse at this level for even a minute then you will pay the price," Clarkson said.

"As a team we drifted through the first half without focus and were punished for it."

Returning to the action for Wairarapa after the birth of her son only two weeks earlier, Perri Tatana-Williams provided more strength for them in the shooting area.

While she acknowledged she was far from peak fitness, she was happy to be on court again.

Tatana-Williams sees huge potential in the younger players in the Wairarapa squad and expects them to show continued improvement as they adjust to the various combinations and how to implement game plans aimed at disrupting the tactics of their opposition.

Having sister Kerwai Tatana and niece Elleisha Clarkson as teammates is also a delight for Tatana-Williams. She is also enjoying teaming up again with star shooter Hope Phillips, the two having last played together when they helped Celtic take out the premier one interclub title in 2009.