Netball: Cowbells music to the ears

By JULIE ASH

Irene van Dyk admits cowbells used to drive her around the bend.

But now that she is part of the Waikato side, crowned national provincial champions after their 67-61 win over Netball North, van Dyk is all for them.

"I can remember last year, when I was playing for Wellington, thinking can those people with those cowbells just go away because they are so loud ... but when they are for you it is different. You totally appreciate it and go, 'Just give me more'."

On Saturday night at Mystery Creek the cowbells were in full force as Waikato edged out Yvonne Willering's Netball North.

Netball North had charged through the tournament unbeaten while Waikato had losses to Auckland Waitakere and Netball North and were forced to make do without star midcourters Jenny-May Coffin and Amigene Metcalfe, who missed the early rounds of the tournament through injury.

Trailing 17-15 in the first quarter, Waikato took the lead midway through the second quarter and never looked back.

Netball North, who were without Linda Vagana, worked hard on defence but the long-range missiles from Waikato's midcourters to van Dyk were unstoppable.

"I think the key to our success was we concentrated on our own game and didn't focus too much on them," said van Dyk, who netted 56 shots from 57 attempts and was named the tournament's best attacker.

"We definitely had plenty of respect for them, they are an awesome team."

For van Dyk, the win is her first national provincial title and tops off what has been a fairly successful year following the Silver Ferns' success in Jamaica.

Even her 5-year-old daughter Bianca, who spent the week in Mystery Creek, was full of praise for her mother.

"She had made a big banner and she was so excited about us winning she goes, 'Oh, mummy you have got another gold medal'. It was absolutely amazing."

Yesterday van Dyk, her daughter and some friends headed to Whangamata, where they will "chill out" for a few days before returning to Wellington.

"It is a tough tournament because the level of playing is really high and every game you have to play to the best of your ability, otherwise you are not going to make it.

"I feel a bit shattered today but looking at the gold medal makes it all worth it."

Topping off Waikato's win was the naming of 17-year-old Hillcrest High School student Laura Langman in the New Zealand squad.

"I am over the moon, I just can't believe it," Langman said.

"When they read my name out I thought they had made a mistake."

But there is little time for her to to celebrate as she prepares for the start of the national secondary school championships in Palmerston North tomorrow.

Unavailable for the New Zealand squad was triumphant Waikato captain Amigene Metcalfe, who has decided to take the summer off to contemplate her future.

But for Netball North, silver is becoming an all-too-familiar colour.

Most off the players were part of the Force team which finished second behind the Southern Sting in the National Bank Cup.

"It was just basic errors that let us down," said Netball North captain Temepara Clark, who was named the best midcourt and overall player of the tournament. Team-mate Sheryl Clarke was the top defender.

"We got a lot of ball but we never finished it off through the midcourt."

Like van Dyk and the other Silver Ferns who have had a pretty full on season, Clark is looking forward to some time away from the sport.

"It is quite amazing my body has held up quite well," she said.

"I am going to have a break from netball and just do some alternative stuff, some running and I might do a bit of karate training just for something different."