Netball: Double-whammy for rapt Taurua

By RICHARD BOOCK

Noeline Taurua was wearing a grin almost too big to fit on her face by the time the national netball championships had ended.

Only hours after the former Silver Fern had coached Bay of Plenty to the second-division crown and promotion to next year's first division, she was in the winner's circle again as Waikato celebrated their national championship final win over Canterbury.

"It's all turned out so sweet," she said after Waikato's eye-popping 55-23 demolition of the red and blacks at Hamilton's Mystery Creek Stadium.

"It was pretty tough going early in the tournament but things happened when they needed to, and I'm feeling pretty rapt at the moment."

The 32-year-old attack utility watched from the bench as Waikato delighted the 1000-strong crowd with a compelling opening quarter, storming out to a 17-6 lead which effectively killed the match as a showpiece after only 15 minutes.

When she was eventually introduced to the fray after halftime, Waikato had the luxury of a 29-11 buffer, and Taurua was able to maintain momentum through the final two quarters as the hosts took the second half 26-12.

Driven by another hard-working performance from captain and centre Jenny-May Coffin, Waikato appeared far better balanced throughout the court, finding accuracy on attack, plenty of hustle in defence, and a good understanding in transition.

The lingering concern over Canterbury's inexperienced attack end blossomed into a match-deciding problem during the final, with Margie Foster's side restricted to a staggering 43 attempts at goal, compared to Waikato's 75.

The Rotorua-based Taurua, in the first coaching assignment of her career, had earlier pulled all the right strings as the Bay over-ran Waikato Premiers 63-56 to end their second-division stint unbeaten.

She wanted to think more about her situation before making a decision on her playing career next season, although indications were that her sympathies would be with the newly promoted Bay side.

"I need a bit of time to think about that but, realistically, the Bay will probably need me more than Waikato will," she said.

The other major news on the tournament's final day was the relegation of traditional heavyweight Wellington, who ended a dismal week with a shattering 59-57 loss to Manawatu.

Further up the draw, Manukau matched their third placing at last season's championship after beating Southland 52-50, while Auckland thumped Otago 67-45 for the second time in three days to win the play-off for fifth and sixth.