Malia Eyles at goal attack for Verdettes Marist Old Girls. Photo / Judy Macdonald
Malia Eyles at goal attack for Verdettes Marist Old Girls. Photo / Judy Macdonald
In the third week of the second round robin, there were quite a few close games including a draw.
There were quite a few close games including a draw, in the third week of the second round robin of Hamilton Indoor Premier Netball.
Premier A:
No one expected a drawbetween Nottingham Castle Rangers and University of Waikato Premier, but that’s what happened this week after an epic game of two halves. University Premier led by two goals at the end of the first quarter but strengthened this to lead 28-21 at halftime.
Castle Rangers then clawed this back to be within three goals by three-quarter time, and with another great final quarter, came away with the 53-53 draw.
For Castle Rangers, it was a fast-paced, highly-skilled game of netball, which ebbed and flowed both ways throughout. Overall, all the players who took the court did their job, particularly captain of the night Anahia Noble, playing both at wing attack and centre, controlling the attack end superbly and contributing well on defence.
Alice Wilkinson at goal shoot for FTNC Premier Reserve. Photo / Judy Macdonald
In the second half, Demi Moana at goal shoot provided lovely space, and Emily Ussher at wing attack provided a stable and composed style of feeding.
For University Premier, it was a great competitive game from start to finish. The team were short defensively with two injuries but every player had the hunger to work hard on court.
The attacking end had some beautiful passages of play with Georgie Edgecombe at centre, Hylan Potts at wing attack, A.K. Shortland at goal attack and Kate Taylor at goal shoot, all showing great skill sets and Taylor shooting at 93 per cent against a relentless defensive circle.
Team experience and composure in the final minutes saw the team level the game when it looked like the opposition were going to win.
Verdettes Marist Old Girls had a strong start against HGHS Langman and led by six goals at the end of the first quarter. They increased this to lead 25-15 at halftime.
HGHS Langman then had a massive third quarter to be just three goals adrift. They were also able to win the final quarter but it was not quite enough to win.
The final score was 43-42. For Marist Old Girls, it was much closer than anticipated following a great start. In the second half, the team struggled to adapt to changes the opposition made, their opponents really bringing it to them, but fortunately they were able to come away with the win in the dying seconds.
Georgia Bodle at centre for most of the game was in everything, making plays in both the attacking and defensive ends. T’neya Karena at goal defence gained some crucial intercepts in the last quarter to help seal the win.
A.K. Shortland at goal attack for University of Waikato Premier. Photo / Judy Macdonald
HGHS Langman had a slow start but a second-half surge saw them close the gap with some great defensive pressure and impressive performances by youngsters Sam Falkner at wing attack, Kaziah Riley-Rata at goal attack and Jess Jennings at wing defence and centre. After trailing by up to 12 goals during the game, the learnings for this young side were positive and they showed some real grit and determination to just lose by a goal.
FTNC Premier Reserve and Allied HOB Collins Premier had a very close match across all four quarters. FTNC Premier Reserve had a two-goal lead at the end of the first quarter but at halftime, it was 26 goals apiece. Allied HOB Premier then had a strong third quarter to take the lead by six goals. In the final quarter, FTNC Premier Reserve came back with a vengeance and did enough to take the win, the fulltime score 55-53.
For FTNC Premier Reserve, they had a game plan but due to injury and illness, some changes had to be made. Mannor Fleming at goal defence worked hard and after some adjustments to her play, producing a solid final quarter with Kayla Haynes at goal keeper.
Priya Singh at wing defence played a major role in centre pass receives and transverse line resets. Tash Ford, playing up the court, took the opportunity to show her speed and full-court defence at centre.
Maddie Lysaght, moving from centre to wing attack later in the game, ran some strong lines and provided great feeds to the shooters.
Victoria Simeon steadied the shooting circle at goal shoot for most of the game and was a good target under pressure. The win in the final quarter showed the team’s ability to adjust and that they could push through at the end.
As a non-training Premier team, Allied Premier understand the challenge to build stronger connections at games and this was not their night. After a slow start, changes were made to the defensive circle and mid-court, which shifted the momentum and allowed the team to settle. Their performance in the second and third quarters was not able to be maintained in the final quarter. Jessie Elers at goal attack worked tirelessly and shot accurately, which kept the scoreboard competitive. Eirlys Bond came into wing defence late in the third quarter, offering a steady through-court drive on attack and transverse back-up for the feeders.
FTNC Premier were too strong in their game against St Peter’s Premier and they led from start to finish. The halftime score was 32-19 and the fulltime score was 67-36. FTNC Premier were dominant in the final quarter.
Premier B:
Verdettes Marist Premier had a great see-sawing game against University of Waikato A and did enough to come away with the win.
University A started well to be up by a goal at the end of the first quarter and ahead 29-25 at halftime. Marist Premier then had a massive third quarter to take the lead by six goals. University A won the final quarter but it wasn’t enough to take the win, with the final score 57-54.
St Paul’s Premier against Waikato Diocesan for Girls Premier was a huge spectator event and the players involved gave them a game to watch. The score was drawn at the end of the first quarter but at halftime St Paul’s had a slim lead by 19 goals to 16. In the third quarter, Waikato Diocesan were able to take the lead by four goals. St Paul’s, however, had an outstanding final quarter to dominate and take the win, 42-31.
Northern United Mamba were too strong for Melville Vetora Premier.They led 32-16 at halftime and won 65-34. Melville Premier did win the third quarter.
The University of Waikato Premier Reserve side were also too good for Verdettes Marist Development, leading 35-9 at halftime and winning 63-20. The second and final quarters were very comprehensive from University Premier Reserve.
Premier Indoor Netball now has a two-week break for the school holidays.
Hamilton City Netball Centre Indoor Premier. Results Week 10.
