The first week of the Hamilton City Netball Centre premier indoor competition started on April 27, including 16 teams in an enhanced and expanded competition.
This season’s competition is split into two Premier grades of A and B.
Premier A — Allied HOB Collins Premier, HGHS Langman, FTNC Premier, Nottingham Castle Rangers, St Peter’s Premier, University of Waikato Premier, Verdettes Marist Old Girls and Verdettes Marist Premier.
Premier B — FTNC Premier Reserve, Melville Vetora Premier, Northern United Mamba, St Paul’s Premier, University of Waikato Premier Reserves, the University of Waikato A, Verdettes Marist Development and Waikato Diocesan for Girls Premier.
As always at the beginning of a round robin, there were some big scores plus some close games in both grades. Here is a summary of the games from week 2.
Jade Kawhe at goal attack for the University of Waikato Premier. Photo / Judy Macdonald
Premier A:
Vedettes Marist Old Girls and St Peter’s Premier had a great tussle with no letup from either team. St Peter’s led at halftime by 19 goals to 18, but at fulltime Old Girls had reversed the tables and they won the game 40 goals to 38.
There really was nothing between these two teams. For Old Girls, it was a slow start. Manaia Waudby at wing attack and centre made a big impact coming on in the second quarter. Malia Eyles was solid in goal attack and goal shoot throughout the game. St Peter’s second and fourth quarters were strong and positional changes made throughout the game were effective, particularly in terms of the defensive effort.
Nottingham Castle Rangers were also able to take a halftime deficit and turn this around to have a win over the University of Waikato Premier, who do not lose too often.
University Premier led by 26 goals to 23 at halftime and Castle Rangers won 56 goals to 47. A great game to watch. For University Premier, it was a glimpse of some of the competition this season. Jade Kawhe in the goal attack and Ngawai Hawera at the centre worked tirelessly on the attack against a tough defence. For Castle Rangers, Demi Moana at goal shoot was a great target, strong on attack and consistent in her shooting.
In the other games, HGHS Langman won their game against Allied HOB Collins Premier after a slower start. They led by 25-21 at halftime and won the game 51-38. And FTNC Premier dominated in their game against Verdettes Marist Premier winning the game by 70 goals to 35.
Hine Brown at WA for University of Waikato A. Photo / Judy Macdonald
Premier B:
Melville Vetora Premier and St Paul’s Premier had a close and competitive game and for the most part at the end of every quarter, there was only a goal difference. At halftime St Paul’s led by 19 goals to 18 but Melville was able to claw this back and be leading at three-quarter time. They won the game 35 goals to 32. For Melville, defensively the team worked hard with many tips and intercepts throughout the game. This allowed the attacking end to work on developing combinations and opportunities. Whitney Jenkins at goal defence and Mackenzie Foster at goal keep were standouts, combining well defensively. At the opposite end of the court, Ange Jackson at goal shoot did well to ensure the ball went in the hoop. For St Paul’s, it was a physical game. Jasmine Davis, a Year 11 student, was a standout playing both wing defence and goal defence.
In the other games, FTNC Premier Reserve was too strong for Northern United Mamba, leading by 32 goals to 19 at halftime and winning 65-45. Mamba finished strongly to win the final quarter but it was not enough. Waikato Diocesan Premier led the University of Waikato A at halftime by 33 goals to 14 and despite a strong quarter by University A in the third quarter, they won the game 55-31. University Premier Reserve dominated in their game against Verdettes Marist Development winning comprehensively by 78 goals to 12.
Results week 1
● Melville Vetora Premier 30 v Waikato Diocesan for Girls Premier 39
