Shared spoils in round one

SOLID MATCH: Rachael Lynch linked well with her fellow Kaierau midfielders to feed the shooters during their 54-29 win over Marist on Monday night. PHOTO/LEWIS GARDNER 080615WCLGNETBALL04

A TIGHT battle was fought in round one of the Wanganui Premier Netball Competition on Monday night, as the first draw of the season was played out between Kaiwhaiki and Collegiate.

In the 45-all draw, Kaiwhaiki started well leading 14-9 at the first break.

Collegiate chipped away in the second to close the gap but with goal attack Te Wai Potaka-Osborne shooting 100 percent in the second, it was hard work.

But it was still Kaiwhaiki leading at the half-time break 25-23. Collegiate's defensive pressure and a strong quarter from goal shoot Kelly Teki-Clarke, who netted 11 from 13 and had a solid game overall, saw the school side win the quarter 14-10 and clinch the lead to head into the final quarter up 37-35.

The fourth quarter had its share of less than desirable antics and some undisciplined patches which saw Kaiwhaiki goal defence Sharnarose Pehi suspended for a brief period.

Trailing at the time, when she returned to the court Kaiwhaiki strung together a run of four goals and it was heart-stopping action from both sides until the final whistle which saw the score 45 apiece.

In the other round one match of the night, East Club SportsEdge who have struggled with injuries and illnesses over the past few rounds, continued their lead up to potential play-offs with a win over Ruapehu Sports Club 48-33.

They started well with wing attack Kairaihi Peina and centre Hayley Addenbrooke delivering good clean ball into shooters Georgia Coombes and Victoria Anstis, who shared the work load beautifully to finish the game on 81 per cent - the only shooting duo in the competition to date to hit high volumes and accuracy on a consistent basis.

Round two saw reigning champs Wanganui Phillips Electrical WHS A1 convincingly defeat Cullinane A 62-36 while Wanganui Car Centre Kaierau produced a similar scoreline against Mint Caf Marist A1 54-29.

One might be tempted to think that such scorelines would make for boring viewing but to the trained eye, there is plenty to analyse and enjoy as the competition's top two seeds kick into gear in preparation for the closer matches to come over the next three rounds.

High School were dominant from start to finish building with each quarter. Captain Sam Murphy led her side to a solid victory.

Mid-courters De-ann Tyrell and Kerwyn Morgan provided great speed and links through the court with Diana Taha Williams-Cribb coming on at half-time with precision ball placement.

Likewise, Kaierau were dominant with goal shoot Suezanne Guilford leading the charge and mid-courters Rachael Lynch, Amber Ward and Amy Archer solid in the mid-court - running great lines, smart angles and linking well.

There will be some great battles when these two top seeds meet in Round 7.