The Wanganui U17 representative netball team put in a gutsy effort at the weekend, winning its grade in the the Steffenson Cup Tournament in Palmerston North.
Having five games in the round robin competition, Wanganui played Hutt Valley first, winning 32-26, followed by taking out Taranaki 28-20, then tackling a strong Wellington team they lost to in the final the weekend before.
Coach Lisa Murphy said her team once again struggled to get a lead against Wellington and went down 28-38.
They next played Kapi Mana and lifted their game to win 31-18. Wanganui finished the day playing Manawatu, winning 34-21, and went through to win the grade, having more points than Wellington which had two losses in the tournament. It is the first time a Wanganui team has won the grade.
"We had moments of brilliance, but still need to work on consistency and adapting to changes within the team," Murphy said.
They now get ready for the next tournament at home on Sunday at Laird Park. Games start at 9am.
Meanwhile, Wanganui teams had mixed results in the other grades at the tournament.
The Wanganui Y7 representative team started well, playing their first game against Manawatu. It took some time for the team to settle, yet they still finished in front after the first quarter. Manawatu came back in the second quarter and the score was a 5-all draw at halftime.
The team was combining well going into the last two quarters, however, errors crept in, giving Manawatu the advantage and opportunity to score. Wanganui went down by two goals. Final score Wanganui 10, Manawatu 12.
The second game against Wairoa was another level the team had to adjust to.
The opposition was very strong, releasing the ball, feeding well and finishing with a goal. Wanganui was unable to get the ball down the court to finish and score, however their defensive effort through the court was very good, although errors let them down. Final score Wanganui 6, Wairoa 16.
Wanganui fired up in the third game against Hastings. At the end of the first quarter Wanganui was down two, but came back to draw 6-all at half time. By the third and fourth quarters tiredness and basic errors crept in allowing a more consistent Hastings to draw out to a 11-9 win.
Wanganui just lacked adjustment to a different style of game played by Motu Kairangi in the final match. Goals were scored when they had the opportunity, but it came down to a 16-6 win by Motu Kairangi.
Outstanding players for the day were Katelyn Hull at wing defence and Imogen Flower with her shooting.
The Wanganui Y8 team won four games and lost one to finish runner-up in the grade.
The girls played exceptionally well considering different combinations were used during all five games to ensure each player got game time. Standout player was Cheyann McDougall.
Time together in Wellington earlier formed the building blocks for the U15 team to grow in this campaign.
All girls played well at the Steffenson tournament and really showed that more game time for the girls to work together will assist with their development towards the nationals held in New Plymouth. The U15 girls are also looking forward to the home tournament this weekend.
The U15 development team has looked strong in the lead up to this tournament, however they were unable to conquer the grade with strong opposition from Wellington, Hutt Valley and Manawatu. Wanganui did secure a convincing win against Taupo.
Coach Rochelle Howard was proud of the girls' determination and how they remained positive throughout the day.