Defending netball champion rattled by country cousin

Press, 26 August 1980, Page 28

Defending netball champion rattled by country cousin

By

KEVIN TUTTY

Canterbury, the defending champion and one of the favourites for the 1980 title, came within a hair’s breadth of being toppled by its country cousin on the first day of the national netball tournament at Hagley Courts yesterday.

Canterbury Country, promoted from the second to first grade last year, outplayed Canterbury for the greater part of their match and it was only in the last five minutes that Canterbury took the lead for the first time and eventually won, 2826.

There was one minor upset in the first grade when Otago scored twice in the last minute to beat North Shore 30-28. Rotorua, the favourite in its game against King Country struggled to win by two points. The weather was warm but windy for the first day of the tournament, the wind making goal-shooting difficult. Only one round was played but for the remainder of the week teams will play twice a day and towards the end of the week it will be the fitter sides who survive. There could not have been a more rousing start to the tournament. From the outset the Canterbury Country team took the advantage over the city combination and at one stage in the firsthalf was ahead, 14-7. Their passing was more crisp and assured and there was generally a much more positive attitude to their play. The country goal-at-tack, Maxine Loffhagen and the goal-shoot, Donna Smith, both had outstanding games. They conceded several inches in 'height to their markers, but that did not prevent them shooting- with pin-point accuracy and finding gaps in the defence to receive passes in the circle.

By contrast the normally deadly accurate Canterbury goal-shoot, Anne Davidson, was off form for a good period of the game. Maxine Munro (nee Blomquist), the New Zealand representative, and her sister, Annette Blomquist, were in superb form in the Country defence forcing the Canterbury attack into many errors and immediately putting their side back on to attack.

At half-time Country still had a five point lead at 1611, and looked in a strong position. In the second-half each side’s goals came more from the opposition’s mistakes rather than good play. As the game wore on the Country team seemed to. lack a little in fitness compared to its more experienced . opposition, and this led to mistakes. But it was still not until five minutes from full-time that Canterbury took the lead for the first time.

With a minute remaining Otago and North Shore were level at 28-all. Otago drew ahead with 30s left and then as full-time sounded was awarded a penalty shot which it sank.

At half-time Otago was four goals ahead but during the second-half North Shore caught Otago and then moved itself to a four-goal advantage. At that stage Otago threw everything into attack to draw level at 28all. Two of the more favoured teams in the first grade, Auckland and Wellington, both had easy wins. Auck-

land appeared to be coasting against Manawatu, and a fine individual performance by Lynn Parker, the Waikato and New Zealand captain, failed to inspire her side against Wellington. First day results were:

First grade.—Canterbury 28, Canterbury Country 26; Rotorua 25, King Country 23; South Canterbury 42. Hutt Valley 32; Otago 30, North Shore 28; Wellington 37, Waikato 12; Auckland 51, Manawatu 21. Second grade.—Hawke’s Bay 34, Taranaki 25; Western Bay of Plenty 32, Auckland Subassociations 26; Wanganui 33, West Auckland Districts 22; Waikato Sub-associations 32, Nelson 27; Southland 42 Matamata 15; South Auckland 29, South Waikato 25.

Third grade.—Otago Country 18, Horowhenua 17: Poverty Bay '3B, North Otago 35; Southland Country 23, Howick 19; Thames Valley 44, Marlborough , 20; Northland 25, Temuka and Districts 24; West Coast 35, East Bay of Plenty 26. Fourth grade.—Hawke’s Bay Minors 25. Hokitika 10; Wellington Minors 26, Hutt Valley Minors 19; Wairarapa 25, Te Kawau 18; Wairoa 33, Manawatu Minor 22; South Canterbury Minors 34, Nelson Minors 13; Ashburton 37, Poverty ' Bay-East Coast 15.