N.Z. finishes tour unbeaten

Press, 29 November 1982, Page 42

N.Z. finishes tour unbeaten

NZPA staff correspondent , ' . London The New Zealand netball team finished its 10-match . tour of Britain at ' the, week-. . end undefeated when it beat the All England team, 64-38, at Wembley. 1 : ' 1 ■ New . Zealand, the joint world champion, took control c. of the game from the first whistle, finishing the initial quarter, 24-9. The shooting pair of Rhonda Meads arid Rita Fatiolofa proved ; themselves time and time ' again with ' accurate, shooting at the end „ of movements which showed the tourists’slick style. : The sidelining through injury of Margharet Matenga and Margaret Forsyth, the

most experienced of the team's shooters, justified the selectors’ choice of an extra shooter on this . tour. > • ■ - - “There . had been some criticism of us selecting an extra shooter to come on this tour but that extra shooter has carried the team,” said. the. team’s manager, Betty Steffensen. . “It also gives the side the advantage of having four internationally proven shooters, and the reason for this tour was to give the team as much ‘test’ experience as possible in preparation for the world championships next year in Singapore.” New Zealand’s large dead in the first quarter had a

demoralising .effect on the English side. It had difficulty retaining possession of the ball and. Tracey Fear’s dominance of its goal area, frustrated- many of its movements. “- New Zealand continued to ‘ show great skills in its handling and passing of the ball throughout the second quarter, finishing it 38-17.- . It was in the third quarter that the English team began to show some of the style that made it fourth at the world championships in 1980. New Zealand teams have the reputation for playing badly in the third quarter, partly because games in New Zealand are usually played in two; halves rather

than the four-quarter system the English favour. “This means psychologically it is rather like beginning a new game in the third quarter for the New Zea-, landers,” Mrs Steffensen said. . Even though the English scored their most goals in this quarter they still did not win it from the New Zealanders -who increased their lead to 53-29.

As England got into the swing of the game and the New Zealanders lost concentration a little the final quarter was more of an even battle. The game became much tighter but the New Zealanders only had to hold their own; i

The New Zealanders proved their game was a total team effort with each player showing the determination and skill necessary to keep the more confident English side at bay. Lyn Parker, the captain, at wing attack, and the. centre, Leigh Gibbs, were noticeable for their accurate passing and many interceptions. Yvonne Willering and Maxine Munro gave good defence. The game against All England ended an extremely successful three-week tour — the team losing only one quarter during the entire 10game series.