Netball final a tense dead heat

Press, 12 August 1985, Page 25

Netball final a tense dead heat

In undoubtedly the most exciting game of the season, both Sacred Heart A and St Nicholas A played inspired, determined netball, to match each other goal for goal in drawing 54-all in the final round for the season.

Both teams played tenaciously and confidently, never once letting up or relaxing for a minute. St Nicholas A, the under-dog, could not be faulted for its dedication and intelligent team-work throughout the match.

As a result of the draw, both teams will share the Trusteebank Trophy and the Edna Yates Rosebowl.

Other matches played on Saturday were equally tense and hard-fought with some surprising results. In Senior B, Hornby won the section by defeating Sacred Heart B and proved its worth for a position in senior A next season. For a team which has spent most of the season in senior reserve, Hornby has done outstandingly well. Back in Senior A, Burnside valiantly fought off a spirited attack from Riccarton and sneaked home by two goals. Hagley was the only team in both sections to record a comfortable win. It beat South Brighton, but not without a struggle in the first half. Equally close were the remaining two matches in Senior B where St Nicholas B beat Cashmere and Technical beat Teachers by only three goals respectively. Points: St Nicholas A, Sacred Heart A 9; Hagley 5; Riccarton 3; Burnside 2; South Brighton 2. Senior B: Hornby 9; Sacred Heart B 8; St Nicholas B 6; Technical 4; Teachers College 3; Cashmere 0. Sacred Heart A 54, St Nicholas A 54 After losing to Sacred Heart in their last encounter, St Nicholas was out to prove itself on Saturday. It certainly wasted no time in establishing an even rhythm both in midcourt and in the circle. The Sacred Heart centre, Leigh Gibbs and the St Nicholas goal defence, Annette Heffernan were both recovering from their tiring flight from London yesterday, and emphasis lay on each team’s choice of replacement. Sacred Heart used its regular replacement, Eileen Honey, who performed so well for Sacrea Heart in the two Swiss Maid matches played earlier in the season. St Nicholas brought in Angela Pule who played an agressive match and really played superb netball throughout, often gaining possession off the most difficult rebounds. At the beginning of the second quarter, Sacred Heart found itself up, 15-11, but its lead was to become less clearcut as time progressed. St Nicholas stepped up its attack, which, combined with its already strong defence, resulted in a levelling of the scores at 17-17, then, later at 23-23, 26-26, and, at half-time 27-27. Play was halted during the third quarter when

Heart’s goal defence, Bronwyn Tawina, injured her ankle.

This appeared to be the turning point for St Nicholas, because after the chance for a break and a team-talk, it had a slight edge score-wise and the third quarter wound up with St Nicholas leading, 41-40. Umpires: J. Hefford and A. Orangi. Hagley 65, South Brighton 48 Right from the starting whistle, South Brighton made the most of its strong attack, troubling Hagley at several stages and making its defence work hard.

South Brighton had a couple of changes in its line-up, moving Karen Brixton from goalkeep to wing defence, replacing Verna Kelly, and playing Jody Wrighton at Brixton’s goalkeep position. Hagley was at full strength, and soon established its well polished rhythm, leading 19-12 at quarter time. The second quarter was fairly even, with Hagley managing to extend its lead from a seven to a 10 goal difference. Hagley’s defence in the circle could not be faulted in this game. Alison McKenzie and Tania McGregor made good use of their height and quick hands to win possession from South Brighton in several successful rebound attempts.

With Hagley leading 32-22 at half-time, the game was at its most interesting. The difference between the teams at this stage lay primarily in the consistency of the shooters, and with Jan Pickering and Marianne Selby netting accurately as always, Hagley had a distinct advantage. At the end of the third quarter. Hagley led, 48-40, and the final quarter proved to be equally exciting. South Brighton's shoots, Mary Setu and Maria Tipa, really stepped up their goal frequency in this quarter and played confidently. ■ With a final burst of shooting and long passing, Hagley played its way into a safe position and an admirable 17goal win. Umpires: J. Woodham and C. Anthony. Burnside 41, Riccarton 39

This game was goal for goal throughout, and neither side seemed able to establish a lead of more than two or three goals for the entire match, making it very exciting. The game was slow-scoring to begin with, because of quick mid-court passing and intercepting, which took the emphasis off the circles. With a narrow 13-12 lead, Burnside seemed fired up and keen to surge ahead, and with both Leith McPherson and Cecelia Burke netting accurately. that would have been possible. But Riccarton’s strong defence came to the fore just at the right moment. Stephanie Bourne, at wingdefence, and Kate Kernahan at goal defence, did almost everything in their power to prevent the ball from reaching Burnside’s circle. At half-time the scores were tied at 22-all.

The third quarter was no exception as far as determination was concerned and both teams gave a full 100 per cent effort. With a third quarter lead of 33-30, Burnside again looked set to take the initiative. An ankle injury to Phillipa Camp at wing defence, halted the proceedings and gave both sides a couple of minutes rest to collect their thoughts. After this, the battle ended, with Burnside luckily

one goal up as the final whistle blew. Umpires: J. Woodham and F. Beckham. Hornby 31, Sacred Heart B 29 Hombv took an early lead and used the court space well, making good use of the skills of Margaret Smith, at wing attack, who put on a very encouraging display for her team, especially in the first half.

Sacred Heart seemed slower to start and its attack was unsure. But it settled in quite easily after a few hard-fought goals lifted its confidence. Its wing defence, Ann Bowen, suffered an injury near the end of the first half, having to come off the court for five minutes to have her ankle bandaged.

With a half-time led of 16-18, the closeness of the game was intensified as many contacts were penalised against both teams in their attempts to dominate and take the lead.

Hornby pulled away to a handy seven-goal lead after this, but Sacred Heart answered back, and, with Louise Hanhan and Sharon Young netting quickly and consistently, it came within one goal of Hornby.

Umpires: J. Swift and A. Orangi. St Nicholas B 31, Cashmere 28 Obviously deciding that it had nothing to lose and everything to gain, Cashmere put on an admirable fighting display and really made St Nicholas work hard for its goals. Cashmere’s Donna Bradford,

at centre, and Judith Armstrong, at wing attack, read the play well, often intercepting to surprise the opposition and using the possession quickly and effectively, carrying the ball down to their circle speedily. St Nicholas always managed to counter this solid attack though. In the second half it replied by stepping up the pace, often leaving Cashmere stranded and unsure of the ball’s flight. St Nicholas’ defence in Cashmere's circle was the telling factor, and the goal defence, Karen Burrows, and the goal keep, Jane Chilton, often re-possessed some muchneeded rebounds off Cashmere’s shooters. Technical 30, Teachers 27

This was a vital match for both teams and created a tense, exciting atmosphere. The crowd was kept on edge throughout, especially during the final stages when scores were locked. Technical looked the stronger team in the first half, defending well and shooting expertly to lead, 20-13, at the break. Teachers replied by swapping Melanie Leaf, at centre, with Chris Bremner, at wing attack, and also swapping Chris Griffiths, at goal defence, with Robin Davenport, at goal keep. This seemed to have a positive effect as the scores gradually became closer and Teachers came within one goal of levelling at 27-28.