Canty has slim lead in netball

Press, 30 August 1985, Page 32

Canty has slim lead in netball

From

NZPA staff reporter in Wellington

Canterbury took a slender one-point lead in the national netball tournament after beating Auckland, 60-58, at the Hataitati Park courts in Wellington yesterday.

The win, coming after Canterbury’s earlier victories over North Shore (5249) on Wednesday and Otago (66-45) on Tuesday, left it the only unbeaten team, and on course to reassert its dominance in provincial netball. Canterbury has six points on the championship table, its closest opposition from Wellington, which dropped a point in drawing with North Shore on Tuesday. Wellington yesterday scored an easy 64-42 win over lowly Otago as a prelude to its crunch match against Canterbury today. Auckland is third, with four points, followed by Waikato, which secured its first two points with a 55-42 victory over North Shore. Canterbury’s win over Auckland came from a total team effort. In contrast to some slow starts earlier in the tournament, it sped to an early 7-3

advantage, and Auckland was always struggling to come back. The game was dominated again by the fine shooting of the Canterbury goal-shoot, Stephanie Stokes, and the goal attack, Diane Sullivan. Sullivan’s shooting, in particular, was outstanding. Both Stokes and Sullivan had no problems, netting from wide in the circle and between them they missed only five shots. But it was the total commitment from the Canterbury team that won the game. Unlike its play against North Shore, the joint titleholder settled into a smooth pattern of play, and never allowed that pattern to be broken. Much credit for that can go to the Canterbury centre and captain, Leigh Gibbs, who was always around to pick possession and to drive her team forward.

For its part, Auckland made too many clumsy mistakes, throwing away good ball with wild loose passes. Its play was punctuated with fatal lapses in concentration that Canterbury did not fail to capitalise on. Auckland’s shooters also let their team down on too many occasions. The goal-shoot, Te Aroha Clarke, had a very bad day and Adrianne Hayes did not have a faultless game either. The best of the Auckland players was centre Joan Solia, who never failed to back up her team-mates. In the Waikato-North Shore clash, the more settled Waikato scored a deserved 55-42 win over North Shore, and kept its slim chances alive. Results of all games yesterday: First grade:— Canterbury 60, Auckland 58; South Waikato 57, Manawatu 50; Waikato 55, North Shore 42; Thames Valley

56, Canterbury Country 52; Rotorua 63, Southland 51; Wellington 64, Otago 42. Second grade:— Taranaki 37, Poverty Bay. 36; Wanganui 41, West Bay of Plenty 37; Counties 30, Auckland Subs 29; Wellington Subs 34, Northland 20; Hawke’s Bay 35, Waikato Subs 29; South Canterbury 36, Nelson 36; Western Bay of Plenty 34, Poverty Bay 34; Wanganui 41, Taranaki 26; Counties 35, Waikato Subs 34; South Canterbury 51, Auckland Subs 38; Nelson 39, Northland 21; Wellington Subs 50, Hawke’s Bay 23. Third grade:— Eastern Bay of Plenty 44, Howick-Paku-ranga 27; Southland Country 37, Ashburton 36; West Coast 49, North Otago 23; Otago Country 40, Matamata 30; West Auckland Districts 35, Wairarapa 30; Hutt Valley 48, King Country 19; Howick-Pa-kuranga 37, Ashburton 29; Eastern Bay of Plenty 37, Southland Country 31; King Country 37, Matamata 32; Otago Country 50, North Otago 22; Hutt Valley 37, West Auckland Districts 27; Wairarapa 35, West Coast 34. Fourth grade:— Wairoa 37, Hawke’s Bay Minor 17; Hokitika 42, Manawatu Subs 33; South Canterbury Country 26, Buller 26; Temuka and Districts 36, Nelson Minor 25; Horowhenua 50, Poverty Bay East Coast 18; Marlborough 52, Te Kawau 16; South Canterbury Country 51, Hawke’s Bay Minor 20; Manawatu Subs 27, Nelson Minor 26; Temuka and District 35, Hokitika 29; Marlborough 41, Wairoa 24; Buller 31, Poverty Bay East Coast 26; Horowhenua 40, Te Kawau 30.