Baptism of fire for prem grade newbies Ngatapa

A109 Light Utility Helicopter flight with mayor Gisborne City from the air in November 2023.

by Sherrill Beale

Round 2 of Gisborne senior netball gets under way at the YMCA tonight, with one game set to be close and the other a test for one of the new premier teams.

Whangara Old Girls take on Horouta Koura at 6pm in the Pak’nSave-sponsored competition.

The last time they met it was a competitive game until halftime, with only one goal in it.

That changed in the third quarter when Whangara’s defence caused problems for the Horouta Koura shooters.

Whangara pulled out to a 10-goal lead and went on to win by 13.

Horouta Koura played well last week against the two Premier Reserve teams in the Challenge round, so will be more confident.

Expect this game to be competitive.

In the 7.30pm game, Claydens Waikohu (1) will lay out the welcome mat to Premier newcomers Farmlands Ngatapa.

While Ngatapa’s Challenge round losses were big, they had some good passages of play.

The understanding and awareness of their teammates is developing and, when they got a chance, they played controlled netball to work the ball through to their shooters.

However, tonight they are meeting second-seeded Waikohu, who have been working well together on attack and defence. They have plenty of experience and like to move the ball at speed through the courts. They also pressure the ball carrier en masse  and create turnovers.