Bay teens in solid start but big guns to come

Hawke's Bay goal keep Alex Coddington secures an intercept during yesterday's 42-25 win against South Canterbury.

Hawke's Bay's under-17 netball team opened their national tournament campaign in Rangiora with two wins yesterday.

A superb first quarter which saw the Lee-Anne Taylor coached team take an 11-1 lead was the key to a 25-21 victory against Pukekohe.

Strong defence propelled the Bay to a 42-25 win against South Canterbury.

Outstanding team communication and through-court connections between wing attack Tia Lewis, goal attack Hannah Winnie and goal shoot Emma Vennell, who dominated the shooting circle, was another feature of the win against Pukekohe. Jade Poi and Lewis worked tirelessly to lead the attacking end and created multiple turnovers to allow their shooters to freely get the ball.

The second quarter saw more spirit from Pukekohe but Hawke's Bay led 19-5 at halftime.

Costly unforced errors throughout the court saw Pukekohe come back into the game, taking the third quarter 8-1.

But Hawke's Bay showed resilience in the fourth quarter to close out the game with a strong defensive team effort led by Poi and Jaydi Taylor-Chaffey.

"This was a good opportunity to have all players experience nationals and the consistency and resilience that is required to stick to the game plan and execute under pressure," Taylor said.

Her troops led 10-5 after the first quarter against South Canterbury. Strong links in the attacking end saw Vennell find the goal easily with assistance from goal attack Hannah Winnie. A strong defensive effort from Poi, Summer-Rose Taylor, Taylor-Chaffey and Alex Coddington saw South Canterbury's centre pass and shooting circle stifled of ball and Hawke's Bay pushed on to lead 20-12 at halftime.

This pressure increased during the third quarter which Hawke's Bay won 16-4. Myer Patoki came on strong in the last quarter at goal attack, linking well with centre Hinehea Keil and goal shoot Milly Douglas.

"It was a great way to start our tournament but we are only halfway there. Tomorrow's games will be extremely competitive, with North Canterbury beating South Canterbury by a similar margin to us and defending champions Auckland One are looking very strong," Taylor said.