NETBALL - Old Girls and Boys seek fresh scalps

The Marist Old Girls towering defensive duo of Kelly Middleton and Katie Snyman were chief spoilers in Manawanui's gallant attempt to break Old Girls domination in Whangarei Premier Netball on Saturday.
It was a much better start from Old Girls, who were matched blow for blow by Manawanui in the early parts. It was in the second quarter where Old Girls took the advantage and showed composure to make the most of their opportunities and gain their advantage.
Manawanui were not about to take this lying down however and rallied again in the second half, Rhiannon Reti and Gail Shepherd combined very well in attack to free up more opportunities to score and Jo Walters came into goal keeper and restricted the Old Girls options to good effect for her side.
Pick of the bunch again for Manawanui was Belinda Campbell in goal defence, Campbell worked overtime, putting consistent pressure on in defence and supporting well in attack throughout the match.
The Old Girls experience and treasuring possession which won out in the end of the day with the scoreline falling their way 25-17, however Manawanui have a youthful side and will be one to watch come the championship round.
Whangarei Old Boys were able to bank another win against Fideliter 34-27 to keep their season on track.
Old Boys started the game well and caught Fideliter napping in defence with good attacking lines and quick ball into their shooter to stamp their mark early.
Keeping their composure in the first half set the platform for the win early in the match. Fideliter appeared to warm into the match with those early passages coming back to haunt them when they were forced to play catch-up throughout the rest of the match.
Fideliter, to their credit, kept working hard with Renee Lowther and Megan Henderson getting in the face of their opposites and hustling well through court. Lowther too fed the ball well to her attacks and was for the best part a handful through the midcourt. Pick of the bunch however were Fideliter and Emma Hearsey whose speed and accuracy in the circle impressed.
Old Boys Midcourter Rowena Davis-Cooper was a workhorse for her side in both attack and defence, with the Old Boys side pulling out a focused team performance and showed good confidence throughout court for the win.
In the final match of the day Marist 1 are hitting their straps with a good win over Whangarei Girls High School 34-20.
Marist had a strong start and was able to get their game plan on track early, with good clean options on attack and stifling defensive pressure through court to break the schoolgirl's momentum early.
Marist goal shoot Crystal Norman played exceptionally well, offering good passing options to her feeders and shooting well to build the deficit early. Teaming up well with Lisa Dangen in goal attack, Marist was able to get points on the board with relative ease.
In the second quarter WGHS rallied their shooting combination of Lauren Bean and Amelia Smith stood up to the strong defensive pressure from Marist to keep their side in the match.
In the third quarter Marist made some positional changes and substitutions to change the tempo, Harriett Hardy maintaining a strong match throughout her move from goal keeper to goal shoot.
Marist kept building on their momentum throughout the second half, despite surges from the schoolgirls to secure their second win in as many weeks and look confidently ahead to their match next week.