Northland Coastal Development Whangaruru have narrowly captured the Dykzeul trophy with a two-goal victory over Active Refrigeration Fideliter 1.
Whangaruru started strongly and were up by six goals at the end of the first quarter.
However, Fideliter won the second and third quarters to come within two goals before Whangarurudrew the final quarter, giving them the win 53-51.
For Whangaruru, Liahona Hebden at goal defence for most of the game had a high work rate. In the final quarter she moved to goal keep with Jaimee Lee Tito going to goal defence and this pairing put considerable pressure on the Fideliter shooters.
The inclusion of Kea Randall at wing attack from half time saw some intuitive low feeding into the circle. Goal attack Judy Campbell and goal shoot Karlene Kingi combined well.
Meanwhile, Active Refrigeration Fideliter 2 won their first premier game in a clash of the bottom-ranked teams. They were playing WGHS 1 in a tough duel which ended 46-42.
For Fideliter 2, Jessica Hita had an outstanding game at goal defence and then goal keep. Tina Cachmaille led the team well. Katelyn Donovan at wing attack for most of the game fed good ball into the shooters. Tiletha Everitt at goal shoot shot accurately at 90 per cent and showed why she is a player to keep an eye on. Trina Henare, player coach at goal attack, dictated and controlled the game well.
Both Potter Electrical Onerahi 1 and Treewise Marist have had wins to date so this was another clash of two top teams. And again it was a close start with Marist ahead by two goals at the end of the first quarter. They managed to slightly increase their lead in the second quarter and were up by seven goals at half time. And that was the difference in the final score with both the third and final quarters a draw showing how close these two teams are.
For Marist, Kelly Middleton at goal keep teaming up well with Helen Francis at goal defence. Shannon French at centre and Tracey Bradley at wing attack fed good ball to the shooters. Marist won 46 goals to 39.
In the final game of the night, Manawanui Red beat Takahiwai 1 65-38 at Kamo High School.
Manawanui Red won the first quarter by four goals. After that, Manawanui Red changed it up a gear and went from strength to strength to win.
May 24 Educare North Premier results
Manawanui Red 65 vs Takahiwai 1 38; Potter Electrical Onerahi 1 39 vs Treewise Marist 46; WGHS 1 42 vs Active Refrigeration Fideliter 2 46; Northland Coastal Development Whangaruru Combined 53 vs Active Refrigeration Fideliter 1 51
