Contrasting stories in semifinal clashes

The form book for Netball Wairarapa premier one semifinal matches at the Colombo Road courts tomorrow tells two contrasting stories.

Whereas the first of them, starting at 9am, between Makoura College and Carterton New World Legends, has all the makings of a battle royal which will go right down to the wire, the other, between Harcourts and Wairarapa College, starting at 1pm, gives the impression of being a one-horse race.

The plain truth is that defending champions Harcourts don't only look to have a mortgage on this semifinal fixture but also on the final the next weekend, no matter who their opposition is. They are an experienced unit with talent to burn in practically every department and the esteem in which they are held is illustrated by the fact that if they win by fewer than 20 goals the general feeling is they must have had an off day.

Highlighting the magnitude of the task confronting Wairarapa College tomorrow is the fact they last played Harcourts only last weekend and were on the end of a 56-26 beating.

From all accounts, the students did keep Harcourts in check through most of the first quarter but, the more the game progressed, the tighter the grip Harcourts took on proceedings.

Having a former long-time Harcourts squad member, Kelly Sargent, as their coach does mean Wairarapa College will have inside knowledge of how best to stop the Harcourts juggernaut but, even allowing for that, it's difficult to see how they could improve significantly on last weekend's result.

Sargent this week emphasised the need for her team to compete aggressively for ball right through the court with the idea of upsetting the flow of the Harcourts game.

But when you have experienced players like Katie Wyeth, Carlene Karaitiana and Sarah Watson calling the shots for Harcourts, it's hard to imagine them being too concerned whatever the tactics of the opposition.

Wyeth, who generally plays at centre, has become in Sargent's words "a bit of a legend" in local netball circles, because of her ability to dominate the midcourt and keeping her under wraps will be a huge challenge for Wairarapa College, let alone restricting the contribution of others around her as well.

It would be a brave person, however, who would confidently predict the outcome of the Carterton New World Legends v Makoura College match.

Legends can, of course, take some heart from winning, albeit by a slender margin, the last encounter between the two sides but, conversely, Makoura College can point to the fact they racked up more competition points than Legends by the end of the qualifying rounds.

The result of this game could depend on how Makoura College handle the pressure of the big occasion. If they start strongly and maintain that momentum all the way through then you would have to fancy their fitness having a say in the end result.

Legends, on the other hand, will probably be more intent on slowing the tempo of the game down and relying on their tactical nous to get inside the heads of their younger and less experienced opposition.

The draw for other semifinal matches tomorrow is. Premier reserve: Hellz Hot Shots v Wairarapa College B at 10am, Eketahuna v Carterton New World Red at 1pm. Premier two: Hiona v Chanel Junior A at 11am, St Matthew's Junior A v Carterton New World White at noon. Premier three: Carterton New World Misfits v Chanel A at 9am, Pioneer Red v Featherston Black Sox at noon. Premier four: Carterton New World Social v Wairarapa College Red at 10am, Wairarapa College B2 v Makoura TKT 10 at 11am. Senior A: Greytown Gold v St Matthew's B at 11am, Masterton Flames v Kuranui Blue at 1pm. Senior reserve: St Matthew's Junior Red v Kuranui White at 9am, Wairarapa College Blue v Wairarapa College Intermediate B at 11am.