Creditable eighth for U17 netball team

Wairarapa placed a creditable eighth at the under-17yrs national netball tournament played in Wanganui.
A total of 36 teams participated in the event and Wairarapa finished second in their pool
after defeating Manawatu
29-15 and gaining a valuable bonus point against Bay of Plenty Gold.
Those results placed them in the top eight of A section and meant their subsequent matches would be played against the tournament's big guns.
Wairarapa were soundly beaten by a classy Auckland-Waitakere team and then took on Auckland and Taranaki to whom they lost in hard-fought encounters.
Their closest games were against Kapi Mana and Counties-Manukau and while they were defeated there too it was only a few unforced errors in one game and a few missed shots in the other which counted against them.
Outstanding players for Wairarapa were captain Victoria Green and vice-captain Te Ata Phillips, both of whom stood out for their heavy workload on defence.
Youngsters Waimarama Phillips, Grace Southey, Julie Malcolm, Courtney Hamilton and Sarah Warren all gained valuable experience and improved with every outing.
Aloazna Strange made a positive impact despite sporting a
back and swollen eye, Tania Strange and Natasha Hill acquitted themselves well in midcourt and Sheridan Puhara-Gallon was effective as a shooter.