Harcourts aim to end comp on high note

Harcourts are aiming to complete their division one programme in the regional superleague netball competition are on a high note.
They will play off for fifth and sixth placing with PIC 2 at the Walter Nash Stadium in Taita tomorrow and while the form book suggests victory to Harcourts is close to mission impossible an upset victory is actually by no means out of the question.
What makes PIC 2 such a strong favourite are the results of the previous two meetings with Harcourts this season. They won both of them comfortably but each time the final scoreline may have been deceiving, at least to a degree.
The first clash was right at the very start of the season with PIC 2 coming straight off the back of a series of tough matches in the Wellington premier one competition. Harcourts, by comparison, had recorded big wins in most of their Wairarapa premier one games and were nowhere near as battle hardened as a result.
As history shows both PIC 2 and Harcourts went from that particular pool B match to earn promotion to division one of the superleague competition a few weeks later, a magnificent achievement in itself for Harcourts considering their "country cousin" status.
But inevitably it did raise the question of whether they had the depth of talent to compete against the very top club sides in the greater Wellington region, particularly when all but them were able to utilise Pulse players once their transtasman Cup obligations came to an end.
That made an already tough playing field even tougher and, not surprisingly, Harcourts have been on the end of some hefty beatings as a consequence.
Their second encounter with PIC 2 does, however, give some optimism that breaking their division one "duck" tomorrow isn't the forlorn hope it may seem on paper.
Yes, PIC 2 won comfortably enough then as well but Harcourts could take heart from the fact that after being blitzed in the first half-as much through their own ineptness as the skill of their opposition, they finished strongly, and dominated the scoring action over the latter stages.
Little wonder then that Harcourts coach Kelly Sargent sees the first two quarters as being of paramount importance tomorrow. She believes if her side can keep within reasonable touch of PIC 2 going into the second half their edge in court speed could be the telling factor in the end result.
"We have to start well, that's the key for us," Sargent said. "We have to get in their faces right from the word go and keep the pressure on all the way through. Do that and anything could happen."
The starting line-up for Harcourts will not be finalised until match day with Elena Heggie and Emma Foote both battling injury problems and Sargent herself in much the same boat, and struggling with 'flu as well. Hopes are, however, that all three will play and that, being the case, they would probably be joined by Sarah Brooking, Te Ata Phillips., Katie Wyeth and Geraldine Carroll.