Carterton New World Lynx came within the proverbial whisker of making it through to the semifinals of Netball Wairarapa's premier one competition next weekend when they went down by a solitary goal to Makoura College at the Colombo Rd courts in Masterton on Saturday.
Needing a win in the last of the qualifying round matches to make the top four Lynx gave the promising Makoura College combination plenty to think about but when it mattered most it was the students who had their noses in front on the scoreboard, 37-36.
The end result might have been bad news for Lynx but it was just the opposite for Makoura College as it took them to second place on the table, behind only unbeaten Harcourts, and, more importantly, assured the Dayle Clarkson-coached side of a semifinal spot at the same time.
Harcourts, for their part, completed their qualifying round programme with a decisive 56-26 win over Wairarapa College, an outcome which highlights the daunting challenge which will confront Wairarapa College when the two teams meet again in next weekend's semis.
Carterton New World Legends were in the comfortable position of knowing they had already done enough to make the top four when they met Pioneer Blue on Saturday but if they were looking for a good dress rehearsal they would have been disappointed, Pioneer Blue winning 45-33. No doubt it will be a more focused Legends squad when they take on Makoura College in their semifinal clash.
