Netball skippers expecting titanic battle

The two captains are on the same wave length leading into Saturday's night's grand final of Netball Wairarapa's premier one interclub competition.
Ashleigh Somerville, who skippers St Matthew's Collegiate, and her Wairarapa College counterpart Jess Burkhart are both expecting a titanic struggle with the result being in the balance right up until the final whistle.
"There is nothing between us?..nothing at all," Somerville said. "We can do it, but it will be tough."
"Yes, there probably won't be more than a couple of goals in it," Burkhart said, "I think we can win, but it will be close."
Somerville suggests St Matthew's chances could depend on their ability to nullify Wairarapa College's strength at both ends of the court. "They are strong in shooting and strong in defence, so we'll have to shut down the midcourt," she said. "They play with a lot of pace and a lot of flair, and are really dangerous if they get on a roll. We can't let that happen."
Burkhart concedes her team's style of play can be high risk, and she knows that if they make mistakes then St Matthew's with their more controlled, structured tactical approach will capitalise. "They like to play at a slower pace than us, and they are probably more patient too," she said. "We can unsettle them though if we get our own game going, and that's the plan."
Both Somerville and Burkhart are confident that their fellow schoolmates will be at the Genesis Recreation Centre for the big match in huge numbers, and they are agreed that the noiser the support the better they are likely to perform.