Phillips likely to start for Harcourts

Kuranui College defender Te Ata Phillips is likely to be part of the starting line-up for Harcourts in their regional superleague netball match with Taita at the Walter Nash Stadium on Saturday.
Harcourts coach Kelly Sargent is "seriously considering" selecting Phillips ahead of Sarah Brooking because Brooking is heading overseas after this particular game and won't be available for Harcourts for the remainder of the season.
A situation which will mean Phillips becoming a regular starter anyway.
Sargent is confident that if Phillips is promoted she will be a more-than-adequate replacement for Brooking who was a star act with her assertive defence and tactical nous in Harcourts's impressive five-goal win over a talented Wellington Girls College side last weekend.
"Sarah is a hard act to follow but Te Ata has huge skills too and I'm sure she will do a good job," Sargent said, adding that if Brooking did start on the reserve bench she would almost certainly be given some game time.
As would another couple of the reserves in Dayne Fleet and Waimarama Phillips.
That Harcourts will beat Taita is a given if the form book is anything to go by.
In both their superleague games to date Taita have been hammered, 63-37 by Rimutaka and 61-25 by PIC 2.
Responsible for the majority of the Taita goals in the Rimutaka match was Celtic shooter Hope Phillips but she has withdrawn from the side so she can continue to turn out for Celtic in the Wairarapa premier one competition.
Reports last week were that Hope Phillips could no longer play for Celtic because of her having played the one superleague match for Taita but sanity has prevailed and she has been allowed to make a choice between the two.
Fortunately for Celtic her nod went in their favour..
Sargent says the aim for Harcourts on Saturday will be to build on their effort against the tall and agile Wellington Girls College outfit with the main emphasis being on producing a more decisive first quarter than they did then.
"We did put pressure on ourselves by getting behind early and that's a habit we can do without," she said.
"We need to impose ourselves on the opposition from the word go, against the better teams it's just so difficult to make up lost ground."
For Sargent the most pleasing feature of last Saturday's victory was the manner in which her side responded to going into the last quarter with the result hinging on who finished the stronger of the two sides.
"We haven't had to worry about that a lot over the last season or two and it was good that we gutsed it out and got the win," she said.
"It's always nice to know you can come through when the chips are down."
Wairarapa premier one matches continue at the Genesis Recreation Centre in Masterton over the next two evenings.
Tomorrow night sees competition favourites Celtic play the early game against Carterton Sports Arena and anything but a big win to them would be a major surprise.
The late game tomorrow night should be a cracker with the two colleges, St Matthew's and Kuranui, doing battle.
Kuranui should have the edge but whichever way it goes there won't be a lot in it.
Friday night should produce wins for Wairarapa College A and Gladstone All Blacks over Pioneer Blue and Fagan Motors Hot Shots respectively.