Semifinal berths up for grabs

Semifinal places will be on the line in the two Netball Wairarapa premier-one matches being played tonight and tomorrow.
Fronting up at the Genesis Recreation Centre this evening are Pioneer and Carterton New World Legends with the form book suggesting it will be Pioneer who goes on to play competition favourites and top qualifiers Harcourts in the semis next weekend.
Pioneer actually met Harcourts just last Saturday and, while they were beaten 67-41, they gave a bold account of themselves.
The winner of tomorrow's encounter at the Colombo Rd courts between St Matthew's Collegiate and Makoura College seems set to meet Wairarapa College in the semis. Makoura have made a decent fist of their return to premier-one play after a lengthy absence but they will start underdogs against a St Matthew's team who have the better record.
Indications are that both the semis next Saturday and the grand final on September 11 will be played outdoors at Colombo Rd.
Meanwhile, the Wairarapa age group netball teams have completed their 2010 seasons with most promising player and most valuable player awards being announced for each of the grades.
Winners were:
Under-15 development squad - MPP: Demi Matheson. MVP: Larissa O'Brien.
Under-15 - MPP: Tayla Carson-Butler and Elleisha Clarkson. MVP: Charlotte Pope.
Under-17 - MPP: Evie Langlands. MVP: Katarina Matapuku.
Under-19 - MPP: Grace Koskela. MVP: Courtney Hamilton.
Overall MPP: Grace Koskela.
Netball Wairarapa will host their first one-day Masters tournament on September 18. It is open to players 30 years or older and there will be three women's grades and one mixed grade.