Netball: Sting hold Force at bay

By JULIE ASH

The Southern Sting made up for their surprise loss to the Otago Rebels with a four-goal win over North Harbour's Force in Invercargill today.

The 53-49 loss means the Force share the lead with the Sting after four rounds of netball's national league.

The Canterbury Flames are third after beating the Counties Manukau Cometz 65-38 and the Auckland Diamonds fourth, after an ugly 49-45 win over the Capital Shakers on Saturday.

The Force-Sting clash was the most anticipated of rounds three and four, played over the weekend.

The Force have never beaten the Sting, but after the Sting lost to the Rebels last weekend, Force fans had a glimmer of hope.

In front of a sell-out crowd at Stadium Southland the Sting led 18-12 at the first quarter before powering ahead to a 10-goal lead at half time.

Force coach Yvonne Willering changed her defensive lineup several times. Linda Vagana started the match at goal keep with Kate Dowling at goal defence and Kimberley Horton at wing defence.

In the second quarter Lorna Suafoa and Sheryl Clarke came on at goal keep and goal defence, and Vagana returned to goal keep in the third quarter teaming up with Clarke at goal defence.

The changes seemed to work for the North Harbour side who slowly chopped away at the Sting's lead.

At the three-quarter break the Sting led 43-36. Their lead was reduced further in the last quarter but they managed to hold on.

"We blew it ourselves," Willering said. "The Sting played very hard. We were slow to react. Everyone on court contributed to our demise."

In Papatoetoe the Cometz made a strong start but missed goals and unforced errors allowed the Flames to extend their four-goal lead in the first quarter to 32-21 at half time.

The Cometz had no answer for the Flames, who went on to win 65-38, thanks largely to captain Belinda Colling, who played three-quarters of the match at goal attack and a quarter at wing attack.

"I think we just got a bit unsettled," said Cometz co-captain Roxanne Chatterton. "They played a tight man on man match and we sort of lacked control at times."

In other round four matches played today the Bay of Plenty/Waikato Magic outplayed the Shakers 71-36 and the Otago Rebels beat the Western Flyers 51-35.

The Auckland Diamonds had the bye today, giving them plenty of time to mull over an indifferent performance against the Shakers.

The Diamonds were lucky to come away with the win after throwing away ball left, right and centre.

The score was 13 all in the first quarter. The Diamonds led by three in the next two quarters before winning by 49-45.

"It was the ugliest game I have seen in a long time," Diamonds coach Joan Hodson said.

"There was a lack of communication and a lack of support for each other. We put in a lot of impossible passes the Shakers were able to gobble up."

In round five, on Thursday night, the Diamonds meet the Sting in Auckland, the Force play the Western Flyers on the North Shore, the Cometz play the Magic in Rotorua and the Shakers play the Rebels in Wellington.