Netball: Mystics on winning form

Northern Mystics rediscovered their winning touch to comfortably put away Canterbury Tactix in a trans-Tasman netball league match today.

Fresh from three successive losses, the Mystics appreciated a return to their home court in Auckland as they won the sixth round encounter 59-50 following an explosive first quarter performance.

That lifted their season's return to three wins and three losses after they entered the game in sixth place in the 10-team ANZ Championship.

With veterans Temepara George and Jenny-May Coffin dominating the midcourt, the Mystics were always in charge after they got out of the blocks early to establish an 18-10 advantage by the end of the opening quarter.

The Cantabrians, languishing in ninth place after just one victory, had an early setback when wing attack, Australian under-21 representative Chelsea Pittman, was forced from the court in the opening stanza after falling heavily on her left knee following a collision with Larissa Willcox.

This forced Tactix coach Helen Mahon-Stroud to tinker with her lineup, and the changes did not bed down until the second quarter when the visitors found their rhythm and accuracy to close to 16-20.

However, the Mystics reasserted themselves and a 5-0 spurt late in the piece enabled them to go into the main break with a healthy 30-21 lead.

Tactix showed their tenacious qualities to claw their way back to 32-37 midway through the third period when Mystics goal shoot Cathrine Latu missed her target for the first and only time, but they could not maintain the pressure as the home side again finished the stronger even if the Tactix shaded them 14-13 for the quarter.

The Tactix may have harboured hopes of overhauling the eight-goal deficit in the last period but they evaporated early as the Mystics went on another 5-0 run to reimpose themselves before watching the clock tick down.

The accuracy of Latu and her shooting partner Maria Tutaia in the end ensured the Mystics got the result they wanted, Latu having a particularly fine match as she finished with 33 goals from 34 attempts.

Goal attack Tutaia was the idea foil, slotting 26 from 31, many of them from distance as she showed a willingness to shoot from longer range.

At the other end of the court, Jamaican defender Althea Byfield proved her worth for the Mystics with a committed performance as she relentlessly pressured the Tactix shooters.

Goal shoot Ellen Halpenny responded well to the attention as she shot 32 from 37 while goal attack Anna Thompson was much quieter in returning 18 from 23.

- NZPA