Netball: Players shooting in unknown territory

By Suzanne McFadden

Some of the country's top netballers were a little in the dark yesterday when they were chosen to play against England.

There has been little hoopla about the new Star series, which starts next week, and some players were uncertain what they were entering into.

Yesterday, Silver Ferns coach Yvonne Willering named three teams - North, Central and South - to play in the week-long, nationwide round-robin series which also involves the English national squad.

"The Star series will come as news to some of the players because we haven't gone out of our way to push it on to them. Until now, we've wanted them to concentrate on the Coca Cola Cup," Willering said.

There are no shocks in the line-ups, only a couple of inter-island shuffles to even out the strengths of the teams.

New Zealand captain Belinda Colling has been removed from her Otago comfort zone to play for the young Central side, who also receive help from Ferns Sonya Hardcastle and Sheryl Clarke, from the north, and Belinda Charteris from the south.

The North have picked up a foreign shooter, Australian Lisa Gregory from Christchurch.

But regional pride won't play a big role in this competition - it's not so much about winning the trophy in the debut year.

This year, the Star series unashamedly serves as a trial; a chance for Willering to pick her team for the world championships in September.

If New Zealand do not win the world champs this year, there will be no excuses about not having a decent build-up.

The Ferns have already toured Jamaica and beaten Australia. From this series with England, two teams will be chosen for a possibles-probables trial for the New Zealand side to play a series against South Africa before the world champs.

Willering fends off criticism that the domestic schedule is too heavy this season, and that the Star series comes too soon after the Coca Cola Cup.

"I don't see this series as a hardship. I'd like to think we're all working for a common cause this year - to win the world champs," she said.

England will arrive later this week with 12 players and meet up with the four who have been playing for franchises in the Coca Cola Cup. The team then go on to Australia for a test series.

All four teams in the Star series will play at the same venue in one night - the first stop in Auckland next Friday. The road show moves on to Palmerston North, Christchurch and Dunedin.

Star series New Zealand teams.

North: Teresa Tairi, Tania Nicholson, Lisa Gregory, Jenny-May Coffin, Temepara George, Megan Dalgety, Louisa Wall, Kate Dowling, Linda Vagana, Lorna Suafoa.

Central: Daneka Wipiiti, Jodi Te Huna, Belinda Colling, Noeline Taurua, Sonya Hardcastle, Amigene Rangitaawa, Julie Seymour, Sheryl Clarke, Belinda Charteris, Pelesa Semu.

South: Jo Steed, Donna Loffhagen, Adine Harper, Anna Rowberry, Reinga Bloxham, Lesley Nicol, Vicky Edwards, Bernice Mene, Anna Veronese, Katie Fay.