Netball: Pulse winless no more

Winless no more. The Central Pulse ended their drought in the trans-Tasman netball league with a nail-biting 53-52 victory over defending champions NSW Swifts at Porirua tonight.

The Pulse gained a point last season when their match against West Coast Fever was cancelled because of a leaky roof in Perth but their win tonight was well-deserved for the manner in which they held their game together.

The Swifts, with just two wins this season, are a shadow of the side that won the championship last year, and as the Pulse grew stronger, the visitors cracked under the pressure.

With Paula Griffin, 35 from 39, producing her best shooting game of the season, the Pulse leapt out to a 49-45 lead early in the final quarter and, apart from a couple of hiccups, defended their lead staunchly.

Griffin found an able ally in young fellow shooter Te Amo Amaru-Tibble who shot 18 from 21 but much of the credit must go to skipper Cushla Lichtwark for an inspirational performance.

Lichtwark was in the thick of the action and her never-say-die spirit transferred to her teammates in the crucial final minutes.

Lanky Jamaican defender Althea Byfield was also a thorn in Catherine Cox' side and had the Australian shooter's measure in the final quarter.

The first hint of a new-found steel in the Pulse was seen when they fought back from four goals down in the first quarter to level the scores at 15-15 when it ended.

The second quarter followed a similar pattern, the Pulse falling behind by five goals, but the Swifts unable to shake them off, coming into the halftime breather ahead by just one, 28-27.

The Pulse then led 37-35 at one point in the third quarter only to see the Swifts draw level 41-41 after a couple of errors gifted the opposition the ball.

But with Griffin and Kibble gobbling up every chance they got, the Pulse leaped out to a 49-45 lead early in the final stanza, and this time, there was no reining them in.

Lichtwark, giving a victory speech for the first time this season, praised her shooters, saying they did what they had to do by finding the spaces to let the feeders pop the ball to them.

"Obviously, we have learned from our mistakes and put it into practice tonight.

"It got a bit close there at the end but we got across the line. It probably wasn't our best work but it was good enough for a win tonight.

"It certainly feels better than being on the other side of the scoreboard and we have to try and make it happen more often."

The Pulse will face a sterner test in their final game of the season - they take on competition frontrunners Melbourne Vixens away next Saturday.

Swifts skipper Cox said the Pulse had made it count when they needed to.

"That's been a big issue for us this season - we get five or six up and let it slide - but it takes nothing away from them, they played a great game."

- NZPA