2.30pm
Waikato kicked off their national championship campaign with a 59-52 win over Counties & Manukau in Palmerston North last night.
Goal shoot Julie Kelman-Poto bagged a 90 per cent success rate for Waikato, who led 31-28 at halftime and 44-38 at three-quarter time.
Canterbury and Southland also picked up first-day wins in section 1A, Canterbury accounting for Otago 50-39 and Southland toppling Wellington with a dramatic comeback 62-58.
In the 1B section, Netball North beat Western 51-41, Auckland Waitakere were too strong for Eastern, winning 51-28, while Bay of Plenty beat Tasman 51-40.
Wellington seemed to have the game under control when they led 42-32 four minutes into the second half but Southland showed superior composure when it mattered.
Defending champions Canterbury trailed the southerners 25-24 at halftime, but by the third quarter time had a 10-goal advantage they never relinquished.
- NZPA
Netball: Waikato in 7-goal win
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