Alice Wilkinson, goal shooter, for FTNC Premier Reserve being defended by Charlie McLiver, goal defence, for Verdettes Marist Premier. Photo / Judy Macdonald
Hamilton City Netball Centre, Indoor Premier Results Week 8
● Northern United Mamba 74 vs University of Waikato A 59
● Melville Vetora Premier 55 vs Verdettes Marist Development 36
● University of Waikato Premier 66 vs Allied HOB Collins Premier 29
● St Peter’s Premier 35 vs Nottingham Castle Rangers 76
● Verdettes Marist Premier 35 vs Waikato Diocesan for Girls Premier 37
● St Paul’s Premier 35 vs University of Waikato Premier Reserve 34
● Verdettes Marist Old Girls 55 vs FTNC Premier 50
● HGHS Langman 49 vs FTNC Premier Reserve 43
Last Monday, June 12, FTNC Premier Reserve played Verdettes Marist Premier in a promotion-relegation game that saw FTNC Premier Reserve leading 39 to 12 at halftime and winning by 69 goals to 28. This means that FTNC Premier Reserve will play the next round in Premier A.
Premier A:
Verdettes Marist Old Girls and FTNC Premier had a great game. FTNC Premier got an early lead and was ahead 29 goals to 22 at halftime. A low-scoring third quarter allowed Marist Old Girls to take the lead and eventually win the game 55 goals to 50.
For Old Girls it was another close one and a game of two halves. Ariana Ratana at goal attack helped the fight back in the second half by coming on and injecting something different in the shooting circle and shooting at a high percentage. Georgia Bodle also had a solid game playing most of it out at centre providing stability in both attack and defence.
HGHS Langman and FTNC Premier Reserve also had a great game. HGHS started strongly despite drawing the second quarter. The halftime score was 27 goals to 22. The third quarter was also close and the final quarter was another draw. The fulltime score was 49 goals to 43.
A depleted HGHS started the game well and the team had an early lead. Some great defensive pressure by Caitlin Hull at wing defence earned her quick gains in the first quarter. Kaziah Riley-Rata at goal attack shot well and there was some great turnover ball from Jess Jennings and Liza Ball at the other end of the court. Overall, the team had some nice connections throughout the game and is showing improvements with every game and are yet to be consistent for four quarters.
After winning the promotion game on Monday night, FTNC Premier Reserve were excited to pit themselves against a Premier A team. Even though the team had a slow start, Alice Wilkinson at goal shoot started strong by shooting at 100 per cent. Unfortunately, the team made too many unforced errors resulting in them losing the first quarter.
For the rest of the game, Victoria Simeon took the court at goal shoot, with Wilkinson moving to goal attack. They moved the circle well and Simeon provided a strong target for the feeders. They both held their own against a very determined defence. A full-court defence of Priya Singh at wing defence, Mannor Fleming at goal defence and Jennifer Adam at goal keep worked tirelessly, especially Fleming who applied a lot of pressure on their shooters.
University of Waikato Premier was too good for Allied HOB Collins Premier and they led from start to finish with the second and final quarters very strong. The halftime score was 36 goals to 14 and the fulltime score was 66 goals to 29.
In the final game, Nottingham Castle Rangers dominated St Peter’s Premier and they too led from start to finish but the first quarter was very close with only two goals the difference. At halftime, Castle Rangers led 30 goals to 20 and they won the game 76 goals to 35.
Premier B:
St Paul’s Premier and University of Waikato Premier Reserve had a nail bitter with nothing in it. St Paul’s had a one-goal lead at the end of the first quarter but a strong second quarter to lead by 23 goals to 13. University Premier Reserve then had a strong third and final quarter to come within a goal but did not quite do enough to take the win. The fulltime score was 35 goals to 34.
Same for Verdettes Marist Premier and Waikato Diocesan for Girls. Waikato Diocesan started well and was ahead by 20 goals to 11 at halftime. Marist Premier then won the third and final quarters to come close to winning. The final score was 37 goals to 35.
For Waikato Diocesan it was a game of two halves. In the first half, while not perfect, the team was able to win each quarter. The second half was quite the opposite with a lot of individual errors. Charlotte Wyndham at goal keep and Safia McLeod at goal defence combined well in the defensive circle to turn the ball over and keep the team ahead on the scoreboard. For Marist Premier it was a well-fought-out game with excellent defensive effort spearheaded by Kellie Phillips at goal defence and goal keep. The team played well as a unit all working together fighting until the end and ending up with a close 2-point loss.
Northern United Mamba had a see-sawing match against the University of Waikato A. University A had a slow start but was able to get ahead at halftime leading 36 goals to 33. Northern United had a great third and final quarter to take the lead and win 74 goals to 59.
Melville Vetora Premier was too strong for Verdettes Marist Development with only the second quarter a draw. At halftime, Melville Premier led by 27 goals to 22 and there were too strong in the second half winning the game 55 goals to 36.
This summer will be critical to discover if the sharks have started returning.