Stacy Rata-Hodgson playing for Iwi Karearea Premier. Photo / Judy Macdonald
Stacy Rata-Hodgson playing for Iwi Karearea Premier. Photo / Judy Macdonald
The fourth week of the Trust Waikato Hamilton City premier netball competition saw some more competitive games, in particular the game between Allied HOB Premier and Waikato Diocesan Open A.
This was very close, and strongly contested. Allied HOB Premier started well and had a three-goal lead at the end of the first quarter with the score being 11 goals to 8.
They further increased their lead in the second quarter with the halftime score being 23 goals to 18.
In the third quarter Waikato Diocesan Open A came into their own and dominated to bring the score to 32 all at the three quarter break.
Rachel Mackenzie playing for Waikato Diocesan Open . Photo / Judy Macdonald
The final quarter was almost goal for goal, but Allied HOB Premier were the eventual winners 46 goals to 42. This was a great game to watch.
For HOB Allied it was a challenging game with Waikato Diocesan playing with determination and grit with the scent of their first win in the competition.
HOB Allied experienced players kept the pressure on, however, after the score being drawn at three quarter time.
Mid courters Hylan Potts and Leisha Thomas-Fielding were relentless on attack and in defence, and Dani McCloy on at goal attack in the final quarter injected some clever quick passing into the shooting circle to help seal the win.
For Waikato Diocesan it was a better game this week but still inconsistent in phases. The team is still adapting to different combinations and to playing together.
The shooting combination of Alice Wilkinson at goal attack and Emma Collier at goal shoot worked well with Wilkinson a standout controlling the attack end and creating space for Collier in the circle.
Castle Rangers vs HGHS Langman Nottingham Castle Rangers and Hamilton Girls High School (HGHS) Langman also had a well contested and competitive game.
Castle Rangers led at the end of the first quarter by 10 goals to 6, and the second quarter was very close, meaning only an additional one-goal lead at the half time break.
The halftime score was 16 goals to 11. HGHS Langman had a strong third quarter to narrow the lead to just three goals with the score at three quarter time being 24 goals to 21.
Ivari Christie playing for HGHS Langman. Photo / Judy Macdonald
Castle Rangers left the best to last, however, and had a dominant final quarter to take the win 38 goals to 29.
Overall, the score did not reflect how close this game was and great to see HGHS Langman being so competitive.
For Castle Rangers it was a great contest with the young opposition pushing them for the full game.
This week saw a more consistent performance on attack and fewer unforced errors. The overall team defence was dogged and determined and produced some good turnover ball right throughout the court.
Overall a real team effort with all players maintaining composure to grind out the win.
For HGHS Langman it was a frustrating game with lots of stops and starts and it took a while for either team to get any flow going.
HGHS Langman struggled to combat the experience of their opposition, resulting in a high error rate for the young side. Arikinoa Shortland coming on at goal shoot in the second half provided a good impact for the team with Shortland showing some great spatial awareness and solid finishing, which contributed to the team closing the gap, but not enough to take the win.
Verdettes Marist Old Girls vs St Peters Premier Verdettes Marist Old Girls had a great game against St Peters Premier with some awesome netball skills on display.
Both teams started strongly with Marist Old Girls leading 14 goals to 12 at the end of the first quarter.
They narrowly increased their lead in the second quarter with the half time score being 25 goals to 21.
Marist Old Girls in the third quarter were able to take a bit more of a lead to be ahead 37 goals to 28.
Sade Kaipara-Morrinson playing for St Peters Premier. Photo / Judy Macdonald
The final quarter was about the same and the final score was 51 goals to 36. For Marist Old Girls it was a good challenge for the team coming off some big wins over the first few weeks to have a tighter game.
The whole team enjoyed the intensity that St Peters brought to the game. Kate Littlejohn at goal defence picked up a lot of ball through the midcourt and was a standout along with Tiana Tuuta at goal shoot who was strong and shot a high percentage.
For St Peters Premier it was a great start and the players implemented some of the skills they have been working on, in particular scoring from their own centre pass in the first quarter where timing and connections worked well through the attack end.
Defensively the team also showed development with some great ball won by Monica Faumui in the back at goal keep. Playing an experienced team like Marist Old Girls is valuable learning and a great challenge.
Other games University of Waikato Premier and FTNC Premier Reserve also had a great game. And while University of Premier led from start to finish and won every quarter the final quarter was low scoring and close with only three goals the difference, but it was all a little too late.
The halftime score was 23 goals to 11 and the final score was 43 goals to 20. A credible performance by FTNC Premier Reserve and another game for University Premier where they continue to grow and develop as a largely new team from previous seasons.
Iwi Karearea Premier performed well in their game against Morrinsville Open A. Iwi Karearea Premier led from start to finish and at half time led by 30 goals to 8. At the final whistle the score was 53 goals to 19.
The score does not entirely reflect the performance by Morrinsville Open A who had some nice phases of play.
The team is also show more confidence and becoming more conditioned to playing in this premier competition. A good win to Iwi Karearea Premier who played well.
FTNC Premier were dominant in their game against University of Waikato Premier Reserves and they won every quarter convincingly.
At halftime the score was 37 goals to 15 and the fulltime score was 68 goals to 24. A good performance by the FTNC Premier team with not a lot of team changes.
University Premier Reserves had a better first half than second half but good to see some changes throughout the game with a strong effort defensively by the whole team.
Indoor Premier Results • FTNC Premier 68 vs University of Waikato Premier Reserve 24 • Morrinsville Open A 19 vs Iwi Karearea Premier 53 • Allied HOB Premier 46 vs Waikato Diocesan Open A 42 • Nottingham Castle Rangers 38 vs Hamilton Girls High School Langman 29 • FTNC Premier Reserve 20 vs University of Waikato Premier 43 • St Peters Premier 36 vs Verdettes Marist Old Girls 51
