Premier Netball: HGHS Langman pushed to their limit by a determined Marist Premier but hold on for the win

Simmon Wilbore at GA for Verdettes Marist Old Girls. Photo / Judy Macdonald

● Allied HOB Keppler Premier 55 vs University of Waikato Premier Reserves 33
● Verdettes Marist Premier 42 vs OTC Timber HGHS Langman 45
● St Peter's Premier 52 vs University of Waikato Premier 70
● Nottingham Castle Rangers 55 vs FTNC Premier Reserve 29
● FTNC Premiers 60 vs Northern United Mamba 38
● Waikato Diocesan Premier 31 vs Verdettes Marist Old Girls 71

The sixth week of the Kirks Roberts Consulting premier indoor competition saw the return of some Splice Construction Magic players to teams and one close game. This was the game between OTC Timber HGHS Langman and Verdettes Marist Premier.

HGHS Langman got an early three goal lead in the first quarter but at half time Marist Premier had crept ahead to lead 23-22. The second half was fiercely competitive with both teams wanting possession of the ball. HGHS Langman won the game 45-42.
For HGHS they were pushed to their limit by a determined Marist side. Again, it was the defensive efforts of Liza Ball playing both goal defence and goal keep who gained some fantastic ball for the team at crucial times.

Grace Wilson at GS for Waikato Diocesan Premier takes shot while being defended by Hannah Ridling at GK for Verdettes Marist Old Girls. Photo / Judy Macdonald

Other standout performers for the depleted side were Kaiya Kepa at centre, Kyla-Rose Onehi-Karena (WD, GK) and Marewa Samson (WA, WD) who worked hard on defence.

HGHS were forced to reshuffle after losing shooter Keilani Hadfield to illness in the first quarter and with no reserves, the team was happy to get the win.

For Marist Premier the young defensive duo of Shyrah Tuliau-Tua'a at goal keep and Hannah Ngawhika at goal defence worked tirelessly to turn over ball with Alice Wilkinson at centre doing a great job of controlling plays through the mid-court.

The shooting end had a strong performance throughout the game. Overall, a good whole team performance against a very polished HGHS side.

Nottingham Castle Rangers won their game against FTNC Premier Reserve but the win was not easy. The half time score was 26-18 and the fulltime score was 55-29; however, this did not reflect how competitive the game was.

Corban Metekingi at GD for Northern United Mamba. Photo / Judy Macdonald

For Castle Rangers it was a scrappy game at times against determined opposition. The team keeps showing improvement, winning all four quarters. This the result of a determined team defensive effort that resulted in plenty of turnover ball that was converted.

Ella Wilton had great impact when she came on at goal defence in the second half. It was good to see every available team member take the court and have strong performances.
For FTNC Premier Reserve they were short on players due to illness and had to bring players up but they had a strong first quarter.

In the second quarter, Emily Ridling at centre put in some good ball to the shooters. Tepora Colailago at goal defence had a very solid game with some strong intercepts and providing support at the transverse line on attack.

Simone Blackburn at goal attack is finding form again and overall shooting stats were good. In the final quarter, a number of changes had to be made affecting flow.

T'reya Onehi Karena at GD for Allied HOB Kwmn130622sp02 T'reya Onehi Karenda at GD for Allied HOB Keppler Premier. Photo / Judy Macdonald

University of Waikato Premier also had to work hard for their win against a competitive St Peter's Premier team. The half time score was 34-22 and the fulltime score was 70-52. The damage, however, was done in the second and third quarters. The other quarters were close.

Allied HOB Keppler Premier had a good game against University of Waikato Premier Reserves with the first half close. The half time score was 25-20 to Allied HOB. They then had a strong second half winning the game 55-33.
FTNC Premier led from start to finish in their game against Northern United Mamba. The half time score was 32-19 and the fulltime score 60-38.

In the final game Verdettes Marist Old Girls were completely dominant in their game against Waikato Diocesan Premier. The half time score was 32-12 and the fulltime score 71-31.