Amarnee Shepherd at WA for OTC Timber HGHS Langman. Photo Judy / Macdonald
Amarnee Shepherd at WA for OTC Timber HGHS Langman. Photo Judy / Macdonald
Kirk Roberts Consulting Indoor Premier Netball Results May 19
● Waikato Diocesan Premier 28 vs FTNC Premier 78 ● OTC Timber HGHS Langman 42 vs University of Waikato Premier 40 ● University of Waikato Premier Reserves 25 vs Northern United Mamba 42 ● St Peter's Premier 49 vs Nottingham Castle Rangers 57 ● Verdettes Marist Old Girls 46 vs FTNC Premier Reserves 37 ● Allied HOB Keppler Premier 47 vs Verdettes Marist Premier 48
The third week of the Kirk Roberts Consulting premier indoor competition saw two nail-biters.
Verdettes Marist Premier in the final minutes of their game against Allied HOB Keppler Premier came away with a one-goal win. The halftime score was 25 goals to 23 to Allied HOB but in the final quarter Marist Premier crept ahead to take the win 48 goals to 47. For Marist Premier the game was a true team effort.
The aim for the team was to play as one cohesive unit, and they did. Defence cleared the ball well, mid-court moved the ball quickly and the shooters were accurate. Allied HOB challenged every ball requiring the players to think on their feet and to play alternate set plays and structures whilst remaining present and focussed.
Taiana Day at C for St Peter's Premier and Emily Ussher at GA for Nottingham Castle Rangers. Photo Judy / Macdonald
For Allied HOB they used a variety of combinations to cover injuries in the tight tussle. Demi Moana at goal shoot and Sam Taylor at goal attack worked hard to contain the tight defence and to stay in front.
An injury to Taylor forced a change in shooting strategy part way through the game. Leila Green at wing defence applied constant pressure in the second quarter. School student Keisha Noble at centre had a highly commendable game feeding the ball into good space for the shooters as well as speeding up the game through the mid court.
T'neya Onehi-Karena in defence worked tirelessly constantly applying pressure on the shooters gaining some important intercepts. A great game to watch.
OTC Timber HGHS Langman and University of Waikato Premier had an outstanding game with neither team giving an inch. It was an intense 60 minutes.
At halftime the game was drawn at 22 all and at fulltime HGHS managed to get ahead to take the win 42 goals to 40. For HGHS it was an epic battle from start to finish despite a shaky start and having to spend most of the game playing catch-up.
Ruby Hodgson at WD for Northern United Mamba. Photo Judy / Macdonald
Arikinoa Shortland spearheaded the game with some great shooting to keep the team in touch. The introduction of Shakani Murray to wing attack and Amarnee Shepherd to goal attack provided stability and saw the young side settle.
Kaiya Kepa worked tirelessly throughout the game at centre, combining well with her defensive counterparts. Liza Ball was again outstanding on defence gaining some stunning ball when it really counted.
For University Premier, it was a great tight tussle with both teams displaying some good netball. Mikayla Gillespie in the mid-court worked tirelessly on defence and gained plenty of turnover ball. The game was lost in the final few minutes.
Nottingham Castle Rangers and St Peter's Premier had a great game with Castle Rangers the eventual winners. At halftime Castle Rangers held a good lead with the score being 30 goals to 19 but St Peter's came back strongly in the third quarter to reduce the difference to just six goals. The final score was 57 goals to 49.
Verdettes Marist Old Girls came away with their first win against a very competitive FTNC Premier Reserve. This was very close with the game drawn at 21-all at halftime. It was only in the second half that Marist Old Girls were able to get ahead. The final score was 46 goals to 37.
Northern United Mamba came away with a win in their game against University of Waikato Premier Reserves. The halftime score was 18 goals to 13 and the fulltime score was 42 goals to 25 but this was by no means a reflection of the entire game.
FTNC Premier were dominant from the first to final whistle in their game against Waikato Diocesan Premier leading from start to finish. The halftime score was 31 goals to 16 and the fulltime score 78 goals to 28. A comprehensive performance by the FTNC team.
