Lion Foundation Netball Champs - Results

LION FOUNDATION NETBALL CHAMPS
- RESULTS - 3/10/12

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3.10.12 - Canterbury and Western lead Division One and Division Two heading into playoffs.

FEATURE MATCH - DIVISION ONE

Canterbury (54) defeated Chop Chop Auckland Waitakere (53)
It was the most talked about match-up coming into finals week of the Lion Foudnation Netball Champs, and the supporters of both teams couldn’t have asked for more, as Canterbury and Auckland Waitakere went head to head in an epic Netball battle which saw the lead swing from one team to another right till the final whistle.

With the court overflowing with ANZ Championship players and National Squad members, every match up through court provided highly skilled entertainment. From Silver Fern Squad members Anna Thompson (Canterbury) and Grace Rasmussen (Auckland Waitakere) duelling it out at Centre to up and coming Netballers Jane Watson (Canterbury GK) and Phoenix Karaka (Auckland Waitakere GS) showing us what they are made of, it really was a great display of what we get to look forward to for the rest of the week.

It was a highly contested match and at no point could one pick who was the stronger team. For Auckland Waitakere Charlotte Kight had a dominant game at Goal Defence, strong through court and a constant presence hunting the ball in the circle, it was clear her training towards her charity boxing match against Bessie Manu was paying off.

At one point in the match it was great to see all three Rasmussen sisters on court for Auckland Waitakere, Grace (c), Anne Helen (WA) and Rachel (GK) proved that they are Auckland’s top Netballing sisters, playing together with an understanding that only siblings can produce.

Pocket Rockets Keshia Grant (Canterbury WA) and Kayla McAllister (Auckland Waitakere WD), usually accustomed to out-pacing their opponents, found themselves sprinting around the court for the majority of the game being tailed by the other as each tried to assert their presence on court. It was Grant who gained the edge in the end, receiving 30 Centre Passes in the match – a high stat compared to Auckland Waitakere Wing Attacks who received 16 between them.

Elisapeta Toeava, a New Zealand Secondary School player and NZU21 replacement player took to the court for Auckland Waitakere in the third and was thrilling to watch. The future netballing Dynamo was at one point preventing herself from going offside by doing a press-up on the ball, much to the crowds delight.

The injection of Canterbury Goal Shoot Elizabeth Hayman was the game-changer. Ellen Halpenny was able to create more movement at Goal Attack, which allowed her deceptive abilities to shine through whilst Hayman, holding strong, was prolific under the hoop – shooting 16/17, many from long-range.

The dying seconds saw Canterbury take the win by one in a match that could have gone either way.

FEATURE MATCH - DIVISION TWO

Western One (54) defeated PIC Insurance Brokers Counties Manukau (37)
The battle between two of the top placed Division 2 teams started out goal-for-goal, turnover for turnover this morning as Western looked determined to seal their No.1 spot and Counties Manukau with their hearts set on the opportunity to play in Promotion / Relegation for 2012.

Western, with their tried and true line-up, have been on the brink of making Division One for the last couple of years and today they showed their strength on attack, through court links and dominating defence to take the win 54-37.
In the first quarter, both teams’ through-court defence was outstanding, and a lot of loose ball was snatched up by the hunting hands of roving defenders. On Attack both teams were wary with opening jitters but once the game was in full swing, some stunning Netball was witnessed.

Western Goal Shoot Chantelle Ngaia spearheaded her team’s slight early lead, shooting with precision at 100% for the first quarter, despite the ever-present and outstanding performance of Counties Manukau Goal Defence Megan Adler. Adler lead her team from the outset, taking charge of her defensive end and expecting as much of her team mates in the warm-up as she did out on court.

Down the other end of the court Counties Manukau Goal Shoot Caitlin Riedstra was moving the circle well, deceptively keeping her defence one step behind to get herself into that ideal shooting position. Western defender and Silver Fern Squad member Te Huinga Reo Selby-Rickit was the spoiler down her end, ensuring that any ball swung between the Counties Manukau mid-courters across the circle edge was hers for the taking.

In the third quarter Western put their foot down. Forced to shoot from further out, the Counties Manukau shooters began to lose their range and with Selby-Rickit puling in the highest amount of rebounds for the game, they couldn’t afford to miss a goal. Western Centre Sheridan Bignall became dominant in the midcourt, taking control of her teams flow through court and feeding her shooters with pin-point accurate passes.

A huge blow to Western saw Chantelle Ngaia go down at the end of the 3rd quarter with an injury. She was quickly replaced by Rebecca Jury and the whole Western team stepped up a notch to make sure her hard work didn’t go to waste. Counties Manukau were not down and out however, the change of Kirsten Hurley from Wing Defence to Centre injected some patience on attack and Goal Keep Toni Rinckes fought hard for every ball right through to the final whistle.

ENDS

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