The Lion Foundation Netball Champs - Day Two

The Lion Foundation Netball Champs - Day Two
30 September 2014

The Lion Foundation Netball Champs, 2014 takes place from Monday 29th September to Friday 3rd October at The Trusts Arena in Henderson, Auckland.

North Harbour established themselves as a force to be reckoned with after beating Auckland in the final game of pool play at the Lion Foundation Netball Champs at The Trusts Arena in Henderson tonight.

In the perennial battle of the bridge, Harbour kept Auckland at bay with a 52-46 victory, which hoisted them to the top of Pool D. Despite the loss, Auckland will also go through to the top eight play-offstomorrow.

Both sides struggled under the net in the opening stages of the match, but it was North Harbour who better came to terms with the pressure as the game wore on, with defenders Isarena Chan and Fa’amu Ioane punishing their Auckland counterparts. Once Harbour had established a five-goal buffer, the Aucklanders could not close the gap.

It was North Harbour’s second victory of the day, after notching up a 71-46 win over Taranaki, coached by former Silver Fern Joan Hodson.

Defending champions Dunedin (formerly Otago A), Christchurch and Hamilton remain unbeaten at the end of pool play and are all strong contenders for the national title.

Boasting a string of former internationals, Christchurch had convincing wins over Bay of Plenty and Waitakere. Anna Thompson showed her versatility, playing at goal attack, wing attack and centre for Christchurch, and ensured her side maintained impressive ball speed on attack. Young Tactix star Jane Watson was a stand-out on defence for Christchurch.

Although Dunedin were pushed close by Kapi Mana on day one – eventually winning 51-49 – the 2013 champions rounded out their pool play with a 61-46 victory over Counties Manukau.

Magic defender Jo Tripp helped Waikato secure their quarterfinal berth beating Waitakere 57-38, but it wasn’t until the second half of the clash that Waikato were able to tighten the screws on their gritty opponents.

Waitakere, Wellington and Kapi Mana also go through to the top eight; Wellington booking their spot with an 88-43 drubbing of neighbours Hutt Valley.

Day Two Results
ROUND ONE
Hamilton 57 defeated Waitakere 38
Christchurch 77 defeated Bay of Plenty 34

ROUND TWO
Auckland 81 defeated Thames Valley 20
North Harbour 71 defeated Taranaki 46

ROUND THREE
Wellington 88 defeated Hutt Valley 43

ROUND FOUR
Dunedin 61 defeated Counties Manukau 46

ROUND FIVE
Kapi Mana 67 defeated Eastern Waikato 28
Christchurch 63 defeated Waitakere 42

ROUND SIX
North Harbour 52 defeated Auckland 46
Taranaki 67 defeated Thames Valley 43

-Ends-

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