Leaders maintain perfect record

KINETICS cemented their place at the top of netball’s division one at the weekend with a win over second-placed Kiwis, while the third division matches saw victories for Mavericks, Ness and Lerwick Juniors.

Division One

Whalsay 34, AHS 29

A strong AHS team worked hard and were slow to settle into the first quarter but once the attackers got into their stride a shot was rarely missed by Ava Sim (GS) and Christine Jamieson (GA). Whalsay’s defence worked well together and the first quarter ended 8-4 to the Bonnie Isle.

The second quarter kicked off with an AHS centre pass and they dominated throughout with consistent shooting. Mid-court players Inga Woods (C) and Emma Leask (GD) worked well together. Whalsay’s Vaila Kay (GA) and June Williamson (GS) had a difficult quarter but maintained a lead of 16–13.

Changes to the Whalsay side opened up the mid-court well during the third quarter with Catherine Irvine (WA) getting quick balls into the circle and Ingrid Nicol (WD) disrupting the AHS attacking passes. AHS had a steady third and played well throughout the court, ending 26-22 in Whalsay’s favour.

In the final quarter both teams were slow to score with both sides missing a few shots. AHS made team changes but despite this they were unable to pull ahead with Whalsay winning 34-29.

Players of the match were Catherine Williamson for Whalsay and Emma Leask for AHS.

Kiwis 38, Kinetics 45

The match started off at an extremely fast pace with both teams keen to gain the upper hand. Not much separated them in the first quarter with both sets of shooters making few mistakes. The quarter finished with Kinetics slightly in the lead at 11-9.

The second quarter saw Kinetics step up a gear, with slick play by shooting duo Kirsti Leask and Sarah Grogan giving Kiwis defenders Morag Fox and Fiona Dally little chance of interceptions or rebounds. The half-time score saw Kinetics build on their first quarter lead at 22-16.

Kiwis started slowly in the third quarter and Kinetics took full advantage. Louise Fraser was solid in centre court and supplied Leask and Grogan with accurate passes into the circle and the quarter saw Kinetics extend their lead to 36-24.

In the final quarter the Kiwis made a comeback, linking well together as a team and digging deep, but unfortunatey it was too little too late and Kinetics held on to take the match 45-38.

It was an impressive team effort from both sides, but player of the match for Kinetics was Louise Fraser in centre court and for Kiwis shooters Dawn Manson and Marie Clark.

Division Three

Mavericks 36, Burra 24

In the second meeting between Mavericks and Burra, both teams took to the court with equal determination. The play went from end to end with never more than a goal separating the two teams in the first 10 minutes.

Tight marking from Mavericks Amanda Sinclair and Lisa Smith made life difficult for Burra’s Ingrid Devine and Heather Henry and steady nerves from the Mavericks attack allowed them to pull two goals ahead to finish the first quarter 9-7 up.

During the second quarter the combination of Andrea Jeromson (GA), Chloe Miller (GS) and Ali Elphinstone (WA) was effective in creating slick movement along with accurate finishing from Chloe Miller which allowed the Mavericks to dominate play.

For Burra, Louise Mellor and Anne Marie Fullerton worked tirelessly but their athleticism failed to disrupt the smoothness of Mavericks who extended their lead by 10 goals – the Mavericks defence only conceded three goals during this quarter.

During the second half Burra changed tactics, switching some of their defence and attack, and Heather Henry, now playing GD, made life difficult for the Mavericks attack. Although Marie Sharp looked impressive as GA for Burra playing with both determination and accuracy, well supported by Lynne Ritch, Mavericks never lost focus, and Burra were unable to build up a rhythm.

Mavericks centre Amber Inkster, reading the play well, was able to pick up a few well timed interceptions and performed well in both attack and defence which meant Mavericks went into the last quarter 27-16 ahead.

In the final quarter Burra put on a final spurt and the gap between the teams started to narrow dangerously. However, Mavericks kept steady heads and slowly pulled themselves out of trouble with some accurate shooting by Chloe Miller which sealed their victory.

Scallywags 16, Ness 31

The game started with both teams determined to get the first goal, leading to a hectic opening centre. This quarter saw strong attacking play by both teams, with good exchanges from Scallywags centre and down the wing to the shooters. The first quarter saw Ness take a 7-4 lead.

The second quarter started with just as much determination as the first quarter. Scallywags used lots of good long passes down the wing, mixed with bounce passes around the shooting area during this quarter. There was some quick passing from Ness’s Alice Smith mixed with some great teamwork. The half time score was 13-10 to Ness.

Ness substituted Rachel Adamson into GK for the remainder of the game. Going into the third quarter saw Ness playing a particularly defensive game, with their players marking the Scallywags extremely tightly. Scallywags had to play faster, with quick passing. The quarter saw Ness increase their lead to 20-14.

The final quarter was extremely fast, particularly on the Ness side. Ness had a run of goals at the beginning, with some great shooting by Elizabeth Williamson and Caroline Wood.

Players of the match were Nicola Smith for Scallywags and Alice Smith for Ness.

Scalloway Juniors 23, Lerwick Juniors 25

Both teams got off to an equal start with centres Sarah Groat (Lerwick) and Karen Bannister (Scalloway) working hard to support their teams. The score was 5-5 at the end of the quarter.

In the second quarter a good Lerwick defence from Katie McMillan (GD) and Alice Unsworth (WD) left Scalloway Juniors with few opportunities and they found it hard to retain possession, helping Lerwick Juniors to take a lead of 14-8.

In the third quarter Scalloway WA Rowan Nicolson and GA Julie Brown worked well together with fast passing and allowed their team to shorten the gap to 16-20.

The final quarter was the most exciting due to both teams being eager to win. Lerwick GA Louise Jamieson’s good movement and accurate shooting made the Scalloway defence work hard to keep up with the pace, but they had a few good interceptions. Despite this the score was close.

Player of the match for Lerwick Juniors was Louise Jamieson while both Julie Brown and Karen Bannister stood out for Scalloway Juniors.